17 Movie Actors Who Must Move to TV

Nic Cage won the Acadamy Award for Leading Actor in 1996 for his portrayal of a man who decided to kill himself by way of alcoholism in Leaving Las Vegas. He was nominated again for his role in the dark comedy Adaptation. It's been downhill ever since for the prolific actor. Whether it's his choice of material or something else, this once successful and respected actor has lost his edge. Television is just waiting for him, 10-13 hours of well-written scripts could allow him the opportunity to showcase his brilliance once again.

Speed, Point Break, The Matrix trilogy. Can you imagine any of these films being successful without Keanu Reeves? Just think about Speed 2 for the answer to that question. Then why, given the blockbuster status Reeves once achieved, can't he do much better than John Wick now? Because we're in the time of TV now, and it's time for Reeves to do for TV what he did for blockbusters. Grace it with his presence.

Annette Bening has been nominated for four Academy Awards, including her roles in American Beauty, The Grifters and Being Julia. Her most recent nomination was for The Kids Are All Right in 2011, an independent flick that didn't get a lot of traction at the box office. She still does great work, but people need reminded of her force. Television has a way of doing that!

Yes, Michael Keaton was just nominated for an Oscar for his role in Birdman. However, many people will readily admit Birdman wasn't a great movie, and they voted for his overall body of work rather because the performance afforded them the opportunity rather than on individual merit. Hey, I only read the trades, I don't give the interviews or write the stories (well, not those stories, anyway). Let's see the Michael Keaton of The Dream Team, Beatlejuice, The Other Guys and Birdman have his chance to shine with a leading role in a dark comedy. Wouldn't he be great in Fargo Season 3?

Where in the heck is Orlando Bloom? He's a master of the ensemble cast (think Pirates of the Carribbean or The Lord of the Rings), but has yet to really stand on his own as a leading man. His romantic endeavors have fallen flat. Maybe there's something he can do on a cable series that would afford him the chance to stand out from the crowd. He has the looks and the acting skills, just not the right venue as of yet.

More attention has been paid to Renee Zellweger's appearance over the last couple of years than to her talent, and considering what she have us in the past with performances such as those in Jerry McGuire, Bridget Jones's Diary and her best actress in a supporting role winning role in Cold Mountain, that's a real shame. I'd like to see her in something the likes of Web Therapy or HAPPYish.

Sure, Owen Wilson has a new movie coming out in a month, but what he seems to love is writing and acting, so why isn't he throwing his hat into the ring in the television arena with something like The Royal Tenenbaums (for which he was nominated for an Oscar), Bottle Rocket or Rushmore? Acting within the piece would just be icing on the cake. Honestly, his line delivery is some of the best in the biz, so it will only be better if he's taking part in whatever he writes.

Julia Roberts should commit to an event series because she doesn't have to. While we're recommending others on this list could jump start ailing careers, this would be a proactive move, proving to movie producers that if they don't treat her right they could lose her. Let's be honest, there aren't many who wouldn't tune in weekly to see what Roberts would bring to the table, and we already know there's not a genre she can't tackle. With one Best Actress Oscar under her belt for her role in Erin Brockvich and two Golden Globes why not add an Emmy to her awards shelf?

John Cusack was never an awards winner, but he was definitely an audience favorite, still known for one of the all time most recognizable scenes from Say Anything... He starred alongside Annette Bening when she got her Oscar nom for The Grifters and carried flicks like quirky High Fidelity and the frightening 1408. According to IMDB, he's only ever been in two episodes of two TV series EVER. It's time to change that by bringing his signature style to the small screen. He's another who who would be a perfect fit for Fargo Season 3. Am I right?

It's almost hard to believe the only place we see Diane Keaton on TV is in cosmetics commercials, but it's true. It would be pretty cool to see her trademark giggle on a weekly basis, so if we can persuade her to the small screen, I'm hoping it's for lighter fare. We can only see so many people go after their dark side, right? While I'm sure she's not interested in revisiting Annie Hall, how about closer to her character from Something's Gotta Give?

My favorite Edward Norton role was in American History X. He can really bring the heavy emotional stuff to the gritty and dark material. That was his second Oscar nomination. He's had three in a career spanning just over 20 years. He's generally chosen his roles carefully and been a moderate success. His movies aren't big box office hits, not that it means anything. He's talented and would benefit from having the chance to develop one role over 10-13 hours. If his performances pack that emotional wallop in two hours, imagine what they'd accomplish over the longer haul. Wow.

While researching this article, I was surprised to see Michelle Pfeiffer hadn't been in a movie since 2013. Personally, I'd love to see her come to the small screen in a thriller reminiscent of What Lies Beneath. She was absolutely amazing in that role, and if she had he opportunity to examine a complex woman in an equally complex relationship like that in a series, she'd be fantastic. Why are we being robbed of her talents?

Meg Ryan is another woman who virtually disappeared from existence when our fascination with her appearance became more important than her talent. That and she started to make incredibly terrible career decisions. From When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle...to In the Cut and Against the Ropes? Yikes. To her credit, she did try a bit part in Web Therapy, but since that series runs in five minute blocks mostly about Lisa Kudrow's Fiona Wallice, we're not counting it as a real role. Call us crazy. We'd like to see Ryan take that and spin it into something more substantial. She is a brilliant comedic actress in her own right, so why not find her own Web Therapy?

There is something about Richard Gere that commands attention. He has that stern, yet gentle look and you want to listen to what he has to say. While he's being honored by the Czech's getting lifetime achievement awards and is coming out with a new movie that looks like he'll turn in a riveting performance, the days of An Officer and a Gentlemen, Pretty Woman and Chicago appear to be over. His star wattage would go a lot further on TV, however, and like his Pretty Woman co-star, people would tune in just to see what he'd do with whatever role he'd like to try. Something like The Americans would really do him justice.

It's unclear if Kate Hudson is even interested in her career any longer, but we're still interested in her, so she's making the list. She had a small role in Glee, but it wasn't a regular role, so it's not going against her. She showed a lot of promise in Almost Famous and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, but Bride Wars and others didn't make much spark. Still she's spunky and easy to watch. We'd like to see her tackle something fun like TVLand's Younger or a show reminiscent of FX's Married.

Cameron Diaz is on board for Bad Teacher 2. It's too bad she wasn't on board for the TV series Bad Teacher, and that it wasn't on cable, as she would have had a runaway hit on her hands. She does raunchy comedy with the best of them, and what she started in There's Something About Mary, she proved she can keep up when she did last year's The Other Woman. She's just engaging. Can you think of any reason HBO isn't trying to grab a comedienne like her up for a show like Ballers or The Brink? Better yet, let FX fight for her. You're the Worst was the best new comedy last year. They know how to write funny women!

Oy. Shia, Shia, Shia. I admit it. I loved Disturbia and Transformers. Shia had a really fun way about him. Then he started doing really odd movies. If anybody on this list needs a Hail Mary from TV, it's Shia LaBeouf. Going dark wasn't the best move for him, and since he's past the age of being cute and naive, it's hard to determine what could be the right move for his at this point. Dark comedy, perhaps, the likes of Nurse Jackie, or even something like Man Seeking Woman, another great FX comedy.