5 Best Shawn Hatosy Movies And TV Shows, Ranked

Shawn Hatosy has plenty of roles on his resume, from the 1998 sci-fi horror "The Faculty" to Peabody-winning television shows. The actor has recently been in the spotlight because of his character in HBO's popular medical drama "The Pitt" or because he's part of the cast of Fox's "Rescue: HI-Surf," but his career actually goes back decades.

Zombie fans might know him as Corporal Andrew Adams in "Fear the Walking Dead," and crime procedural enthusiasts may recognize him from episodes of "Law & Order," "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," "CSI: Miami," or "Longmire." On the silver screen, he's been a part of coming-of-age films like "All Over Me" and "Anywhere but Here," thrillers like "The Lazarus Project" and "11:14," and the biopics "Factory Girl" and "Unstoppable."

Long story short, Hatosy has done a bit of everything, which can be a bit overwhelming if you are trying to dive into his back catalogue. If you're trying to decide which of his projects to see first, these are the five best to add to your watchlist. We've determined these rankings based on the quality of Hatosy's performance and its importance to the overall film, and audience reviews on sites like Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb.

"Alpha Dog" is about a gang and how the members settle their debts among each other. For Shawn Hatosy's Elvis, that means completing a targeted hit. The young man struggles with his assignment but ultimately carries it out with the help of other gang members. The movie follows the decision process Elvis makes and the aftermath of the murder as everyone is sentenced for their part, while Johnny (Emile Hirsch), the leader of the gang who placed the hit, has gone on the run.

Hatosy is in the center of it all as Elvis, and the actor lets his vulnerability shine through as the character tries to figure out a way out of his predicament, accepts that there isn't a path to getting away with it, and decides the best way he can move forward while covering his own skin. "Alpha Dog" was a high-profile film at the time of its release at Sundance in 2006 because it's based on the real case involving the murder of Nicholas Markowitz. While some people already knew the actor because of "The Faculty," "Alpha Dog" showed his emotional range and proved that he could handle grittier dramas, which led directly into what most audiences know him for today.

A casino employee whose sole job it is to bring bad luck to players as soon as he takes a seat at the table? That's what "The Cooler" is all about. Bernie (William H. Macy) has been a cooler for nearly six years as a way to pay off debt, but that time is coming to a close, and he's ready to move on to the next chapter of his life. However, Shelly (Alec Baldwin), the casino manager who bailed him out of his debt those years ago, is doing everything he can to prevent Bernie from leaving.

This is one of the movies audiences are sure to know Hatosy for. He plays Mikey, Bernie's estranged son, who stumbles across his dad in Las Vegas. Mikey and his wife are scammers, doing things like faking going into labor to skip out on a dining check. When they come to town, Bernie sees a way to get out of being a cooler for the rest of his life and give his son a better job, even if Mikey isn't interested in being a cooler himself. Hatosy is great in the role, and it's a fun movie that every fan of the actor should see.

TNT drama "Animal Kingdom" follows the Codys, a crime family based out of Oceanside, California, as they run heists as their primary form of income, something main character Joshua "J" Cody is exposed to when he moves in with them after his mom dies. He doesn't know much about his family, since they were estranged, but he's about to get a crash course in their reality. The show may have flown a bit under the radar, but it's found a new life on Netflix and is easily one of Shawn Hatosy's best projects thanks to the nuance in his performance and from the rest of the cast.

Hatosy plays Andrew "Pope" Cody. The eldest of the Cody sons, he spent three years in jail after one of their heists didn't pan out, effectively taking the fall to protect the rest of his family. It's a significant and memorable performance for Hatosy because he doesn't just play a criminal who has served hard time — he's portraying a character who has been diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), which directly impacts Pope's life. In naming him the performer of the week in 2022 for the series finale, TVLine perfectly stated that "Hatosy made us feel as much as let us see the weight of Pope's guilt crushing him."

If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.

Fans of medical dramas are sure to know Shawn Hatosy from HBO Max's "The Pitt." Here, the actor portrays Dr. Jack Abbot, an emergency medicine professional who was once at odds with Noah Wyle's Dr. Robby Robinavitch. Though Abbot is finishing up his shift at the start of the show, he returns to the hospital to clock in and help during a mass shooting event at the local musical festival.

"The Pitt" is one of the best medical dramas on television. Each episode covers one hour in the (fictional) Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center's emergency room, with the entire season covering the duration of a single, 15-hour shift, making it unique in its execution and showing just how quickly things can move in a hospital. The series covers important topics and socially relevant issues through a medical lens, letting audiences see how doctors make high-stakes decisions in simulated real time.

Though Hatosy's Abbot is considered a recurring character in Season 1, he has an incredible impact on the show. He's one of the few who can get through to Robby when he's lost in his own mind, with Hatosy giving a performance that's absolutely incredible to watch. The role earned the actor his first Emmy nomination, with Hatosy nominated for outstanding guest actor in a drama series for his work in "9:00 P.M.," the season finale.

If you have been impacted by incidents of mass violence, or are experiencing emotional distress related to incidents of mass violence, you can call or text Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800-985-5990 for support.

What do you get when a show explores the lives of members of the Los Angeles Police Department? No, we aren't thinking of "The Rookie" — "Southland," the TNT series that aired from 2009 to 2013, follows the way the work and personal lives of police officers and detectives of the LAPD overlap. For some, it involves finding a balance between taking care of a parent and focusing on the job, while for others, it's about trying to prevent your personal life from spilling into your work at the precinct.

Shawn Hatosy plays Sammy Bryant, whom audiences first meet as a detective in Season 1 when he's working in the Gang and Narcotics Division. However, after an incident that results in the death of his partner, Bryant takes some time off before returning to the force as a police officer rather than a detective.

"Southland" is arguably Hatosy's most well-known television role, and possibly of his entire career. It's the first time he was in a leading role on the small screen; it's his best-ranked TV series from both audiences and critics on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 98% and a 90%, respectively; and it resulted in his first and only Critics' Choice Television Awards nomination and Peabody win. Easily the actor's best project to date, Sammy Bryant is a defining role for Hatosy's career.