Andrew Scott’s career has been a slow yet steady one. Like many other actors, he started in the theater and had small roles in both movies and TV. With his talent, little by little, he earned better roles until they hired him to play Moriarty in Benedict Cumberbatch’sSherlock.For many, he came out of nowhere, but by then, he had been a working actor for more than a decade.
After that role, many new opportunities arose: a villain inSpectre, and especially, his performance in the second season ofFleabag.With that, some new, interesting offers came. Later this year, he’ll be Ripley in the Netflix adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s character,made popular by Matt Damon. This year, he should have gotten a nomination for an Academy Award for his incredible performance inAll of Us Strangers.Today, we’re looking at his TV career and his best performances in that medium.
10The Hollow Crown (2012-2016)
The Hollow Crown
The Hollow Crownwas an interesting project: using Shakespeare’s plays about the different English Kings, with every episode being about one of them. Ben Wishaw hadone of his best performances everplaying King Richard II, and so did Jeremy Irons as King Henry IV.
This Role Wasn’t His First Shakespeare Rodeo
The actor has worked in the theater before, so this wasn’t his first time saying the words of Shakespeare, and it shows. Scott appeared as King Louis XI of France in the story of Henry VI (Tom Sturridge), and he makes his Louis both regal and noble yet capricious and irascible, making his time on screen count while also moving the plot along.
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9Band of Brothers (2001)
Band of Brothers
Produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks,Band of Brothersis still one of thegreatest TV shows about war, even all these years later. The show follows the Easy Company of the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division during World War II.
The Actor Leaves a Mark
The show was one of the first chances for many actors who would become known, from Simon Pegg and Damien Lewis, to Tom Hardy, Michael Fassbender, and Andrew Scott. The actor only appears in one episode, “Day of Days,” as John “Cowboy” Hall. They say there’s no small part, only small actors, and Scott proves it here, as even if it’s a small role, the actor leaves a mark, especially on the audience and the character played by Damien Lewis.
Stream on Netflix
8Black Mirror (2011-Present)
Black Mirror
Black Mirrorhas become the smartest sci-fi show on TV and one of thebest anthology TV series of all time. Every episode is its own thing, and that allows for great closed stories like “San Junipero"or “The Entire History of You” and getting fantastic actors to play those parts. Bryce Dallas Howard, Mackenzie Davis, Jesse Plemons, Daniel Kaluuya, Hayley Atwell, and Scott are just some of the actors to appear in this anthology series.
The Actor Plays Tragic, Broken, and Devastated, Spectacularly
Scott was the lead actor in season five’s “Smithereens,” playing a tragic character named Chris. The character is a ride-share driver who kidnaps a worker at the social media company, Smithereen. The actor plays tragic, broken, and devastated, spectacularly. As the story goes forward, he portrays even more dark and sad layers to this character, who is completely lost in life after a tragic accident.
Related:10 Movies That Feel Like a Black Mirror Episode
7Oslo (2021)
Based on the play of the same name written by J.T. Rogers,Oslois a TV movie about the secret negotiations in the Oslo Accords between Israel and Palestine. The accords wouldn’t have worked without a Norwegian couple, diplomats in the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mona Juul (Ruth Wilson) and her husband, Terje Rød-Larsen (Scott).
He Plays the Doting Husband With Grace
Scott is great at playing the doting husband, who is trying to help while acknowledging their roles might put both him and his wife in trouble. As the host, his character tries to take some weight off the conversations by creating a space with free-flowing whiskey and food, and the actor sells that idea and how much in his element is when he’s able to know more about the people who are with him, and not their position in the negotiations.
Stream on Max
6The Pursuit of Love (2019)
Written and directed by actress Emily Mortimer (Match Point, Mary Poppins Returns), who might become the nextactor turned great director,The Pursuit of Loveadapts the book of the same name written by Nancy Mitford. This is the story of two cousins in 1945, Fanny (Emily Beecham) and Linda (Lily James), as the two couldn’t be more different and want different things in life.
He Steals Every Scene He’s in
Scott has the most eccentric and fun character in the whole show, Lord Merlin, a neighbor for whom the word dandy was created. The character and Linda are two peas in a pod, and Lord Merlin tries to protect her from her many romantic adventures, good and bad. The actor steals every scene he’s in, as his Lord Merlin always knows what funny things to say, loves parties, and even dyes his pigeons in strange colors. If you’re still not convinced, watch his introduction in the show to understand how crazy the character he plays is:
Stream on Prime Video
5School of Roars (2017-Present)
School of Roarsis an English-animated show for kids. Their lead characters are five monsters who go to Monster Preschool to learn how to deal with many problems, from not breaking things to not being a sore loser.
Scott’s Voice Acting Talent on Full Display
It might feel weird to find the actor who has played Moriarty and the “Hot Priest” and who is going to be playing Mr. Ripley, doing voices in a kids' show, but such are the talents of Andrew Scott. The actor has done voiceovers before, and in this show, he voices many adult characters. He’s the narrator, but also Mr. Snapper, Mr. Bogglelots, and Mr. Marrow, having his voice-acting talent on full display and proving he can do anything.
School of Roarsis not available for streaming
4Modern Love (2019-Present)
Modern Loveis one of themost underrated series on Prime Video. Based on the weekly column of the same name, published by The New York Times. This anthology series is all about those kinds of stories with an incredible cast, from Anne Hathaway to Dev Patel, Tina Fey, Julia Garner, and Andrew Scott.
He Perfectly Sells His Character’s Evolution
Scott’s biggest role is in the episode “Hers Was a World of One,” where he plays one-half of a gay couple adopting the future baby of pregnant Karla (Olivia Cooke). The actor plays the uptight member of the couple; the one who isn’t comfortable with the arrangement, especially when she moves with them. Once they live together, his character has many problems with Karla’s way of life in the third trimester of her pregnancy. Scott and Cooke have great chemistry together, and both perfectly show how their characters find common grounds and evolve just before she goes into labor.
3His Dark Materials (2019-2022)
His Dark Materials
Based on the novels by Philip Pullman,His Dark Materialswas a TV series about Lyra (Dafne Keen), an orphan girl who is looking for a missing friend and finds a conspiracy to get the most important material in the whole world, Dust. In this alternate reality, every character has an animal companion named daemon.
The Actor Is Having the Time of His Life With This Character
He’s an explorer; he’s a powerful being; he has lived many lives. The actor is having the time of his life playing this magical character with a traumatic past, as it allows him to display all his acting talents. Scott appeared in seven episodes as John Parry/Jopari, a marine and explorer and father to Will (Amir Wilson), one of the most important characters in the show. Fun fact: the show has aFleabagreunion, as Scott’s character daemon is voiced by Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
2Sherlock (2010-2017)
Sherlockwas the latest look at the famous character. This time, by moving him to present-day London. It has a breakout performance by Benedict Cumberbatch as the detective, with the support of Martin Freeman as Watson. The show had three 90-minute episodes a season, and its last season was in 2017. Even then, audiences are still hoping it might come back eve if it’s just as a film, whichmight be a great idea.
He Played Sherlock’s Nemesis, Moriarty
Scott appeared in nine episodes as Sherlock’s nemesis, Jim Moriarty, in the performance most first saw him in. This Moriarty was a much more unhinged and cruel villain, a full-on sociopath whose only objective was to kill Sherlock, and Scott sold the hell out of that character. The creators were so impressed by his performance that they kept adding him in new episodes, so he could continue doing his crazy Moriarty thing, tormenting the heroes and creating absolutely Machiavellian plans.
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Review:Sherlock: The Best Episodes, Ranked
1Fleabag (2016-2019)
Scott was the most important part ofFleabag’s season two, after Phoebe Waller-Bridge herself, as he played the “hot priest”. The character was as complicated a mess as the show’s heroine, and that’s why they understood each other and fit together so well, so much so that he was the only one who could see Fleabag was breaking the fourth wall and looking at the audience every once in a while.
A Nuanced and Beautiful Performance
For many, Fleabag is one of thegreatest TV shows of all time, and Scott’s performance had a hand in that. His priest is not the typical one, as he’s conflicted and has his own crisis of faith. He’s also in love with Fleabag. The actor is able to convey those conflicting feelings perfectly, with nuance, and show them to the audience all at once. His “It’ll pass,” is one of the most devastating yet beautiful words said by the actor in his career, as it says everything it needs, making for one of the best endings in TV history.
