Emma McArdle: An only child raised by a single mom, Ari Meyers found true sisterhood in her fictional family. "We'd hang out all day and come home and talk on the phone," says Meyers, 31, of her TV housemate Allison Smith. "My mom was like, 'What could you possibily have to say to each other?'"

"A lot" says Smith, who remains a friend. "Ari and I were tight as could be, which was a gift." Meyers skipped Kate & Allie's final season to attend Yale (majoring in philosophy and theatre). "We were so proud of her," says her TV mom, Susan Saint James

After graduation, Meyers, who is dating actor Kevin Isola 30, returned to acting and recently appeared on CBS's Diagnosis Murder. "Every time I see Jane Curtin," says Meyers, "she always says, 'You're all grown up!'"