In the landscape of modern screen comedy, Will Forte is the undisputed master of heroic, unapologetic commitment to absurdity.
Where other performers look for the safety net of irony or self-awareness, Forte sprinted in the exact opposite direction. During his eight legendary seasons on Saturday Night Live, Forte built a reputation as the writer and performer who would take the most bizarre, unsettling premises—from a nervous politician who whisper-speaks his darkest secrets to a man screaming at an imaginary falcon—and push them past the point of exhaustion until the audience surrendered to tears of laughter.
Yet to categorize Forte solely as an absurdist clown is to overlook one of contemporary cinema’s most tender dramatic actors. Whether anchoring Alexander Payne’s Oscar-nominated road movie Nebraska, inventing a post-apocalyptic sitcom on The Last Man on Earth, or breathing chaotic life into MacGruber, Forte’s vulnerability makes every eccentric character deeply human.
Here are the 10 best Will Forte movies and TV shows, ranked from great to legendary.
10. The Lego Movie (2014)
The Role: The sixteenth President of the United States who rockets away on a flying rocket chair to escape Lord Business's minions.
Reuniting with long-time collaborators Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (with whom he forged his animation roots on Clone High), Forte’s brief cameo as a flying, exasperated Abraham Lincoln steals every second of screen time. His distressed delivery—screaming “A house divided against itself… would be better than this!”—is an iconic micro-masterclass in comic panic.
9. Sweet Tooth (2021–2024)
The Role: A loving, secretive father who raises his deer-hybrid son in the safety of a secluded Yellowstone cabin as society collapses.
In Netflix’s poignant comic book adaptation, Forte provided the vital emotional heartbeat of the entire series. Appearing primarily in the show’s pilot and flashback sequences, Forte played Pubba with infinite tenderness, protective fear, and gentle folk wisdom. His performance establishes the profound paternal love that propels young Gus across a broken world.
8. Booksmart (2019)
The Role: The aggressively supportive, hilariously woke father who tries way too hard to relate to his teenage daughter’s sexuality.
Paired with comedy royalty Lisa Kudrow as Kaitlyn Dever’s over-enthusiastic parents, Forte played Doug as the ultimate well-meaning suburban dad. From driving rideshare passengers while quizzing them on safety protocol to gently encouraging his daughter to attend high school graduation ragers, Forte’s improvised domestic energy provided warmth to Olivia Wilde’s teen classic.
7. A Futile and Stupid Gesture (2018)
The Role: The brilliant, self-destructive counterculture satirist who created *National Lampoon*, *Animal House*, and *Caddyshack*.
David Wain’s biopic placed the burden of American comedy history on Forte’s shoulders. Playing Harvard Lampoon rebel and National Lampoon visionary Doug Kenney, Forte balanced anarchic wit with private sorrow and substance addiction. The film serves as a heartfelt love letter to the revolutionary sketch and improv roots we explored in our chronicle of The Second City and modern comedy institutions.
6. Bodkin (2024)
The Role: An American true-crime podcaster whose sunny, optimistic Midwestern veneer unravels as he investigates cold-case disappearances in a hostile Irish coastal town.
In this twisty Irish mystery series, Forte delivered a nuanced character study of the modern true-crime podcaster. Gilbert Power is enthusiastic, culturally clumsy, and deeply in debt, desperate to exploit real human tragedy for download numbers while convincing himself he seeks artistic truth. Forte handled the rapid transitions from pitch-black comedy to genuine thriller tension with veteran poise.
5. Clone High (2002–2003, 2023–Present)
The Role: The angst-ridden, socially awkward genetic clone of Abraham Lincoln navigating high school romance, puberty, and teen drama tropes.
Before Lord and Miller took over Hollywood, they created this groundbreaking MTV animated satire. Forte voiced Abe as the ultimate teen melodrama protagonist: constantly pining after Cleopatra, oblivious to Joan of Arc’s affections, and delivering earnest, crack-voiced philosophical speeches that parody shows like Dawson’s Creek. Forte’s vocal dexterity turned Abe into an immortal cult icon.
4. Saturday Night Live (2002–2010)
The Legacy: Unforgettable original characters including MacGruber, Tim Calhoun, The Falconer, Greg Stink, and the legendary "Potato Chip" sketch.
Will Forte’s eight-season tenure at Studio 8H stands as one of the most uniquely daring runs in the show’s five-decade history. While castmates like Bill Hader and Andy Samberg mastered impressions and viral videos, Forte was the writers’ room hero who championed pure, uncompromised weirdness.
From the nerve-shredding, ten-minute staring contest of the “Potato Chip” sketch with Jason Sudeikis to whisper-monologues as politician Tim Calhoun, Forte never blinked, proving that absolute commitment is the highest form of comedic art.
3. MacGruber (2010 Film & 2021 Series)
The Role: The mulleted, vest-wearing, celery-wielding special operative whose boundless cowardice and petty vindictiveness dwarf his lethal combat skills.
Taking a sixty-second SNL commercial parody of MacGyver and expanding it into a full-length feature film seemed like a recipe for disaster. Instead, Forte and director Jorma Taccone produced one of the most quotable, unapologetically filthy, and wildly inventive action comedies of the 21st century.
MacGruber is the ultimate anti-hero: hopelessly vain, emotionally petty, and willing to use human shields without hesitation. Christopher Nolan famously cited MacGruber as one of his favorite films of all time, and its 2021 Peacock series continuation proved the character’s anarchic genius has only deepened with age.
2. The Last Man on Earth (2015–2018)
The Role: A profoundly flawed, desperate survivor of a global pandemic who searches North America for companionship, only to become his own worst enemy.
Creating a high-concept post-apocalyptic network comedy was considered an impossible creative gamble. Yet Forte pulled it off brilliantly, earning three Primetime Emmy nominations across Lead Actor and Writing.
Starting with an unforgettable, dialogue-free pilot of Phil raiding art museums and bowling with fishbowls, the series evolved into an extraordinary examination of community, forgiveness, and moral growth. Forte played Tandy not as an idealized hero, but as an insecure liar whose desperate desire for love and acceptance ultimately forged an unbreakable surrogate family.
1. Nebraska (2013)
The Role: A patient, gentle stereo salesman who accompanies his aging, alcoholic father on an 800-mile road trip to claim a bogus sweepstakes prize.
There is no performance in Will Forte’s storied career that matches the gentle, understated beauty of David Grant in Alexander Payne’s black-and-white masterpiece Nebraska.
Cast against veteran acting giant Bruce Dern, Forte stripped away all comedic mannerisms. David knows his father hasn’t won a million dollars, but he drives him across the desolate Midwest anyway simply because his father needs a reason to feel dignity before he dies.
Forte listened with profound stillness, turning quiet moments behind the steering wheel into a devastating portrait of filial love, patience, and generational grief. Winning the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor and helping guide the film to six Academy Award nominations, Forte cemented his place as a true dramatic tour de force.