Big Screen Star Machine
Most stars of TV series come and go, some continue onto other television work, while a tiny few shine so bright that they go on to success on the big screen. So few actors make the leap from TV to film successfully that most TV series don't boast the creation of any movie stars but the shows below each contributed two or more talents who made it big on the big screen. Which TV series packed the most (movie-)star power?
(Only actors who were not famous film stars before appearing on TV are included.)
After voting, feel free to discuss here. See guidelines for inclusion there, as well.
(Only actors who were not famous film stars before appearing on TV are included.)
After voting, feel free to discuss here. See guidelines for inclusion there, as well.
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17 titles
- CreatorMitchell HurwitzStarsJason BatemanMichael CeraPortia de RossiLevel-headed son Michael Bluth takes over family affairs after his father is imprisoned. But the rest of his spoiled, dysfunctional family are making his job unbearable.Jason Bateman, Michael Cera
- CreatorDavid CraneMarta KauffmanStarsJennifer AnistonCourteney CoxLisa KudrowFollows the personal and professional lives of six twenty to thirty year-old friends living in the Manhattan borough of New York City.Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow
- CreatorMark GatissSteven MoffatStarsBenedict CumberbatchMartin FreemanUna StubbsThe quirky spin on Conan Doyle's iconic sleuth pitches him as a "high-functioning sociopath" in modern-day London. Assisting him in his investigations: Afghanistan War vet John Watson, who's introduced to Holmes by a mutual acquaintance.Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman
- CreatorJ.J. AbramsStarsJennifer GarnerRon RifkinCarl LumblySydney Bristow is an international spy recruited out of college, trained for espionage and self-defense.Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Garner
- CreatorPaul FeigStarsLinda CardelliniJohn Francis DaleyJames FrancoA high school mathlete starts hanging out with a group of burnouts while her younger brother navigates his freshman year.James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jason Segal
- CreatorKevin WilliamsonStarsJames Van Der BeekKatie HolmesMichelle WilliamsTwo childhood best friends, Dawson and Joey, go through different stages of adolescence together. Their friendship is later tested when they both start a relationship with different people.Michelle Williams, Katie Holmes
- CreatorJulian FellowesStarsHugh BonnevillePhyllis LoganElizabeth McGovernA chronicle of the lives of the British aristocratic Crawley family and their servants in the early twentieth century.Lily James, Dan Stevens, Jessica Brown Findlay, Hugh Bonneville
- CreatorMichael CrichtonStarsAnthony EdwardsGeorge ClooneyJulianna MarguliesThe doctors who work in the ER at the County General Hospital in Chicago grapple with ups and downs in their personal and professional lives while trying to give apt medical care to their patients.George Clooney, William H. Macy, Maria Bello
- CreatorShonda RhimesStarsEllen PompeoChandra WilsonJames Pickens Jr.A drama centered on the personal and professional lives of five surgical interns and their supervisors.Patrick Dempsey, Jeffrey Dean Morgan
- CreatorWinnie HolzmanStarsBess ArmstrongWilson CruzClaire DanesA 15-year-old girl and her trials and tribulations of being a teenager and dealing with friends, guys, parents, and school.Jared Leto and Claire Danes
- CreatorGreg DanielsRicky GervaisStephen MerchantStarsSteve CarellJenna FischerJohn KrasinskiA mockumentary on a group of typical office workers, where the workday consists of ego clashes, inappropriate behavior, tedium and romance.Steve Carrell, John Krasinski, Ed Helms
- CreatorPaul MonashIrna PhillipsStarsEd NelsonBarbara ParkinsWarner AndersonPeople married and divorced, loved and lost. Murder, illicit passion, insanity, and secrets were the staples of Peyton Place.Ryan O'Neal, Mia Farrow
- CreatorJamie BrittainBryan ElsleyStarsKaya ScodelarioNicholas HoultJoe DempsieThe story of a group of British teens who are trying to grow up and find love and happiness despite questionable parenting and teachers who would rather be friends (and lovers) than authority figures.Nicholas Hoult, Kaya Scodelario, Dev Patel, Daniel Kaluuya, Jack O'Connell
- CreatorJoshua BrandJohn FalseyJohn MasiusStarsEd Begley Jr.Howie MandelDavid MorseThe lives and work of the staff of St. Eligius Hospital, an old and disrespected Boston teaching hospital.Denzel Washington, Helen Hunt
- CreatorMark BrazillBonnie TurnerTerry TurnerStarsTopher GraceLaura PreponMila KunisA comedy revolving around a group of teenage friends, their mishaps, and their coming of age, set in 1970s Wisconsin.Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Topher Grace
- CreatorAaron SorkinStarsMartin SheenRob LoweAllison JanneyInside the lives of staffers in the West Wing of the White House.Allison Janney, Elizabeth Moss, Bradley Whitford
- CreatorDavid SimonStarsDominic WestLance ReddickSonja SohnThe Baltimore drug scene, as seen through the eyes of drug dealers and law enforcement.Idris Elba, Michael B. Jordan, Michael Kenneth Williams, and Dominic West