The best Jon Hamm movies and TV shows include some fun big-screen performances but even more powerful roles on the small screen in both cable and streaming shows. Hamm got his start in acting when he attended the University of Missouri and answered a call from a theater company where he was cast in his first role. In 1995, he moved to Los Angeles and set himself a goal: If he didn't make it in acting before he turned 30, he would quit and go back to working a "real job" (via The Times)

He finally got that break when he was signed to star in the NBC series Providence, and he then earned more roles over the years before he finally achieved his star-making turn in the lead role in Mad Men as Don Draper. He has picked up several fun ing and cameo roles in movies, added some more television shows to his credit, and developed into a fun character actor who can do comedy, drama, horror, and thriller roles. This has led to a career where he's won several major awards and continues to turn in great performances along the way.

15 Mean Girls (2024)

Coach Carr

While the 2004 classic didn't need to get rebooted, Mean Girls does a solid job at bringing it into 2024, with it acting more like an adaptation of the musical if anything. It might lack some of the novelty of the original, especially when it comes to the cast as well as some missing jokes, but the musical aspect of the film keeps it feeling fresh, with some really fun songs featured throughout. A lot of the callbacks to the original, including some surprise cameos and reprised roles, are a joy to see as well.

It's a rather small role in the grand scheme of the movie, but Jon Hamm is hilarious in Mean Girls as Coach Carr, the P.E. teacher who also teaches the health class to often humorous results. Jon Hamm feels underrated when it comes to comedy, but he has proven time and again that he is really fantastic at it when given the chance, and he steals every scene that he is in during Mean Girls, doing an irable job of playing Coach Carr this time around.

14 The Report (2019)

Denis McDonough

The Report is an underrated historical political drama that features a couple of fantastic performances from Adam Driver and Jon Hamm. The movie follows staffer Daniel Jones and his efforts at leading the Senate Intelligence Committee's investigation of the Central Intelligence Agency's use of torture following the September 11th attacks, which is a harsh, but necessary subject to examine. The Report does it with skill, though, and makes a worthwhile effort at showing a dark period in American history.

While Adam Driver often commands each scene that he is in, Jon Hamm also does an incredible job as Denis McDonough, the second-term chief of staff for Obama. It's always tricky to portray actual people, especially with ones that aren't as removed as some further back periods of time, but Jon Hamm really attempts to capture the essence of who Denis McDonough is, and delivers a fantastic performance in the process.

13 Beirut (2018)

Mason Skiles

Beirut is a solid political thriller set in 1982 during the Lebanese Civil War that focuses on Mason Skiles, a former U.S. diplomat who returns to service to help save a colleague who was responsible for his wife's death. Narratively complex and tightly drawn, Beirut is tense throughout as the characters attempt to navigate the situation they find themselves in. Its cast of characters is especially strong, with Jon Hamm and Rosamund Pike being exceptional in it.

Jon Hamm plays Mason Skiles, and does an outstanding job as the character, giving him a lot of depth and nuance that indirectly tells the audience a lot about the type of man he is and the experiences that he went through. He fits in perfectly to the time period the film is set in, and is incredibly good at showcasing his talents as an actor throughout the film, which heavily relies on the strength of its characters alongside its complex plot.

12 Transformers One (2024)

Sentinel Prime

Transformers One surprised a lot of people when it was released, as the gorgeous new Transformers movie featured some of the most mature storytelling the franchise has ever seen, even when it caters to the entire family. The animated film follows the origins and early friendship between Optimus Prime and Megatron, and its premise allows the movie to have some significant dramatic and emotional impact when the inevitable happens.

Jon Hamm does a fantastic job at voicing Sentinel Prime in Transformers One, the false ruler of Cybertron, and the main antagonist of the film. While he initially seemed like a well-loved and humble leader, it was all a facade for Sentinel Prime, who turned out to be manipulative and self-serving, with Jon Hamm tapping into that type of personality perfectly with his voice performance in the movie. He has proven himself a fantastic voice actor over the years, and he shows that again in Transformers One.

11 Bad Times At The El Royale (2018)

Laramie Seymour Sullivan

Drew Goddard directed the fun noir thriller Bad Times at the El Royale in 2018 and brought on an amazing cast for what was a character-study murder mystery. The film takes place in the late 1960s at the El Royale motel on the border of Nevada and California. On one fateful night, several people show up, each with a secret to hide, and when death arrives at the motel, they have to figure out who the killer is if they want to get out of this place alive before sunrise.

Jon Hamm stars as Laramie Seymour Sullivan, although that name is a cover. In reality, he is FBI Special Agent Dwight Broadbeck, sent by J. Edgar Hoover to collect surveillance materials the FBI had planted and ignore a kidnapping that had just taken place in the motel and leave the captive behind. Things don't end up well for Dwight when he ignores the orders and tries to save the woman. Bad Times at the El Royale was a box office bomb but received positive reviews and has since become a cult classic.

10 Landman (2024)

Monty Miller

Taylor Sheridan has become one of television's most successful showrunners, and he has a big deal in place with Paramount+. His most popular show is Yellowstone and its spinoffs, but he has also created other hit series like Tulsa King and Landman. Jon Hamm is part of the Landman cast. In this series, Billy Bob Thornton plays Tommy Norris, a West Texas oil company landman. Hamm stars as Monty Miller, the owner of M-Tex, and someone who has a long relationship with Tommy.

The series, based on the Boomtown podcast, premiered its first season in 2024 and was a quick hit. Critics praised the series, with a lot of acclaim going to Thornton's performance and the storyline, which should win over anyone who loved Yellowstone. Thornton also received nominations at the Satellite Awards and Golden Globe Awards.

9 Your Friends And Neighbors (2025)

Andrew "Coop" Cooper

Revolving around Andrew "Coop" Cooper, a New York hedge fund manager who uses criminal methods to maintain his and his family's lifestyle after he becomes unemployed, Your Friends and Neighbors is another fantastic series from Apple TV+. The streamer has consistently put out high-quality projects that feel severely underrated and Your Friends and Neighbors is another example of what they are doing right, as it takes a somewhat familiar premise and builds it into something great.

Jon Hamm is the star of the show in Your Friends and Neighbors as he perfectly embodies the role of Coop throughout the series, especially given how easily he can be incredibly charming. His chemistry with the rest of the cast is palpable and his descent into the criminal lifestyle is elevated by how great Jon Hamm is in the role. In a lot of ways, it feels like the perfect type of role for him, as it fits perfectly with his strengths as an actor.

8 Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

Vice iral Beau "Cyclone" Simpson

In 2022, Tom Cruise returned to his classic beloved role as Maverick for Top Gun: Maverick, 36 years after he starred in the original film. This movie has Maverick returning as a trainer for the next generation of Top Gun graduates. However, his reputation follows him, and not everyone is happy to see him there. One of the new graduates is his former partner Goose's son, Rooster Bradshaw (Miles Teller), a young man who still blames Maverick for his father's death when he was a child.

Jon Hamm stars in the film as Vice iral Beau "Cyclone" Simpson, the commander of Naval Air Forces. Maverick returned because the commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, Iceman Kazansky (Val Kilmer), specifically requested him to teach the recent grads. Cyclone barely tolerates Maverick being there and remains an antagonistic force in the film. Top Gun: Maverick was a massive success, making over $1.4 billion at the box office while earning six Oscar nominations.

7 The Morning Show (2023)

Paul Marks

Jon Hamm ed the cast of The Morning Show in the Apple TV+ show's third season. The first season broke down sexual power dynamics on the morning talk shows, while the second showed how the anchors dealt with working during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, season 3 had a different focus as the once popular morning talk show had to deal with competition from streaming services and other ways that people can get their news without tuning in to television talk news shows.

With the morning talk show losing money, and both Jennifer Aniston's Alex and Reese Witherspoon's Bradley fighting to get ratings up, Jon Hamm ed the cast as Paul Marks, a tech billionaire who was looking to buy the entire UBA network. The character was a new slant on the power dynamics, with a very wealthy man pushing his power onto the people who work for him, including younger female employees. Hamm received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for his performance.

6 The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015-2020)

Richard Wayne Gary Wayne

In 2015, Jon Hamm ed the cast of the Netflix series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt as one of the more important characters to drive the plot forward. Hamm played Reverend Richard Wayne Gary Wayne, a cult leader who kidnapped Kimmy and three other women and held them captive for 15 years in an underground bunker, claiming there was a nuclear apocalypse, and they were the only survivors remaining. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt starts with the women finding their freedom, but Wayne remains a part of the series.

Hamm is perfectly sleazy and unapologetic in his role as the cult leader kidnapper who has his trial for his numerous crimes in the first season. However, he remains a strong part of the story as he calls Kimmy to explain they are legally married, and in the third season, the divorce is part of the storyline, especially since they struggle to get it completed. In the fourth season, there is also more of Hamm as a "men's rights activist" who creates a documentary casting Wayne in a positive light. Hamm received a Primetime Emmy nomination for his performance.