Joe Pickett Cast & Character Guide: Where You've Seen Michael Dorman & The Other Actors Before

Joe Pickett is a Neo-Western inspired by the novels of CJ Box. Box has written 25 novels featuring the character so far, but the show does not cover all of the same stories in the books. Set in Wyoming, the series focuses on modern problems with poaching and other criminal activity under the watchful eye of the local game warden, the titular Joe Pickett.

The series only lasted for two seasons, but each season focused on a different overarching story with the Pickett family at the center. While the first season of Joe Pickett saw the titular character uncover a local conspiracy involving an oil pipeline, the second season features multiple conspiracies and new characters.

Michael Dorman As Joe Pickett

Born: April 26, 1981

Actor:Michael Dorman stars as Joe Pickett. He was born and raised in New Zealand. He got his start in New Zealand and Australian screen projects as a result. The Australian series The Secret Life of Us provided him with his big break in 2001. Since then, he has gone on to appear in a variety of television and movie projects, including Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Wonderland, and For All Man Kind. He has also appeared in the Netflix live-action adaptation of One Piece.

Character: Joe Pickett begins the series named for him as the new game warden in a small corner of Wyoming. He and his family move to the small town for his new work, but Joe is haunted by the violence in his childhood. His efforts to do the right thing and make a difference see him cross powerful people and wealthy families. Refusing to let things go, he continually uncovers surprising conspiracies in town.

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Juliana Guill As Marybeth Pickett

Born: July 7, 1987

Actor: Julianna Guill had dreams of performing from a young age and grew up learning different types of dance, singing in choir, and performing in local theater shows. She attended New York University before starting to act professionally. One of her earliest jobs was appearing in One Tree Hill, which was filmed in North Carolina, where she is from. Guill also appeared in the short-lived series Glory Daze and Underemployed before getting supporting parts in big movies like Captain America: Civil War and starring roles in Lifetime and Hallmark Christmas movies.

Character: Marybeth Pickett begins the series as a woman with two young daughters preparing to reenter the workforce. A surprise pregnancy puts that plan on hold as does her mother, with whom she has a complicated relationship, moving in with her family. Marybeth previously worked as a lawyer but found the stress and the long hours to interfere with her family life. While she enjoys the way she can relax in the countryside, she does not appreciate how often her husband Joe’s work ends up putting her family in danger.

Sharon Lawrence As Missy Vankeuren

Born: June 29, 1961

Actor: Sharon Lawrence was a stage actor in the 1980s before landing on-screen roles. Her early roles included a lot of TV movies like The Face on the Milk Carton, but one of her longest-lasting roles was also on TV as Assistant District Attorney Sylvia Costas in NYPD Blue. Since then, she has bounced back and forth between TV and movies, appearing in rom-coms like Little Black Book and guest starring in dramas like Grey’s Anatomy. She also recurred in Rizzoli and Isles and Shameless. Most recently, she appeared in the final season of Walker.

Character: Missy is Marybeth’s mother. She does not have the best relationship with her daughter since she has not always been there for her; instead preferring to focus on her own romantic relationships and material possessions. When her latest paramour is arrested, she turns to her daughter for help, moving in with the Picketts and spending much of her time criticizing the way the family lives.

David Alan Grier As Vern Dunnegan

Born: June 30, 1956

Actor:David Alan Grier got his professional acting start on Broadway, but he has since performed on stage, TV, the big screen, and radio plays. In fact, one of his earliest roles was voicing various characters for Star Wars radio shows. He also appeared in over 120 episodes of In Living Color, playing multiple roles. Grier also appeared in ‘90s family classic Jumanji, was a series regular in My Life With Bonnie, was one of the most memorable guest stars in Bones, and recently appeared on the big screen in The Color Purple. In addition to that wealth of work on screen, he is also an accomplished writer.

Character:Vern Dunnegan is the game warden before Joe Pickett. He is well-liked in town and the unofficial mayor, as more residents are likely to go to him for help than they are local government officials. He knows how to work the system though, turning his head to some crimes to get favors from some of the locals when there are bigger problems to hone in on. While he seems friendly and low-key, he knows how to manipulate those around him.

Mustafa Speaks As Nate Romanowski

Born: October 8, 1985

Actor: Mustafa Speaks worked in the world of animal science before shifting gears to become an actor. Specifically, he has a degree in Marine and Environmental Science and has published papers concerning shark behavior. That’s quite a career shift. He has been active in the industry as a writer, producer, and actor since the early 2000s with roles in procedurals like Cold Case and comedies like Fresh off the Boat. He has also recurred in series like Landman and All American.

Character:Nate Romanowski is a falconer in Joe Pickett. He is well-versed in the wilderness that new game warden Joe Pickett is supposed to protect and has something of a mysterious past. Nate is also the prime suspect when a man is murdered at the start of the series and becomes entangled with the Pickett family as he requests that Marybeth become his lawyer.

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Patrick Gallagher as Sheriff Bud Barnum

Born: February 21, 1968

Actor: Patrick Gallagher graduated from the National Theater School of Canada, and a lot of his early work was on the stage before he transitioned to film and television. He has been active in the industry since the early 1990s and has played numerous law enforcement officials - even in unnamed roles - since the start of his career. He appeared as a secret service agent in the Disney Channel favorite My Date With The President’s Daughter in the ‘90s and went on to appear in Master And Commander: The Far Side of the World, Da Vinci’s Inquest, Glee, and voiced multiple characters in Blue Eye Samurai.

Character:Bud Barnum is the Sheriff of the same area in which Joe Pickett is the game warden. Barnum grows impatient with his officers fairly quickly and holds a grudge against the game wardens who seem to have better investigative skills than he does. Because of the small town where he lives and works, Barnum is inexperienced when it comes to working violent crime cases, and he finds himself in over his head during the events of Joe Pickett.

Paul Sparks As Wacey Hedeman

Born: October 16, 1971

Actor: Paul Sparks has over 60 on-screen credits to his name, though he has also appeared in plenty of works on stage as well. Despite his easy comedic abilities, he is best known for appearing in dramas. Sparks has guest starred as multiple characters in different series in the Law & Order franchise, appeared in shows like House of Cards, Boardwalk Empire, and Castle Rock as well as movies like The Greatest Showman and The Bikeriders.

Character:Wacey Hedeman is another game warden. He and Joe Pickett cover the districts right next to one another. While Wacey is a main character in the first season of the show, he is not in the second. He initially appears to be an ally of Joe’s as he helps him on his investigation and makes it clear he wants to become the next sheriff. It becomes apparent, however, that Wacey’s charm is a front for his corruption, and he has been playing Joe all along.

Keean Johnson As Luke Brueggeman

Born: October 25, 1996

Actor: Keann Johnson started acting as a child and has amassed an impressive body of work in his time on screen. He led the short-lived fantasy series Spooksville before joining the musical series Nashville and later, the teen drama Euphoria. Johnson has also appeared in big-screen movies like Alita: Battle Angel and Midway. In a relatively short time, he has appeared in a mix of genres.

Character:Luke Brueggeman does not join the series until season 2, helping to expand the world of Joe Pickett. He is training to become a game warden. Just as Joe Pickett trained under Vern Dunnegan, Luke trains under Joe Pickett. While he has a good heart, Luke is also a talker who does not know when to stop. If the series had gone on for longer, he likely would have had an expanded role in future seasons.

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Supporting Characters In Joe Pickett

Skywalker Hughes plays Sheridan Pickett, the oldest of Joe and Marybeth’s daughters. Like her father, she has an affinity for animals. Joe Picket actually marked her professional acting debut. Since first appearing on the show, she has gone on to voice characters in Paw Patrol and Blues Clues & You. She also appears in the 2024 drama Ordinary Angels.

Kamryn Pliva plays Lucy Pickett, the second child of Joe and Marybeth. She does not have quite as large of a role in the series as her big sister. Pliva has appeared in a handful of projects before Joe Pickett, but usually in unnamed roles, like in The Curse of Audrey Earnshaw and Jann. Lucy Pickett is her biggest role to date.

Leah Gibson plays Jeannie Keeley, the wife of a local poacher whose daughter is a classmate of the game warden’s. Her husband is killed in just the second episode of the series, but she and her daughter become a part of the Pickett’s lives. She has been acting professionally since 2007 and has become known as an accomplished character actor with roles in series like The 100, Jessica Jones, Manifest, and Batwoman.

Vivienne Guynn plays April Keeley, the daughter of Jeannie and a classmate of Sheridan. She also has an affinity for animals, which is likely helped by Guynn growing up on a real farm. Joe Pickett marks her first professional acting project.

Chad Rook plays Deputy McLanahan, a member of the local police department who tends to be a bit of a hothead. Rook has been acting professionally since the early 2000s, mostly in TV roles. TV fans will likely have caught him in shows like Bates Motel, Timeless, The Flash, and Virgin River. He will also appear in the prequel series for Stephen King’s IT, Welcome To Derry.

Aadila Dosani plays Deputy Cricket Ludlow, one of the more intelligent members of the local police department, but one who does not have as much experience as her coworkers. Dosani has been acting professionally since 2010, and she has appeared in just about everything that has been filmed in and around Vancouver, Canada since, including Hallmark movies like Love & Jane, CW series like Nancy Drew, the web series Upstairs Amy, and of course, the streaming series Joe Pickett.