5 Taylor Kitsch movies and TV shows that should definitely be on your watchlist if you are a fan

Taylor Kitsch has built a career that does not look like the usual rise of a Hollywood star, and that difference makes his work more interesting to follow. He does not sign on to every project that comes his way and instead waits for roles that bring out something particular in him. Sometimes that means playing a character that carries heavy emotional weight. And similarly, sometimes it means pushing himself in physically demanding parts, and sometimes it means vanishing into someone complex and unsettling.

Viewers who met him first as Tim Riggins in Friday Night Lights saw more than just another actor in a football drama because he brought a blunt honesty that stayed with people long after the show finished. From that point, the actor moved into big-budget films and later into limited series based on real events. Not every project landed, but his performances were always memorable.

Disclaimer: This article contains the writer's opinion. Readers’ discretion is advised.

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5 Taylor Kitsch movies and TV shows

1. Friday Night Lights (2006 – 2011)

The introduction of Tim Riggins on Friday Night Lights was the moment Taylor Kitsch went from unknown to unforgettable. The teen sports drama had football as its backdrop, yet the story always reached beyond the field. Riggins was contradiction made flesh. He made mistakes without hesitation, but his loyalty was never questioned. Tim Riggins carried the weight of his own failings, but never failed to show up when someone close needed him.

The brotherly bond with Billy gave the show its bruised heart. His exchanges with Coach Taylor displayed his fight with direction and purpose. He rarely stood at the center of the football field, but still became the center of emotion. By the time the series reached its close, Riggins stood as more than wasted talent. He became the figure who represented every small-town dreamer trying to make sense of pain and potential in the same breath.

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2. John Carter (2012)

The arrival of John Carter in 2012 was billed as Disney’s great sci-fi gamble, and Taylor Kitsch found himself leading it. The titular role asked him to step into the boots of a Confederate veteran hurled into interplanetary conflict. The Andrew Stanton film demanded scale that few projects ever matched. Months of physical training went into stunts that required him to leap across alien landscapes. Long days of motion capture meant he acted against green screens and imagined armies.

Reviews at the film's release were fractured, yet audiences who came back later saw the commitment shine through. Kitsch never let the uneven story dilute his sincerity. The box office collapse pushed his film career off course, but it also marked his willingness to shoulder a blockbuster. John Carter turned into a cult favorite, with fans rallying behind his portrayal. It remains a reminder of Hollywood ambition clashing with risk, and of an actor refusing half measures.

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3. True Detective Season 2 (2015)

Season two of True Detective carried heavy expectations, and Taylor Kitsch walked into it as Paul Woodrugh. The character wore the uniform of a highway patrol officer, but behind that, he was a soldier still haunted by combat and by truths he refused to speak. He moved through scenes like a man divided between duty and shame.

Kitsch pulled tension out of silence and gave Woodrugh a rough vulnerability. Critics split over the quality of the show's season, but many called out his performance as one of its strongest threads.

Paul Woodrugh's story wound itself into the arcs of Colin Farrell and Rachel McAdams, and together they faced corruption that stretched through California politics and crime. The end for Woodrugh was brutal, but it carried impact because Kitsch played him without artifice. Even viewers who dismissed the season still point to his role as proof of his ability to carry darkness.

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4. Waco (2018)

The transformation Taylor Kitsch underwent for the 2018 series, Waco, shocked people who thought they knew his range. As David Koresh, he altered his weight, hair, and presence until the cult leader stood revived on screen.

The television miniseries followed the events that led to the 1993 siege and the devastation that followed, but what anchored it was Kitsch’s portrayal. He avoided caricature and instead walked the line between charisma and menace. The performance unsettled because it felt real. Critics credited him with breaking through perceptions of his earlier career and proving he could embody figures drawn from history.

The miniseries gave him space to explore power, control, and faith as forces that twisted lives. For audiences, it was impossible to ignore the shift in how he was viewed. Waco remains a turning point because it marked the moment he stopped being seen as promising and started being regarded as transformative.

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5. The Terminal List (2022)

Taylor Kitsch returned to military drama through the 2022 television series, The Terminal List, and this time he played Ben Edwards. The surface-level story portrayed him as a trusted friend of Chris Pratt’s James Reece, but beneath it lived something complicated.

Edwards once stood as an ally and an operator with his own intentions. Kitsch gave him a charm sharp enough to disarm suspicion while also hinting at danger. The action demanded credibility, and he delivered it, yet what made the performance work was how he balanced friendship with betrayal.

Critics saw in his portrayal one of the few anchors in a show filled with chaos. Fans appreciated the blend of physical presence and subtle conflict in his character. Edwards was written as layered, and Kitsch played those layers without excess. The role serves as a recent reminder of what he brings when television needs someone who can merge charisma with hidden fault lines.

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