10 Adam Goldberg Movies and TV Shows: Best To Worst Filmography

Quick Facts

Adam Goldberg is everyone’s favorite “weird guy next door” actor and he has starred in an incredible array of movies and TV shows over the course of his career. His portfolio is teeming with dozens of credits across different genres from comedy to drama, horror, and thrillers. Goldberg has done a little of everything, and while he strives to put in a hundred percent in his appearances, there are some projects where he falls short. Here is a list of 10 Adam Goldberg’s movies and TV shows ranked from best to worst.

Adam Goldberg’s Movies and TV Shows

1. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1998)

Directed by Steven Spielberg and anchored by , this groundbreaking war epic is considered one of the finest movies ever made. It was also the film that served as the breakthrough moment of Adam Goldberg’s career. The story takes place in World War II and revolves around Capt. John Miller who is charged with finding and bringing home Private James Ryan before the war claims his life. His three brothers have died in battle all in a single week, and the Army Chief of Staff refuses to allow the last surviving Ryan brother die, leaving their poor mother completely childless.

Adam Goldberg’s character Private Mellish is one of the soldiers chosen for this special rescue mission. As the members of the squad lose their lives along the way, the rest begin to question the sense in multiple men dying to save a single soldier. It is one of the most achingly beautiful films you will ever see, as well as one of the best Adam Goldberg’s movies.

2. DAZED AND CONFUSED (1993)

It’s not easy to stand out when you’re surrounded by an ensemble cast like the one in Dazed and Confused, but Goldberg manages to do that with his fantastic performance as Mike Newhouse. Mike is a fearful and timid geek who is often picked on by jocks and bullies in his high school. The movie offers tender insight into the youth culture of the 70s and what it meant to be young and alive during that era. It celebrates the joys of smoking pot, guzzling beers, and losing oneself in rock music. The film takes place on the final day of the academic year, and it follows a group of students in a Texas high school as they get ready for summer, indulging in various activities that ultimately leads them to a keg party. Dazed and Confused is a seriously funny movie with a hint of nostalgia, and an amazing tracklist that makes you want to throw up your hands and dance.

3. 2 DAYS IN PARIS (2007)

2 Days in Paris is one of those romantic comedies that other romantic comedies aspire to. Written and directed by Julie Delpy who also plays the lead role, this thought-provoking comedy stars Adam Goldberg as Jack, an American interior designer. He is the boyfriend to Delpy’s character, Marion, a French photographer. After a romantic getaway in Venice that was meant to bring them closer, the pair find themselves more distant than ever. On their way back to the U.S., they decide to stopover in Paris for two days to spend time with Marion’s parents. What follows is a huge culture shock for Jack and a growing suspicion that he might know his girlfriend as well as he thought he did. As far as Adam Goldberg’s movies go, this is one of the best he has ever been in.

4. ZODIAC (2007)

This murder mystery thriller is directed by David Fincher and it is based on a true story. It stars , Robert Downey Jr., John Carroll Lynch, Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Armstrong, Chloe Sevigny, and Adam Goldberg in a minor role as Duffy Jennings. It follows a group of frustrated police officers as they try to discover the identity of a notorious serial killer who taunts them with clues and puzzles. The movie is incredibly haunting and deeply moving. It explores a man’s obsession with taking the lives of others and another man’s obsession with finding the truth and bringing him to justice. Every scene in this movie is packed with anxiety, suspense, a sense of menace and helplessness, all leading to a wonderfully tantalizing end. Hold on the edge of your seat and be prepared for the ride of your life.

5. THE JIM GAFFIGAN SHOW (2015-2016)

One of the best Adam Goldberg’s TV shows out there is The Jim Gaffigan Show, a single-camera series centered around the titular character Jim Gaffigan, a comedian who struggles to balance the pressures of his career with that of having a family. The show brings a fresh feel to the struggling dad type of sitcom and is further elevated by the performances of its beloved cast. Adam Goldberg plays Dave Reedy – Gaffigan’s best friend and fellow comic who lives right next door. He is always ready to give Jim neurotic advice, which rarely ever turns out the way he expects it to. The series is absolutely delightful. It’s a sitcom you might find yourself often returning to for a good laugh, well-earned laugh.

6. THE UNUSUALS (2009)

Despite the fact that this show got cut after its first season, it remains one of the best Adam Goldberg’s TV shows and the finest television dramas ever made. The Unusuals follows a group of zany and secretive detectives working for a New York City homicide department. It’s a quirky comedy that lives up to its name and holds the viewers’ attention from the opening sequence to the end credits.

Goldberg’s character Detective Eric Delahoy is a wonderfully neurotic and witty cop with brain cancer, who refuses to get treatment because of his hatred for doctors. Each of the other cast members is dealing with their own special kind of quirkiness and personal issues that sometimes interferes with their ability to get the job done. Although there are moments when the series tries too hard to prove the characters are weird and crazy, it mostly manages to not cross the sweet spot between delightful and surreal.

7. FARGO (2014-2017)

One of the most delightful Adam Goldberg’s TV show appearances is the one he delivers in Fargo, where he plays a recurring character named Mr. Numbers. Fargo is an anthology series that draws inspiration from the 1996 film by the Coen brothers. The first season revolves around a drifter who ends up in a small town in Minnesota where he causes a lot of trouble. The second installment in the series follows a Vietnam war veteran and young state cop. The show is loved for its odd twists, dark humor, and a touch of the absurd. Goldberg’s Mr. Numbers is a no-nonsense criminal and one-half of a notorious yet highly mysterious team of hitmen with a penchant for tossing people in lakes that have frozen over. Their primary target is Lorne and they will coldbloodedly murder as many people as it takes to find him.

8. HOW TO LOSE A GUY IN 10 DAYS (2003)

People with a good head on their shoulders can accurately predict exactly how this movie is going to play out from the first few scenes. The premise of the film is as silly as they come. The romantic comedy follows a journalist named Andi and an advertising man named Ben, who unknowingly find themselves in a battle of the sexes. Andi wants to write a piece about how women push men away, so she conducts an experiment where she’ll make a man fall for her then drive him away in 10 days. On the other hand, Ben is trying to win an account at work and convinced his boss that he is the best man for the job because he knows women so well that he can make one fall for him in less than two weeks. Of course, they end up picking each other for their secret agendas, and the plot continues to lose its way.

9. ANIMAL PRACTICE (2012)

Animal Practice is a sitcom about an unusual New York City animal hospital that is staffed by a brilliant veterinarian who prefers the company of pets to his colleagues and other humans. One of his co-workers is a monkey named Dr. Rizzo. The show is as wacky and ridiculous as it sounds, which explains why it never went past its first season. The characters fall flat on their face and Goldberg’s performance was not enough to save the series from itself. The show received low ratings from viewers, as well as harsh and mostly negative reviews from critics. The actor guest stars as himself, but plays the star of a show called Laws of the Jungle, which the monkey doctor and Angela are obsessed with. It is one of the worst Adam Goldberg’s TV shows out there.

10. STAY ALIVE (2006)

The worst Adam Goldberg movie has to be Stay Alive, a disappointing horror movie that ends up being comically hilarious due to its failure to arouse even the smallest sense of fear in the viewer. The story follows a group of teens who happen on a 3D video game called Stay Alive, which they begin to play but soon discover they’re being brutally murdered in real life like their characters in the game. Goldberg, unfortunately, plays Miller Banks, one of the gamers in the movie.

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