10 TV Shows That Cast Actors Against Type For Brilliant Performances

Casting actors against type has been responsible for some of the best film and TV show performances of all time, from Tom Cruise in Michael Mann’s Collateral to David Hyde Pierce in The Good Wife. Many actors can find themselves forever cast in a narrowly-defined role and, when something different comes along, seize the opportunity to prove their versatility. For many audiences, the mere novelty of seeing this change of direction alone can attract them to new shows.

Seeing actors step out of their comfort zone and into characters at odds with how their fans know them often opens an entire new chapter in their career. In a Golden Age of prestigious, cinematic TV series, various networks have given viewers some brilliant match-ups between actors and characters. While some of these were to be expected, others brought stars to new career heights in what seemed to many to be completely bizarre casting choices — only to be happy to be proven wrong.

10

John Krasinski As Jack Ryan

Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan (2018-2023)

When the American remake of British sitcom The Office began, it cast John Krasinski in the role of Jim Halpert, a wholesome and optimistic office employee. For much of the show’s time on air, audiences obsessed over the will they/won’t they dynamic he had with Jenna Fischer’s Pam, which served as the heart of the series. However, when Amazon Video adapted the stories of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, they had a different view of the actor.

While Jack Ryan is, like Jim, a good man, the genre switch from sitcom to action-thriller gave Krasinski a great change of pace. From doting on Pam at Dunder Mifflin to fighting terrorists around the world, the actor proved himself versatile, and gave audiences the best iteration of Clancy’s heroic CIA analyst since Harrison Ford left the role in 1994.

9

Jason Bateman As Martin Byrde

Ozark (2017-2022)

First garnering attention for his role as Michael Bluth in Arrested Development, Jason Bateman became one of the best “straight man” comedy actors of the 2000s. From Hancock and Horrible Bosses to Identity Thief and Paul, he perfected the part of a relatable, down-to-Earth character immersed in absurd situations.

Ozark

Release Date

2017 – 2021

Showrunner

Bill Dubuque

Directors

Bill Dubuque

Writers

Bill Dubuque

In Ozark, he played Marty Byrde, a criminal money launderer who moves his family down to Missouri to try and make amends with his cartel employers. As one of the best crime shows of the 2010s, Ozark saw great against-type performances from other stars, such as Laura Linney.

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However, Bateman’s change from audience surrogate in comedy movies and shows to a criminal fighting to keep himself and his family alive gave viewers a gripping story — and a refreshing change for the star.

8

Andre Braugher As Captain Raymond Holt

Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013-2021)

Since movies like Glory, Andre Braugher made his mark as a supporting actor, one who typically played serious dramatic roles in war movies and conspiracy thrillers. In Brooklyn Nine-Nine, he endeared himself to a younger generation in the role of Captain Holt, a no-nonsense cop who tries to bring order to an unruly precinct. Through his deadpan delivery of lines, Holt instantly became one of the most popular characters on the show.

Andre Braugher’s casting in Brooklyn Nine-Nine is actually a brilliant example of subverting typecasting, rather than going against it. Like Glenn Morshower, the actor had become synonymous with the supporting role of stern general, admiral, police chief, or politician. The police sitcom embraced this, using comedic situations to turn Braugher’s typecast into a brilliant gag for the show. Here, it was the genre switch, not the role itself, that completely changed how audiences looked at the actor.

7

Bill Hader As Barry Berkman

Barry (2018-2023)

Throughout the 2000s and early 2010s, Bill Hader became recognized as a recurring comedy supporting actor, particularly in films like Paul, Superbad and Tropic Thunder. Through these movies, he often played exaggerated, loudmouthed roles, from absurd police officer to overzealous studio executive. In 2018’s Barry, however, he took on a more dramatic character as the titular hitman, Barry Berkman, as he pursues a passion for acting.

Barry

Release Date

2018 – 2022

Network

HBO Max

Showrunner

Alec Berg

Directors

Alec Berg

Writers

Alec Berg

Bill Hader’s performance as Barry is still comedic, but the series tackles serious topics like depression and trauma, allowing the actor room to explore a realistic character. Ditching the loud and intense nature of past characters for a more subtle and grounded person, Hader turned in a career-best performance in this dark dramedy.

6

Hugh Laurie As Gregory House

House (2004-2012)

In the United Kingdom, Hugh Laurie built his career on a wave of fresh British sitcoms that began in the 1980s, from Jeeves and Wooster to Blackadder. Here, the actor typically played the role of a fool, something best seen in his portrayal of Prince George in Blackadder the Third. After spending almost two decades selling viewers on his persona as a buffoon, he was cast in the role of Sherlock Holmes-inspired physician, Doctor Gregory House. Ditching his refined English accent for an American one, he played the part of doctor and detective in one.

House

Release Date

2004 – 2011

Network

FOX

Showrunner

David Shore

Directors

Deran Sarafian

Writers

David Shore

House makes great use of Laurie’s comedic timing, but transforms his persona from that of a witless fool to a brilliant medical genius with a dark, sometimes nihilistic sense of humor. Widely recognized by critics as one of the best TV performances of the 2000s, the actor traded loud and eccentric silliness for insults, tragic personal drama and gallows humor. For American audiences in particular, it became difficult to dissociate the star from his now signature character — and people can struggle to believe he’s the same man who played fools like George.

5

Steve Buscemi As Enoch Thompson

Boardwalk Empire (2010-2014)

When it comes to popular popcorn flicks made between the 1990s and 2000s, few actors made as lasting an impression in supporting roles as Steve Buscemi. Often cast in the role of oddball comic relief, as seen in movies like Armageddon and Mr Deeds, the former firefighter’s inclusion in a project was often a sign that it couldn’t be taken too seriously. In HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, that all changed as he embodied Prohibition Era corrupt politician Enoch “Nucky” Thompson.

Boardwalk Empire

Release Date

2010 – 2013

Showrunner

Terence Winter

Directors

Timothy Van Patten, Allen Coulter

Writers

Terence Winter, Nelson Johnson

Although Nucky Thompson has the occasional moment of dark irony on the show, Buscemi’s performance in Boardwalk Empire is anything but silly. Showing the audience that he was more than a side gag, the actor effortlessly slid into the role of a ruthless gangster, and it gave audiences one of the best performances of the 2010s. While Buscemi has since gone back to comedy roles, even films like The Death of Stalin prove he’s at his best when some drama is injected into his performance.

4

Claire Danes As Carrie Matheson

Homeland (2011-2020)

Beginning her career through ’90s dramas and romances, Claire Danes found breakout success in her role as Juliet in Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet. Her association with the romance genre only grew when she was cast as Yvaine in Stardust, cementing the audience’s perception of her as a wholesome love interest. In Homeland, however, she played the role of Carrie Matheson, an erratic CIA agent struggling with Bipolar Disorder.

Homeland

Release Date

2013 – 2019

Showrunner

Alex Gansa

Directors

Lesli Linka Glatter, Michael Cuesta

Writers

Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon

Claire Danes’ performance as Carrie Matheson has been praised as a realistic depiction of life with Bipolar Disorder, showing the struggle of maintaining personal relationships and a work life. Thanks to Danes’ intensity in the role, Carrie became one of TV’s best counter-terrorist heroes since Jack Bauer. Without the actress in the leading role, the series never would have been as compelling as it was.

3

Steve Coogan As Jimmy Savile

The Reckoning (2023)

Thanks to his iconic role as Alan Partridge, Steve Coogan became a face of British modern comedy, often satirizing and parodying entertainment figures. Movies like The Other Guys and Tropic Thunder took this persona to Hollywood, casting Coogan as various ineffectual and incompetent characters used for comic relief. In The Reckoning, he stepped out of the role of comedian and into the shoes of one of the most reviled figures in modern Britain: Jimmy Savile.

The Reckoning

Release Date

2023 – 2022

Network

BBC One

Directors

David Blair

Writers

Neil McKay

Cast

• 

  Jimmy Savile

  Self (archival footage)

• 

  Steve Coogan

  Jimmy Savile

• 
• 

Once a children’s TV entertainer, Savile became a national disgrace when it was revealed he was a sexual abuser. Considering this reputation, it’s all the more impressive that Steve Coogan was able to convincingly portray him, even more so, that he captured the repugnance of the man. Taking on the role was a risky move, especially for a star whose career was built on comedy, but the actor did a brilliant job in the role.

2

Matthew McConaughey As Rustin Cohle

True Detective (2014-Present)

Career revitalizations are nothing new in Hollywood, from dramatic actor Leslie Nielsen rebranding himself as the king of slapstick to Nicolas Cage leaving his 2010s-era slump. Few changes were as stark as Matthew McConaughey changing mainstream audiences’ perception of him away from a handsome rom-com love interest to one of the best thriller actors of the 2010s. What started with 2012’s Mud was perfected in 2014’s True Detective, where the actor played the part of nihilistic detective Rust Cohle.

True Detective

Release Date

January 12, 2014

Network

HBO Max

Showrunner

Nic Pizzolatto

Directors

Cary Fukunaga

Writers

Nic Pizzolatto

Matthew McConaughey’s acting in True Detective helped make the first season great, making his character so dark he was almost unrecognizable from the man who starred in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. It should be noted that the change was just as true of co-star Woody Harrelson, who proved he’d come a long way from playing the simplistic bartender in Cheers.

1

Bryan Cranston As Walter White

Breaking Bad (2008-2013)

Before the creation of Breaking Bad, Bryan Cranston was overwhelmingly known for his work in sitcoms, namely as Hal Wilkerson in Malcolm In the Middle. That lighthearted persona was shattered when he stepped into the role of Walter White, a man whose life takes a turn from high school chemistry teacher to ruthless meth kingpin. With Jesse Pinkman at his side, the man alienates his family and pursues the idea that it’s better to be feared and respected than loved and pitied.

Breaking Bad

Release Date

2008 – 2012

Showrunner

Vince Gilligan

Directors

Vince Gilligan, Michelle Maclaren

Writers

Peter Gould, Gennifer Hutchison, Vince Gilligan, George Mastras, Moira Walley-Beckett, Sam Catlin, Thomas Schnauz

Bryan Cranston’s transformation into Walter White actually plays out within the series itself. When the audience is first introduced to the man, they’re presented with a meek school teacher struggling to maintain the respect of those around him. By the end of the series, they’re left with little empathy for Walter after watching him turn into a full-blown monster — making it one of the greatest — and best-acted — character arcs in TV show history.