It stands to reason that when one sibling gets the acting bug, another might discover they have a talent for it, too. For this reason, there are many famous acting siblings in Hollywood, like Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal, Luke and Owen Wilson, Elle and Dakota Fanning, and the three Hemsworth brothers, Chris, Luke, and Liam. Many of these actor siblings have appeared in movies together. But there have been some real-life siblings who appeared on the same TV shows together, too.
In some cases, an actor’s sibling only had a brief guest spot on their brother or sister’s show, like when Zooey Deschanel had a cameo on her sister Emily’s series Bones. But some siblings have starred together in shows in bigger ways, playing off the chemistry they already have for their roles.
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‘The Suite Life of Zack & Cody’ (2005–2008)
‘The Suite Life of Zack & Cody’ (2005–2008)
Zack Martin and Cody Martin (Dylan and Cole Sprouse)
Cole and Dylan Sprouse both started as child actors in shows like Friends and movies like Big Daddy. As they grew, the pair finally appeared on screen together, at the same time in different roles, in The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. The teen sitcom centers around the twins, playing, of course, twin brothers who live in the suite of a hotel with their lounge singer mother Carey (Kim Rhodes).
The Disney Channel TV show was a massive success, largely thanks to the chemistry of the two boys. It comes as no surprise that the fact that they’re real-life brothers helped ensure the pair were perfectly in sync on camera, too.
9
‘Moesha’ (1996–2001)
‘Moesha’ (1996–2001)
Moesha Mitchell and Dorian Long (Brandy and Ray J Norwood)
Moesha centers around the title character, played by R&B singer Brandy, and her life as part of an upper-middle-class Black family. This includes her widowed father and his new wife, who also happens to be the vice principal at Moesha’s school.
Brandy’s real-life brother Ray J didn’t initially star in Moesha, but he joined the cast in its fifth and sixth seasons as Dorian Long, who, fittingly, was Moesha’s long-lost half-brother. The pair got to share on-screen time playing siblings, likely drawing from their real lives for some of the rivalry-type storylines.
Moesha
- Release Date
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1996 – 2000
- Network
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UPN
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Brandy Norwood
Moesha Mitchell
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William Allen Young
Frank Mitchell
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Marcus T. Paulk
Myles Mitchell
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Lamont Bentley
Hakeem Campbell
8
‘Brotherly Love’ (1995–1997)
‘Brotherly Love’ (1995–1997)
Joe Roman, Matt Roman, and Andy Roman (Joey, Matthew, and Andrew Lawrence)
Joey Lawrence rose to fame playing Mayim Bialik’s goofy yet handsome older brother in Blossom. After that show ended, he went on to star in Brotherly Love alongside his real-life brothers Matthew and Andrew Lawrence. The story begins when Joe Roman (Joey Lawrence) moves away with his mother following his parents’ divorce. Years later, his dad passes away, and Joe finds himself connecting with his two paternal half-brothers, Matt (Matthew Lawrence) and Andy (Andrew Lawrence).
The sitcom follows the hijinks of the three boys, potentially mirroring their real lives growing up. It aired for two seasons of 40 episodes and reinforced the talents of Lawrence’s younger brothers as well, both of whom continued to act.
Brotherly Love
Brotherly Love
- Release Date
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1995 – 1996
- Network
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NBC, The WB
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-
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Matthew Lawrence
Matt Roman
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Andrew Lawrence
Andy Roman
7
‘Sister, Sister’ (1994–1999)
‘Sister, Sister’ (1994–1999)
Tia Landry and Tamera Campbell (Tia and Tamera Mowry)
Tia and Tamera Mowry rose to fame on the sitcom Sister, Sister, where they star as identical twins separated at birth and both put up for adoption. Now older, they discover one another while shopping at the mall, and their lives are forever changed. With each now aware that the other exists, Tamera’s father, Ray (Tim Reid), invites Tia and her mother, Lisa (Jackée Harry), to move in with them. He’s a wealthy businessman in the suburbs while Lisa is a struggling single mom in the inner city, so they happily oblige.
Sister, Sister might have an unbelievable premise, but it’s a fun story that brings together these two real-life twin sisters to share the fun on screen. As with real sisters, the characters are at first eager to do everything together, even share a bedroom, until they slowly but surely realize that they have very different personalities. But through the seasons, they learn a lot from one another.
6
‘The King of Queens’ (1998–2007)
‘The King of Queens’ (1998–2007)
Doug Heffernan and Danny Heffernan (Kevin James and Gary Valentine)
The King of Queens stars Kevin James and Leah Remini as married couple Doug and Carrie Heffernan, going through the daily challenges of life together in Queens. Along with their own hijinks, Carrie’s elderly father, Arthur (Jerry Stiller), who lives with them, is often the cause of problems as he gets involved in one scheme after another.
One of the recurring and later main characters on the show is Daniel “Danny” Heffernan, Doug’s cousin, who is played by James’ real-life brother Gary Valentine. Appearing as a recurring character in the first three seasons, then part of the main cast from seasons four through nine, Danny’s funniest storyline involves living with Spence (Patton Oswalt) as a roommate while the two argue like a married couple.
The King Of Queens
The King Of Queens
- Release Date
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1998 – 2006
- Network
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CBS
- Showrunner
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Rob Schiller
- Directors
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Rob Schiller
5
‘Arrested Development’ (2003–2019)
‘Arrested Development’ (2003–2019)
Michael Bluth and Nelly (Jason and Justine Bateman)
Originally airing from 2003 through 2006, then returning on Netflix with new episodes in 2013, followed by a new season in 2018 and 2019, fans loved Arrested Development so much that its cult following inspired Netflix to continue the series long after it was canceled, bringing it up to a total of five seasons. Jason Bateman is at the center of the story as the straight man to his quirky family of wealthy yet dysfunctional personalities.
Bateman’s sister, Justine Bateman, guest-starred in one episode as Nelly, a woman Michael (Bateman) thinks could potentially be his mysterious estranged sister. But as it turns out, she’s actually a sex worker. It’s a hilarious, albeit also uncomfortable, angle considering that the pair do share a striking resemblance.
4
‘In Living Color’ (1990–1994)
‘In Living Color’ (1990–1994)
Various Characters (Damon, Kim, Shawn, Marlon, and Dwayne Wayans)
This hilarious sketch comedy show wasn’t just created by Keenan Ivory Wayans; the whole project was a family affair. Counted among the cast of talented comedic actors on In Living Color are several Wayans siblings, including Damon, Kim, Shawn, and Marlon, with brother Dwayne often appearing as an extra in sketches as well.
The series, arguably one of the best sketch comedy series ever on television, introduced fans to talents like Jim Carrey, Jamie Foxx, and David Alan Grier as well. Several of the Wayans brothers, meanwhile, went on to achieve success both on their own and working together in various movie and TV projects.
3
‘Everybody Loves Raymond’ (1996–2005)
‘Everybody Loves Raymond’ (1996–2005)
Ally, Geoffrey, and Michael Barone (Madylin, Sawyer, and Sullivan Sweeten)
While the kids on Everybody Loves Raymond were secondary to the adult characters, mostly seen in the background, fans might not realize that daughter Ally and twin sons Geoffrey and Michael were played by siblings. Of course, actors Sawyer Sweeten and Sullivan Sweeten are twins in real life, but Madylin Sweeten, who plays Ally, is their real-life older sister.
The focus of Everybody Loves Raymond, one of the best ‘90s sitcoms, was mostly on Raymond (Ray Romano) and his interactions with his wife Debra (Patricia Heaton), older brother Robert (Brad Garrett), mother Marie (Doris Roberts), and father Frank (Peter Boyle). The kids were nothing more than plot devices, but playing siblings was presumably easier since they really are related.
2
‘The Walking Dead’ (2010–2022)
‘The Walking Dead’ (2010–2022)
Sophia Peletier, Henry (young and older) (Madison, Macsen, and Matt Lintz)
Interestingly, while three siblings all appeared in main roles in The Walking Dead, they didn’t do so at the same time. Madison Lintz was the first, playing Carol’s (Melissa McBride) daughter Sophia, who goes missing while the group is trying to hide from a horde of walkers. The search for her fuels much of Season 2, culminating in the most devastating and heartbreaking death on the show.
Years later, Madison’s younger brother Macsen was hired to play Henry, the young boy that Ezekiel (Khary Payton) takes in as his own and trains to fight, helping turn him into one of the most badass kids on The Walking Dead. For Seasons 9 and 10 of the series, the character is played by the eldest Lintz sibling, Matthew. He’s the actor who is part of the devastating scene when Henry meets his brutal end.
1
‘Schitt’s Creek’ (2015–2020)
‘Schitt’s Creek’ (2015–2020)
David Rose and Twyla Sands (Daniel and Sarah Levy)
They didn’t play siblings in the series, but Daniel Levy and Sarah Levy both starred in Schitt’s Creek. Daniel plays David Rose, the entitled son of Johnny (Eugene Levy) and Moira (Catherine O’Hara), while his real-life sister Sarah plays Twyla Sands, a cheerful waitress at the local diner.
Schitt’s Creek is a Canadian series about a family that loses everything and is forced to live in a motel in a small town that remains the only thing they own. After streaming on Netflix, it earned massive viewership numbers. The show dominated the Emmys, breaking the record for the most Emmy nominations for the final season of a comedy series and sweeping all seven major comedy award categories in the year it ended.
