It's always a challenge for an actor to play a well-known part on TV and then to start over on a new show as someone entirely different. Audiences will always be tempted to see them as that first character, leading to typecasting and premature cancellations of new projects. However, recently, actors like Ray Romano have turned this theory on its head. After nine (nine!) seasons on Everybody Loves Raymond, he's deftly crafted a new persona on Men of a Certain Age that, for all intents and purposes, is the anti-Ray Barone. As the second season comes to a close tonight on TNT (and as we count down to the return of Breaking Bad), we take a look at other performers this summer who moved from a career-defining role to successfully portraying its polar opposite. (Yes, we know Sons of Anarchy isn't really a summer show, but we couldn't resist.)

Tags: Aaron Paul, Angels in America, Big Love, Breaking Bad, Bryan Cranston, Charlie Hunnam, Everybody Loves Raymond, Justin Kirk, Katey Sagal, Malcolm in the Middle, Married with Children, Mary Louise Parker, Men of a Certain Age, Queer as Folk, Ray Romano, Sons of Anarchy, Weeds