15 Future Stars Who Appeared on MTV’s Undressed

Way back in July 1999, music video giant MTV premiered a brand new scripted show (when scripted series on the cable network were still something of a novelty) known by the tantalizing title Undressed. The show boldly and blatantly focused on the sex lives of the MTV demographic sweet spot—teens to young twentysomethings—and didn’t balk at being raunchy and wild in nearly every way imaginable.

Over the course of six seasons, Undressed ran for a staggering 222 episodes. Thanks to both that admirably long run and an anthology style that begged for a revolving door of cast members, the MTV series boasts a cast list filled with plenty of impressive names that went on to much bigger things. Undressed turns 15 years old on July 26, so in celebration, here are some stars who popped up on the seminal show—one for each year.

1. Max Greenfield

Before the sarcastic star of New Girl brought his straight-laced Schmidt charms to the Fox sitcom, he co-starred on the very first season of Undressed. Greenfield appeared in three episodes of the series’ inaugural season, playing newbie college student Victor, a regular guy who gets tangled up in some outsized hijinks when he’s mistaken for his fraternity-pledging roommate (yes, the storyline definitely involves nudity, a laundry room, and some foreign underwear).

2. Christina Hendricks

Long before Mad Men was even a glimmer in creator Matthew Weiner’s eye, breakout star Hendricks got her start on the small screen in four episodes of MTV’s series. Hendricks was a season one star that appeared in four episodes as Rhiannon (Fleetwood Mac connections unclear), a nice girl who gets tangled up with an aspiring rapper.

3. Pedro Pascal

MTV via 

You may know him as Game of Thrones fan favorite Oberyn Martell (aka the Red Viper), but it turns out that Pascal showed up on your television set entire years before his swaggering alter-ego tore things up (including your heart) on this season of the HBO hit. Pascal was also a season one star of Undressed, when he starred in three episodes as Greg, a fresh-faced teen who (like everybody else on the show) was interested in indulging his burgeoning sexuality.

4. Chad Michael Murray

Despite a rich television resume, Murray only appeared in a single episode of Undressed. His Dan showed up in the show’s second season, during an episode that focused on an “underwear party,” pretty much the perfect setting for any and all Undressed eps.

5. Katee Sackhoff

Another star who went on to big-time television success, Battlestar Galactica’s very own Starbuck toplined four episodes of the second season of Undressed back in 2000. As Annie, Sackhoff played a brunette college student attempting to navigate her way through a blossoming relationship with the mercurial Jim, who blames a bevy of his issues on his wheelchair.

6. Adam Brody

The O.C. star appeared in three episodes of the series’ third season (which steamed up the summer of 2000) as Lucas, a guy hellbent on not being called anyone’s “boyfriend.”

7. Brandon Routh

The guy who would be Superman (at least for a little bit) also showed up in Undressed’s third season. Routh played Wade for four episodes, a nice little arc that allowed his true colors to steadily shine through (Wade liked to act like a good guy, but Wade was not a good guy).

8. Jason Ritter

Undressed’s third season was rife with dark-haired dudes who would go on to become recognizable names. Ritter appeared as Allan, a guy with zero interest in sticking to the rules of dating. (That doesn’t work out so well for him—what a shock!)

9. Taran Killam

Yes, Undressed even landed a Saturday Night Live star (Killam might not have joined the cast of the classic sketch comedy show until a decade later, but we’ll take it). Killam showed up in the show’s fourth season as Blake, the horndog best pal of a nice guy just looking for love. As became a theme in the show, Blake’s seemingly obvious aims eventually blew up in his face.

10. Rachelle Lefevre

The former Twilight star (and current Under the Dome regular) appeared on the show’s final season as Annie (not to be confused with Sackhoff’s Annie) for six whole episodes. Lefevere’s storyline was vintage Undressed—kind of salacious, a bit wild, and handled with more grace and honesty than we’ve come to expect from shows all about teen sex. Her Annie was a girl with a “secret” homosexual past that is steadily revealed during her arc, all building to a satisfying conclusion.

11. Marc Blucas

Before he joined up with the Buffy the Vampire Slayer crew, Blucas appeared on a single episode in Undressed’s first season as Billy.

12. Katie Aselton

Aselton has found success on both the small (The League) and big screen (she’s starred in a number of indie hits, and she’s also tried her hand at both writing and directing her own films) since her early years in Hollywood, when her career kicked off with a two-episode arc on Undressed. Aselton appeared in the series’ fifth season (back then, she went by Kathryn Aselton) as Kim, a girl struggling with how to tell her family about her sexuality.

13. Autumn Reeser

Look, another O.C. alum! Reeser also co-starred on Undressed’s fifth season, which was also her own first credited role. The actress played Erica, a lass who is afraid to tell her boyfriend Chris that she’s scared of sex.

14. Sarah Lancaster

The show’s first season really was a tinderbox of new talent, and the Chuck star was one of its shiniest talents. Lancaster appeared in 13 episodes of the 1999 season, where she riled up her little sister Tina by hitting on her boyfriend. Rude.

15. Michael Urie

Yet another television star whose first professional credit is an episode of Undressed, Urie appeared in the series’ sixth season for a single episode, where he was relegated to a strictly supporting role as Justin.

All images courtesy of Getty Images unless otherwise noted.