If you’ve spent any amount of time scrolling through late-night cable or streaming deep-cuts on Tubi, you’ve definitely seen Mark Hapka. He’s that guy. The one with the chiseled jaw and the intense gaze who seems to pop up everywhere from daytime soaps to high-profile biopics.
But honestly? Most people only know a fraction of what he’s actually done.
Usually, when someone asks about tv shows with mark hapka, they’re thinking of Salem. They’re thinking of hospital scrubs and dramatic hallways. While Days of Our Lives was the massive engine that jumpstarted his career, it’s far from the only thing on his resume. From playing a restless spirit in the Ghost Whisperer universe to his recent, somewhat polarizing turn as Johnny Depp, Hapka has built a career by being a chameleon.
Let’s get into the stuff people actually remember—and the weirdly interesting roles they don’t.
The Nathan Horton Era: Salem’s Golden Boy
You can't talk about Mark Hapka without talking about Days of Our Lives. Between 2009 and 2011, he was the face of Nathan Horton. For those who aren't soap fans, being a "Horton" is basically like being royalty in the world of daytime TV.
He didn't just walk onto the set as a doctor, though. Fun fact: Hapka actually appeared on Days back in 2007-2008 in a much weirder capacity—he played a 15-year-old Johnny DiMera in a series of "flash-forward" nightmare sequences.
The fans loved him. Mostly because he wasn't just a cardboard cutout of a "good guy."
As Nathan Horton, he was caught in this messy, high-stakes love triangle with Melanie Jonas and Stephanie Johnson. It was classic soap opera fodder. One day he’s performing surgery, the next he’s dealing with a paternity scandal or a broken heart. When he was eventually let go in 2011, the "Days" fandom was pretty vocal about it. It felt like the end of an era for that specific generation of the Horton family.
✨ Don't miss: Temuera Morrison as Boba Fett: Why Fans Are Still Divided Over the Daimyo of Tatooine
The "Other Side" of Ghost Whisperer
Before the soaps, there was Ghost Whisperer: The Other Side.
This is one of those early internet artifacts. It was a web series spin-off of the Jennifer Love Hewitt hit, and Hapka played Zach. Zach was a ghost. Specifically, a ghost trying to figure out how he died while navigating the spirit world.
It sounds niche, but it was actually a huge deal for digital content at the time. It won him a lot of "fresh face" buzz. He even crossed over into the main Ghost Whisperer TV show for a couple of episodes. If you go back and watch those episodes now, you can see the early stages of that "brooding but empathetic" energy that would define his later work.
From Disney Guest Spots to Criminal Minds
Hapka is one of those actors who has touched almost every major TV genre.
- Hannah Montana: Remember Austin? The guy Miley was interested in for about five minutes in 2009? That was him.
- Greek: He popped up as a frat guy (obviously).
- Cold Case: He played "Jackals" in an episode that dealt with some pretty heavy themes, showing he could do more than just the "teen heartthrob" thing.
- Criminal Minds: He had a guest spot that allowed him to lean into the darker, more procedural side of network TV.
It’s a weird mix. One minute he’s on the Disney Channel, and the next he’s in a gritty crime drama. That’s the reality of a working actor in Hollywood—you go where the work is, and for Hapka, the work was everywhere.
The "Hot Take" and the Depp/Heard Controversy
Fast forward to 2022. This is where things got really interesting (and a bit chaotic).
Hapka was cast as Johnny Depp in the Tubi original movie Hot Take: The Depp/Heard Trial. Honestly, it was a risky move. The trial was barely over before they were filming the dramatization.
🔗 Read more: Why Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Actors Still Define the Modern Spy Thriller
The internet had thoughts.
Hapka himself has spoken about the skepticism he felt when the role was offered. He didn't want to do a "cosplay" or a parody. Instead, he focused on the mannerisms—the specific way Depp speaks, the jewelry, the "exotic" style. Whether you liked the movie or not, you have to admit it took guts to step into that specific spotlight. It wasn't just a TV show; it was a cultural lightning rod.
The Lifetime Circuit: The King of Thrillers
If you look for tv shows with mark hapka on streaming services today, you’ll likely find a mountain of Lifetime and Hallmark movies.
He’s become a staple of the "Stalked By..." and "Missing..." sub-genres.
- 16 & Missing (2015)
- Stalked By My Patient (2018)
- Psycho Stripper (2019) – Yes, that is a real title.
- Burning Little Lies (2021)
These aren't Emmy-winning prestige dramas, but they are incredibly popular. He’s perfected the role of the "husband who might be a murderer" or the "detective who's the only one who believes the protagonist." There is a specific skill set involved in making those scripts feel grounded, and Hapka has it down to a science.
What People Get Wrong About Mark Hapka’s Career
People tend to pigeonhole him. They see him as "the soap guy" or "the Lifetime guy."
But if you look at his indie film work—like 23 Blast, where he played a blind high school football star, or the sci-fi project Parallels—you see a much more ambitious actor. Parallels was actually supposed to be a TV series, but it ended up as a standalone feature on Netflix. It has a huge cult following because it’s weird and high-concept. Hapka plays Ronan, a guy traveling through alternate dimensions.
💡 You might also like: The Entire History of You: What Most People Get Wrong About the Grain
It’s a far cry from the halls of Salem University Hospital.
How to Find the Best Mark Hapka Roles Right Now
If you’re looking to binge some of his work, here is the roadmap:
- For the Drama: Track down the 2009-2011 episodes of Days of Our Lives. It’s peak soap opera.
- For the Sci-Fi: Watch Parallels on whatever streaming service currently has it (usually Netflix or Amazon). It’s the best "what if" of his career.
- For the Controversy: Check out Hot Take on Tubi just to see the transformation.
- For the Holiday Vibe: A Very Charming Christmas Town is your best bet for a cozy Sunday afternoon.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Aspiring Actors
Watching Mark Hapka’s trajectory offers a few real-world lessons about the industry. First, longevity beats instant fame. He has stayed working for twenty years because he didn't turn up his nose at "lesser" genres like soaps or TV movies. Second, versatility is a survival skill. Being able to transition from a Disney sitcom to a gritty procedural is why he’s still on our screens in 2026.
If you're tracking his career, keep an eye on his move into producing and directing. Like many veterans of the "TV movie" world, he's started taking more control behind the scenes. His latest project, Bride or Die, suggests he’s leaning even further into the thriller genre that has treated him so well over the last decade.
Check your local listings or streaming apps for his recent Lifetime thrillers—they're often the most accessible way to see his current range.