usual suspects

usual suspects pl (plural only)

1. The people, often scapegoats, routinely arrested in response to a crime.
   • 1942, Claude Rains as Captain Louis Renault, Casablanca, written by Murray Burnett, Joan Alison, Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein & Howard Koch:

     Major Strasser has been shot... round up the usual suspects.

2. (by extension, informal) The people or things that would be routinely expected to appear in a particular context.
   • 2014 September 29, Chaban, Matt A.V., “A Bid to Make the Park Lane Hotel a Landmark, but Not by the Usual Suspects”, in New York Times‎:

     And yet a quiet campaign is in the works to secure landmark protection for the 46-story limestone and glass tower. It is not being led by the usual suspects, like preservationists, community groups or politicians.

   • 2016 March 9, Schofield, Hugh, “France unions and youths protest against labour reforms”, in BBC News‎:

     It was - to be only a little bit unfair - all the usual suspects at the Paris demo. Trotskyite students chanting against the patriarchy; anarchists; grizzled veterans of '68; plenty of pensioners; theatre-workers. In other words the regular left-wing alphabetti-spaghetti.

• scapegoats See Thesaurus:scapegoat