10 Best Alexander Skarsgård Movies And TV Shows, Ranked

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2025 is quietly shaping up to be the Year of the Skarsgård. Coming off the science fiction blockbuster hit "Dune: Part Two" from last year, patriarch Stellan Skarsgård has once again helped elevate genre content with a stunning dramatic turn in the "Star Wars" prequel series "Andor" on Disney+. Meanwhile, Bill Skarsgård has returned to the world of Stephen King and Pennywise the Clown, reprising the role that made him a household name in the HBO series "It: Welcome to Derry." But perhaps most significant of all is the latest endeavor of Alexander Skarsgård, an arguably underrated member of the acting dynasty currently leading "Murderbot," one of the buzziest shows of Apple TV+ triumphant 2025 run.

It's possible Alexander doesn't get as much attention because his most high-profile swing at a blockbuster turned out to be a major box office bomb. There are no "Thors" or "John Wicks" on his resume (the closest it gets is a supporting role in "Godzilla vs. Kong," where the real stars are the CGI assets), and he missed out on his chance to go villain in James Gunn's "Superman." There is, however, an impressive list of powerful dramatic and comedic performances in their stead that have flown relatively under the radar — though they won't remain there for long, if "Murderbot" keeps proving how unmistakable his talent has always been.

Here are the best Alexander Skarsgård movies and TV shows to watch, ranked.

Before we dive into the litany of leading performances that have made us fall in love with Alexander Skarsgård especially in the last few years, praise is due for one of his smaller roles in a lesser-known late 2010s romantic comedy that's actually pretty great. Directed by Jonathan Levine ("50/50," "Warm Bodies") from a screenplay by Dan Sterling ("The Interview") and Liz Hannah ("The Post"), "Long Shot" is a classic rom-com that captures a bygone cinematic energy by throwing two charming but unlikely lovers together without a care for boring things like realism or logic.

Seth Rogen stars as Fred Flarsky, a down-on-his-luck freelance journalist who stumbles into a potential career goldmine when he reconnects with his old babysitter — who, now, just so happens to be the U.S. Secretary of State and the quiet frontrunner in the upcoming presidential election (played by Charlize Theron). Skarsgård appears in the film as the Canadian Prime Minister, and though the script is mostly channeling a 2010s Justin Trudeau, Skarsgård gives him an awkward brashness that turns him into a three-dimensional rom-com villain. "Long Shot" is great on its own, but definitely worth watching for anyone interested in seeing Skarsgård in a light-hearted comedic story for a change.

For the majority of Alexander Skarsgård fans, they were first introduced to the actor playing the Northman – no, not that "Northman," but the character Eric Northman from the HBO supernatural drama "True Blood." The series (created in the late 2000s by "Six Feet Under" and "American Beauty" visionary Alan Ball, based on Charlaine Harris' "The Southern Vampire Mysteries" series of novels) is set in a world where vampires are struggling to emerge from centuries of secrecy, joining society for the first time thanks to the invention of "Tru Blood" (synthetic "blood" that can satisfy the vampires' natural but uncontrollable urges).

The series overall presented such an imaginative premise for these monsters that it sucked the world back into a love affair with vampires (it certainly helped that "Twilight" craze was starting to get into full effect as well). Skarsgård was perfectly cast as a hulking, mysterious Viking vampire, literally towering over every scene with a distinct vibe that's effortlessly charismatic and menacing at the same time. While his performance is totally believable, there's also something so impressive about how well he nails the show's tone and style, especially given that his later work is mostly naturalistic and understated, his soapy head-whips and dramatic stares feel artfully employed rather than cheap. 

It's a shame HBO sent "True Blood" back to the grave by cancelling the long-awaited reboot. Seeing Skarsgård return to the role in the prime of his acting career would emphasize how spectacular he was back in 2008.

The only thing better than reading a book is watching one — an experience no series has achieved quite like "Big Little Lies." When the first season of the HBO drama series debuted in 2017, it perfectly captured what it was like to lose yourself in Liane Moriarty's word-world of seduction, tension, and murder. This is due in large part to the adaptive work of writer/creator David E. Kelley and director Jean-Marc Vallée, who perfectly translate Moriarty's plot to the medium of visual storytelling without compromising the tone she carefully crafted with her prose. When married to the stacked ensemble cast HBO was able to assemble, "Big Little Lies" manages to whisk viewers away on a thrill ride that has all the psychological intrigue of prestige TV and the breezy pleasure of a beach read

The story focuses on the secret-filled lives of five women residing in the affluent bayside city of Monterey, California. There's recent divorcee Madeline (Reese Witherspoon); Bonnie, the young yoga instructor who married her ex-husband (Zoë Kravitz); her mom-friend Celeste (Nicole Kidman); Jane (Shailene Woodley), a newcomer searching for her child's estranged father; and the powerful community leader Renata (Laura Dern). Alexander Skarsgård plays Celeste's husband Perry, making up the other half of a toxic and abusive marriage.

There's only so much we can say without spoiling the twists necessary to make "Big Little Lies" enjoyable for first-time viewers (and trust us, you don't want to ruin the first season for yourself, considering how much of a decline in quality season 2 is). Suffice it to say, Skarsgård delivers a memorable supporting performance in the series, standing out in the crowded ensemble as one of the series' most entrancing characters. Skarsgård was awarded a Golden Globe and nominated for a Primetime Emmy award for playing Perry.

"Documentary Now" has long been the pinnacle of parody filmmaking, quickly evolving past being a parade of niche, expensive "Saturday Night Live" digital shorts and becoming an honest-to-god anthology masterpiece with more artistic merit than most series on TV right now. The general conceit is that the show's writers, directors, and stars (which include Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, Seth Meyers, John Mulaney, and Tim Robinson) take aim at a specific, real documentary and try to recreate its visual and narrative style while telling an original mockumentary story about something completely ridiculous.

In season 4, "Documentary Now" tackled acclaimed and infamous documentarian Werner Herzog, whose relentless and unforgiving filmmaking style can be seen in documentaries like "Grizzly Man" and "Into the Abyss." Herzog has also been the subject of documentary himself — in 1982, Les Blank's "Burden of Dreams" followed him during the disastrous production of the fiction film "Fitzcarraldo," painting Herzog as a passionate but volatile and exacting director. Coincidentally, these traits were parodied on the TV show "Entourage," in which a Herzog-analog was played by Stellan Skarsgård. But when "Documentary Now" wanted to pay more direct homage to "Burden of Dreams" and Herzog's career overall, they cast his son Alexander Skarsgård as the legendary filmmaker.

"Soldier of Illusion" is surreal, hilarious, and unexpectedly disquieting as it looks at the absurdity of Herzog's artistic dedication from a new angle. Skarsgård's Rainer Wolz is compelling and empathetic. The actor's performance, coupled with Mulaney's bluntly comedic script and Alex Buono and Rhys Thomas' fidelitous '80s aesthetic, creates a hyper-reality so tangible it's often hard to remember you aren't actually watching a documentary.

The Skarsgård family has been giving film audiences nightmares for decades now, and though Alexander Skarsgård is known for playing more conventional dramatic characters than his relatives, he still did his part to honor the family brand with "Infinity Pool." The 2023 sci-fi horror film was written and directed by Brandon Cronenberg, himself a member of a horror dynasty, being the son of the legendary and influential genre filmmaker David Cronenberg ("The Fly," "Crimes of the Future"). Brandon had made an impact on the genre in his own right with 2020's "Possessor," and was set to really make audiences squirm with an even gorier follow-up.

Fresh off several buzzy roles in projects we'll discuss further down, Skarsgård takes on the leading role opposite contemporary scream queen Mia Goth (the "X" trilogy). He plays James Foster, a young writer who tries to escape his relationship problems by taking a getaway to a remote country that attracts wealthy tourists like his wife Em (Cleopatra Coleman). He quickly falls under the influence of an arresting fellow traveler named Gabi (Goth), who encourages him to engage in dangerous, morally corrosive acts — the consequences of which (due to the country's unique laws, culture, and apparent scientific advancements) are that James be forced to watch a clone of himself be horrifically executed by the state. 

"Infinity Pool" might not be a unanimous crowd-pleaser, but the endless sense of tension it creates is enough to draw anyone in — hardcore body horror fans will also be satisfied by the scares, practical effects, and imaginative murders Cronenberg concocts.

Lars von Trier has an infamous reputation as a filmmaker, not least of all because he's proven himself capable of making horror moves that make audiences physically sick. Arguably the pinnacle of his disturbing filmography is the so-called "Depression Trilogy," a set of thematically-related works that manifested from von Trier's own emotional and psychological struggles. Between 2009's experimental "Antichrist" and the two part erotic thriller "Nymphomaniac," he made "Melancholia," a greatly underrated apocalyptic movie that deserves your attention.

Released in 2011, it follows a woman named Justine ("Spider-Man" star Kirsten Dunst) living with chronic depression as a massive rogue planet literally looms overhead. Though the scientific community is confident that the planet will simply move close but harmlessly past Earth before moving on, Justine is convinced that it will somehow enter a collision course that will end all life in the universe. Alexander Skarsgård has a prominent supporting role in the first half of the film as Justine's fiance Michael, whom she loves but ultimately cannot see a happy life with. 

On its own merits, "Melancholia" is one of the best movies of the 2010s. In terms of Skarsgård's career, his vulnerable performance makes up for his lack of screentime, though not enough to rank it above some of his meatier roles.

If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.

It might be too early to determine where exactly "Murderbot" truly belongs on this list. The newly released Apple TV+ series hasn't even finished airing its first season as of writing, and the network has at least seven entries in Martha Wells' "The Murderbot Diaries" to mine material from. That said, it's already such an entertaining star vehicle for Alexander Skarsgård that it could go down as his career-defining project — for now, a spot in the top 5 feels reasonable.

If you have yet to be acquainted with the weird delight that is "Murderbot," it follows the misadventures of a corporate security android (played by Skarsgård) who musters up enough free will and self-awareness to hack into his programming, liberating him from the lines of code that dictate his every moment. Now in total control of his future, the self-christened "Murderbot" is forced to play the role of mindless drone to avoid being melted down by his creators before he can make his final escape. He accompanies mining crews on dangerous expeditions and pretends to be as oblivious as possible. Every so often, an accident or local hostile will compel him to protect the humans he cares very little for — the rest of the time, he's binge-watching thousands of hours of streaming content and monologuing to himself about whether or not he should slay his captors.

Skarsgård is absolutely killer as the melancholy Murderbot, making his mechanical alienation strangely relatable. It would be easy for the character's verbosity to drift into an unlikable "Dexter"-style narcissism, but Skarsgård's performance — with its mix of bored detachment and weird bursts of youthful excitement — gives "Murderbot" a narrative vibe that's as unsettling as it is endearing.

With a relatively modest plot that relies on subtle comedic writing, rich dramatic performances, and steady, realistic character development over cheap twists and reveals, "Succession" proved from its first season that watching wealthy elites self-destruct is irresistible television. It's a show that could seemingly generate endless conflict by reshuffling the allegiances of its core cast members, without the need for the rote injection of external conflict from disposable seasonal antagonists, which is why no one expected too much of Alexander Skarsgård when he was cast alongside Adrien Brody as a guest star in season 3. Brody, expectedly, was an amusing part of a single episode, but Skarsgård became one of the most important characters on the show.

The spiritual and thematic battle that drives "Succession" is the old vs. the new, with the Roys ultimately representing the "old" world of media and Skarsgård's Elon Musk-esque Lukas Matsson representing the "new" world of tech. He and his company GoJo fluctuate between a potential asset to be acquired by Waystar Royco, a company worthy of merging with them, and, ultimately a behemoth capable of gobbling the Roys whole. Skarsgård plays Matsson like a boyish, stupid sociopath who is so alienated from normal people that he can't help but see them as disposable pawns. At the same time, Matsson is given a humiliating humanity that paints his evilness not as genius, but as the embarrassingly insecure behavior of someone with no social skills. He nails the series' delicate tone, creating a character who is both plausibly dangerous and deeply stupid.

Skarsgård and Matsson became the central villain for the triumphant final season of "Succession." Though he can't hope to fill the massive void left by Brian Cox's Logan Roy, Skarsgård is imposing, memorable, and totally arresting, and a large reason why season 4 might be the best season of "Succession" overall. 

The first episode of HBO's "Band of Brothers" aired on September 9, 2001, two days before the 9/11 terrorist attacks would change how citizens view the military, foreign occupations, and warfare at large. In the more than two decades since the show's premiere, "Band of Brothers" has been held up as the gold standard of the war TV show. During that same time, however, that national, psychological scarring gave way to a more complicated and skeptical view of the U.S. military and the government's actions overseas — a change which is reflected in HBO's 2018 miniseries "Generation Kill."

Created by David Simon and Ed Burns (of "The Wire" fame) and based on the real-life experiences of author and journalist Evan Wright (who also wrote for the series), "Generation Kill" follows a platoon of U.S. marine soldiers during the early days of America's invasion of Iraq from the perspective of a journalist (played by "Oz" alum Lee Tergesen) embedded in their ranks. Gone are the stoic, righteous heroes of World War II, and in their place are flawed and fragile young men with more firepower than practical experience. 

Alexander Skarsgård plays Staff Sergeant Brad Colbert, a character based on a retired marine veteran who has since become an outspoken advocate for the awareness of post traumatic stress disorder brought on by joining the military. The series' unflinchingly brave reckoning with the psychological and emotional consequences of warfare is what raises it to the level of "Band of Brothers," and the subtle, natural performance from Skarsgård is what raises it to the near-top of his filmography.

Making a movie like "The Northman" had been a lifelong dream for Alexander Skarsgård. The Swedish actor had been raised with an appreciation for Norse culture and mythology, and when he was old enough to start acting and imagining his own creative future, he became obsessed with the idea of telling an honest, authentic Viking story, the likes of which Hollywood had never seen.

As Skarsgård discussed during a 2022 interview with /Film leading up to the film's release, he felt unsatisfied with how Norse legend had been portrayed up to that point, including in Marvel Studios' "Thor" films, most of which feature Stellan Skarsgård as human scientist and Norse mythology expert Erik Selvig. "I loved ['Thor: Ragnarok'], thought it was super funny, but again was wondering why there had never been a more realistic or more grounded Viking movie," he told us. Fortunately for Skarsgård, in 2017, his vision happened to align with that of co-writer-director Robert Eggers, who had recently become fascinated by Vikings and Norse mythology himself after a trip to Iceland, which also coincidentally led to Eggers meeting his future co-writer Sjón.

With all the pieces in place and production under way, Skarsgård went absolutely wild for his role as the Norse folk legend Amleth, packing on serious muscle mass and enduring a physically and mentally strenuous filming process to tell the story of the Viking prince's quest for generational vengeance. It's a credit to both Eggers' career and Skarsgård's talent that "The Northman" still rules despite being Eggers' most disappointing film upon release, though we feel it has aged into a violent, trippy, visually striking, and emotionally dynamic showcase of Skarsgård as a truly great actor.