Top 10 Most Underappreciated TV Actors
These actors deserve way more recognition! For this list we've included actors who are immensely talented but seem to be always undervalued and under-appreciated. our list includes actors like Aden Young, Jeremy Allen White, Patrick Wilson. Walton Goggins, Brian Tyree Henry, Tim Meadows, Brandon Micheal Hall and more!
#10: Alfie Allen “Game of Thrones” (2011-)
Alfie Allen’s time on “Game of Thrones” has been tumultuous to say the least. As Theon Greyjoy, Allen has caused viewers to squeal with laughter, shriek with anger and yelp with terror. For several seasons the character endured unspeakable hardships at the hands of Ramsay Bolton - some of them deserved, some, not so much – and Allen made us feel each and every one of them thanks to his chillingly realistic performance. Unfortunately for Allen, “Game of Thrones” features an ensemble cast with no shortage of award winning performances and his has often played second fiddle to the likes of Peter Dinklage and Lena Headey.
#9: Brandon Micheal Hall “Search Party” (2016-)
Forget the actors, this entire show is underrated! “Search Party” is a black comedy that focuses on Dory, a young woman who learns that her college acquaintance Chantal has gone missing and decides against all odds to try to find her. Michael Hall plays her ex-boyfriend Julian, and two similarly underrated actors (x-ref), John Early and John Reynolds, play her friend and current boyfriend, respectively. Dory often coerces the three of them into helping with her mission; which brings on no shortage of hilarious results. “Search Party” is all about chemistry; something that Early, Reynolds and Michael Hall have in abundance. Now if only we could convince the rest of the world to take notice!
#8: Rahul Kohli “iZombie” (2015-)
Come for the undead comedy, stay for Rahul Kohli’s brilliant performance; that’s our “iZombie” sales pitch and we’re sticking to it. The show focuses on Liv, a young woman who after being turned into a zombie takes a job at a morgue in order to satisfy her insatiable hunger for human brains. It’s there that she meets Dr. Ravi Chakrabarti, played to perfection by Rahul Kohli. Ravi is Liv’s boss, friend, cohort and moral compass and throughout the show provides viewers with a never-ending supply of comic relief. Despite the considerable praise the show has received, Rahul Kohli remains criminally under the radar.
#7: Tim Meadows Various
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You know Tim Meadows; you’ve seen Tim Meadows; you love Tim Meadows! The man has been in everything from “Saturday Night Live” to “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and has never failed to make us laugh. Unfortunately, since leaving “SNL” he has failed to land a long-term gig on any one particular show; which to us is a travesty. Sure he’s had some hilarious recurring roles on shows like “Bob’s Burgers” and “The Goldbergs”, but the man is a walking-talking punch line waiting to happen and a talent that needs, nay, deserves his own program!
#6: Brian Tyree Henry “Atlanta” (2016-)
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Donald Glover has received his fair share of love and Lakeith Stanfield is only a couple of films away from becoming a household name, but in the meantime we humbly request that the world start paying attention to their co-star Brian Tyree Henry on this one-of-a-kind show. Henry plays aspiring rapper Paper Boi, and brings a surprising amount of depth to a character that could have ended up being a one-note stereotype. That, coupled with his penchant for comedic timing and natural chemistry with Glover’s Earn and Stanfield’s Darius, makes him a great talent that deserves some more love.
#5: Jimmi Simpson Various
You may not recognize his name, but you’ve seen Jimmi Simpson before. The man has popped up in comedies like “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and “How I Met Your Mother”, dramas like “House of Cards” and “Westworld” and was even a key character in the “Black Mirror” episode “USS Callister”. Why then, do more people not know him, let alone appreciate him? It appears that every time Simpson appears on screen he turns in a viscerally pleasing performance that causes you to laugh, cry and applaud; okay, maybe not that last one. We understand that character actors rarely receive recognition for their work, but come on, if anyone deserves some it’s this guy!
#4: Patrick Wilson “Fargo” (2015-)
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Season two of “Fargo” is a prequel to the events of the first season; with a much younger Lou Solverson tasked with keeping the peace as rival gangs duke it out in and around his jurisdiction. Unlike many of the other characters on the show Solverson is cool, calm and collected, resolute in his quest to do right by the law and his family. All of this comes naturally thanks to Patrick Wilson’s subtle performance. Perhaps dwarfed by the grand, over the top gestures of Kirsten Dunst or the aloof romanticism of Bokeem Woodbine, Wilson’s performance was nevertheless one of the season two’s best. Underrated? You bet.
#3: Walton Goggins Various
Walton Goggins is the kind of actor whose name you might not recognize but whose mug is unmistakable. The man has appeared in everything from “The Shield” and “Sons of Anarchy” to “Justified” and “Vice Principals”; and yet, if you asked 10 people who Walton Goggins is they would probably stare at you with the kind of glazed befuddlement typically reserved for the faces of those attempting to decipher advanced calculus. Goggins is hardly an industry outsider and was actually nominated for a Primetime Emmy back in 2011, but for one reason or another is constantly overlooked when it comes to television’s best and brightest.
#2: Jeremy Allen White “Shameless” (2011-)
Jeremy Allen White hasn’t done much outside of “Shameless”, which gives us an idea of why he is so criminally underrated. White plays Lip, the second eldest of the Gallagher clan who can talk himself out of a situation almost as fast as he talked himself into it. Since 2011 he has enthralled viewers with his surprising intelligence while simultaneously making them cringe at the dubious schemes he cooks up. Easily one of the most overlooked actors on one of the most underappreciated shows of the 2010s, White has, and will no doubt continue to be, overshadowed by co-stars William H, Macy and Emmy Rossum, and that is a shame. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions: James Marsden “Westworld” (2016-) Matthew Goode “The Crown” (2016-) Zach Woods Various
#1: Aden Young “Rectify” (2013-16)
After being convicted of a crime he didn’t commit, Daniel Holden spends 19 years on death row until new evidence overturns his sentence and allows him to return home. Such is the plot of “Rectify”, the hard-hitting drama starring Aden Young, a man who has been in the industry since the early 90’s but who is just now beginning to make waves. Despite a heap of praise doled out by critics, the show failed to win many awards and as such Young’s beautifully nuanced performance often went overlooked. A shame really, as Young’s take on Daniel Holden was both wholly entertaining and deeply moving, rewarding viewers patient enough to stick with the character from start to finish.
