Jared Padalecki Movies And TV Shows Have A Fascinating Rotten Tomatoes Trend
Some actors are made for TV, while some are bred for the big screen. Actors like Michael C. Hall anchored the cast of "Dexter" for nearly a decade without launching a movie career. Ellen Pompeo, Zach Braff, and Nathan Fillion are other examples of TV actors that never launched a movie career. On the other side of that spectrum are Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, and Scarlett Johansson, big movie stars that don't lend their talents to the small screen. Jared Padalecki has tried to be a crossover talent, but his work follows an interesting trend on Rotten Tomatoes — all of his TV projects are certified fresh, while all of his movies have yet to cross that threshold.
Padalecki is perhaps best known for his role as demon hunter Sam Winchester in "Supernatural." He also found success as Dean Forester in "Gilmore Girls," a series focused on a mother-daughter duo in the fictional town of Stars Hollow. His movies have been a little more of a struggle as he spends most of his feature film time in horror flicks like "House of Wax," "Cry Wolf," and "Friday the 13th."
With his newest series on The CW, Padalecki is doing the impossible, taking over for the legendary Chuck Norris and remaking "Walker, Texas Ranger." With no movies on the horizon, it seems like Padalecki is embracing his TV personality and putting the brakes on jumping to the movies.
His movies are misses
The highest-rated film in Jared Padalecki's cinematic portfolio is the survival drama "Flight of the Phoenix." Starring Dennis Quaid, Tyrese Gibson, and Giovanni Ribisi, the film features a group of people who survive a plane crash only to find themselves lost in the desert. While it received mixed reviews from critics, scoring 30%, it is his lowest-rated film among fans, with a rating of 40%.
"House of Wax" featured a cast of early 2000s talents who were expected to become the next big stars of Hollywood but didn't quite fulfill those expectations. Chad Michael Murray ("One Tree Hill," "A Cinderella Story"), Elisha Cuthbert ("24," "The Girl Next Door"), and Paris Hilton ("The Hottie & the Nottie," "The Simple Life") all starred with Padalecki in a film that received a slightly lower rating from critics, scoring 27%. However, it fared better among fans, earning a rating of 43%.
Padalecki's next film dud, titled "Cry Wolf," follows a group of high schoolers at a wealthy boarding school who suffer from the repercussions of telling lies. The film received 23% from critics, continuing the downward spiral critically, but 51% from fans, showing an upward trend from general audiences. His most recent horror film was the 2009 installment of the classic horror franchise, "Friday the 13th." Critics and audiences stayed consistent with the trend, giving it 25% and 46%, respectively.
His TV shows are hits
Jared Padalecki's work on the small screen is full of successes. He made a name for himself when he appeared in 63 episodes of "Gilmore Girls." His character Dean was the perfect pairing for Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel), as they were on-again, off-again throughout the series. "Gilmore Girls" scored 86% from both critics and audiences, kicking off this trend.
He solidified his legacy in TV when he landed the role of one of the Winchester brothers in "Supernatural." He and his co-star Jensen Ackles appeared in 327 episodes over 15 seasons. The series landed a whopping 93% from critics and 72% from audiences, making the Winchester brothers two of the most iconic characters to fight supernatural forces on TV.
Padalecki is now three seasons into his new series "Walker" on The CW. The remake sees him stepping into the shoes of Cordell Walker, originally played by Chuck Norris. While reprising a part of a very well-known character from one of the most iconic actors is hard to do, the Padalecki starrer has picked up a score of 92% from audiences, continuing his trend of being a very successful TV actor despite consistently missing the mark in feature films.