Now an acclaimed Oscar winner with several prominent movies under his belt as an actor, Michael B. Jordan first got his start through recurring roles on television. His first acting gig in general was in an episode of The Sopranos, and throughout the twenty-first century, Michael B. Jordan appeared in several other shows that are known as all-time greats.
These are his ten best performances specifically on television, ranked.
10. America the Beautiful
Providing narration in all six episodes of America the Beautiful (2022), the actor at hand expanded his expertise to the realm of docuseries. Through all six episodes, Michael B. Jordan delineates the harshness of North America’s wildlife, with cinema-grade cameras being attached to fighter jets and sufficiently capturing its beauty.
From the redwood forest to the Gulf Stream waters, various landscapes showcase the diversity of North America’s majesty. Audiences are also granted insight into the habitats and workings of animals like dolphins, mice, grizzly bears, and eagles. Much more, but as well-written as each script may be, America the Beautiful was particularly praised for its innovative camerawork. Fighter jets, and whatnot.
Though far from the most important project Jordan’s taken part in, America the Beautiful further displayed a clear-cut prowess for voiceover work, a skill he'd mostly hone through the medium of television.
9. Love, Death & Robots
While he only appeared for a single episode, Michael B. Jordan shined in Love, Death & Robots through a motion-capture performance. The team utilized both live-action footage and computer-generated imagery to create a hybrid of visuals in one of the show's most impressive overall episodes.
Adapted from a 1953 short story, the episode in “Life Hutch” stems from the mind of a bona fide sci-fi legend: Harlan Elison. That talented author crafted a compelling plot about Terence, a pilot who crash lands on a planet and tries to find shelter while an intergalactic battle takes place up above. He finds a haven called a Life Hutch, wherein a maintenance robot malfunctions and battles against the protagonist.
From one skirmish to another, Terence eventually reigns triumphant and ends the episode waiting for backup. Compelling stuff, thanks to Elison’s plot and Jordan’s display; this episode came about in 2021, during the second season. It remains among the finest chapters in all of Love, Death & Robots, which is in turn one of the preeminent animated series from all of the twenty-first century.
8. What If...
In two episodes of the What If… (2021-2024) anthology show, Michael B. Jordan reprises his Marvel Cinematic Universe role as the villainous Erik Killmonger. One of those episodes was comprised of a story that was altogether dedicated to the fan-favorite supervillain, and it features wonderful voice work from the talented Michael B.
Each story in What If... revolves around Marvel’s multiverse, exploring alternate timelines playing out from their feature-film counterparts, and through every segment of the show, a character called the Watcher guides audiences through its vast, new realities. Great stuff, and among the greater episodes is one with Michael B.
7. Raising Dion
He both produced and appeared in Raising Dion (2019–2022), a superhero show geared primarily toward kids. While his dramatis personae, Mark Warren, appears for only a few episodes, Michael B. Jordan nonetheless showcased his prowess in the medium at hand.
With underrated figure Carol Barbee as the show’s imaginative creator, Raising Dion was adapted from Dennis Liu’s comic book and short film of the same name—both released in 2015, albeit under the radar. The story finally gets it due with the adaptation on television.
6. The Assistants
One of the main characters in The Assistants is played by Michael B. Jordan; his dramatis personae in Nate Warren being one of the titular employees of Kinky Bunny Pictures, a film production company. Leading the series is Britt Irvin as newcomer Gillian Hughes, who kicks off the plot by starting to work as an assistant at Kinky Bunny Pictures.
Though it was cancelled after one season—which aired in 2009—this Canadian sitcom was decently acclaimed by pundits of the industry. It featured Michael B. Jordan in each of its thirteen episodes, and that volume of appearances renders The Assistants a project of clear-cut note.
5. Gen:Lock
Main character Julian Chase traverses a dystopian Brooklyn as a member of The Polity, an international alliance that fights against The Union by uploading their minds into giant mecha suits. This armor known as “Holons” allows Julian to interact with his Polity cohorts by virtue of stereoscopic projections. Fascinating plot for the animated show Gen:Lock (2019-2021), which features a starring performance from the talented Jordan.
He leads the likes of Maisee Williams, Koichi Yamadera, Golshifteh Farahani, and Asia Kate Dillon, with other main characters being played by David Tennant and Dakota Fanning. Some notable name value, and most of those performers once again provided their idiosyncratic intonations for season two of Gen:Lock, and they did so to critical praise.
4. Parenthood
The first project on the list with Jason Katims as showrunner, Parenthood came out with six total seasons between 2010 and 2015. Showing up in seasons two and three was Michael B. Jordan, his character Alex being in a relationship with Haddie, the eldest child of Adam and Kristina Braverman.
Following their lives in Berkeley, California, the underrated TV show Parenthood revolves around several members of the Braverman clan, with such characters as Haddie being played by famous performers.
Showing up as Haddie is the talented Sarah Ramos, while also among the Parenthood cast are Peter Krause, Lauren Graham, Dax Shepard, and Erika Christensen. They each perform to perfection, and the same thing goes for Jordan.
3. The Wire
Just three years after his on-screen debut, Michael B. Jordan played a prominent part in a revered crime show called The Wire (2002–2008). His character’s name was Wallace, and he worked for a crew called the Barksdale Organization that was run by drug lord Avon.
Many of the organization’s goons prove to highlight The Wire in their own unique ways, and although he only lasted for a single season in total, this kid from the projects of Baltimore proved to be an essential figure within the overall plot.
An HBO exclusive, The Wire consistently ranks among the highest-quality shows in all of the twenty-first century and is an all-time great when looking at the medium as a whole. It'll forever be remembered in the television history books and as part of Michael B. Jordan's career.
2. All My Children
Taking over for Chadwick Boseman as the character Reggie Montgomery, newcomer actor Michael B. Jordan first worked on All My Children in 2003, and he lasted through 2006. His character Reggie is a troubled teenager who traverses some pressing situations and thus undergoes development that made Michael B. Jordan truly grow as an actor.
Fifty-nine episodes of All My Children render Reggie Montgomery an essential Jordan role, one for which the actor will always be remembered. He left the show after his contract ended in 2006, with writers explaining that Reggie was now attending college under a basketball scholarship. Makes sense, as Michael B. Jordan has played several sports on screen, from baseball to basketball in the movies to football on TV.
1. Friday Night Lights
Among the finest TV shows in all of the twenty-first century is Friday Night Lights, a sports drama that ran from 2006 until 2011. Five total seasons of a pivotal sports show, and for the final two, Michael B. Jordan played main character Vince Howard, quarterback of the East Dillon Lions football team.
Until the final frames of the show’s finale, Jordan shines in the shoes of a mentally steadfast athlete, with Friday Night Lights doing tremendous justice to the archetypes of sports movies past. Players, coaches, cheerleaders, teachers—each of these respective characters is true to their actual counterparts, exchanging thought-out dialogue that would legitimately be delivered even in a realistic setting.
Forever associated with Michael B. Jordan's filmography, Vince Howard is just as iconic a character as Killmonger and Creed from his motion-picture career, and that's mostly thanks to an ongoing charisma showcased by the performer, no matter the gravity of a given scene. This is his greatest work on television, and that will always be the case.
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