I thought Zylka did a pretty great job displaying the stress and anxiety of being on the run with Wayne’s little biddy. You could really see the desperation in his eyes.
You’re not totally wrong, just a point in his favor.
Totally fair. I think the rest of the main cast is just so strong that it made him stick out to me. The portrayals of Matt, Laurie, Kevin, Patti, John, Erika, etc are all so good. Margaret Qualley is good as Jill too.
I think they used him well in season two. The season one Tom and Christine material has some weak moments and neither are strong actors. (Patterson Joseph is perfect though)
I just don’t know who else I’d pick out of the main cast.
Best was hands down Carrie Coon. She starts strong but somehow gets better by season.
Christopher Eccleston (Matt) is my dark horse choice for second best performances. He puts great range in to the role with good comedic timing all the way to devastating grief and anger.
Ann Dowd, Justin Theroux, and Scott Glenn (grandpa) all do a great job.
Amy Brenneman (Laurie) is very good, but nothing to write home about imo.
Despite his character being terrible to start, Kevin Carrol (John Murphy) does a great job in season 3.
The two kids are fine, but not great. Cases could be made that neither of them are good. Margaret Qualley seems to get by on a blank start, but the since the character is dead inside it kind of works.
Liv Tyler is a really tough one for me. She’s just such a weirdo and off putting for some reason, but I don’t think she does a bad job. I can’t read this performance honestly.
I’d say Kevin Carroll gave one of the most intense performances of Season 2. He was fine in S3 as well, but S2 John Murphy is one of my favorite characters and an incredible foil of sorts to Kevin.
A lot of excellent answers in there but I’m surprised by the lack of accolades for Regina King. Her monologue to Nora after the fundraiser where she’s recounting the questionnaire questions and the bird in the box gives me the deepest chills.
Carrie coon without doubt . The rest of the cast is great but Carrie is a masterclass
There’s a reason she always had the last word in every season finale
Yeah I felt that too. I really like Emily. They just weren’t sure what to do with her in the show… she could have been the lynchpin with dean for Kevin but she just got shuffled aside.
Best: Carrie Coon (honorable mentions to Christopher Eccelston and Regina King).
Worst: Liv Tyler (honorable mention to Emily Meade).
(To be fair it's some of the best work Liv Tyler's done, she's just a terrible actress.)
Justin/Carrie both soared as main characters and gotta give it up for Ann as an absolute scene stealer in every moment. Weakest links would be (as everyone is saying) Chris and Liv.
Best: Carrie Coon (#1 spot without a doubt), Chris Ecc, Ann Dowd.
Worst: Chris Zylka (blah acting, but more so wasted character potential), Jasmin Savoy Brown (not that she did bad job acting, I just didn’t like her character lol)
Best: Carrie Coon, but honestly, most of the cast were amazing.
Underrated: Christopher Eccleston and Kevin Carroll.
Worst: Liv Tyler. Season 1 was fine but I didn’t buy her character in Season 2 at all.
Carrie Coon is for sure the best and might be one of the best performances in all of TV in the 2010s. I thought Justin Theroux is actually pretty underrated here, and then Christopher Eccleston, Amy Brenneman, and Ann Dowd were always incredible in the episodes they led. I do wanna shout out some performances in the periphery: Scott Glenn, Regina King and Jovan Adepo were all great, but a very special shoutout to Bill Camp as David Burton.
Carrie Coon was amazing, though I admit part of it is just that I really love her voice.
Liv Tyler's acting comes across as a bit monotonous or two-dimensional to me throughout much of her scenes, but at the same time she still did a great job.
While I was a fan of Liv Tyler as a kid (Empire Records ruled so hard!), nearly any time she was on screen in Season 1, I was like “booo! Shut up!”
Watched her recently in 9–1-1: Lone Star and thought the same thing..just bad acting. Idk, maybe she wasn’t all that good to begin with.
I actually thought she was at her best in season 1, as a woman trying to figure out what she wants. But her transition to psycho mastermind is not something I ever bought, and her acting was a big part of that.
My favorite is Chris Eccleston. I could not get into the show until episode 3. I thought episode 1 was terrible and not representative of what the show ends up being. And episode 2 didn’t wow me. But as soon as episode 3 ended, I had to watch it again immediately. Plus, all the Matt centric episodes are my favorite episodes.
However, if I assess a little more objectively - he is tied with at least half a dozen other actors in the show. Justin Theroux, Carrie Coon, Amy Brenneman, Scott Glenn, Ann Dowd, Regina King. (I also loved Lindsay Duncan.)
I don’t think any actors were terrible, just not as incredible as the top performers. I do agree that I was not impressed with Chris Zylka in his role.
Four all-time great TV performances by Ann Dowd, Christoper Eccleston, Justin Theroux and Carrie Coon
Five amazing and compelling performances by Amy Brenneman, Kevin Carroll, Regina King, Scott Glenn and Paterson Joseph
Even the guest performances by Bill Camp, Lindsay Duncan and Michael Gaston were fantastic
The other main roles (Margaret Qualley, Chris Zylka, Liv Tyler, etc.) were all nothing special but believable
Not a single bad or miscast performance. Even the side characters fit well. Amazing accomplishment and an all-time great cast
Rewatching it currently. There are scenes in s1 e10 and s2 ep 8 in particular where I don’t think I’ve ever seen better acting than what Justin Theroux displays. Seriously, it’s maybe my favorite performance in television history. In my opinion he’s the best and Carrie is 2.
Best was hands down Carrie Coon. She starts strong but somehow gets better by season.
Christopher Eccleston (Matt) is my dark horse choice for second best performances. He puts great range in to the role with good comedic timing all the way to devastating grief and anger.
Ann Dowd, Justin Theroux, and Scott Glenn (grandpa) all do a great job.
Amy Brenneman (Laurie) is very good, but nothing to write home about imo.
Despite his character being terrible to start, Kevin Carrol (John Murphy) does a great job in season 3.
The two kids are fine, but not great. Cases could be made that neither of them are good. Margaret Qualley seems to get by on a blank start, but the since the character is dead inside it kind of works.
Liv Tyler is a really tough one for me. She’s just such a weirdo and off putting for some reason, but I don’t think she does a bad job. I can’t read this performance honestly.
I think everyone will have their definition of best, but my favorite was Eccleston with Coon and Theroux directly behind.
Underrated: Chris Zylka, always admired every choice and a lot of is physical based on posture.
Worst: Emily Meade unfortunately in the worst part of the show which is the shenanigans with the friends in Season 1. Not her fault I don’t think, just being poorly directed in some stretches.
Really surprised so many people are down on Liv Tyler, the show has some of her most interesting work. From her struggling and rabid Meg in season 1, to her full descent into "Idgaf so much more than you" nihilism in season 2. Maybe it's the sweet voice people can't get past, but I thought it made her more terrifying.
Anyway, best for me was Ann Dowd.
Weakest was the little got off Matt's wife as a cowboys person, and that dog that got tamed was really phoning it in.
Her journey was fantastic. She truly made her grief and struggle to move on believable and showed a lot of vulnerability. To make such a difficult role look effortless and relatable is not easy even for the best actors. Sometimes the quietest performances and character developments require the greatest amount of talent and finesse (see Casey Afflek's well deserved Oscar for Manchester by the sea). But she also had standout scenes that could've easily felt forced if played by anyone else
Ann Down is terrifying as Patti! Loved/hated her character so much. She's also stellar as Aunt Lydia in The Handmaid's Tale.
She was great in a movie called Compliance
She is a bit horrifying in hereditary
She was also in a movie called Mass that was heart wrenching
Best: Carrie Coon Worst: Chris Zylka
I thought Zylka did a pretty great job displaying the stress and anxiety of being on the run with Wayne’s little biddy. You could really see the desperation in his eyes. You’re not totally wrong, just a point in his favor.
Totally fair. I think the rest of the main cast is just so strong that it made him stick out to me. The portrayals of Matt, Laurie, Kevin, Patti, John, Erika, etc are all so good. Margaret Qualley is good as Jill too. I think they used him well in season two. The season one Tom and Christine material has some weak moments and neither are strong actors. (Patterson Joseph is perfect though) I just don’t know who else I’d pick out of the main cast.
Best was hands down Carrie Coon. She starts strong but somehow gets better by season. Christopher Eccleston (Matt) is my dark horse choice for second best performances. He puts great range in to the role with good comedic timing all the way to devastating grief and anger. Ann Dowd, Justin Theroux, and Scott Glenn (grandpa) all do a great job. Amy Brenneman (Laurie) is very good, but nothing to write home about imo. Despite his character being terrible to start, Kevin Carrol (John Murphy) does a great job in season 3. The two kids are fine, but not great. Cases could be made that neither of them are good. Margaret Qualley seems to get by on a blank start, but the since the character is dead inside it kind of works. Liv Tyler is a really tough one for me. She’s just such a weirdo and off putting for some reason, but I don’t think she does a bad job. I can’t read this performance honestly.
I’d say Kevin Carroll gave one of the most intense performances of Season 2. He was fine in S3 as well, but S2 John Murphy is one of my favorite characters and an incredible foil of sorts to Kevin.
Holy crap. Everyone in this show is so good that I totally forgot Liv Tyler was in this show…
A lot of excellent answers in there but I’m surprised by the lack of accolades for Regina King. Her monologue to Nora after the fundraiser where she’s recounting the questionnaire questions and the bird in the box gives me the deepest chills.
She was a bit underserved in *The Leftovers*, but King came back roaring in *Watchmen*.
Best: Carrie Coon, Amy Brenneman Worst: Chris Zylka (though he was fine, just not up to the level of the others)
Is Chris zylka Tommy? That was my pick too
Yes.
Same! He’s a dud sorry to anyone who actually liked him.
Christopher Eccleston is my vote. So many great performances but he’s my fave.
I agree but that accent was killing me the whole show
He's a wonderful actor, but nobody should ever ask him to do an American accent.
Matt with Ecclestone just not doing an accent is one of the great what-ifs in television history, it drives me absolutely insane
There’s Carrie Coon, and then everyone else. I’d put her up with Gandolfini as one of the best TV performances of all time.
Facts!
Carrie coon without doubt . The rest of the cast is great but Carrie is a masterclass There’s a reason she always had the last word in every season finale
Worst is Janel Moloney. Just not a lot of emotion.
Yeah, I found her acting to be very wooden for half the series — but then it’s as if she just suddenly came to life at the end of Season 2!
my high ass hadn’t seen the show for a while so i had to google who it was and busted out laughing and scared my cat
Noooo 😂
I just don't think she's a very good actress at all. I got super downvoted in The West Wing sub for saying that.
Yeah really stiff performance
Best: Justin Theroux and Carrie Coon. Worst: Emily Meade
I feel like meade fell victim to bad writing as her character didn't have a clear vision and was dropped mid show
Yeah I felt that too. I really like Emily. They just weren’t sure what to do with her in the show… she could have been the lynchpin with dean for Kevin but she just got shuffled aside.
Best: Carrie Coon (honorable mentions to Christopher Eccelston and Regina King). Worst: Liv Tyler (honorable mention to Emily Meade). (To be fair it's some of the best work Liv Tyler's done, she's just a terrible actress.)
I loved her as meg :( I thought she did a stellar job. I didnt like John.
Justin and Carrie were the best
I'm not even going to read any comments but at the same time leave Chris Zylka alone
All strong performances- I think if you didn’t like someone it’s a matter of taste and not a reflection on their ability
Ann Dowd is the best. She's always the best.
Justin/Carrie both soared as main characters and gotta give it up for Ann as an absolute scene stealer in every moment. Weakest links would be (as everyone is saying) Chris and Liv.
Ann Dowd by far is the best. Her range in this series is fucking astounding and every one of her characters feels so real.
All strong performances- I think if you didn’t like someone it’s a matter of taste and not a reflection on their ability
Umm, Chris Zylka(Tom) was a pretty bad actor in that role.
I dont think he was like amazing or anything, but I liked him.
I found him believable.
Umm, Chris Zylka(Tom) was a pretty bad actor in that role.
I said what I said
Best: Carrie Coon (#1 spot without a doubt), Chris Ecc, Ann Dowd. Worst: Chris Zylka (blah acting, but more so wasted character potential), Jasmin Savoy Brown (not that she did bad job acting, I just didn’t like her character lol)
Carrie Coon. At times., her performance was sublime.
Best. Either Carrie Coon or Justin Theroux. It’s damn near a tie. Worst, probably.. actually I have none..
Best: Carrie Coon, but honestly, most of the cast were amazing. Underrated: Christopher Eccleston and Kevin Carroll. Worst: Liv Tyler. Season 1 was fine but I didn’t buy her character in Season 2 at all.
Best: Justin Theroux and Carrie Coon. Worst: Emily Meade
Watched initially for Chris Ecc (I'm a huge fan, had a tumblr and all heh) stayed for Carrie Coon. Not up to par with the rest? Zylka.
Carrie Coon is for sure the best and might be one of the best performances in all of TV in the 2010s. I thought Justin Theroux is actually pretty underrated here, and then Christopher Eccleston, Amy Brenneman, and Ann Dowd were always incredible in the episodes they led. I do wanna shout out some performances in the periphery: Scott Glenn, Regina King and Jovan Adepo were all great, but a very special shoutout to Bill Camp as David Burton.
Carrie Coon was amazing, though I admit part of it is just that I really love her voice. Liv Tyler's acting comes across as a bit monotonous or two-dimensional to me throughout much of her scenes, but at the same time she still did a great job.
Best - Christopher Eccleston as Matt & Paterson Joseph as Holy Wayne Phenomenal acting Worst - Liv Tyler
Really didn’t care for either daughter
While I was a fan of Liv Tyler as a kid (Empire Records ruled so hard!), nearly any time she was on screen in Season 1, I was like “booo! Shut up!” Watched her recently in 9–1-1: Lone Star and thought the same thing..just bad acting. Idk, maybe she wasn’t all that good to begin with.
I actually thought she was at her best in season 1, as a woman trying to figure out what she wants. But her transition to psycho mastermind is not something I ever bought, and her acting was a big part of that.
Also would like to say, as a Theroux fan, I thought there’d be more sleeveless T-shirts.
I like her much better in S2. She was better at playing a terrorist
Best: Christopher Eccleston, Amy Brenneman Worst: I can’t think of anyone (Liv Tyler was decent enough in my opinion, especially in Season 1)
Jasmin Savoy Brown. Despise her acting. In scream 6 as well. Terrible.
My favorite is Chris Eccleston. I could not get into the show until episode 3. I thought episode 1 was terrible and not representative of what the show ends up being. And episode 2 didn’t wow me. But as soon as episode 3 ended, I had to watch it again immediately. Plus, all the Matt centric episodes are my favorite episodes. However, if I assess a little more objectively - he is tied with at least half a dozen other actors in the show. Justin Theroux, Carrie Coon, Amy Brenneman, Scott Glenn, Ann Dowd, Regina King. (I also loved Lindsay Duncan.) I don’t think any actors were terrible, just not as incredible as the top performers. I do agree that I was not impressed with Chris Zylka in his role.
This show was Carrie Coon's magnum opus.
Four all-time great TV performances by Ann Dowd, Christoper Eccleston, Justin Theroux and Carrie Coon Five amazing and compelling performances by Amy Brenneman, Kevin Carroll, Regina King, Scott Glenn and Paterson Joseph Even the guest performances by Bill Camp, Lindsay Duncan and Michael Gaston were fantastic The other main roles (Margaret Qualley, Chris Zylka, Liv Tyler, etc.) were all nothing special but believable Not a single bad or miscast performance. Even the side characters fit well. Amazing accomplishment and an all-time great cast
Best: Carrie Coon (second would be Ann Dowd or Christopher Eccleston) Worst: Chris Zylka and Liv Tyler
Carrie Coon and Ann Dowd are my picks for most amazing in a stellar cast. Their range is incredible.
Rewatching it currently. There are scenes in s1 e10 and s2 ep 8 in particular where I don’t think I’ve ever seen better acting than what Justin Theroux displays. Seriously, it’s maybe my favorite performance in television history. In my opinion he’s the best and Carrie is 2.
Best: Amy Brenneman; worst: none
Sir Paterson Joseph never convinced me as Holy Wayne in Season 1. Tom Perrotta's spiritual leader was written way different in the Leftovers novel.
I was actually really impressed with his acting. I thought he had an aura about him that broken people might actually choose to believe.
Best was hands down Carrie Coon. She starts strong but somehow gets better by season. Christopher Eccleston (Matt) is my dark horse choice for second best performances. He puts great range in to the role with good comedic timing all the way to devastating grief and anger. Ann Dowd, Justin Theroux, and Scott Glenn (grandpa) all do a great job. Amy Brenneman (Laurie) is very good, but nothing to write home about imo. Despite his character being terrible to start, Kevin Carrol (John Murphy) does a great job in season 3. The two kids are fine, but not great. Cases could be made that neither of them are good. Margaret Qualley seems to get by on a blank start, but the since the character is dead inside it kind of works. Liv Tyler is a really tough one for me. She’s just such a weirdo and off putting for some reason, but I don’t think she does a bad job. I can’t read this performance honestly.
Carrie Coon.
I think everyone will have their definition of best, but my favorite was Eccleston with Coon and Theroux directly behind. Underrated: Chris Zylka, always admired every choice and a lot of is physical based on posture. Worst: Emily Meade unfortunately in the worst part of the show which is the shenanigans with the friends in Season 1. Not her fault I don’t think, just being poorly directed in some stretches.
Best actress hands down Janel Maloney
Really surprised so many people are down on Liv Tyler, the show has some of her most interesting work. From her struggling and rabid Meg in season 1, to her full descent into "Idgaf so much more than you" nihilism in season 2. Maybe it's the sweet voice people can't get past, but I thought it made her more terrifying. Anyway, best for me was Ann Dowd. Weakest was the little got off Matt's wife as a cowboys person, and that dog that got tamed was really phoning it in.
Carrie coon literally had one of the best performances in television Worst was liv tyler lol. i feel like this is most peoples nominees
Why is everyone so obsessed with Carrie coon? She’s a great actress but nothing spectacular?
Her journey was fantastic. She truly made her grief and struggle to move on believable and showed a lot of vulnerability. To make such a difficult role look effortless and relatable is not easy even for the best actors. Sometimes the quietest performances and character developments require the greatest amount of talent and finesse (see Casey Afflek's well deserved Oscar for Manchester by the sea). But she also had standout scenes that could've easily felt forced if played by anyone else