Cast And Characters

Originally, Kring designed the series to have an ever-shifting cast. However, his motivation changed when he realized how big the original cast hit with audiences; therefore he brought back most of the first season cast for the second season, with a few additions who received a star billing. In its first season, the show features an ensemble cast of twelve main characters making it the third largest cast in American primetime television behind Desperate Housewives and Lost. Although NBC's cast page lists only ten characters, Leonard Roberts (D.L. Hawkins), who first appeared in the series' fifth episode, was an additional member of the original full-time cast. In episode eleven of the first season, Jack Coleman (Noah Bennet) was upgraded from a recurring role to become the twelfth full-time cast member as of "Fallout". The series also features many guest and recurring characters, including friends and family of the main cast, criminals and villains, and other individuals with remarkable powers.

Zachary Quinto and James Kyson Lee, who were recurring cast members in the first season, join the main cast for the second season. They are joined by new cast members David Anders,Kristen Bell, Dana Davis and Dania Ramírez. Anders was originally hired as a recurring cast member, and then upgraded to a regular before the season began. He was listed as a guest star until the fifth episode of season two, when he was listed as a main cast member. Santiago Cabrera, Tawny Cypress, and Leonard Roberts were no longer listed as part of the main cast at the start of the second season.