Which Movie Actor Do You Want to See on Television?

February 9, 2010 · Posted in Lists

As you may have noticed, TV owns the lions’ share of good scripts, good
parts for older women, everything the movies aren’t providing.
(Although staying on TV is tough in of itself).

So it’s no wonder film stars have been enjoying a career resurgence on the small screen: Alec Baldwin, Kiefer Sutherland, Charlie Sheen, Bill Paxton, Toni Collette, Glenn Close, Holly Hunter, Kyra Sedgwick, Gary Sinise, and Gabriel Byrne
are just a few examples. Even if they don’t want to commit to a series,
you’ll find the television movies/miniseries category littered with
pedigreed actors: Jessica Lange, Joan Allen, Kenneth Branagh, Meryl Streep, and Al Pacino, for example.




In the middle of her guest arc on 30 Rock, Julianne Moore (complete with Boston accent) has reportedly been courted for TV pilots, including a remake of Prime Suspect. Also on TV networks’ wishlists for new series: Maria Bello, Demi Moore, and Matt Dillon (whose younger bro Kevin has had much success on Entourage).



I scrolled through lists of Oscar nominees in the past decade and found
it hard-pressed to find someone who didn’t at least guest star on a TV
series since then. But who would you love to see make the full-gig jump
to small-screen glory? Perhaps Susan Sarandon or Uma Thurman in an edgy drama for Showtime? Kevin Spacey as the next nemesis on Dexter? Billy Bob Thornton in the next incarnation of CSI? –Ellen