Who Would You Cast in a TV Version of The Expendables?

There has been talk of a TV version of The Expendables and with The Expendables 2 hitting theaters today, it got me thinking about it. I actually think that the idea could work, much like the movie version. Take a group of 80s, 90s, etc. action adventure stars and team them up. Something akin to The A-Team meets The Unit. They go in and help people or fix situations that can’t be handled through regular channels.

But, who would you cast? Here is the dirty dozen of names that came to mind while contemplating the potential of such a show:

Mr. T was the first name that popped into my head. He starred as Sgt. B.A Baracus on The A-Team, which I watched every episode of the five seasons that aired on NBC back in the 80s. He already has experience working with an elite team to help people out, so seems like a great choice.

Fred Dryer was the next name that came to me. He starred as Det. Rick Hunter on the 80s cop drama Hunter, which aired for seven seasons on NBC. This is another show that I used to watch every episode of back in the day. I see him more as the leader of the group. Sort of like the Mickey Rourke roll from the movies.

Peta Wilson starred as Nikita in the 90s action drama La Femme Nikita, which aired for five seasons in the late 90s into the 2000s on USA Network. Why should only dudes have all the fun? Great show you should check out, if you’ve never seen it. That got me thinking about women who kick ass on television, like the next couple names on this list.

Jennifer Garner starred as secret agent Sydney Bristow on the spy drama Alias, which aired for five season in the early 2000s on ABC. The show ultimately spun out of control, but the first couple seasons were spectacularly entertaining. And, Garner would certainly make a great addition to such a team.

Sarah Michelle Gellar starred as Buffy Summers in the supernatural teen drama Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which aired for seven seasons in the late 90s and early 2000s on UPN and The WB. Never watched the show when it originally aired, but did a complete watch of it and Angel over a couple of months a couple years ago. Gellar is well versed in doing action and fight sequences and I’d very much like to see her on my TV in something better than what Ringer turned out to be.

Don Johnson starred as Det. James Crockett in the cop drama Miami Vice, which aired for five seasons in the late 80s on NBC, and Insp. Nash Bridges on the cop drama Nash Bridges, which aired for six seasons in the late 90s and early 2000s on CBS. While he has played the iconic hero in his TV work, he seems like a good choice to play the big bad in a show like this.

David Hasselhoff starred in the action drama Knight Rider, which aired for four seasons in the mid 80s on NBC, and as lifeguard Mitch Buchannon on Baywatch, which ran for 11 seasons total in the 90s and early 2000s. The first of which was on NBC and then in syndication for the subsequent 10. While I watched Baywatch on occasion my fondest memory of the show is Chandler on saying, “Run Yasmine, run like the wind!” while talking on the phone and watching the show on an episode of Friends.

David James Elliott starred as Cmdr. Harmon Rabb, Jr. on the military law drama JAG, which aired for 10 seasons between NBC and CBS in the late 90s and early 2000s. Another show I watched every episode of and continue to watch the NCIS series which spun off of it.

Michael T. Weiss starred as super genius Jarod on the action drama The Pretender, which ran for four season on NBC in the late 90s. Used to love this show and watched every episode. Was bummed when it ended what seemed to be way too prematurely. Yet, I’ve never seen either of the TV movies they did.

Lorenzo Lamas starred as bounty hunter Reno Raines in the action drama Renegade, which aired in syndication and on USA Network in the 90s. He seems like he’d be perfect for this type of series. This got me thinking about other syndicated shows, which they don’t really make anymore, and I came up with the following two names.

Kevin Sorbo starred as Hercules in the action drama Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, which ran for six seasons in syndication during the late 90s, and Capt. Dylan Hunt on the sci-fi drama Andromeda, which aired for five seasons in syndication in the early 2000s. Neither series was one I watched very much of, but he seems like the good candidate for this type of show.

Lucy Lawless starred as Xena in the action drama Xena: Warrior Princess, which spun off from Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and played for six seasons in syndication during the late 90s and early 2000s. Another show that I didn’t watch much of, but as we’ve seen from her in subsequent roles on Battlestar Galactica and Spartacus, she could easily be cast on either the good or bad side in a show like this.

So, who would you cast in a TV version of The Expendables? Let us know in the comments.