The 10 best Jordan Peele movies and TV shows, ranked
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Jordan Peele has had one of the most unique career trajectories in modern entertainment. His first foray into the spotlight came as a fan-favorite performer in sketch comedy TV shows like MADtv and later Key & Peele. In more recent years, he smoothly shifted gears to become one of the most distinct, visionary filmmakers in contemporary Hollywood with critically acclaimed blockbuster horror movies like Get Out (2017) and Nope (2023). And though he's made many strides as a producer (see: BlacKkKlansman and the 2021 Candyman remake), we'll keep this list focused on his directorial and acting projects.
While his output has a few dips in quality (looking at you, Twilight Zone reboot), there's no doubting his far-reaching successes — but which are his best works? Read on for EW's ranking of the 10 best Jordan Peele movies and TV shows.
10. <i>MADtv</i> (1995–2008)
Peele's breakthrough came as a standout performer on Fox's sketch show MADtv, joining the series during its ninth season in 2003 alongside Keegan-Michael Key, marking their first of many collaborations. Over the course of five seasons, Peele wrote and starred in numerous beloved skits, showing off his impeccable comedic timing and penchant for spot-on impressions of celebrities like 50 Cent, Ja Rule, and numerous others. Peele didn't have a single go-to character type — with a wide-ranging voice and flexible body language, he played dozens of roles with wildly different energies, cadences, and statuses. He also displayed electrifying chemistry with Key, solidifying the comedic partnership that would define his acting career.
9. <i>Big Mouth</i> (2017–present)
In this grotesque, animated middle school comedy, Peele plays one of his strangest characters: the ghost of Duke Ellington, who serves as a mentor to preteen Nick (Nick Kroll) and resides in the boy's attic. He speaks with a deep, gravelly texture and a steady intonation that fittingly caricatures the jazz legend. When Nick needs to process his problems, Duke doles out genuine wisdom and nonsensical advice in equal measure. Peele also voices several other musical ghosts throughout the series, including Prince and Freddie Mercury, among other characters.
Where to watch Big Mouth: Netflix
8. <i>Keanu</i> (2016)
Peele's first and only lead film role came in the comedy Keanu, which he co-headlined with Key. The movie follows two dorky everymen who infiltrate a gang to rescue their kitten. It feels like a Key & Peele skit stretched to feature length, as all of the humor comes from a single idea: soft nerds pretending to be tough. It's the same joke over and over again, but it's funny every time thanks to the duo's hilariously affected performances. Peele also co-wrote the screenplay with Alex Rubens.
Where to watch Keanu: Amazon Prime Video (to rent)
7. <i>Toy Story 4</i> (2019)
In Pixar's fourth toybox adventure, Key and Peele play Ducky and Bunny, two generic plush prizes from a carnival game who join Woody and Buzz on their journey. The pair maintains the classic buddy chemistry that persists throughout most of their collaborations, with incessant squabbling, singing, and unwarranted confidence; but the film subverts their usual physical dynamic by making Peele's Bunny the lumbering giant and Key's Ducky the rambunctious pipsqueak. The characters are also responsible for one of the film's funniest moments, in which they repeatedly try to convince Buzz to let them attack an unassuming woman while brainstorming a plan to steal a key.
Where to watch Toy Story 4: Disney+
6. <i>Fargo</i> (2014)
Peele appeared opposite Key in the first season of Noah Hawley's anthology crime series. They play small but pivotal roles: a pair of bumbling FBI agents whose incompetence allows the hitman antagonist (Billy Bob Thornton) to continually evade capture. In their introductory scene, the duo fails to realize Thornton's character is on a killing spree despite the fact that they're stationed right outside the building — and he's using loud weapons. Naturally, they're quickly demoted to paltry desk jobs in the basement, where they further exemplify their staggering buffoonery.
5. <i>Nope</i> (2022)
Peele's latest directorial venture reunites him with Get Out star Daniel Kaluuya. The movie follows two adult siblings (Kaluuya and Keke Palmer) who run a horse ranch for film productions. After a mysterious extraterrestrial force kills their father (Keith David), the siblings attempt to capture more occurrences on tape so they can sell the footage. Nope is Peele's largest filmmaking project to date, with sweeping cinematography, gorgeous special effects, and well-constructed action set pieces. It's a fascinating meditation on the exploitative side of the entertainment industry, the power of spectacle, and the crushing pressures of grind culture, all while delivering a thrilling, visually sumptuous sci-fi head-scratcher in the process.
Where to watch Nope: Amazon Prime Video
4. <i>Wendell & Wild</i> (2022)
The filmmaker co-wrote and produced this underseen animated film from stop-motion mastermind Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas, Coraline). Lyric Ross voices main character Kat, a young orphan who makes an unsteady agreement with the titular conniving, half-witted demons (played by Key and Peele) to resurrect her parents. The complicated, endlessly creative movie explores grief, the creative process, and the prison-industrial complex with mind-bogglingly inventive visuals.
Where to watch Wendell & Wild: Netflix
3. <i>Key & Peele</i> (2012–2015)
Peele's most popular work as a performer was on his eponymous Comedy Central sketch series costarring longtime collaborator Keegan-Michael Key. The duo wrote and/or starred in almost 300 skits over five seasons, finding clever, consistent humor in everything from racial dynamics ("Obama Meet and Greet") and celebrity aloofness ("Jaden Smith") to unmitigated rage ("Substitute Teacher") and listing unusual names ("East/West College Bowl"). Peele plays an even wider range of roles here than on MADtv — he's just as comfortable with giving hilariously still, subtle, straight-faced performances as he is with absurdly animated characters. It's a phenomenal show that's as silly as it is smart.
Where to watch Key & Peele: Netflix
2. <i>Us</i> (2019)
The filmmaker's sophomore feature sees a family face off against their unhinged, violent doppelgängers while on a beachside vacation. Lupita Nyong'o gives two performances of a lifetime, playing both the horrified protagonist and her vengeful double; the former seems like a thoroughly normal (albeit traumatized) woman, while the latter speaks with a chilling rasp and holds an impossibly wide-eyed gaze. Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseph, and Evan Alex also excel in dual roles, playing Nyong'o's quirky, unassuming family members as well as their mute otherworldly twins. It's Peele's scariest movie to date, filled with unsettling imagery, haunting atmosphere, and rich social commentary that thoughtfully unpacks the struggles between the haves and the have-nots.
1. <i>Get Out</i> (2017)
Peele's directorial debut remains his most resounding success to date. When Black photographer Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) meets his girlfriend's white liberal family for the first time at their massive home in upstate New York, microaggressions steadily evolve into violence as the environment becomes increasingly hostile. Like the original The Twilight Zone and The Stepford Wives, Get Out uses familiar, uncomfortable social dynamics to craft a disturbing piece of speculative fiction, brilliantly channeling the terrors of racial exploitation and fetishization into a digestable yet high-brow horror movie. Peele won an Oscar for the movie's airtight script, and the film made over 50 times its budget at the worldwide box office.
Where to watch Get Out: Peacock
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