Most Underrated TV Drama Actors, Ranked
Every year during awards season, great actors are recognized for their efforts in some of the most important events. Often, the same names appear, or the leads receive well-deserved recognition during the run of a popular show. Consider Bryan Cranston during the Breaking Bad era, Claire Danes during the Homeland era, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ dominance in the Best Actress in a Comedy category throughout Veep’s entire run.
However, there are certain performers who have routinely been in some of the most rated series or had important parts in specific ones in the past and present who do not receive the credit they so clearly deserve, and it is time they had their moment in the limelight.
Maggie Siff
Maggie Siff, another important character from Billions and a woman who died in one of the most heartbreaking deaths on Sons of Anarchy, had an outstanding career. On Mad Men, she played the department store heiress Rachel Menken Katz, who stole the show.
Despite this, Siff has never been nominated for a major award. Nonetheless, she has shown her breadth and ability to tackle the complexities of every character in every big part she has played, from a doctor in love with a motorcycle gang boss to a skilled therapist keeping a whole team of hedge fund traders together.
Dean Norris
Dean Norris’ multifaceted career has spanned decades, but he truly rose to prominence in Hollywood when he played Walter White’s eccentric DEA brother-in-law Hank on Breaking Bad. On Breaking Bad, his was the most dramatic character death. He appeared briefly in the prequel series Better Call Saul. Norris went on to feature in films such as Under the Dome and Claws. He is now starring in the comedy Al in the United States.
Norris, on the other hand, has a lengthy filmography that includes roles in films such as Lethal Weapon 2, Hard to Kill, Total Recall, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, The Firm, Starship Troopers, The Cell, Little Miss Sunshine, and others. Despite this, he has generally gone unnoticed, being overshadowed by greater stars.
Micheal Cudlitz
Michael Cudlitz, another Walking Dead veteran, has shown a wide spectrum of acting abilities in shows such as Southland, Band of Brothers, and the short-lived sitcom The Kids Are Alright. He presently plays a major part in the television series Clarice.
But he also has a slew of film credits to his name, including Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story and Running Scared. Cudlitz, on the other hand, hasn’t won many honors and is sometimes forgotten as a supporting character in his films or television series.
Garret Dillahunt
Fear the Walking Dead is the most popular. A spin-off of The Walking Dead. And one of the most tragic deaths on Fear the Walking Dead was that of John Dorie. Garret Dillahunt offered something unique to the part, as he has done in other roles such as Burn, Justified, The Mindy Project, and Deadwood.
Dillahunt also appeared in notable films such as No Country for Old Men, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Winter’s Bone, Looper, and 12 Years a Slave. Dillahunt, who most recently starred in the Amazon series Hand of God, is one of those performers who quietly excels on film but doesn’t get the credit he deserves.
Jennifer Carpenter
Jennifer Carpenter’s expletive-laden portrayal of Debra Morgan on the mega-hit series Dexter, which she reprises in ghost form in Dexter: New Blood, provided a much-needed complexity to the storyline. Carpenter has also appeared in Limitless, The Enemy Within, Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms, and The Exorcism of Emily Rose.
Her achievements, however, have not been duplicated. While several of Dexter’s cast members, notably Michael C. Hall, who plays the main character, and Jimmy Smits and Julia Stiles, who had guest parts, had nominations during awards season, and the programme itself was littered with trophies, Carpenter was never acknowledged.
