Jeremy Jordan’s 10 Best Movies And TV Shows

Though Jeremy Jordan might be best known for his role in Supergirl by genre television fans, his best movies and TV shows actually offer a lot more in the way of stage adaptations and musicals. That makes sense considering Jordan got his professional start on Broadway in 2009’s Rock of Ages. He also originated Broadway roles in Bonnie & Clyde and The Newsies a few years later.

Jordan has been able to successfully move back and forth between the stage and the screen though, appearing in numerous stage plays, musicals, their on screen adaptations, and a variety of TV shows and movies. His roles also run the gamut of different genres, showing his versatility. Jordan’s impressive vocal talent does mean that a lot of his best movie and TV roles involve him singing as much as acting.

10

American Son (2019)

As Paul Larkin

When Jeremy Jordan appeared in the movie American Son, it was after already appearing in the play on Broadway. He played the same character on Broadway from November 2018 to January 2019, and then filmed the movie. While that means Jordan knew the character and the story inside and out and was able to deliver a fantastic performance, it did not mean the movie ended up being loved.

The movie follows a black woman and her estranged white husband as they wait for information about their son, who was in a car with two other young black men when it was pulled over. It provides for plenty of discussion and social commentary about race and law enforcement in America. Jordan appears as the rookie police officer they try to get more information from.

While all of the acting in the movie is great, the trouble here is that the movie is very much staged like a flat play rather than expanding its setting or examination of the characters. Though critics and audiences were divided about the movie as a whole, it did earn an Emmy nomination.

9

Spinning Gold (2023)

As Neil Bogart

Because so much of Jeremy Jordan’s best work actually takes place on the stage, he has not been in nearly as many film and TV projects as some of his peers. As a result, a lot of the movies and TV shows considered his best still have mixed reviews, like Spinning Gold.

It took a very long time for Spinning Gold to make it to the screen. It was in development in 2011 with Justin Timberlake attached to play the role that Jeremy Jordan eventually landed. It tells the story of record producer Neil Bogart. Bogart founded Casablanca Records and was credited with discovering the iconic Donna Summer. He also signed Cher to a record contract.

The movie is a fairly typical biopic, unlike some of the more recent ones that have taken fantastical risks like Piece by Piece or Rocketman. It does allow Jeremy Jordan fans to see him in a different light though, since he is the one getting people to sing instead of doing the singing himself here.

8

Hanukkah On Rye (2022)

As Jacob

Hallmark is known for churning out Christmas movies during the holiday season. In recent years, however, the network has been attempting to expand what holidays are included in their seasonal offerings, and there have been quite a few movies in which Hanukkah is the central holiday of the movie, like Hanukkah on Rye.

The movie sees two people set up by a matchmaker. While they hit it off, their romance is complicated by the fact that they each own their own deli and they are one another’s direct competition.

Hanukkah on Rye features a lot of the typical tropes Hallmark fans know and love, but it also makes an effort to embrace Jewish culture instead of simply labeling one of their holiday movies as a Hanukkah story. Jeremy Jordan and Yael Groblas have great chemistry and get to have a lighter story, which is great for them since they’re both known for more dramatic roles in recent years.

7

Joyful Noise (2012)

As Randy Garrity

Joyful Noise has the distinction of being Jeremy Jordan’s first feature film. The movie garnered mostly mixed reviews from critics who thought the script was trying to include too many different story ideas at once. Others compared it to what a Glee series might look like on the Christian Broadcasting Network thanks to its focus on gospel music (via Boston Globe). The performances, however, were almost universally praised.

The movie sees a church choir director (Queen Latifah) have conflicting views with the widow of a pastor (Dolly Parton). When the director’s daughter starts dating the widow’s grandson, their worlds are thrown into even more conflict. Jordan is the grandson who also happens to have a talent for arranging music, while Keke Palmer is the daughter and choir performer. The choir is heading to a national competition, but they have to make a change to win.

Much of the appeal of the movie is down to the musical performances and the chemistry between all of the cast members. Everyone in the main cast is adept at both acting and singing, which is a must for this style of film.

Eagle-eyed watchers will also be able to spot Chloe Bailey as one of the rival choir members.

6

Hazbin Hotel (2024-)

As Lucifer Morningstar

Though Hazbin Hotel premiered as an adult animated comedy on Amazon in 2024, it has its origins much earlier than that. The pilot was shared on YouTube in 2019, mostly funded by the Patreon account of the series creator Vivienne “VivziePop” Medrano. It’s a creative take on the afterlife, and Hell in particular.

The animated series follows Charlie Morningstar, the princess of Hell. Her goal is to use her titular hotel to rehabilitate souls in Hell and allow them to move on to Heaven. She is attempting to save those souls before they are permanently exterminated due to overcrowding in Hell.

With Jordan voicing Lucifer, the father of the main character, he only appears in a handful of episodes so far. Despite that, he has made quite the impression on critics and audiences and is expected to continue the role in the planned seasons 2 through 4. Jordan was nominated for an Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement for Voice Acting in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production.

Hazbin Hotel was nominated for Outstanding New Series for the GLAAD Media Awards.

5

Tangled: The Series (2017-2020)

As Varian

Also called Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure, Tangled: The Series is set six months after the events of the Tangled movie. Like the movie, it is very different from the original Rapunzel fairy tale. It fleshes out some of the existing characters, and introduces new ones, like Jeremy Jordan’s Varian.

The series sees Rapunzel discover more about just why she had (and regains) magical blond hair. Her adventure features ancient magic and a handful of new friends who end up corrupted by dark forces. The same friends who turn on her are ones she is able to help in the end, though.

Varian begins the series as an engineer and alchemist who just wants to make the kingdom a better place. In the very first episode, he wishes to develop a way to get the entire kingdom regular hot water. Though he briefly becomes an antagonist out of his grief for what happens to his father, he turns his life back around and is able to achieve that hot water dream by the end. Jordan gets to play the smartest person in the kingdom, a villain, and a friend. It allows him to play to many different emotions with just his voice.

4

Supergirl (2015-2021)

As Winslow “Winn” Schott Jr.

Jordan’s Winn goes from tech support to vigilante to bonafide hero…

Though Supergirl initially aired its first season on a different network than the rest of the Arrowverse, the show became a part of the larger universe thanks to universe-crossing episodes that allowed the series to cross over with The Flash, and later, Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, and even Batgirl.

The series follows Kara Danvers as she adjusts to life as a superhero and helps the Department of Extra-Normal Operations with protecting the planet from otherworldly threats. She works for CatCo, initially as an assistant, and later as a reporter. Jordan’s Winn also works for the publisher in the early seasons of the show, but in a more technical capacity. His arc, however, is not all that different from Kara’s.

Jordan’s Winn goes from tech support to vigilante to bonafide hero as a part of the Legion of Superheroes. He has a gradual growth to heroism after initially playing a supporting character with a crush on Kara. Jordan, however, is only a series regular for the first three seasons, so the heroic turn of the character is largely in guest starring spots later in the series. It’s a shame so much of Winn’s development actually happens off screen.

Jeremy Jordan also appeared in the Arrowverse series The Flash as Winn’s counterpart from another Earth.

3

Smash (2012-2013)

As Jimmy Collins

Smash provides a fictional account of how a Broadway “smash” hit is developed. The initial season focuses on the development of a musical about the life of Marilyn Monroe. With the second season, however, another show in development is introduced as one of the potential Marilyns leaves the original show for the new one, and begins the workshopping process all over again.

Jordan joins the series in the second season as one of the writers of that new show. Jordan’s Jimmy is creative and talented, but also very protective of his art and has a history of substance abuse when things in his life go wrong. Jimmy is one of the more volatile characters that Jeremy Jordan has played on screen. He is also one of the most dynamic as the audience really gets to understand Jimmy’s journey to see his dreams fulfilled and how difficult that path is to get him there.

Like many of Jordan’s best roles, he sings as Jimmy since the series is a musical series with just as many fantasy musical sequences as there are musical sequences in the shows within the show.

2

The Last Five Years (2014)

As Jamie Wellerstein

Though Jeremy Jordan has a rich background in Broadway performances, he had not appeared in The Last Five Years on Broadway. The show is a unique musical. On the stage, there are only two performers with Cathy living their relationship forwards and Jamie living their relationship backwards – through mostly song instead of spoken dialogue. It’s a difficult concept to translate to the screen, but the 2014 movie pulls it off.

Sherie Rene Scott and Betsy Wolfe, who have both played Cathy in stage productions of The Last Five Years, have cameos in the movie. So does the play’s creator, Jason Robert Brown.

Many fans of the show equate Jamie with the villain of the relationship, and while he does do some villainous things, the movie helps to show how Jamie and Cathy are both literally and figuratively moving in two different directions. Jordan and Anna Kendrick provide great depth to the characters with their emotional performances and their impressive sets of pipes.

Though the movie did not make a splash on the award show circuit, Kendrick and Jordan both deserve praise for their roles. Jamie is certainly the best movie performance of Jordan’s career so far.

1

Disney’s Newsies (2017)

As Jack Kelly

…it really is Jordan at his best.

Technically, Newsies is a Broadway show. The stage musical, however, was recorded and made available for streaming, not unlike Hamilton, on Disney+. The musical is inspired by the cult classic ‘90s family musical of the same name.

Newsies follows a group of paper boys who get paid pennies for selling newspapers at the turn of the century. As they realize how unfairly they are treated, they ban together to go on strike. The story is inspired by the real strikes from children who were selling papers, sewing in factories, and more. The strikes would eventually lead to stricter child labor laws. While the musical does not deal with some of the darker aspects of those strikes, it does feature spectacular singing and tap dancing.

Jordan originated the role of Jack Kelly for the Broadway show, appearing in the off-Broadway version of the show in 2011 and taking the show to Broadway in 2012. He returned to the role in 2016 specifically to film the stage show, and it really is Jordan at his best. He puts all of his energy and his heart into the role of Jack, and turns out a seriously impressive performance. It’s no wonder that Jeremy Jordan was nominated for a Tony for his original Broadway run in the role.