It might be stating the obvious, but actors are just like the rest of us. Just because an actor is famous for a role he or she played in the past doesn't mean that, when a job comes along in the present, they won't take it. Work is work, and for those in the acting community that are pragmatic, the paycheck is always welcome.

Still, it's disconcerting to see a familiar star of the past in a random ad in the present. This has been the case with a Pup-Peroni ad I've been seeing the last few weeks. In it, a woman takes a photo of her dog getting fluffed up at the groomers, and we see what the dog is really thinking: "This better not end up on Facebook."

The woman's face and voice were unmistakable to any fan of '80s TV: it was Erin Gray, who was the object of many a pre-teen crush when she starred in 'Buck Rogers in the 25th Century' and 'Silver Spoons.' The ad and more are after the jump.

Some of you really old folks like me might remember a science fiction series of the late 70's/early 80's called 'Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.' The stars were Gil Gerard as Buck and Erin Grey as Wilma Deering.

Well, they're back and this time they're Mr. and Mrs. Rogers. In a webisode series produced by James Cawley, who also did the 'Star Trek' Phase II web series. Bobby Rice stars as the young Buck. A scene for the series was released on YouTube and in it, Buck is arguing with his parents about participating in World War I.

Based on the clip, this series seems more of an homage to the previous versions of the character than the one Gil Gerard starred in. It certainly adds an interesting wrinkle by having someone from our past trapped in our future.

However the series is set, it will likely be above and beyond SyFy's craptacular 'Flash Gordon' series.

Video is after the jump.

[via Ain't It Cool News]

Topless Robot has posted a list of the top 10 sci-fi television shows that were canceled too soon.

I've never seen most of the other shows (and if a lot of America followed my example, that could somewhat explain their early cancellation), but I have watched numbers 1,2 and 7. Star Trek is an obvious choice for number 1 given that it is still the icon of science-fiction television.

I've heard good things about Max Headroom (number 3) and would probably at least watch it on DVD should it ever be released in the format. I disagree about the 1981 Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (number 2) and think it works best at its current length. I find it interesting how the only reason the author wanted to extend Buck Rogers In the 25th Century was to see more of Erin Gray ("Off think. Off think. Off think").

Is that Carlo Hesser I spy? It looks a lot like Hawk from Buck Rogers in the 25th Century? Actually, it's both, and his name Thom Christopher. The veteran character actor, who most recently was Colonel Dax on Guiding Light, is coming back to the soap that he's best known for, One Life to Live. In 1992, he won a Daytime Emmy for this role. Soap Opera Digest reports that Thom's will resume the role of Carlo Hesser, evil-doer extraordinare, on June 27.

Christopher's comeback comes on the heels of the major announcement, that is the return of Andrea Evans as Tina Lord Roberts after a nearly two decade absence. And One Life isn't done with the splashy returns. Susan Haskell, another former Emmy-winner (for her role as Marty Saybrooke), is also finding her way to Llanview. Never mind that her character plunged off a cliff in a van last year (when Christina Chambers played the part). You'll see, she was thrown from the vehicle and survived somehow. Trust me. Like sci-fi, soap opera deaths are not as final as you think.