The term “Geek God” — a title I like to designate to some of the most iconic celebrities you might find at a convention — is synonymous with Nathan Fillion. The actor has starred in some of the most worshipped cult favorites of both the big and small screen — especially in the realm of sci-fi — but his celebrated, eclectic career is defined by so much more.
The question is, what is his best work yet? I am sure, if you are a fan of the actor, that you have your own opinion on the matter, but let’s see if your choices match my choices for best Nathan Fillion movies and TV shows, ranked in ascending order.
14. Con Man (2015-2017)
Nathan Fillion pokes fun at his career (and geek culture in general) in a highly exaggerated and quite cynical nature in Con Man (also one of the best Alan Tudyk TV shows) as Jack Moore — the lead of a cancelled sci-fi TV show called Spectrum.
He plays a major role in the satirical web series, even in episodes he does not appear in, since his former co-star, Wray Nerely (Tudyk, who also created the show), often struggles to escape his shadow. These are definitely not the former Firefly cast members’ most likable roles, but they are easily some of their funniest.
13. Monsters University (2013)
Seeing John Goodman and Billy Crystal reprise their roles as Sully and Mike Wazowski from Monsters Inc. made Pixar’s prequel, Monsters University, worth seeing on its own. However, Fillion steals the show as the voice of Johnny “The Jaw” Worthington III — the leader of Sully and Mike’s rival fraternity, who is brought to life with the signature snark that the actor has perfected over the years.
He demonstrates a lot of commitment to voicing the Roar Omega Roar president in a way that almost earns your respect upon introduction, but with an unlikable sleaziness that makes him a worthy antagonist.
12. Super (2010)
Fillion has starred in a quite a few great superhero movies — more of which we will cover soon — but none of them are anything like one of his earlier (and craziest) collaborations with writer and director James Gunn, Super.
The pitch-black comedy boasts another signature example of the actor playing a smaller (but, nonetheless, memorably hilarious) character with a pivotal role in the story. In this case, it is a fictional, Christian-based superhero named The Holy Avenger, who inspires the depressed and mentally unstable Frank (Rainn Wilson) to become a wrench-wielding vigilante, in hopes of rescuing his wife, Sarah (Liv Tyler).
11. A Series Of Unfortunate Events (2017-2019)
Fillion has played a few unsavory characters in his day, but one of his more noble roles, surprisingly, comes from none other than Netflix’s A Series Of Unfortunate Events, which the actor was excited to star in for its non-dismissive treatment of younger audiences.
His delightfully brash performance as the Baudelaire orphans’ ally and VFD member, Jacques Snicket (indeed, the brother of author and in-universe character, Lemony Snicket, played by Patrick Warburton), is one of the few uplifting elements of the comically bleak series adaptation of the popular books, despite his tragic fate.
10. Big Mouth (2017-2024)
Another one of Fillion’s best known voice acting roles is one that is very close to his heart: himself. More accurately, he voices a caricature of himself, dressed as Firefly’s Captain Malcolm Reynolds, who exists in the romantic fantasies of Missy Foreman-Greenwald (formerly voiced by Jenny Slate and later by Ayo Edebiri) on Netflix’s acclaimed coming-of-age animated comedy, Big Mouth.
The mere fact that the real Nathan Fillion is the one providing the voice of this cleverly meta parody that borders on self-mockery makes it one of most hilarious recurring roles on a show chock-full of brilliantly constructed characters.
9. Santa Clarita Diet (2017-2019)
It is funny how many of Fillion’s best shows were cancelled too soon, such as Netflix’s romantic, comedic, and brainy reinterpretation of zombie lore, Santa Clarita Diet. He had yet another hilarious, scene-stealing recurring role as Gary West — a real estate agent whose professional rivalry with the undead Sheila Hammond (Drew Barrymore) and her husband and partner, Joel (Timothy Olyphant), would come to a head when Sheila consumes most of body.
Fillion would play the role for the first two seasons, only for his more severely deteriorated self to be portrayed by none other than Alan Tudyk in the third and final season.
8. The Guardians Of The Galaxy Movies (2014-2023)
Fillion has worked with his friend James Gunn many, many times and, in fact, it may be more times you may even realize. For instance, in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, he provided the voice of a “Monstrous Inmate” who threatens Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), but later appeared in the larger role of Orgosphere’s head security guard, Master Karja, in Vol. 3 — making him one of a handful of actors who have portrayed more than one character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
He almost had the bragging rights to say he was in every installment of the refreshingly fun space adventure trilogy, but his cameo as Simon “Wonder Man” Williams was cut from 2017’s Vol. 2.
7. Justice League: Doom (2012)
Fillion’s next collaboration with James Gunn will be in the filmmaker’s new Superman cast as Guy Gardner, better known as the Green Lantern, but that will not be the first iteration of the intergalactic lawman he has portrayed.
The actor has voiced Hal Jordan numerous times — including in a number of beloved DC animated movies and even several episodes of Robot Chicken — but my choice for the best example and overall best movie of the bunch would have to be Justice League: Doom. Also featuring one of the late Kevin Conroy’s best performances as Batman, the thrilling film sees Earth’s mightiest heroes fall prey to a contingency plan executed by Bane (Carlos Alazraqui), but actually designed by the Dark Knight himself.
6. Waitress (2007)
One of Fillion’s all-time best performances in a live-action feature film does not see him playing some intergalactic hero, but one of his most grounded and, admittedly, deeply flawed characters.
In Waitress, he plays Dr. Jim Pomatter — a married obstetrician who engages in a passionate affair with pregnant and unhappily married diner server, Jenna Hunterson (Keri Russell). For several reasons, their romance is doomed from the start, but provides each of them with a sense of much-needed comfort that makes writer and director Adrienne Shelly’s dramedy such a sweet surprise.
5. Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog (2008)
As established, Fillion has played quite a few superheroes in his day, but the most unique, distinct, and iconic might actually be Captain Hammer — the professional and romantic rival of Neil Patrick Harris’ titular, wannabe supervillain from Joss Whedon’s three-part web series, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. He hams it up beautifully — and proves he has some decent pipes — as a crimefighter in it for the glory in the musical comic book fiction parody that cleverly sneaks up on you with its haunting conclusion.
4. The Rookie (2018-Present)
Clearly, we all love seeing Fillion play smarmy jackasses, but that might actually be what made seeing him play a genuinely kindhearted and optimistic human being in The Rookie so refreshing.
His return to TV following the end of Castle (more on that soon) saw him take on the role of John Nolan, who moves to L.A., seeking to turn over a new leaf by fulfilling his life-long dream of being a police officer, but not without facing adversity for his age. As a crime procedural that trades in grimness for heart and mystery for character-driven storytelling without schmaltz, it is no wonder it became one of Fillion’s biggest small screen hits.
3. Slither (2006)
The first time James Gunn worked with Nathan Fillion (and the only time so far that he cast him in a lead role) saw the actor give one of his most badass performances as a sheriff struggling to do the right thing in a small town with a big problem. Said problem involves an unstoppable horde of parasitic extraterrestrial worms transforming local citizens into grotesque mutants.
That may sound like a pretty one-note B-movie description, but Gunn makes Slither into one of the best horror-comedy movies of its time (if not all time) with some very inventive and cheekily hilarious uses of creature feature elements.
2. Castle (2009-2016)
I think that some of the previous entries on our list and a great chunk of the actor’s filmography so far proves that no one portrays snark quite as charmingly as Fillion. That being said, I do not believe he has ever portrayed snark quite as charmingly as when he starred on ABC’s Castle in the title role of a popular crime novelist who teams up with a feisty, by-the-book detective (Stana Katic) as research for his latest book series — a partnership that becomes more than just professional overtime.
It is more of a common procedural drama than The Rookie, for sure, but it is easily one of the most clever, fun, and romantic of its kind, made all the more compelling with Fillion and Katic’s electric chemistry.
1. Firefly And Serenity (2002-2003, 2005)
After all these years, the role that remains Nathan Fillion’s best-known and most-loved is Captain Malcolm Reynolds in a series that also remains his best-known and most-loved by most fans, despite being cancelled after 11 episodes on Fox.
What makes the premature ending such an especially heartbreaking affair is the refreshingly creative concept behind Firefly: an old school, Western-style drama set centuries into the future and following a group of outsiders traveling the colonized solar system. Luckily, the Serenity crew’s story was given some closure in a spectacular, theatrically released film named after the ship, and the franchise’s popularity only continues to rise in the years since.
So, what do you think? Have we nailed Nathan Fillion’s best movies and TV shows on the head, or would you take Richard Castle over Mal Reynolds any day?
