The 10 best Jason Sudeikis movies and TV shows, ranked
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Jason Sudeikis made a career out of playing a specific sort of Midwestern bro: overconfident, all-American, and a bit of a… jerk. Sudeikis, who once described himself to GQ as a "jock with thespian tendencies," ruled Saturday Night Live with characters who exuded a particular brand of dumb masculinity. But when Ted Lasso was born, everything changed.
Lasso used the Typical White Dude schtick as a jumping-off point to explore deeper issues, many of them revolving around questions of manhood and mental health. And it was no mistake that the character of Lasso — a slightly befuddled Kansas-born rube with a heart of gold — is often seen as an extension of the proud Kansan Sudeikis himself. A messy breakup (we won't go into it here, you're welcome) threw a wrench into the fantasy. (As it turns out, Sudeikis is a human who makes mistakes.) But Ted Lasso (which won him three Emmys) endures as a feel-good production filled with hope and redemption. And with the series coming to a close, we figured it was a great time to rank Sudeikis' best movies and TV shows.
10. <i>Booksmart</i> (2019)
Sudeikis has a trio of tiny-but-memorable moments in Booksmart, the lauded coming-of-age comedy directed by his ex, Olivia Wilde. He bookends the film with his performance as an exhausted principal trying to make it through the last day of school, beginning with his announcement, "I hope I never have to see any of you ever again" and ending at graduation in cap and gown. But there's more! He surprises the girls (Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever) when he pops up as an Uber driver, making for a crash course in our favorite class: Awkward 101.
Where to watch Booksmart: Peacock
9. <i>Masterminds</i> (2016)
Stealing the show with his greasy, creepy, "passionate assassin" character, Sudeikis is in good company alongside comedy greats Kristen Wiig, Zach Galifianakis, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones. Directed by Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite), Masterminds is based on a true story of a heist gone wrong, and in true Hess style, the film revels in tacky, ridiculous, flyover country-style shenanigans. Sudeikis, with his cop sunglasses and evil little mustache, fits right in.
Where to watch Masterminds: Hulu
8. <i>Kodachrome</i> (2017)
In Netflix's dramedy Kodachrome, Sudeikis plays Matt, a record exec with issues: divorce, job problems, and a dying dad (Ben, played by Ed Harris). Matt and Ben are estranged and haven't spoken in a decade until… Wanda Maximoff steps in! Okay, okay, it's actually Elizabeth Olsen playing the part of Ben's nurse/caretaker Zooey, but she is a kind of superhero, convincing Matt to join his dad and her on a road trip to Kansas (we're noting a theme here, Sudeikis) where the last place to develop Kodachrome film is about to shut down. Why do we care? Well, Ben has four rolls of film he wants to see before he dies (cue tears). And even though our critic gave it a C+, they still praised the sincere and sentimental performances.
Where to watch Kodachrome: Netflix.
7. <i>Downsizing</i> (2017)
Alexander Payne's oddball sci-fi satire received, shall we say… mixed reviews, many with serious vitriol. EW wasn't in the hater camp, however, calling it "Gulliver's Travels through the wrong end of a telescope" and awarding it a B+. The film, about people choosing to get shrunken to Smurf size for mainly economic benefits (while others are forcibly downsized for more nefarious reasons), remains a divisive, mixed-up, fascinating mess. Sudeikis plays a small (haha?) but pivotal role as Matt Damon's pal, the one who convinces his friend to take the trip to tiny town, and as always, he inspires more than a few smiles.
Where to watch Downsizing: Paramount+
6. <i>30 Rock</i> (2007-2010)
Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) was notoriously unlucky in love. So the fact that Sudeikis' character, Floyd DeBarber, stuck around for much of the first season of 30 Rock is saying something. Though the start of their relationship was a bit of an accident (Floyd sent flowers to the wrong Liz) and plagued by multiple disasters (she fired a bunch of people and lied about being an alcoholic), in the end, they really seemed perfect for each other. But because nothing can ever go right for Ms. Lemon, Floyd ends up leaving her and returning home to Cleveland, though Sudeikis does make a reappearance in the fourth season finale for his wedding (to another woman, naturally).
Where to watch 30 Rock: Peacock and Hulu
5. <i>We're the Millers</i> (2013)
Pairing Sudeikis with Jennifer Aniston just feels right, like Prom King and Queen approaching middle age with edgy humor (and a touch of exasperation). Is it believable that a stripper (Aniston), a pot dealer (Sudeikis), and a couple of drifter kids (Emma Roberts and Will Poulter) would pose like a clean-cut suburban family to secure a weed shipment in Mexico? Nah. Is it funny? Yup. Sudeikis' smarmy vibe finds peak expression here, as he pilots the wheel of a massive RV and fake smiles at his fake kids. And if the ending pulls on your heartstrings just a little bit, we won't tell.
Where to watch We're the Millers: Amazon Prime Video (to rent)
4. <i>Horrible Bosses</i> (2011)
Seth Gordon's dark revenge comedy is brainlessly fun and perfectly cast, featuring Sudeikis, Jason Bateman, and Charlie Day as a trio of Dockers dudes oppressed by their evil bosses. Our critic gave it an A-, calling it "delightfully nasty," and Sudeikis is key to its success as a dimpled, earnest (watch him sincerely explain what "intel" is short for) nice guy with a truly nasty manager (a disturbingly combed-over Colin Farrell). This "before times" comedy can sometimes feel a bit dated, but it's so consistently funny that we can forgive the less-than-PC moments (especially since most of them come from everyone's favorite Friend, Jennifer Aniston).
Where to watch Horrible Bosses: Hulu
3. <i>Colossal</i> (2017)
In this category-killer from director Nacho Vigalondo, Sudeikis cleverly turns his good-guy persona upside down (and inside out). Playing a small-town dude named Oscar, Sudeikis at first appears to be a godsend, a good buddy to someone who desperately needs one — in this case, his old school chum Gloria (Anne Hathaway in full crisis mode). When Gloria returns to her hometown from the big city, Sudeikis swoops in like a knight in shining flannel, deploying sincerity and support to help her get back on her feet… until Vigalondo hits you with the Twist. Colossal is a wild genre-mixer with multiple layers of meaning, and it provides the perfect platform for Sudeikis to show off his acting chops.
2. <i>Saturday Night Live</i> (2005-2013)
Sudeikis' best sketches are also mini character studies. Take the classic "A-Holes" series with Kristen Wiig. Sure, he's a brainless, gum-chomping idiot with a 1000-yard stare, but he also adores his girl, deferring to her even when she ignores him completely. ("Babe… babe… babe?") And there's his oddly moralistic devil character (closer to a used car salesman than the Prince of Darkness), who, upon hearing about the Penn State scandal, breaks his pitchfork, throws in the towel, and quits. Of course, many of his best moments are Pure Silly, like his backup dancer for Kenan Thompson's recurring "What's Up With That?" sketch. Seriously, what is up with Sudeikis' dialogue-free dude, and how does he steal the show? Is it the Harpo-esque curly wig, matchy red tracksuit, or the gleefully happy-yet-blank expression as he robotically crushes the running man on repeat? It's a darn comedy mystery — just try watching this without grinning like a maniac.
Where to watch Saturday Night Live: Peacock
1. <i>Ted Lasso</i> (2020-2023)
The tale of a slightly clueless, relentlessly positive American football coach shipped off to England to lead a soccer team will go down in history for many reasons. Ted Lasso became a national balm to a COVID-strained nation, inspiring joy far and wide (even President Biden has a "Believe" poster in the Oval Office). And it brought a new, never-before-seen angle to the typical sports story, one where opening hearts and sharing vulnerabilities is viewed as a source of strength instead of weakness. Pie-in-the-sky aspirational, the show is Sudeikis personified — under its glossy jock surface lies a 100% pure marshmallow center.
Where to watch Ted Lasso: Apple TV+
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