12 Best Jason Bateman Movies & TV Shows, Ranked

As a child actor in the 1980s, Jason Bateman showed a lot of promise before mostly dropping out of sight for several years. But thanks to Ron Howard's guidance and his memorable run on "Arrested Development," Bateman revived his career, and he has since remained a steady presence on-screen.

From supporting turns to lead roles, Bateman worked steadily and followed his passion into directing as well where he's shown the same steady hand for tone and talent behind the camera as he displays in front of it. Bateman is among Hollywood's funniest actors, a secret weapon quietly earning laughs even when he's across from more obviously comedic performers, but he's no slouch in the dramatic department either.

The result is a filmography filled with memorable, rewatchable TV shows and movies heavy on comedy but layered through with drama, thrills, and heart. In ranking his work, the focus is primarily on lead roles, but allowances are made for ensembles where he plays a key character. Now, keep reading for the 12 best Jason Bateman movies and TV shows, ranked!

Valerie is a working mother to three teen boys, a wife to a pilot husband who's frequently away from home, and queen of her own domain... but it's not easy!

Supporting turns on "Little House on the Prairie" and "Silver Spoons" led Jason Bateman to land lead roles in obscure shows that were canceled before the first season even ended; these included "Simon," "Chicago Sons," and more. Only two of his series went the distance, starting with his six-season run on "Valerie," aka "The Hogan Family." Why the name change? Well, it seems lead Valerie Harper held out for more money after season 2, so NBC decided to kill her off — a rarity in a sitcom while dealing with a still-living actor — and bring in Sandy Duncan as the kids' aunt.

It's an ensemble, but Bateman quickly became a star attraction in the family comedy and even found himself labeled something of a teen heartthrob. The show is no lost classic, but it delivers steady smiles and the occasional "very special episode" including one where Bateman's character contemplates having sex for the first time. It's typically a storyline relegated to female characters, which makes this stand apart from the pack. But what makes the 1987 episode even more impressive is how it marked the first time the word "condom" was uttered on a primetime show.

Three separate stories intertwine, connect, and inform the next. All three focus on people struggling with the realities and ramifications of a society that spends far too much time online.

You probably never heard of this 2012 dramatic thriller as it came and went faster than a search result on Ask Jeeves. It's a shame, as Henry-Alex Rubin's "Disconnect" explores the inherent dangers of the internet, specifically social media. Call it "Crash" meets Facebook, but it absolutely wears its heart on its sleeve, resulting in an incredibly human and humane experience. One story involves a journalist trying to help an underage girl cajoled into working in an online chatroom, but the price of rescuing her might just be too high. Another thread follows a young couple still reeling from the death of their infant son as both online grief sessions and identity theft collide.

Jason Bateman sits at the heart of the film's most powerful and affecting story as a father who uses Harry Chapin's "Cat's in the Cradle" as parenting instructions. His teen son finds comfort online instead, but tragedy strikes after he's catfished by two other boys pretending to be a teenage girl. Bateman's sad dad runs the gamut of emotions with the realization that he failed to protect his son. Guilt, sadness, and rage boil over, and it's something that anyone — especially parents — will connect with on the most affecting of levels.

A terrorist attack inside an oil company's compound in Saudi Arabia escalates after a secondary explosion kills dozens of citizens and first responders. A small FBI task force is dispatched to investigate, and the four American agents discover both the best and worst of humanity along the way.

Director Peter Berg's best work is behind him, and I say this only because I've seen all seven films he's made since 2007's "The Kingdom." It remains the peak of his work, and while its politics feel very much a product of their time, the core truths remain. Jason Bateman co-stars alongside Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, and Chris Cooper as agents who arrive ready to torch those responsible, but that search also reveals those caught in the crossfire.

Bateman is once again part of an ensemble, but he's a key player here for a few reasons. He's not being asked to stretch and play a tough guy, and instead he's more of the comic relief. That sees him discounted initially, but his humor is as much a protective shell as the next guy's silence or aggression. By the time the third act kicks both the action and suspense into high gear, his casual nature is pushed well past the limit, leaving viewers gripping their armrests from adrenalin and fear. Bateman sells the pants-soiling terror of it all long after both he and the audience have stopped laughing.

Matthew Burton is like most teenagers in that he has a family, hangs out with his friends, and thrives on scams that earn him both cash money and the respect of his peers. He may have met his match, though, when a new neighbor starts dating his mom.

Like the other forgotten sitcoms mentioned above, "It's Your Move" was one and done in less than a single season. Jason Bateman plays a teen who's simply too cool, too smooth, and too on top of every situation — no shade on John Hughes, but it's probably not a coincidence that the show aired over a year before "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" hit theaters — and that's what ultimately led to its downfall. It had solid enough ratings, but NBC was inundated with letters from parents furious that their own teens were getting into trouble trying to mimic Matthew's various schemes and scams.

"It's Your Move" remains very funny, and it's clear that this is where Bateman honed the persona that served him well ever since. Matthew is smart and fun, the semi-straight man to the fools around him, and that's a description that can be applied to a healthy chunk of Bateman's filmography. The show finds entertainment in Matthew's successes while finding even more laughs in his failures, all while highlighting the heart hidden beneath his wit and wicked maneuvers.

Annie and Baxter Fang are siblings who can't quite get their lives in order. Their own choices are to blame, but it's not a leap to see the connection to parents who raised them less as children and part of a family, and more as props and performers in antics few would call art.

Do we buy Jason Bateman and Nicole Kidman as brother and sister? Maybe not at first glance, but both actors do great work here and easily convince as people who've yet to come to terms with the games their parents played. The elder Fangs are performance artists and fans of putting people on the spot. Their human disconnect has a profound impact on their two children, and it's only as adults that the "kids" finally choose to take back control. The result is a blackly comic tale about letting go.

While Bateman has directed tons of television, starting with his first time behind the camera for three episodes of "The Hogan Family," he's only helmed two feature films so far. 2015's "The Family Fang" is the second of those, and both the film and Bateman's character feel right at home with the artist's cultivated persona. Baxter can be caustic, but he's also capable of empathy. He can be deadly serious while also finding humor in dark places. Ultimately, he's a man who knows that now is far more important than then.

Marty Byrde is a financial advisor in Chicago prone to poor choices. When a money laundering scheme for a Mexican drug cartel goes sideways, Marty moves with his family to the boonies of Missouri in an effort to save his life and make back what he lost. His poor choices continue.

"Ozark" ran for four seasons and had its share of disturbing moments, and while it's been compared to the likes of "Breaking Bad" as a series built around morally dubious (or morally bankrupt) characters, it finds its own life through characters, locale, and ever-evolving storylines. Marty is a guy underwater and out of his depths, but as time passes, he becomes a bit too adept at swimming with sharks. He's not the only fish in this violent, criminally minded sea, though, and yes, I'll stop this wholly unrelated metaphor now.

Jason Bateman heads up a terrific ensemble here and occupies the gray area between protagonist and antagonist. He's matched beat for beat by Laura Linney and Julia Garner, and along with the rest of the cast, they all work to create an incredibly engrossing and dramatically thrilling drama. Bateman produced the show and directed several episodes, and he shows a strong visual grasp of the darkness that runs through its characters and themes. They may not be likeable people, but they're endlessly engaging and charismatic all the same to the bitter end.

Three friends get together after work for drinks and complaints about their respective jobs. Nick's (Jason Bateman) boss is a sadistic liar, Kurt (Jason Sudeikis) is stuck with a drug-addicted madman looking to squeeze the company dry, and Dale (Charlie Day) is dealing with a sexual predator who thinks she's entitled to his dong. (Her words, not mine.) So, the three friends decide to kill their bosses, obviously.

This might be news to some of you younger readers, but movie studios used to make very funny R-rated comedies starring and for adults. "Horrible Bosses" is funny on the page thanks to co-writers John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein (the brains behind both "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" and our No. 1 pick below), but the secret sauce here is an A+ collection of actors, including Jennifer Aniston and Colin Farrell, who absolutely slay as two of the psychotic bosses.

It's the core trio who hold it all together, though, as Bateman, Sudeikis, and Day display impeccable comedic timing individually and collectively. They play off of each other brilliantly with the slightly ditzy Day, overconfident Sudeikis, and eternally frustrated Bateman forming a human centipede of laughs — one feeds off the next even as they're fueling the last. Each of them could do these roles in their sleep, but that doesn't make them any less hysterical as accidents, consequences, and poor choices lead to ridiculous situations and sidesplitting chaos.

Animals of all kinds, even those formerly known as predators and prey, live and work alongside each other in harmony. A small-town rabbit named Judy Hopps heads to the big city of Zootopia to become a police officer, and she quickly finds herself working alongside a fox named Nick Wilde to solve a conspiracy that threatens to tear the town apart.

"Zootopia" earned over a billion dollars back in 2013, and it stands apart from most films that achieve the same because it's an original film and not part of an existing franchise. (The long-awaited sequel is finally hitting theaters this year, though.) The animation is colorful, bright, and detailed, and the message of "Zootopia" carries a not-so-subtle warning about the dangers of prejudice and the importance of diversity. Honestly, it should be mandatory viewing for too many people these days.

Just as important as all of that? The film is also very funny with smart, witty writing and memorable characters. Ginnifer Goodwin, Idris Elba, J.K. Simmons, Jenny Slate, and more voice many of the main characters while Jason Bateman does vocal duties for Nick. It's impeccable casting as the character requires Bateman to basically talk like Bateman — dryly, with a side of wit and exasperation — and he succeeds at finding both the humor and the heart in the calm, cool, and conniving creature.

Guy Trilby isn't a fan. Of other people, of life in general — he really doesn't like any of it. One day, he decides to cause a little mayhem after finding a loophole in the rules of a spelling bee, and soon, he's squaring off against children and upsetting their parents along the way.

As already mentioned, Jason Bateman tends to play characters who are smart, acerbic, and maybe a little irritated with the world around them. To that end, it should have surprised no one that the actor picked this script for his feature directorial debut as the main character feels tailor-made for Bateman's acting style. He surrounded himself with extremely talented co-stars including Kathryn Hahn, Allison Janney, and Philip Baker Hall, but it's Bateman who sits at the center of "Bad Words" as a man who's unlikeable, incorrigible, and more than a little human.

Guy's motivation is revealed over time, and while it certainly doesn't excuse his behavior, it at least shines an understanding light upon it. Hurt people hurt other people, and it just so happens that a lot of what Guy inflicts on others is caustically funny — inappropriate, sure, but watching Bateman mess with kids, parents, and officials does not get old. Dry wit, tempered cruelty, and a splash of indifference make for a darkly amusing cocktail.

Michael Bluth has had enough of his family's spoiled, ignorant, and sometimes illegal behaviors, but he's pulled back into the family business before he can leave town with his son and integrity intact.

If a single role could sum up the style, skills, and appeal of Jason Bateman, it would have to be Michael Bluth in "Arrested Development." The character is the sole straight man wandering the halls of an insane asylum populated by family members, weirdo lawyers, warring magicians, government moles, surprise sons, cousin lovers, Carl Weathers, and more. The onscreen talent roster is a comedy writer's dream, with Jessica Walter, Michael Cera, Alia Shawkat, Tony Hale, Will Arnett, Henry Winkler, and so many others delivering spot-on performances and comedic deliveries to die for, and you'd be hard-pressed to find another sitcom that delivered three perfect seasons. Of course, Netflix decided to give us two more seasons of the show long after The C-Word had sailed, and that's why it landed here instead of in the No. 1 spot.

Still, as a showcase for Bateman's impeccable comedic skills, "Arrested Development" is unrivaled in the long form of television. His dry delivery and pained expressions pair beautifully with intricately crafted scripts weaving together jokes, callbacks, innuendo, and sheer comedy brilliance. The first three seasons are endlessly rewatchable masterclasses in character writing and comedy and are guaranteed to lift spirits without fail.

Simon and Robyn are a young couple new to Los Angeles and looking to start a family. The calm and optimism are shattered when one of Simon's old classmates enters their lives with seemingly dark intentions.

Where most of Jason Bateman's filmography employs his acting style and skills to deliver steady laughs, Joel Edgerton's "The Gift" finds a way to apply them in a wholly different and unsettling way. Bateman's Simon is still the straight man here, stuck between an upset wife and a menacing acquaintance from his past, but his dry exasperation is weaponized toward anger, cold superiority, and something even darker. It's a terrifically effective performance that enhances the film's suspense in numerous ways ensuring that viewers remain tensed up and unsure where to align their loyalties until the very end.

That uncertainty arguably extends even beyond the end credits as the film leaves some details open to debate regarding motivation, punishment, and behavior. Even the title finds multiple meanings that play havoc with the film's shifting degrees of darkness. It's a revenge story, a psychological thriller, and a cautionary tale about sins both past and present. All three leads are key players, but Bateman gives Simon that extra something that leaves him a despicable man who, against the odds and common sense, still finds a nugget of sympathy with viewers. Watch the film, and you'll see that's no easy task.

Max and Annie are a happily married couple who love each other, their friends, and their game nights. Their latest gathering hits a snag, though, when Max's older brother is abducted at gunpoint — something they all assume is part of the night's game.

"Game Night" is the best and funniest studio comedy of the past decade. Bold words, I know, but it's a film firing on all cylinders that continues to earn laughs on rewatch. The reasons are legion as literally every aspect of the film hums like a finely tuned sports car starting with a script that's sharp, creative, and crafted with laughs built on both dialogue and physical antics. Co-directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein elevate the production with the kind of visual style and camerawork typically assigned to action films, and it works to give things a genuinely thrilling energy.

As is often the case with comedies, though, major credit is due to the ensemble cast breathing life into the jokes on the page. Jason Bateman, Lamorne Morris, Billy Magnussen, and Sharon Horgan all shine while some of the biggest laughs come from two unlikely sources. Rachel McAdams displays a real knack for comedy and timing while Jesse Plemons steals every scene he's in as a nosy neighbor. Bateman's straight man plays off each and every one of them beautifully even as Plemons' even drier character holds his own.