Six to watch: comedy guest stars

It's a show known for its great guest star appearances. There are the top-billing megastars who reveal another side to themselves on the show – Oprah as Liz Lemon's exaggerated, hallucinatory 'Opraaaah' , Jennifer Aniston's intensely obsessive Claire , Carrie Fisher's washed up writer Rosemary and Liz's very own Ghost Of Christmas Future. The repeat-appearance kooks – Will Arnett's Devon Banks and Marceline Hugot's Kathy Geiss – and the one-off show stealers (Wayne Brady as Liz's dull date). And yet somehow 30 Rock has a way of not making its guest stars seem perfunctory or like window dressing. So the excitement surrounding the guest-star list for 30 Rock's final season, which begins airing in the US at the beginning of next month, is understandable. Leaks suggest it might include Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston as Kenneth's mom's "friend" – the kind of tantalising titbit that leaves viewers musing on the strange alchemy that makes a great comedy guest-star appearance. That mix seems to depend on clever casting – against type often makes for a great guest-star appearance – combined with a hint of postmodern self-reference, and the skill to tease out all the best aspects of an actor in a three-minute burst. When the recipe is properly balanced, the result can be a a much-needed career bost for the actor, and a shot in the arm for the show. So which have been most memorable? Here are six that really worked – let us know your favourites below. Minnie Driver in Knowing Me Knowing You With Alan Partridge Reading this on mobile? Click here to view One of Driver's career highlights must be this appearance as Playboy's transgender agony aunt Daniella Forest. During a flurry of awkward exchanges that degenerate into a series of cockeyed Partridge-isms ("great big flapping hands!"), Driver proves to be an excellent foil to the unreconstructed talkshow host. Catherine O'Hara in Curb Your Enthusiasm Reading this on mobile? Click here to view O'Hara, who has proved a stalwart for Tim Burton and the Spinal Tap crew, gives a show-stealing turn as Funkhouser's mentally unstable sister, whose tense emotional flitting almost makes Larry seem well-adjusted. O'Hara plays Bam Bam Funkhouser with the improvisational wizardry of a pro – the results are unquestionably hilarious. Noel Fielding in The IT Crowd Reading this on mobile? Click here to view Fielding throws up an interesting guest-star conundrum: can you return as a guest star if you featured in the first two series? If your one-off appearance in series four is as good as this, then we'd argue yes. One wonders why the comic potential of goths hadn't been fully explored before the erstwhile Mighty Boosh-er's turn as scurvy-ridden, Cradle Of Filth fan Richmond. Cher in Will & Grace Reading this on mobile? Click here to view It's still not clear why Will & Grace didn't spin off into the Jack & Karen show. But one of Jack's greatest scenes remains this face-off with his real life hero Cher, whom he mistakes for a drag queen. Sean Hayes is his usual brilliant, lightning quick self in this scene, especially when he insists on the correct intonation of "time" in If I Could Turn Back Time. Josh Holloway in Community Reading this on mobile? Click here to view When is was announced that Lost's Josh Holloway would be appearing in Community, the combination proved almost too much for some (Joel McHale said that part of the negotiations included Josh calling him "Freckles" ). The episode – a sort of sequel to the Modern Warfare episode – features Josh as the mysterious "Black Rider" who manages to mess with Jeff, Annie and Pierce (who fakes another heart attack) with his ridiculous handsomeness and paintball skills. Kate O'Mara In Absolutely Fabulous Reading this on mobile? Click here to view Kate O'Mara made two appearances in the show as Jackie, half-sister of Patsy, who has fallen on hard times. Her first appearance, in the Happy New Year episode, is also her best. Despite her caustic wit and razor-sharp cheekbones, it's slowly revealed that Jackie is no longer The Glamorous Scenester That Everyone Wants To Be Seen With but an elderly cat lady who's fallen on hard times. She provides a grotesque mirror for a previously overawed Patsy in a great bit of Jennifer Saunders writing. Honourable mentions Louis CK in Parks and Recreation Inexplicably not broadcast on UK television – although the first season is available on DVD – Parks and Recreation casts the irascible Louis CK as gentle Officer Dave – providing a tender foil for Amy Poehler's Leslie Knope.