Top 30 TV Stars Who Became TOO BIG for Their Show
Some stars are born to shine bright. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most notable television stars who outgrew their small screen roots. We’ll be excluding actors whose careers only exploded after their show wrapped, such as Tom Hanks!
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Some men are born great. Others have greatness thrust upon them.
00:04Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most notable television stars who outgrew their small-screen roots.
00:12We'll be excluding actors whose careers only exploded after their show wrapped, like Tom Hanks.
00:17They're having the big breakup talk, you know, the one that begins,
00:21You know how we always promised each other we'd always be honest?
00:25Number 30, Hilary Duff, Lizzie McGuire.
00:28Former teen idol Hilary Duff remains one of the biggest stars ever to grace the airwaves of the Disney Channel.
00:34Starring on the channel's hit comedy series, Lizzie McGuire made Duff a household name, and it wasn't long before Hollywood came calling.
00:41Not only was Lizzie McGuire huge enough to warrant a silver screen outing,
00:45but Duff scored roles in comedies like Cheaper by the Dozen and A Cinderella Story.
00:50You can mess with your hair, and your nose, and your face, and you can even mess in my dad's diner.
00:55But you're through messing with me.
00:58She also became a successful pop singer with an album that went four times platinum.
01:02Side note, if you're listening to us, Disney, we still love to see that scrapped Lizzie McGuire revival.
01:08It's what our dreams are made of.
01:10Hey now, hey now, this is what dreams are made of.
01:17Number 29, Ashton Kutcher, That 70's Show.
01:20It's hard to ever forget Michael Kelso and his trademark...
01:23Burn!
01:26During his stint on That 70's Show, Ashton Kutcher kept himself in clear view with movies like Dude, Where's My Car? and The Butterfly Effect,
01:33and as the host of Punk'd.
01:35Look out, because you're gonna get punk'd.
01:38With That 70's Show being an ensemble effort, Kutcher was able to focus on other projects before graduating into the big leagues.
01:44Because of this, Kelso bid goodbye early in the final season.
01:48The actor saw further roles in movies like The Guardian and What Happens in Vegas, before replacing Charlie Sheen in Two and a Half Men.
01:55To his credit, he did return for That 70's finale, and he also made a cameo in That 90's Show,
02:01though the personal lives of him and his wife Mila Kunis in the 2020's have not been without backlash.
02:07Burn!
02:10Number 28, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Party of Five.
02:14Jennifer Love Hewitt started as a child star, appearing in advertisements and the Disney Channel show Kids Incorporated,
02:20before making her teenage breakthrough in Party of Five.
02:23I just kinda had the cab driver drive me up and down Lombard Street over and over.
02:27He thought I was crazy, but I used to love that when I was little.
02:31She also had a music career from a young age, releasing an album at age 16 titled, um, Let's Go Bang.
02:38While Party of Five was still on the air, Hewitt's fame reached new heights with starring roles in the
02:43I Know What You Did Last Summer horror franchise and the teen comedy Can't Hardly Wait.
02:47So he's sort of tall.
02:49Kinda.
02:50With hair.
02:51Yeah.
02:52And he wears t-shirts sometimes.
02:55Yeah.
02:56Yes.
02:57By the time Hewitt started working with stars as big as Garfield, the cat, not the British guy,
03:02we thought she had left her television days behind.
03:04But then, she returned to haunt our airwaves with Ghost Whisperer.
03:12Before the Pinterest plantation wedding and the questionable movie PR,
03:15Blake Lively's biggest scandal was just that the teenage drama Gossip Girl was a bit too saucy for some parents.
03:21But the show's audience loved it, creating a massive hit for the CW and launching Lively into stardom.
03:27So, think I got a shot at a second date?
03:32Well, I don't think you can top this one.
03:34I did punch someone.
03:36True.
03:37We'll talk about it when we can.
03:39Despite a burgeoning movie career and aspirations of being a lifestyle influencer,
03:43she stuck around as Serena Van Der Woodsen until the series ended in 2012.
03:47Since then, Lively has starred in movies like A Simple Favor and The Age of Adeline.
03:52You look like sisters.
03:54You better stop or it'll go straight to my head.
03:56How is that possible?
03:57A new face cream from...
03:58Paris.
03:59Made from the royal jelly of the queen bee.
04:01Okay, darling.
04:02Bye-bye now.
04:03Great seeing you.
04:06In 1993, Queen Latifah was a bubbling-under rapper who managed to sign a television deal with Fox.
04:12She soon became a star on the sitcom Living Single,
04:16where she stayed on as a cast member until its conclusion in 1998.
04:20From now on, I'm not gonna let my job run my life.
04:24Pardon me, but that's my toothbrush.
04:28It's a symbol of oppression.
04:29Around the time Living Single debuted,
04:31Latifah's rap career began to take off with the release of Black Rain,
04:35which made her the first solo female rapper to receive a gold certification for an album.
04:40Later, she would have a successful career in Tinseltown starring in movies like Chicago,
04:44which earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
04:48If you want my gravy, never my ragu.
04:53Spice it up for mama.
04:56She'll get hot for you.
05:08Even though Tim Allen was a TV star both in the real world and on the fictional Tool Time,
05:13in the early 90s, there was still room for improvement when it came to his career.
05:18Luckily, he didn't have to wait too long,
05:20as he was soon making that Disney dollar suiting up as St. Nicholas himself in the Santa Claus.
05:25You miss me already? I've been gone, what, 10 minutes?
05:28Give me a break. I was on my way to Cleveland.
05:30Alongside the holiday classic, which became a trilogy,
05:33Allen also lent his voice to the one and only Buzz Lightyear
05:36and has starred in films like Wild Hogs and Christmas with the Kranks.
05:40And then, you got all your wrinkles are gone.
05:45Number 24. Miley Cyrus, Hannah Montana.
05:49In the Disney Channel series Hannah Montana,
05:51Miley Cyrus played the role of a teenager juggling her everyday life with a secret pop star identity.
05:57Hannah, welcome to my suite 16. Emphasis on the suite.
06:03Yep, everything looks great here. Happy B-Day. Air kiss. I gotta go, bye.
06:06Once the series was over, Cyrus was quick to let us know that there's only one Miley
06:11and she was here to leave her mark on the music scene.
06:14Songs like Wrecking Ball and Flowers didn't just hit the charts,
06:17they blew right through them as both tracks landed at the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100.
06:23With success like that, we're pretty sure she could buy herself a whole Rose Garden or two.
06:34Number 23. Selena Gomez, Wizards of Waverly Place.
06:38I'm thinking my slippers, my gray sweats with holes in them,
06:42and my dad's old concert t-shirt from the band called Oingo Boingo.
06:48Selena Gomez made television magic for kids everywhere with Wizards of Waverly Place.
06:53But her career in children's television actually began earlier with a role on Barney and Friends.
06:59However, there's no denying that it's the Disney machine that made Gomez a superstar, both in acting and music.
07:05She later returned to the Mouse House, this time through Hulu and Disney+,
07:09for the acclaimed TV series Only Murders in the Building,
07:12sharing the screen with comedy legends Steve Martin and Martin Short.
07:27With such powerhouses in the lead, there was no way the show wasn't gonna be a hit.
07:32In 2024, Gomez stepped back into the shoes of Alex Russo, appearing in the Waverly Place reboot.
07:43We're tempted to joke that the Z in Gen Z should be for Zendaya due to how prominent she is,
07:48but that would needlessly restrict her stranglehold on pop culture to one generation.
07:53The number of memorable roles Zendaya has taken in films like Dune and Challengers
07:58and the HBO drama Euphoria make it easy to forget her early days as a Disney star.
08:07But just like many young celebs who have made it big, she got her start on the Disney Channel,
08:12first appearing in the series Shake It Up before landing the lead role in K.C. Undercover.
08:29Neil Patrick Harris' Barney Stinson might get most of the love, but Marshall knocked it out of the park.
08:43How I Met Your Mother managed to last nine seasons without someone from the main cast dropping out.
08:48Three years into the show's run, however, Jason Segel wrote and starred in Forgetting Sarah Marshall,
08:53a raunchy comedy that earned 85% on Rotten Tomatoes and established Marshall as a bankable actor.
09:07Proving to be a hit on the small and big screen, Jason landed roles in Despicable Me, The Muppets revival and The Five Year Engagement.
09:16Not to be competitive, but our wedding is gonna be way better.
09:24Heigl became a household name for her role as Izzy Stevens in Grey's Anatomy.
09:28She remains the only regular cast member from the medical drama to win an Emmy for the show.
09:38Her star was shining brighter than ever as Heigl led box office successes like Knocked Up, 27 Dresses and The Ugly Truth.
09:46At the time, she was also the only member of the series to consistently appear on TV and in cinemas.
09:54While her Grey's Anatomy tenure is remembered for the controversy it circulated, with Izzy quickly written off the show,
10:00Heigl usually remained the lead star in her subsequent films and TV shows, including Netflix's Firefly Lane.
10:15From Yorkshire to 18th century France, this English actor's talent is timeless.
10:20Downton Abbey captured the hearts of viewers from around the world, partially due to Dan Stevens' captivating performance as Matthew Crawley.
10:32Previously known for his stage work, Stevens gave the historical period drama three seasons before leaving to try something new.
10:38First, the gamble did not pay off, with 2014's The Guest being the actor's biggest film.
10:44But Stevens reached superstardom with Disney's live-action Beauty and the Beast.
10:59After multiple Oscar nominations as well as an Emmy and two Golden Globe wins,
11:03it's difficult to think of a time when Michelle Williams was part of a teen drama cast.
11:08The actress got her break as Jen Lindley in Dawson's Creek, and she stayed with the show through its entire run.
11:14However, her career has since been defined by dramas like Brokeback Mountain,
11:18Manchester by the Sea, and the lead role in My Week with Marilyn.
11:27Her time on Dawson's Creek is now seen as the starting point for what is a critically acclaimed career on the big screen.
11:38Remember, to love is to live.
11:47Thanks to John Travolta, disco and musicals were brought to life with the successes of Saturday Night Fever and Grease.
12:00The actor experienced superstardom while continuing to appear in Welcome Back, Cotter.
12:08This sitcom features Travolta in the role of a troublemaking high school student.
12:12During its run, he first broke through the big screen in the Stephen King adaptation Carrie,
12:16but the actor still saw Welcome Back, Cotter through its four seasons.
12:20It wouldn't be decades until Travolta returned to the small screen.
12:23By then, his musical legacy continued to inspire fans to get their groove on.
12:27Despite suffering a period of decline, he roared back to the A-list with Pulp Fiction for a career resurgence.
12:38Johnny Depp – 21 Jump Street
12:41Watching Johnny Depp in the 21 Jump Street film was a fun surprise,
12:44but decades earlier, it was the TV series that garnered him the status of a teen icon.
12:55The actor was the poster boy for the crime drama before leaving by the fourth season.
12:59By then, Edward Scissorhands got Depp the big screen recognition he needed.
13:03Films like What's Eating Gilbert Grape and Ed Wood then established him as a leading man.
13:07Of course, it was the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise that propelled him to worldwide fame,
13:12as Jack Sparrow became a pop culture mainstay.
13:21With many other popular characters like Willy Wonka, Sweeney Todd, and Gellert Grindelwald in the bag,
13:26Depp's Jump Street days are now the beginning of a celebrated filmography.
13:34Ariana Grande – Victorious and Salmon Cat
13:41Rather than her acting career, Ariana Grande's rise to the top came from her musical success.
13:48After getting her start in the Nickelodeon series Victorious as the lovably ditzy Cat Valentine,
13:53Grande briefly headlined its spinoff Salmon Cat.
14:04However, the simultaneous release of her albums Yours Truly and My Everything exploded in popularity.
14:10And just like that, starring in a Nickelodeon sitcom seemed minute in front of an ever-growing singing career.
14:25With each album becoming a smash hit, the sky's the limit for the former Cat Valentine.
14:30Grande's acting may have taken a backseat,
14:32but she still had time for on-screen appearances in shows like Scream Queens,
14:36along with the big-screen adaptation of Wicked.
14:42Among the most versatile actors in recent years,
14:45Adam Driver has starred in dark dramas, action thrillers, and big-budget blockbusters.
14:52The actor first gained wider attention for playing Kylo Ren in the Star Wars sequel trilogy,
14:57but Driver's streak of critical praise began with HBO's Girls,
15:00which he appeared in for its entire tenure.
15:08Impressively, Driver was on Girls during the releases of hits like Inside Llewyn Davis,
15:13Silence, Logan Lucky, as well as during his Star Wars role.
15:17In the face of so much big-screen acclaim,
15:20mainstream audiences can't be faulted for being unaware of the HBO series.
15:25Driver has gone on to carve a bigger legacy,
15:27with well-received performances in Marriage Story and House of Gucci.
15:40By the time Denzel Washington took home his first Oscar for the 1989 film Glory,
15:45it was clear that the versatile actor and bona fide movie star had outgrown his time on television.
15:55After getting his on-screen start in the medical drama St. Elsewhere,
15:58Washington would become known as one of the greatest actors of his generation.
16:02He's appeared in countless iconic roles throughout his decades-spanning career,
16:06including in films like Malcolm X, Training Day, and Flight.
16:10But Washington's love for the stage has never faded.
16:13His theater roots led him to direct, produce, and star in a number of films,
16:17including the 1980s film, The Greatest Showman.
16:21His theater roots led him to direct, produce, and star in the film adaptation of Fences,
16:26a play he had previously headlined on Broadway.
16:41After breaking out as a cast member on Saturday Night Live in the early 80s,
16:45Eddie Murphy was ready to start making people laugh on a larger scale.
16:49His silver screen dream manifested in comedy classics such as the Beverly Hills Cop series,
16:54now a tetralogy thanks to the Netflix reboot, and Coming to America.
17:06It also resulted in Norbit and The Adventures of Pluto Nash,
17:09but while the last two might not exactly be masterpieces,
17:12Murphy will always be in our good books thanks to his positive impact on our childhood as Donkey in Shrek.
17:19I got a dragon here that I'm not afraid to use.
17:22I'm a donkey on the edge!
17:27When the average person thinks of Bruce Willis, they usually think of his role in Die Hard.
17:32Willis is recognized among the action icons of Hollywood,
17:35but the actor initially got his start next to Cybill Shepard in Moonlighting.
17:39But most of all, most of all, I don't want to talk with you.
17:45Hey, I can take a hint.
17:48The mystery comedy series sees the pair as detectives who use quirky methods to solve crimes.
17:53The chemistry between Willis and Shepard served as the main hook for the series,
17:57but the former struck Die Hard gold around the fourth season.
18:00The movie was just a stepping stone for a big career,
18:03which also meant that Moonlighting's days were numbered.
18:06David.
18:07What?
18:10Nothing, forget it.
18:12It's forgotten.
18:13Fine.
18:14Fine.
18:16Willis would go on to deliver memorable hits like The Sixth Sense, Pulp Fiction,
18:20Twelve Monkeys and more to cement himself as a leading star.
18:27The character of Woody Boyd was created after the death of previous Cheers bartender Coach,
18:32played by Nicholas Colasanto.
18:34However, Woody Harrelson won audiences over with his boyish charm
18:38and would remain with the sitcom for eight further seasons.
18:41Sam, a cat and a mouse don't play together.
18:43They're mortal enemies.
18:44They don't even know the same game.
18:48Think before you speak, Sam.
18:50Near the show's end, Harrelson showed his acting chops in White Man Can't Jump,
18:54which kick-started his film career.
18:561994's Natural Born Killers reconfirmed his place in cinema
19:00as Harrelson wowed with his against-type performance.
19:03It's just murder, man.
19:05All God's creatures do it in some form or another.
19:08The actor has since expanded his horizons,
19:10appearing in action comedies like Zombieland
19:12and franchise movies like The Hunger Games and Planet of the Apes.
19:16Not too bad for someone who got his start tending bar at Cheers.
19:19You people are as dear to me as my own family.
19:22More so, in fact.
19:23Really, Woody?
19:24Oh, yeah. Well, for one thing, now you call me Huckleberry.
19:27I hate being called Huckleberry.
19:29That's your nickname, Woody?
19:31No, Woody is.
19:35Nothing can replace Mouse Rat,
19:37but Guardians of the Galaxy is a close second.
19:39Chris Pratt started off as a sidekick on the TV drama Everwood
19:43before landing a part on Parks and Recreation.
19:45Andy Dwyer. Security. Suites. Body man. Javelin, if need be.
19:51While Andy always brought the laughs,
19:53many were taken by surprise when Pratt was cast as Star-Lord
19:56in James Gunn's superhero blockbuster.
19:58Guardians of the Galaxy and Pratt's performance
20:01received near-universal praise,
20:03instantly turning the TV actor into one of Hollywood's biggest stars.
20:07Then bring it down hard.
20:09Someday.
20:11Pratt appears in the Jurassic World films
20:13as well as Marvel's Infinity War,
20:15so Andy and Pratt is here to stay.
20:22As the faces of one of the most successful shows of all time,
20:26the sitcom's entire cast was pretty much set for life.
20:29See, that's how we buy stuff.
20:33While all six Friends landed roles outside of television,
20:36Jennifer Aniston is the only one to completely outshine
20:39the series that made her famous.
20:41Due to a string of lucrative romantic comedies,
20:43including Office Space and The Break-Up,
20:45Aniston established herself as a reliable comedic actress
20:48capable of holding her own alongside any other celebrity.
20:56Putting aside Aniston's film career,
20:58the media has always kept tabs on her private life,
21:00ensuring the actress is known for more than just Rachel.
21:07Writer, actor and rapper,
21:09Childish Gambino is the full package.
21:12Prior to landing the role of Troy Barnes on Community,
21:15Donald Glover paid his dues as a writer on 30 Rock.
21:18While no stranger to the camera,
21:20Troy was Glover's first big acting role,
21:22which lasted for the next five years.
21:25In the meantime, the actor released two albums
21:27under the pseudonym of Childish Gambino.
21:29Preferring to focus on his own work,
21:31Glover created and starred in Atlanta,
21:33a highly acclaimed comedy-drama that won multiple Emmys.
21:40As Childish Gambino,
21:41he also took home a Grammy for Redbone,
21:44dialing up his fame factor another notch.
21:57A bankable movie star and proven producer today,
22:00George Clooney got his big break
22:02when he was cast as ER's Dr. Doug Ross.
22:11The role led to a couple of Emmy and Golden Globe nominations,
22:14and for five years,
22:15Clooney juggled a busy television and film schedule,
22:18including the films Out of Sight and From Dusk Till Dawn.
22:21In 1999, Clooney made his final appearance
22:24as a full-time cast member and set his sights on Hollywood.
22:27Within a couple of years,
22:28the charismatic actor was sharing the silver screen
22:30with Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Julia Roberts
22:33in Ocean's Eleven.
22:46By the time The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air hit the scene,
22:48DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince
22:50had already released three full-length albums.
22:53Born and raised in Philadelphia,
22:54Smith's larger-than-life personality and charisma
22:57survived the transition to the small screen,
22:59transforming the rapper into a household name.
23:06After conquering music and TV,
23:08the film industry was the next logical step,
23:10with Independence Day and Men in Black
23:12cementing Will Smith as an A-list celebrity,
23:15though his later career has not been without controversy.
23:26Who else can say they became a werewolf
23:28and a time traveler in the same year?
23:30Michael J. Fox is synonymous with the 80s
23:33and worked on multiple TV series
23:35before landing the role of Alex P. Keaton on Family Ties.
23:38Soon thereafter,
23:39Steven Spielberg and Back to the Future came knocking,
23:42propelling Fox into the big leagues.
23:49The sci-fi classic proved an instant hit
23:52and spawned two sequels,
23:54although Michael continued to appear on Family Ties.
23:56Once Alex P. Keaton's days were done,
23:58for a while, Fox focused on film
24:00before returning with acclaim to the small screen in Spin City.
24:07The energetic actress had been in the business
24:09for over a decade when Mike & Molly started its run.
24:12Within three years,
24:13Melissa McCarthy went from a relatively unknown actress
24:16to one of TV and film's leading comedic talents.
24:20Hey, shut my mouth!
24:22Unbelievable!
24:24After her star-making performance in Bridesmaids,
24:26McCarthy would go on to work repeatedly
24:28with director Paul Feig,
24:30with leading roles in The Heat, Spy,
24:32and the 2016 Ghostbusters remake.
24:35Despite being one of the most in-demand talents in Hollywood,
24:38McCarthy remained committed to Mike & Molly,
24:40lasting a full six seasons
24:42before the sitcom called it a day.
24:45Right.
24:47Then what the four of us...
24:52The Dana Carvey Show lasted for seven short episodes,
24:55but managed to gift the world two future stars.
25:03Alongside Stephen Colbert,
25:05Steve Carell went on to perform on The Daily Show
25:07before securing the beloved role of Michael Scott
25:10on the U.S. version of The Office.
25:13The worst thing about prison was the dementors.
25:16They were flying all over the place,
25:18and they were scary,
25:19and then they'd come down,
25:20and they'd suck the soul out of your body,
25:21and it hurt!
25:22While the mockumentary struggled through its first season,
25:24Carell's performance in The 40-Year-Old Virgin
25:26drew more attention to the series.
25:28For around seven years,
25:30Carell balanced a film and TV career
25:33before finally retiring the character of Michael Scott.
25:36Since then,
25:37the comedian has branched out into different genres,
25:40including an Academy Award-nominated turn
25:43in Foxcatcher.
25:45Before we continue,
25:46be sure to subscribe to our channel
25:48and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
25:51You have the option to be notified
25:53for occasional videos or all of them.
25:55If you're on your phone,
25:56make sure you go into your settings
25:58and switch on notifications.
26:05The incomparable Robin Williams
26:07has delighted fans for decades
26:09with his high-energy brand of comedy.
26:15Williams is also known
26:16for delivering heartfelt dramatic performances
26:18in films like Dead Poets Society,
26:20Awakenings,
26:21and Good Will Hunting.
26:22What some might overlook
26:23is that Williams got his start
26:25playing an alien in Mork & Mindy.
26:29Part of the Happy Days franchise,
26:30Mork went on hilarious adventures
26:32in the late 70s and early 80s.
26:34In addition to his rising stand-up career,
26:36he was seen in popular films like Popeye
26:38and The World According to Garp
26:40while Mork & Mindy was still on air.
26:42After the series cancellation,
26:43Williams never looked back,
26:45entertaining viewers with classic characters
26:47like Peter Pan,
26:48Ramon & Lovelace,
26:49Theodore Roosevelt,
26:50and everyone's favorite genie.
27:07Did we miss your favorite small screen star
27:09who made it big?
27:10Blow us up in the comments.
27:17Did you enjoy this video?
27:19Check out these other clips from WatchMojo
27:21and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell
27:23to be notified about our latest videos.