Alan Ritchson’s Best Movies and TV Shows Ranked From Weakest to Strongest

Alan Ritchson has spent two decades building a filmography that stretches from network television guest spots to major studio action franchises. His career trajectory reflects a steady climb, one that culminates in his current status as one of the more sought after leading men in Hollywood.

This ranking looks at ten projects that define his career so far, moving from his more minor contributions up to the role that changed everything for him. The list draws on his work across superhero television, ensemble comedies, war epics and his latest starring vehicle, ‘Motor City.’

Smallville

Ritchson made his acting debut playing Aquaman, known as Arthur Curry, on the CW series ‘Smallville,’ appearing as a guest star between the show’s fifth and tenth seasons. The show centered on Clark Kent during his formative years before becoming Superman.

His version of the character expanded the DC mythology within the series and introduced him to a young superhero ensemble that hinted at a broader universe. His confident portrayal of the young king of Atlantis resonated with fans, which led to him reprising the role in later seasons.

Even though Aquaman was never the central focus of ‘Smallville,’ the role gave Ritchson his first real foothold in the industry. It also planted an early seed of interest in DC properties that has followed him throughout his career.

Blue Mountain State

After moving on from ‘Smallville,’ Ritchson landed the role of Thad Castle on the Spike TV sitcom ‘Blue Mountain State,’ a starring part he later reprised in a 2016 film sequel. The series ran from 2010 to 2012 and became a cult favorite among college comedy fans.

The show followed the chaotic culture of a fictional college football program, and Thad Castle was portrayed as an intense, often clueless, and hilariously over the top team captain. It was a sharp turn from the earnestness of his ‘Smallville’ role.

This project proved Ritchson had comedic range beyond the square jawed hero archetype, something that would later inform the more layered performances he gives today. It remains a formative credit even if it sits lower on this list relative to his more prestigious work.

Titans

Ritchson returned to superhero television in 2018, taking on the role of Hank Hall, also known as Hawk, on the DC Universe and HBO Max series ‘Titans,’ a part he played through 2021. Hawk and his partner Dove were a retired crime fighting duo who operated in and around Gotham City, relying on physical training rather than superpowers.

Hawk was best described as a bruiser who often lost his temper and charged headfirst into a fight, a characterization that let Ritchson lean into his physicality years before ‘Reacher’ made that his calling card. His time on the series further demonstrated his ability to handle complex, character driven stories within the action genre.

Interestingly, Ritchson has revealed that he originally auditioned to play Nightwing before landing the role of Hawk instead. That detail has only grown more interesting given ongoing speculation about his future within the DC Universe.

Fast X

Ritchson joined the ‘Fast and Furious’ franchise in 2023, appearing in ‘Fast X’ as a character named Aimes. The film holds a 5.7 rating according to aggregated audience scores, reflecting a mixed but not dismissive reception typical of the franchise’s later entries.

The role gave Ritchson a credit in one of the biggest action franchises in modern cinema, even though his part was more supporting than central. It nonetheless placed him alongside an enormous ensemble cast at a moment when his profile was already rising thanks to ‘Reacher.’

Appearing in a ‘Fast and Furious’ film signaled that major studios saw Ritchson as a bankable action presence, not just a streaming television star. It remains one of the more commercially visible titles on his resume, even if it is not among his most acclaimed.

Ordinary Angels

In 2024, Ritchson took a dramatic turn with ‘Ordinary Angels,’ a faith based film co-starring Hilary Swank and directed by Jon Gunn. The film marked a departure from his typical action oriented roles, casting him in an emotionally driven story rather than a physical one.

Some viewers felt the film dragged on and leaned into cliché at moments, but the emotional core of the story still resonated, offering a portrait of hope centered on Ritchson’s performance. It proved that Ritchson could carry more than just action blockbusters and demonstrated real dramatic range.

‘Ordinary Angels’ stands out on this list precisely because it broke from expectation. It showed a version of Ritchson that action fans rarely see, one built on restraint rather than physical intensity.

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

Ritchson took on a supporting role in Guy Ritchie’s 2024 war action film ‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare,’ playing the real life Danish commando Anders Lassen. The film starred Henry Cavill in the lead role, with Ritchson joining an ensemble that also included Eiza González and Alex Pettyfer.

In the film, Lassen and a group of rogue soldiers formed an elite and unorthodox strike unit tasked with taking down a fleet of Nazi U-boats. The movie was based on the nonfiction book detailing the exploits of a real World War II special forces unit.

The pairing of Cavill and Ritchson gave the film two of the more physically imposing leading men working in action cinema today. It also reinforced Ritchson’s growing reputation as a reliable presence in large scale ensemble war and action pictures.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Franchise

Ritchson voiced Raphael in both the 2014 ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ reboot and its 2016 sequel, ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows.’ Neither film is considered a great movie on its own merits, but Ritchson’s involvement in a genuine box office success still earns the franchise a place on this list.

The films remain nostalgic for some viewers, offering fans an early glimpse of the character work that would define Ritchson’s later career. Voicing Raphael required a different kind of performance from his live action roles, relying entirely on vocal delivery to convey the turtle’s short tempered personality.

Despite mixed critical reception, the commercial reach of these films exposed Ritchson to a massive family audience well before ‘Reacher’ made him a household name. It remains a notable, if imperfect, chapter in his filmography.

Motor City

Ritchson’s newest starring role arrives in ‘Motor City,’ a nearly dialogue free revenge thriller directed by Potsy Ponciroli and written by Chad St. John. Motor City is a 2025 American action thriller that first premiered at the Venice Film Festival on August 30, 2025, before its United States theatrical release on July 24, 2026.

Set in 1970s Detroit, the story follows a working class romantic named John Miller who is framed by a ruthless gangster after falling for his girlfriend, played by Shailene Woodley, and returns from prison years later with a single mission of revenge. The cast also includes Pablo Schreiber, Ben McKenzie, Ben Foster and Lionel Boyce, with the film carrying a 70 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 30 million dollar budget.

Unlike his physically dominant role in ‘Reacher,’ this character leans into emotional restraint and internal intensity, with much of the storytelling unfolding through body language and facial expression rather than dialogue. Notably, the project has a long history, having been set up as far back as 2011 with Albert Hughes directing and Chris Evans attached to star, before names like Gary Oldman, Jake Gyllenhaal and Gerard Butler cycled through the production over the following decade.

Blood Drive

Ritchson headlined the SyFy series ‘Blood Drive’ in 2017, a grindhouse inspired science fiction thriller that let him experiment with a stranger, more stylized tone than his other credits. He played Arthur Bailey, an officer of the LAPD, in a premise built to feel deliberately over the top.

The series never reached the mainstream success of his later work, but it demonstrated his willingness to take creative risks in genre television. It also served as an important stepping stone toward the more prominent leading roles that followed on ‘Titans’ and eventually ‘Reacher.’

‘Blood Drive’ remains something of a cult curiosity within his filmography, appreciated more by dedicated fans than by a broad audience. Its inclusion here reflects the way it expanded his range before mainstream stardom arrived.

Reacher

At the top of this list sits ‘Reacher,’ the Amazon Prime Video series that transformed Ritchson into one of the defining action stars of the 2020s. Ritchson effectively made the role his own, despite the character previously belonging to Tom Cruise in two feature films, largely because his six foot three frame is far closer to the towering figure Lee Child originally wrote.

The series adapts Lee Child’s novels, beginning with ‘Killing Floor,’ and follows Jack Reacher, a former military police investigator who gets off a bus in the small town of Margrave, Georgia and is almost immediately arrested for a murder he did not commit. The first season became a breakout hit, ranking among Prime Video’s five most watched series within days of its premiere.

The second season shifted focus to a new mystery involving the murder of one of Reacher’s former army unit members, surrounding the taciturn protagonist with a team played by Maria Sten, Serinda Swan and Shaun Sipos. By the third season, the show introduced new characters including Sonya Cassidy as DEA agent Susan Duffy and Brian Tee as a former lieutenant colonel with a personal history tied to Reacher, keeping the series fresh while retaining its central appeal.

Ritchson has described the role as career changing, and it is easy to see why given how thoroughly it reshaped his public profile and opened the door to projects like ‘Motor City,’ ‘Fast X’ and ‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.’ It stands as the clear high point of his career so far, and the show most responsible for his current momentum.

Given how differently ‘Motor City’ handles Ritchson’s screen presence compared to the wisecracking drifter of ‘Reacher,’ which side of his range do you find more compelling, the near silent avenger of Detroit or the quippy investigator of Margrave.