With the smash hit release of the new Amazon Prime Video series, Fallout, Walton Goggins, who plays Copper Howard in the series, has found somewhat of a resurgence in popularity due to his wonderful performance. Goggins has been in the television industry for quite some time, making his first appearance on the small screen for an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210.
His large resume goes to show his great range as an actor, bringing so much to his roles with every performance. He's even begun dipping his toes into the voice acting medium through his role as Cecil Steadman in the massively popular animated series, Invincible. His range as an actor has brought so many entertaining characters to the shows he makes major appearances in.
10 'George and Tammy' (2022-2023)
Character: Earl 'Peanutt' Montgomery
A biographical drama about the complicated real world relationship between country music superstars Tammy Wynette (Jessica Chastain) and George Jones (Michael Shannon). They were a musical power couple that inspired some of the most important and historical music of all time.
In the series, Goggins plays Earl 'Peanutt' Montgomery. Montgomery was a musician, songwriter and Baptist minister who was Jones' best friend. Goggins was praised for his stellar ability to portray the complexity necessary for the role, as the series portrays Montgomery growing from his alcoholic beginnings to his career as a born-again Baptist with a new lease on life. With such heavy topics and the massive change in the character, it was never going to be an easy role to play, but somehow, Goggins makes it look like that with his talent.
George and Tammy
- Genre
- Biographical Drama
- Language
- English
- Number of Seasons
- 1
- Debut Date
- December 4, 2022
- Studio
- MTV Entertainment Studios, Freckle Films
George and Tammy can be streamed on Paramount+ in the U.S.
9 'Deep State' (2019)
Character: Nathan Miller
Just when a former MI6 agent, Max Easton (Mark Strong), thinks he's gotten out, he's called back one more time to get his life back, only to discover that the mission he's been called back to do could risk everything he's left the force for. Season 2 then aired in April 2019, featuring Goggins as the next protagonist of the series. The series kept the same concept, but Goggins portrayed an ex-CIA agent, Nathan Miller, rather than an MI6 agent like in Season 1.
The second season aimed the series in a more political direction. It had always been a political thriller, but this time around they were taking a few more steps into the water. The series is both intense and intelligent, which means its protagonist needs to bring that same kind of energy and Goggins succeeds with flying colors.
Deep State
- Genre
- Thriller
- Language
- English
- Number of Seasons
- 2
- Debut Date
- April 5, 2018
- Studio
- FOX
Deep State can be streamed on Fubo TV in the U.S.
8 Six (2017-2018)
Character: Richard 'Rip' Taggart
Six follows the famous SEAL Team Six as they embark on a mission to take down a cruel Taliban leader, only to discover that an American citizen is, in fact, working with the Taliban. They must join forces with the CIA to attempt to wipe out terrorist hot spots. To make matters worse, they quickly find themselves without a leader when they must exile him. The plot is inspired by true events.
Goggins plays team leader Richard 'Rip' Taggart, who is banished from the team when he lets his anger take him over in a terrible moment of mistake. Upon leaving the team, Taggart needs to go on a personal journey to find himself again without the team whom he's grown accustomed to being around him at all times. He goes from a man who is lost and without a purpose, back to the brave team leader he needs to be. Goggins handles the character with immense care and is noted as stealing the show with his story feeling more engaging than the one being simultaneously being told about the rest of the team.
Six
- Genre
- Drama
- Language
- English
- Number of Seasons
- 2
- Debut Date
- January 18, 2017
- Studio
- History Channel
Six can be streamed on Tubi in the U.S.
7 'The Unicorn' (2019-2021)
Character: Wade Fleton
Wade Felton is a widower who, after being pushed by his friends to start dating again, finds himself massively taken off guard when he discovers that numerous women are after his heart and he's become quite the hot commodity. He must do so all while attempting to raise his two daughters.
Goggins' role in The Unicorn shined him in a new light to audiences, bringing him into a more comedic role after primarily performing in dramas before the show's release. Critics and viewers found that he has a wonderful range, pulling off the more comedic role with grace and surprising comfort. While it was a completely new side of Goggins, watching the series, one would think that he'd been acting in the comedy space for years already.
The Unicorn
- Release Date
- 2019-09-00
- Cast
- Walton Goggins , Rob Corddry , Michaela Watkins , Omar Benson Miller
- Main Genre
- Romance
- Seasons
- 0
The Unicorn can be streamed on Apple TV in the U.S.
6 'Vice Principals' (2019-2021)
Character: Lee Russell
When co-vice principals are competing for the job of principal because the previous job holder, Principal Welles (Bill Murray), steps down from his position. But when they are both denied the job, and it's given to a third party, Belinda Brown (Kimbery Hebert Gregory), they decide to work together to attempt to ruin her reputation and get her fired. Chaos then ensues through the show's hilarious dark comedy.
Vice Principals was received relatively well by critics and audiences everywhere. Goggins specifically was praised for his performance in the series. People enjoyed Goggins' acting so much that he was actually nominated and won the award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series at the Critics' Choice Television Awards in 2018. Airing at the same time as The Unicorn, Vice Principals gave Goggins another outlet for his underrated comedic acting in the years 2019 through 2021.
Vice Principals
- Release Date
- June 17, 2016
- Cast
- Walton Goggins , Danny McBride , Georgia King , Busy Philipps
- Main Genre
- Comedy
- Seasons
- 2
- Studio
- HBO
- Creator(s)
- Jody Hill , Danny McBride
Vice Principals can be streamed on Max in the U.S.
5 'The Righteous Gemstones' (2019-)
Character: Baby Billy Freeman
2019 was a huge year for Goggins, with Vice Prinicpals and The Unicorn airing, he'd already been pretty well off. But there was another series Goggins was a supporting actor in beginning in the year 2019, making it three shows for him to be in. The Righteous Gemstones is a hilarious series about a televangelist family that secretly is quite corrupt, consistently serving themselves while "serving" God.
Goggins portrays the alienated brother-in-law of the megachurch's leader, widower Eli Gemstone (John Goodman), to help the family run their new satellite church that just so happens to be based in a shopping mall. He gets to have fun and play in the world of dark humor, and The Righteous Gemstones shares a very similar comedy style to Goggins' other show coming out in 2019, Vice Principals. This leaves him very comfortable in the genre, giving a great performance that was so good he was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or TV Film at the Satellite Awards in 2020.
The Righteous Gemstones
- Release Date
- August 18, 2019
- Cast
- John Goodman , Danny McBride , Adam Devine , Edi Patterson , Cassidy Freeman , Tony Cavalero , Skyler Gisondo , Gregory Alan Williams
- Main Genre
- Comedy
- Seasons
- 4
The Righteous Gemstones can be streamed on Max in the U.S.
4 'The Shield' (2002-2008)
Character: Detective Shane Vendrell
The world of dirty cops is explored through the exploits of Detective Vik Mackey (Michael Chiklis) and his corrupted crew in the series, The Shield. It's a TV noir that explores the complexity within the LAPD and it does so with flying colors. It's commonly regarded as one of the best television series of all time.
Giggons joins the fray as Detective Shane Vendrell. Vendrell was Mackey's partner at the precinct before Mackey formed the Strike Team. Throughout the series, Vendrell begins to become overcome with remorse and guilt for actions he committed while on the Strike Team. This causes him to, unfortunately, become suicidal. With his character covering such an intense and sensitive topic, Goggins needed to bring a lot of sensitivity and care to the role of Vendrell, which he did quite well. His incredible talent and experience with dramatic acting brought a plethora of emotion to his scenes and made the audience immensely empathetic of his character. The creators of the show thought he was so special that when FX didn't want to bring him on as a main cast member, the creators actually rewrote episodes to center more around his character to showcase his dramatic prowess. He brought a cold intensity to the role while simultaneously bringing a sensitive demeanor to the role.
The Shield
- Release Date
- March 12, 2002
- Cast
- Michael Chiklis , Walton Goggins , CCH Pounder , Jay Karnes , Catherine Dent , Kenny Johnson , Michael Jace , Benito Martinez
- Main Genre
- Drama
- Seasons
- 7
- Studio
- FX
The Shield can be streamed on Hulu in the U.S.
3 'Justified' (2010-2015)
Character: Boyd Crowder
In Justified, a U.S. Marshal named Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) seems to be a fish out of water in the modern world, emulating a kind of old west type of man. He enacts a very particular kind of justice that makes him something of a misfit toy. But when he "justifiably" murders a mob hitman named Tommy Bucks (Peter Greene), he is reassigned to Harlan County. He brings his unique methods of justice to this new jurisdiction and decides to serve justice in a county that he thought he escaped long ago.
Goggins walks into the conflict as Boyd Crowder, the son of a notorious criminal in Harlan County. What's unique about Crowder is how gray his morality and alignment is. As an actor, it can be quite difficult to portray a character who doesn't fully fall on the side of good or evil. It adds a new layer of complexity that can be difficult to perform, given that they consistently need to think about the ever-changing scales happening within the character. Goggins could be considered a master at this, or one at least may think he is, because he nails his portrayal of Crowder through all six seasons.
Justified
- Release Date
- March 16, 2010
- Cast
- Timothy Olyphant , Walton Goggins , Joelle Carter , Jacob Pitts , Erica N. Tazel , Natalie Zea , Nick Searcy
- Main Genre
- Action
- Seasons
- 6
- Studio
- FX
Justified can be streamed on Hulu in the U.S.
2 'Fallout' (2024-)
Character: Cooper Howard (The Ghoul)
Based on the groundbreaking video game series of the same name, Fallout hit the silver screen running, almost immediately receiving mass critical and audience praise. Taking place in a post-apocalyptic Los Angeles, humanity has been forced into underground bunkers to shelter themselves from the threats from the outside world.
Cooper Howard, aka The Ghoul's origin story, is a mystery that lasts over the course of Fallout's first and only (so far) season. He's a horrendously mutated bounty hunter that may seem like a cold guy who has lost his humanity, but Goggins' performance brings out the depth secretly hiding beneath his mutated exterior. Goggins made headlines for his performance in a scene in Fallout Season 1, Episode 4, "The Ghouls" in which The Ghoul finds a videotape of himself back when he was Cooper Howard. As he watches the tape, Goggins' subtle facial performance struck emotional knives into the hearts of viewers everywhere. The moment is incredibly bittersweet for the character and Goggins brings a subtlety to his performance that makes the performance feel wonderfully natural, which results in even more anguish in the audience as they empathize with The Ghoul.
Fallout
- Release Date
- April 11, 2024
- Cast
- Moises Arias , Johnny Pemberton , Walton Goggins , Kyle MacLachlan
- Main Genre
- Sci-Fi
- Seasons
- 1
- Creator(s)
- Graham Wagner , Geneva Robertson-Dworet
- Producer
- Lisa Joy, Jonathan Nolan
- Streaming Service(s)
- Prime Video
Fallout can be streamed on Prime Video in the U.S.
1 'Invincible' (2021-)
Character: Cecil Stedman
When Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun), the son of the world's greatest superhero, Omni-Man (J.K. Simmons), begins to develop powers of his own, he sets out to become a hero of his own. Little does he or the rest of the world know that Omni-Man is, in fact, from another planet planning to take over Earth when the time is right.
Goggins voices the director of the Global Defense Agency, a government agency formed to help protect the planet from supernatural and otherworldly threats, working alongside the world's superheroes. Cecil Stedman helps guide Mark as he becomes the superhero known as Invincible. What makes Cecil unique as a character is the talent Goggins possesses to keep the character sounding commanding and monotone while trickling in emotion when it's needed. There's a fine line between too much and too little when it comes to characters like Cecil and, thanks to his talent, Goggins walks that line like the world's greatest tightrope walker.
Invincible
- Release Date
- March 25, 2021
- Creator
- Robert Kirkman
- Cast
- Steven Yeun , J.K. Simmons
- Main Genre
- Superhero
- Seasons
- 2
- Developer
- Simon Racioppa
- Streaming Service(s)
- Prime Video
Invincible can be streamed on Prime Video in the U.S.