If you spent any time on Nickelodeon between 2009 and 2011, you probably remember the theme song. It was catchy. It was weird. It introduced us to a world where teenagers were basically Men in Black but for swamp monsters and dragons. The Troop tv show cast had this specific kind of chemistry that made the show work, even when the CGI was... well, let's call it "of its time."
The show was a strange bridge between the classic Nick sitcom era and the more action-heavy stuff that came later. It wasn't just about jokes; it was about this secret society protecting Lakewood from "monsters" that were often metaphors for growing up. But once the show got canceled after a messy second season—part of which didn't even air in the U.S. initially—the actors scattered. Some stayed in the spotlight. Others basically vanished.
The Core Trio: Nicholas Purcell, Gage Golightly, and David Del Rio
Let's talk about Jake Collins first. Nicholas Purcell played the lead, the "everyman" who discovered he had a knack for monster hunting. Purcell had this earnest energy. After The Troop, he didn't go the route of the massive Nickelodeon megastar like an Ariana Grande or a Victoria Justice. He did some work on Grey's Anatomy and appeared in the film Surrogates with Bruce Willis. Honestly, he’s kept a pretty low profile since the mid-2010s. It’s a common story in Hollywood. You lead a show for two years, and then you decide you’ve had enough of the grind.
Then there’s Gage Golightly. She played Hayley Steele. She was the overachiever, the girl who was good at everything, including roundhouse kicking monsters. Out of the entire The Troop tv show cast, Gage probably had the most sustained "post-Nick" success in the genre world.
If you’re a fan of Teen Wolf, you know her as Erica Reyes. She brought a totally different vibe to that role—darker, more complex. She also appeared in the Cabin Fever remake and the Amazon series Red Oaks. Gage has that "scream queen" capability but mixes it with a lot of athletic charisma. She’s been working steadily, proving that the Nickelodeon-to-adult-actor pipeline isn't always broken.
David Del Rio, who played Felix, was the "brains" of the operation. He was hilarious. But Felix was replaced in Season 2 by a new character named Kirby, which, frankly, most fans hated. Why mess with perfection? Del Rio didn't let the exit slow him down, though. He’s become a bit of a powerhouse behind the scenes. He’s directed, he’s produced, and he was in Pitch Perfect—yeah, he was one of the Treblemakers. He also starred in The Baker and the Beauty. He’s a great example of a child star who understood that the business is more than just standing in front of a camera.
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The Season Two Shift and Margo Harshman
Things got weird in the second season. The tone changed. Margo Harshman joined the cast as Mallory, an addition that felt like the network trying to "age up" the show or find a new rhythm. Harshman was already a veteran by then—everyone remembered her as Tawny from Even Stevens.
Her stint on The Troop was short-lived because the show was already on its way out. But she’s done fine. She had a long-running role on NCIS as Delilah Fielding and played Alex Jensen on The Big Bang Theory. She’s one of those actors you see everywhere and think, "I know her from somewhere." That somewhere is usually a foundational 2000s sitcom.
Why The Troop Failed to Become an I-Carly Level Hit
Honestly? Bad timing.
Nickelodeon was going through a transition. The Troop was expensive to produce compared to a standard multi-cam sitcom because of the special effects. Even though the monsters looked a bit goofy, they cost money. Plus, the scheduling was a nightmare. Moving the show to Nicktoons for the tail end of its run was basically a death sentence.
When you look at The Troop tv show cast, they were talented enough to carry a long-running franchise. The writing just got inconsistent. By the time Kirby (played by Matt Shively) joined in Season 2, the original fans felt like the "vibe" had shifted too much. Shively, for his part, stayed very active in the industry, later starring in The Real O'Neals and doing voice work for Winx Club.
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John Marshall Jones: The Adult in the Room
We have to mention Mr. Stockley. John Marshall Jones was the veteran of the group. He played the Troop's handler. Jones has one of those resumes that is miles long. Before The Troop, he was the dad on Smart Guy. After the show ended, he just kept working. Bosch, 9-1-1, All American.
He provided the "prestige" to the cast. Usually, in these kids' shows, the adults are portrayed as bumbling idiots. Stockley wasn't. He was competent, and Jones played him with a dry wit that actually made the show watchable for parents.
The Mystery of the "Lost" Episodes
One reason people still search for The Troop tv show cast is the mystery surrounding the show's finale. In the United States, several episodes from the second season didn't air during the initial run. They were shipped off to international markets or burned out on secondary channels years later.
This created a weird "Mandela Effect" where fans remembered characters that seemingly vanished. It’s hard to build a lasting legacy when half your season is missing.
Where can you see them now?
If you're looking for a reunion, don't hold your breath. Unlike iCarly or Zoey 101, there hasn't been much talk of a reboot. The cast seems to have moved on to very different lives.
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- Gage Golightly: Check out 68 Whiskey or Red Oaks.
- David Del Rio: Look for his directorial work or his role in Maggie.
- Matt Shively: He’s been a mainstay on Lopez vs Lopez.
- Nicholas Purcell: Mostly retired from public acting, living a private life.
It's fascinating. You have this group of kids who were essentially the "Ghostbusters" of Nickelodeon for two years. They fought "Snarks" and "Eaters." They dealt with paranormal slime. And then, poof. They went back to being regular people or transitioned into "serious" actors.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Collectors
If you're trying to track down the legacy of The Troop, there are a few things you should actually do rather than just scrolling through IMDb.
First, check out the international DVD releases. The U.S. never got a proper complete series set, but certain European and Australian markets have more comprehensive physical media. If you're a completionist, that’s your best bet.
Second, follow David Del Rio on social media. He’s arguably the most "vocal" about his time on the show and often shares behind-the-scenes insights into the industry. He’s a wealth of knowledge for anyone interested in how those late-2000s Nick shows were actually put together.
Third, watch "The Real O'Neals" or "Teen Wolf" to see how much the cast grew. It’s actually pretty impressive to see Gage Golightly go from a bubbly monster hunter to a gritty werewolf. It puts the "acting" in "child actor" into perspective.
The show might be a footnote in the history of Nickelodeon, but the cast members themselves have proven to be survivors in an industry that usually chews up kids and spits them out. They didn't just hunt monsters; they navigated the monster that is Hollywood.