You remember that scene. Diana, with her big 80s hair and cold, predatory eyes, unhinging her jaw to swallow a whole guinea pig. Honestly, it’s the one image that defines the entire V TV show cast for a generation. Whether you grew up with the 1983 miniseries or caught the 2009 reboot on ABC, the "Visitors" have a way of sticking in your brain like a fever dream.
But there is a lot of confusion about who was actually in what.
Because the franchise is split between the original Kenneth Johnson masterpiece and the Scott Peters reimagining, people often mix up the players. You’ve got the 80s resistance fighters like Marc Singer and Faye Grant, and then you’ve got the modern-day counterparts like Elizabeth Mitchell and Morena Baccarin.
What's really wild? The way the two casts eventually collided.
The Original 1983 Resistance: Where Are They Now?
In 1983, NBC dropped a two-part miniseries that basically changed how we looked at lizard people. The cast was a mix of soap opera veterans and character actors who suddenly found themselves fighting a Nazi-allegory alien invasion.
Marc Singer played Mike Donovan. He was the cameraman who first saw the "Visitors" for who they really were—reptiles in human skin. Singer was the ultimate 80s action hero, all muscles and sincerity. He eventually returned to the franchise in 2011 for the reboot's second season, playing a character named Lars Tremont.
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Then there’s Jane Badler.
As Diana, she wasn't just a villain; she was an icon. Badler brought a campy, terrifying intensity to the role that nobody has quite matched. Interestingly, she moved to Australia later in life and has had a massive career there as both an actress and a singer.
The Supporting Players
- Faye Grant (Juliet Parrish): The medical student who became the brains of the resistance. She was the heart of the show.
- Robert Englund (Willie): Before he was Freddy Krueger, Englund played the lovable, "good" alien Willie. It’s still weird to see him being so gentle.
- Michael Wright (Elias Taylor): The street-smart guy who joined the fight. Wright is still a respected actor, though he’s kept a lower profile lately.
- Blair Tefkin (Robin Maxwell): She played the girl who had the "star child." Talk about a traumatic storyline.
Sadly, we've lost some legends recently. Aki Aleong, who played the Visitor Mr. Chiang, passed away in June 2025 at the age of 90. He was a pioneer for Asian-American actors in sci-fi.
The 2009 Reboot: A Different Breed of Lizard
When ABC brought the show back in 2009, they went for a more "modern terrorism" vibe. The V TV show cast for this version was stacked with sci-fi royalty.
Morena Baccarin took over the "Diana" archetype as Anna. She was chilling. Unlike the 80s version, Anna didn't need to swallow rodents to be scary; she just had to stare at you with that unblinking gaze. Elizabeth Mitchell, fresh off Lost, played Erica Evans, an FBI agent trying to keep her son away from the "Peace Ambassadors."
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The reboot was great at playing with your trust.
You had Joel Gretsch as Father Jack, the skeptical priest, and Morris Chestnut as Ryan, a Visitor who had been living on Earth for years as a sleeper agent. It added a layer of paranoia that the original didn't always have time for.
Why the Reboot Cast Felt Different
The 2009 show focused heavily on the "Peace Ambassadors"—teenagers who were basically being brainwashed by the Visitors. Logan Huffman and Laura Vandervoort (as Lisa) handled that Romeo and Juliet storyline. It was polarizing. Some fans loved the soap opera elements, while others just wanted more lizard-skin reveals.
What Happened to the New V TV Show in 2024 and 2025?
If you've been searching for news about a 2024 or 2026 revival, you aren't imagining things. There has been a lot of movement behind the scenes.
Kenneth Johnson, the original creator, has been very vocal about wanting to do "V" his way again. He actually released a novel called V: The Second Generation that ignores everything after the first miniseries.
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In January 2025, a new "V" project finally arrived, but not on TV. Big Finish Productions launched a full-cast audio drama series. It’s basically a movie for your ears. It brings back that classic 80s atmosphere and allows Johnson to tell the story without a limited TV budget.
As of early 2026, there is still talk of a big-screen movie or a new streaming series, but nothing has started filming yet. The "V" brand is tricky. It’s expensive to produce, and the political themes are always a lightning rod for controversy.
Actionable Insights for Fans
If you want to dive back into the world of the Visitors, here is the best way to do it without getting lost in the various timelines:
- Watch the 1983 Miniseries first. It’s only two parts and holds up surprisingly well as a political thriller.
- Skip the weekly 80s show if you want quality. The original "V: The Series" from 1984-85 suffered from a massive budget cut and got pretty silly toward the end.
- Check out the Big Finish Audio Adventures. If you miss the original V TV show cast, this is the closest you’ll get to that vibe in 2026.
- Track the "Project Aries" storyline in the 2009 reboot. It’s where the old and new casts finally start to bridge the gap.
The legacy of these shows isn't just about the special effects. It’s about the question they always ask: if a "savior" showed up today offering world peace, would you be smart enough to look under the skin?
Most of us probably wouldn't. We'd be too busy looking at the spaceships.
To keep up with the latest casting calls or rumors for the 2026-2027 production cycle, watch the official Kenneth Johnson site. He usually breaks news there before the trades get it. For now, the resistance lives on in the archives.
Victory. Always.