10 Jason Ritter movies and TV Shows that are a must watch for admirers

From heartfelt heroes to hilarious sidekicks, Ritter’s got range, charm, and a résumé worth bingeing. Even though he may have inherited a legendary surname, Jason Ritter carved out his own dynamic path in Hollywood with a mix of sincerity, wit, and surprising emotional depth. Whether he’s making you laugh in a deadpan dramedy or breaking your heart as the boy-next-door who doesn’t get the girl, Jason brings a quiet magnetism to every role.

He has portrayed characters like Kevin, the reluctant miracle-in-progress in Kevin (Probably) Saves the World, and done voice performances as the adorably awkward Dipper Pines in Disney’s Gravity Falls. Ritter's performances are always brimming with heart and soulfulness. He's been the goofy best friend, the complex romantic lead, and even the unexpected villain. So, whether you’re a die-hard fan or a curious newcomer, here’s a curated watchlist of 10 must-see Jason Ritter performances that prove talent really does run in the family.

---

Matlock (2024)

Category: TV series

Role Played: Julian

In a bold revival of the legal drama genre, Matlock aired on screens in 2024 with Jason Ritter starring in a role that’s as layered as it is charming. The legendary Kathy Bates stepped into the shoes of the titular attorney, Madeline “Matty” Matlock, breathing new life into the courtroom classic. But it was Jason Ritter’s portrayal of Julian, a corporate legal associate with secrets folded under his tailored suits, that added a delicious unpredictability to the show’s dynamic. Ritter’s Julian is no mere background player. His character threads the line between allegiance and ambition, bringing nuance to each scene and playing on an interesting dynamic with the main lead, Matty.

Julian is deeply fascinated by Matty and her clever ways in the courtroom, and fans get to witness this narrative unfold on-screen. In a series where sharp dialogue and moral ambiguity are the currency, Ritter’s effortless shift between smooth-talking charmer and troubled insider adds depth to the reboot. Sharing scenes with Kathy Bates is no small feat, but Ritter holds his own, delivering a quiet hurricane of emotion hiding beneath the surface. With this role, Ritter proves once again that he can turn even the most traditional genre pieces into something edgy and vividly contemporary.

---

Frozen 2 (2019)

Category: Movie

Role Played: Ryder

Frozen 2, Disney’s follow-up to the cultural phenomenon that was Frozen, features Jason Ritter as he lends his voice to Ryder, a member of the Northuldra tribe. While his screen time might be modest, Ritter manages to imbue Ryder with a kind-hearted curiosity and youthful spirit that resonates within the film’s deeper exploration of identity and ancestral legacy. “I wanted him to feel like someone who sees the world with wonder,” Ritter shared during a behind-the-scenes look with Disney. “Even though he’s lived through hardship, he still finds joy in connection.”

Ryder immediately wins over audiences with his wide-eyed enthusiasm for reindeer, particularly Kristoff’s. Their brief, hilarious bromance includes many memorable exchanges as Ryder helps Kristoff find the perfect proposal for Anna, and they bond over their mutual love and knack for conversing with reindeer. The charm is undeniable, and Ritter’s voice work brings warmth and humor, adding an essential human layer to a film that already sings with magic and meaning. And let’s be honest, anyone who has a reindeer for a best friend needs to be protected at all costs.

---

Gravity Falls (2012)

Category: TV series

Role Played: Dipper Pines

If it ever stands that Jason Ritter was born to be a voice actor, it's with the animated series Gravity Falls. Ritter delivers a career-defining performance as Dipper Pines, a nosy and frequently frazzled 12-year-old spending the summer in the eerie town of Gravity Falls. Next to Kristen Schaal’s iconic rendition of Mabel Pines, Dipper’s dopey and fearless twin sister, Ritter creates a character that both kids and adults can laugh and relate to.

Created by Alex Hirsch, Gravity Falls became a cult classic, blending cryptic puzzles, supernatural elements, and dark humor before it was cool. Ritter’s voice, slightly cracking with adolescent energy, perfectly captures the struggles of growing up in a topsy-turvy world. One moment, he’s chasing ghosts, and the next, he’s nervously trying to confess his crush on Wendy. Ritter’s delivery is tender, honest, and unexpectedly profound, elevating what could’ve been just another animated mystery show into a layered coming-of-age story.

---

Freddy Vs. Jason (2003)

Category: Movie

Role Played: Will Rollins

Before Jason Ritter became the voice of pubescent adventurers or idealistic lawyers, he made his mark in horror history as Will Rollins in the action horror Freddy vs. Jason, the monster mashup nobody saw coming but everybody was dying (pun intended) to watch. Directed by Ronny Yu, the film pits Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) against Jason Voorhees (Ken Kirzinger) in a bloody battle royale of slashers. Caught in the crossfire is Ritter’s Will, an earnest and haunted teenager wrongfully locked away in a mental institution.

What makes Ritter stand out in a movie known more for carnage than character development is the sheer empathy he brings to Will. He’s not just a victim but a survivor. He shares the screen with Monica Keena as Lori Campbell, his on-screen love interest, and their chemistry gives the film a surprisingly emotional core, offering something for audiences to cling to and root for between the blood-soaked battles. Though Freddy vs. Jason is unabashedly campy, Ritter’s grounded performance gives the film its human pulse. He’s the guy you want on your team when the odds involve dream demons and machete-wielding maniacs.

---

Joan of Arcadia (2003)

Category: TV series

Role Played: Kevin Girardi

In the fantastical TV series Joan of Arcadia, Jason Ritter delivered one of the most stirring performances of his career as Kevin Girardi, the older brother of Joan (Amber Tamblyn), a teenager who begins receiving visits from God in various human forms. Even though Kevin is not the chosen one, his journey is equally critical. Once a high school star baseball player with a promising future, Kevin’s life takes a drastic turn after a horrible car accident leaves him paralyzed. Ritter’s portrayal of life as a disabled person is nuanced, raw, and deeply moving.

The honesty in his performance is gut-wrenching, as is his quiet growth throughout the series. Kevin struggles with depression, resentment, and identity, but Ritter never lets the character slip into cliché. His chemistry with Joe Mantegna and Mary Steenburgen (who play his parents) is electric, grounding the show’s metaphysical elements in a family dynamic that feels stunningly real. More than just a sibling subplot, Kevin's initial tragedy is a catalyst for the entire series and Joan's entire arc, reflecting the show’s core theme: how do we find purpose in a world that doesn’t always play fair?

---

Parenthood (2010)

Category: TV series

Role Played: Mark Cyr

When Jason Ritter first appeared in NBC’s Parenthood, he walked into the Braverman family drama with a kind charm, authenticity, and a crooked smile that could disarm even the toughest of helicopter parents. Ritter played Mark Cyr, a sensitive high school English teacher who falls for the brilliant but emotionally complicated Sarah Braverman (portrayed by Lauren Graham). Their relationship blooms quietly but meaningfully, becoming one of the most layered romances in the show’s early seasons. Mark was earnest, patient, and emotionally intelligent, a rare thing in the chaotic whirlwind of Braverman family politics.

But Ritter didn’t just play a romantic lead; he embodied the reality of what it means to be with someone struggling to figure out their place in life and the world. His scenes with Mae Whitman, who played Sarah’s daughter, Amber, were so poignant and offered a window into the difficulties of being a potential stepfather before any conversations of marriage occurred between him and Sarah. While fans were split on who Sarah should end up with, there’s no denying that Mark Cyr remains one of the show’s most beloved supporting characters and romantic leads, with Ritter bringing him to life with such warmth that you couldn’t help but love him.

---

Bitch (2017)

Category: Movie

Role Played: Bill Hart

The American dark comedy, Bitch, is not a movie for the faint-hearted or the traditionalist viewer. It’s bold, bizarre, and a symbolic social commentary that walks the tightrope between psychological drama and dark humor. However, what anchors the madness is Jason Ritter’s performance as Bill Hart, a husband forced to confront the broken machinery of his family life. In Marianna Palka’s twisted feminist fable, a suburban mother (played by Palka herself) snaps from years of emotional neglect, has a psychological breakdown, and starts acting like a feral dog living in the basement.

As she abandons the responsibilities of motherhood, it’s up to her estranged husband to pick up the pieces. Enter Ritter, who plays Bill Hart, an emotionally distant workaholic, too absorbed in his own professional stress to notice his wife unraveling into pieces. But as the film progresses, we witness something rare in the offbeat storytelling. We witness a genuine emotional evolution and an impeccable character arc to remember. It’s a standout performance not just because Ritter brings gravity to such a surreal scenario, but because he does so without ever tipping into melodrama, making the audience believe in redemption, and not because it’s easy, but because it’s the right choice.

---

Another Period (2015)

Category: TV series

Role Played: Lord Frederick Bellacourt

From somber suburban dad to narcissistic, aristocratic himbo, Jason Ritter’s role in Another Period is proof that the man can do absurd just as well as he does sincere. The Comedy Central series, created by Natasha Leggero and Riki Lindhome, is a spoof of both Downton Abbey and Keeping Up with the Kardashians, and Ritter fits in as Lord Frederick Bellacourt, the vain, idiotic, yet strangely endearing son of the Bellacourt family. Imagine a man so oblivious he doesn’t realize his sister is in love with him, and Ritter leans into the oblivious persona of his character, giving us a performance that’s both gleefully dumb and deceptively vulnerable.

Frederick is obsessed with his looks, addicted to opium, and constantly disappointing his father and getting embroiled in increasingly deranged scandals. Yet Ritter makes him not only bearable but a riot to watch. His comic timing is impeccable, especially when paired with Paget Brewster as his high-society mother and David Wain as his pervy uncle. This is Ritter unchained, indulging in physical comedy, facial expressions, and satirical dialogue with gusto. It’s not just complicated dialects and intense hand gestures; it’s a masterclass in how to make even the worst kind of aristocrat into a comedic repository.

---

Good Dick (2008)

Category: Movie

Role Played: The Man

Though the film’s title may raise some eyebrows, the movie Good Dick is one of the most intimate and ambitious indie romances ever to be played out on-screen, and it rests squarely on the charismatic shoulders of Jason Ritter. Directed by and starring Marianna Palka, the film tells the story of a lonely video store clerk, played by Ritter, who becomes obsessed with a reclusive young woman renting softcore p*rn. What sounds like the setup to a creepy thriller is, in fact, a deeply empathetic exploration of trauma, sexuality, and emotional healing.

Ritter’s character, known only as The Man, is equal parts awkward and persistent, but not in the toxic Hollywood trope way. His romantic inclination towards 'the woman' stems from genuineness, and he finds himself truly drawn to her. Their chemistry is palpable and lends the film an authenticity that cuts through its gritty aesthetics and unconventional structure. For viewers looking to see Jason Ritter stripped of pretense, both literally and metaphorically, Good Dick is a must-watch.

---

Kevin (Probably) Saves the World (2017)

Category: TV series

Role Played: Kevin Finn

In a media landscape overflowing with antiheroes and grimdark protagonists, Kevin Finn felt like a breath of celestial air. In this short-lived but deeply charming ABC series, Ritter plays a man who, after surviving a suicide attempt, is told by a celestial guide, Yvette, that he’s been chosen to save the world. Though the premise sounds like your standard “chosen one” plot, Kevin (Probably) Saves the World stands apart because of Ritter’s sincere, frequently hilarious, and effortlessly hopeful performance.

At the start, Kevin is a mess. He's self-absorbed, depressed, and skeptical, but as he starts helping others, after being angelically nudged, he begins to rediscover his own worth. Ritter’s real-life affability serves him well here, turning Kevin into someone anyone would absolutely want as their guardian angel, even if he’s a bit of a klutz. It’s a show that believed in decency and goodness, and Jason Ritter was the perfect vessel for that message. It’s a shame it didn’t get the second season it deserved, but for those who watched the series, Kevin Finn remains one of Ritter’s most impactful and emotionally moving roles.