It’s now over 17 years since TJ Miller broke into mainstream Hollywood and we would say that he has fared quite well in movies and series. On the floor of Behind the Voice Actors (BTVA), he has at least 4 nominations; and other nominations at the Critics Choice TV Awards and Screen Awards. He devises means to fit into different genres, thereby putting himself in the place of a highly acclaimed American actor.
Whether you think of his roles in Silicon Valley, Deadpool, or Big Hero 6, it is apparent that Miller is one hell of an actor. Yet, there is no denying that some of his films and series may reach higher peaks than others.
Whether you want to hear his voice as a voice actor or see him in action, there is always Miller’s work worth watching. Well, if you happen to need any recommendations, here are 15 of Miller’s films and TV series (in no particular order) you shouldn’t miss.
TJ Miller Movies And TV Shows To See
1. Cloverfield (2008)
Alongside the likes of Lizzy Caplan and Jessica Lucas, Miller appeared in Cloverfield. It marked his film debut and he played Hud Platt, the cameraman capturing the events.
Although he is shown only one time in the entire movie, his voice is vital to the film as it is in most scenes.
The American found footage monster film tells the story of a creature that unleashes itself and kills many. The story is captured by Hud (Miller) who later gets killed by the monster.
Miller’s contribution to this film landed it a 2008 historical spot when it became the first film of the year to reach $100 million at the worldwide box office. It later grossed $172.4 million against a $25–30 million budget.
2. T.J. Miller: Meticulously Ridiculous (2017)
Somehow, we can say that there is most likely not going to be a “public figure” T.J. Miller if his being a comedian is not present. Therefore, the list of his best works to watch before his next production will be incomplete without the mention of his comedy special, T.J. Miller: Meticulously Ridiculous.
The comedy which was staged in Denver and released by HBO in 2017 is one of the best comedy specials of the year, at least, based on ratings on the internet.
It was directed by Jeff Tomsic and is rated 88% based on 8 top critics on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the rating is reduced to 26% based on the audience score on the film review aggregate website.
3. Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)
We get so much used to seeing Miller on stage as a comedian and even in movies. Well, Age of Extinction is more or less a movie that brings him out of the niche many of us are used to seeing the actor.
The film is a 2014 science fiction action film which is based on Transformers. It tells the story of how an alien race came to Earth and covered it with Transformium, a metallic alloy.
A geologist excavates the metallic alloy and creates “Transformers”. Later perceived to be dangerous, the CIA tried to track them down.
Along the line, Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg) finds a badly damaged Optimus and brings it with him. Now, Miller who plays Lucas Flannery is not in support of his best friend Cade keeping Optimus, hence, he calls the autorotity.
Unfortunately, Harold Attinger (Kelsey Grammer) is very much interested in getting Optimus and he and his men attack the Yeager farm and kill Lucas, Miller’s character in the process.
This film is one of T.J. Miller’s biggest films in terms of earnings as it grossed $1.104 billion, making over 5 times its budget.
4. Big Hero 6 (2014)
Produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and directed by Don Hall and Chris Williams, Big Hero 6 is one of Miller’s films. It remains one of his highest-grossing movies with a budget of $165 million and a box office realization of $657.8 million.
The actor voiced Fred, a character he receives credit for making it richer than expected. The role is that of a comic-book fan and slacker who is also a team mascot at San Fransokyo Institute of Technology.
The animation narrates the story of a young robotics prodigy Hiro Hamada (Ryan Potter) and his late brother’s healthcare provider robot named Baymax (Scott Adsit).
Sticking to a superhero tale, Hiro and Baymax work against a villain responsible for Tidashi, Hiro’s brother’s death.
5. Deadpool (2016)
T.J. Miller’s face never showed in this American Marvel Comic but his voice brings the animation to life. He voiced Weasel (Jack Hammer), a supporting character. Weasel is also Deadpool’s best friend, sidekick, and arms dealer.
The film mainly centers on the life of Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) and how he becomes injected in order to gain mutant abilities. He goes after all the people responsible for the mutant.
The film grossed $782.6 million at the box office against a $58 million budget. The film is also one of Miller’s most successful films in terms of nominations and awards.
Although his role may have earned many accolades, the film as a whole garnered many.
6. Silicon Valley (2014-2019)
Miller played the role of Erlich Bachman in the American comedy series. The series was created by Mike Judge, John Altschuler, and Dave Krinsky.
Silicon Valley started airing in 2014 and concluded in 2019. In its 53 episodes, Miller was featured in 38 and played the role of an innovation incubator in his house and also owns 10% of Pied Piper.
The series tells the story of a programmer, Richard Hendricks (Thomas Middleditch). He finds a startup company called Pied Piper and he has to struggle to maintain competition.
Miller received appraisal for his great role interpretation. In fact, he received accolades including a Critics Choice TV Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
7. Gravity Falls (2012-2016)
With two Emmy Awards, three Annie Awards, and a BAFTA Children’s Award topping its list of awards, it is only clear that Gravity Falls is one of Miller’s sitcoms to watch.
The Disney sitcom was created by Alex Hirsch and it has received numerous praises since its original release date on June 15, 2012. Among the many things that receive nods in the series is its voicing.
This means that the actors, including Miller whose character is that of Robbie Valentino in 13 of 40 episodes bring life to the series.
The story rallies around 12-year-old twins Dipper and Manel Pines who visit a town called Gravity Falls. There, they discover a lot of secrets that form the many incredible stories in the series.
8. How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
With his twin, Ruffnut ( Kristen Wiig), Tuffnut Thorston (Miller) is quarrelsome. Yet, they find themselves interested in learning how to fight dragons, a premise upon which the movie is built.
At first, his village finds it interesting to fight dragons and he also finds it a normal way of life. The story changes when Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III (Jay Baruchel) fails to learn.
Hiccup then finds a dragon, names him toothless, and learns how to train dragons from him.
The animation gained 99% from movie aggregate Rotten Tomatoes and recorded $494.9 million at the box office.
The success of the film led to the creation of a sequel, How to Train a Dragon 2 (2014), and How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World.
9. Hell and Back (2020)
Miller is Augie in Hell and Back which premiered in 2010. The adult animation centers on the lives of three friends, Augie (Miller), Remy (Nick Swardson), and Curt (Rob Riggle). They find themselves in hell after Curt and Remy make a blood oath.
Curt becomes the first among the friends to land in hell while Augie and Remy work to ensure his return. With that, Augie and Remy also travel to hell where they meet the devil, the Greek legend Orpheus, several other demons, and an angel.
After a long journey and searching for a way out, they finally make it out and renovate the park where it all started.
10. The Gorburger Show (2012–2013)
The Gorburger Show is evidence of the comedy prowess of the 43–year-old Miller. It is an American TV series created by Ryan McNeely and Josh Martin, and Miller also took to writing some of its episodes.
Sticking to the show’s title, Miller is featured as Gorburger, a giant blue monster who took over a Japanese TV station. Rather than destroying the station, he chooses to start hosting and even bringing guests to interview.
The Internet Movie Database, IMDB ranks the show on a 7.3/10 aggregate from users.
11. The Goodwin Games (2013)
When Jake Lacy left the sitcom after its pilot, T.J. Miller stepped into the character of Jimmy Godwin, one of three struggling siblings to inherit their father’s $23 million inheritance.
Jimmy is also a petty criminal who sneaks in to see his daughter at night.
His life gets to see a break of dawn when he finds out that he will be an instant millionaire due to his being one of the 3 heirs of his father’s secret over $20 million. However, this comes with the price of having to be a part of a game with his two siblings, Henry Godwin (Scott Foley) and Chloe Godwin (Becky Newton).
The comedy series although interesting in its own right seems to be one of Miller’s less-rated series on Rotten Tomatoes as it records 38% of 16 votes. Yet, it seems to have received more positive reviews from over 2700 votes on IMDB and a 6.6/10 rating.
12. Carpoolers (2007)
Marmaduke Brooker is an important cast member in Carpoolers, an American TV ABC sitcom. It was released from 2007 to March 2008.
Although the sitcom clearly did not last a long time since it ran for only a season, Miller’s important role cannot be denied. The role is that of a highly articulated and emotionally stunted man. He spends most of his life at home but his character even makes Carpoolers more interesting
13. She’s Out of My League
This comedy film received mixed reviews. While others find it appealing and very funny, others on the other hand think it’s a teen comedy cliché.
Whatever the case, the movie grossed $49.8 million at the box office over a $20 million budget.
The character of T. J. Miller is that of Wendell “Stainer”. He plays a supporting role as Kirk Kettner’s friend, a nerdy and skinny Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agent.
Strainer ranks people based on compatibility, mostly around 0 to 5 over 10. He even ranks his friend Kirk 5 and Kirk’s girlfriend Molly 10, claiming that Molly is above Kirk’s league.
Stainer deals with insecurities in the movie and has to deal with them or suffer the loss of friendship or even a love interest.
14. Underwater (2020)
As the name of the movie implies, the story is about colleagues who get trapped underwater after the occurrence of an earthquake. They have to find a way to make it out of the water.
While trying, they discover that their problem is not only being trapped beneath the water but that there are also strange creatures that they have to deal with. Paul Abel (T.J. Miller) is one of the 6 people who have to struggle.
Unfortunately, Miller’s character doesn’t get to live to the end of the movie and he gets killed by the strange creature.
The 2020 American science fiction action horror film failed to make a great impression at the box office since it grossed $40.9 million, falling short of its budget of $50 to $80 million.
Whatever the case, you would probably love to see Miller fight his way in the water, something you don’t get to see him do all the time!
15. Ready Player One (2018)
Have you seen Miller in an antagonist mode? Well, Ready Player One exposes him as one – not an extreme villain anyway!
He plays the character of i-R0k, a hunter in OASIS, and a villain with a good sense of humor.
The sci-fi film which was produced by Donald De Line, Kristie, Macosko Krieger, Steven Spielberg, and Dan Farah; and directed by Steven Spielberg rides on the story of people trying to find the golden Easter egg to grant them ownership of the OASIS.
i-R0k doesn’t seem to care about who wins as far as he will make a profit at the end of it all.
The film features Tye Sheridan as Wade Watts (Parziva), Olivia Cooke as Samantha Cook (Art3mis), and Ben Mendelsohn as Nolan Sorrento (IOI-655321). It grossed $592.2 million at the box office and gets mostly good reviews from movie critics and from movie rating websites.
It also attracted about 17 nominations and won Outstanding Created Environment, in a Photoreal Feature, Outstanding Virtual Cinematography, in a Photoreal Project, and Best Science Fiction Film at the Visual Effects Society Awards and Saturn Awards in 2019.