Party Down’s thirteen-year-long hiatus has finally come to a close, as Adam Scott has reprised his role as Henry Pollard for the Starz sitcom. In 2022, Scott showed his acting range with his lead role in Severance. Throughout his career, we have seen him steal the show in sitcoms and more recently delve into the more dramatic. If you want to see all angles of Scott’s acting range, below is a list of his eleven best performances.
Griffin in 'Boy Meets World'
Boy Meets World is a coming-of-age sitcom that follows Cory Matthews (Ben Savage) alongside his family and friends as he makes his way through high school and college. The story is full of fantastic side characters, one of them being Griffin (Adam Scott). Griffin is one of the many bullies introduced in the show and is known for his rivalry with fan favorite school teacher Mr. Feeny (William Daniels). Scott is perfect in the role, using his smarts and manipulation to get his bullying across instead of brutality like the other bullies in the show. Griffin marked a jumping-off point for Scott’s career, this small role in the Disney sitcom is fun to return to years later.
Mark S. in 'Severance'
We very well might look back on Scott’s career one day and view Severance as his crowning achievement. Severance is a science fiction thriller where the characters’ minds are altered to separate work and home life. The story follows Mark S. (Adam Scott) as he starts to unravel the mysteries behind the new technology. The beauty of Scott’s performance comes from his portrayal of Mark while on and off the clock. The separation of work and life creates two entirely different people.
Ben Wyatt in 'Parks and Recreation'
Parks and Recreation follows government employee and deputy director of the parks and recreation department, Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler). Leslie is a firm believer in local government and the series takes us through her many trials to prove the capabilities of local government. In the finale of the show's second season, everything changes when state auditors, Ben Wyatt (Adam Scott) and Chris Traeger (Rob Lowe), come to check on the budget. What was originally supposed to be a small role for Scott turned out to be career-defining, as his character was incredibly popular, and he ended up staying on for the rest of the series as the calzone-loving nerd.
Tom Engel in 'Krampus' (2015)
Christmastime hasn’t been the best for the Engel family. The family struggles to be around one another, and when the youngest, Max (Emjay Anthony), gets bullied for believing in Santa, he accidentally conjures the folktale demon, Krampus, to their house. Adam Scott plays Tom Engel, the father of the family. Krampus is the only true horror film on the list and Scott does a fantastic job playing into the elements of the dysfunctional family while keeping up the intensity that comes from being haunted by a Christmas monster.
Derek in 'Step Brothers' (2008)
This is another one of Adam Scott’s smaller roles, but maybe the one that put him on the map the most. If Boy Meets World is where a small audience was introduced to Scott’s comedic talents, then Step Brothers is where you see the actor who was destined to star in multiple sitcoms. Step Brothers follows Brennan Huff (Will Ferrell) and Dale Doback (John C. Reilly) when they are forced to become roommates when their parents get married. Dale’s younger and far more successful brother Derek (Adam Scott) shows up with his wife and ridicules him. Scott conjured up his bully mentality from Boy Meets World in this one and poses as the annoying and successful older sibling.
Henry Pollard in 'Party Down'
A group of actors moves to Hollywood with the dream of making it big, but they end up becoming caterers. Henry Pollard (Adam Scott) quit acting after taking on a beer commercial which gave him a bit of fame but ultimately killed his career advancement. Party Down was Adam Scott’s first major lead role, and you can see how his later success could be foretold in the film. The appeal of the movie comes from watching the actors use their skills for different professions.
Ed Mackenzie in 'Big Little Lies'
Big Little Lies follows five women after they get involved in a murder mystery plot after a single mother moves to their upper-class beach town. Adam Scott plays Ed Mackenzie, the stable husband of main character Madeline Mackenzie (Reese Witherspoon). Scott's subdued personality sits in contrast with the rest of the cast making him one of the most notable side characters as Ed and Madeline work through their marital issues.
Jason Fryman in 'Friends with Kids' (2011)
Friends with Kids is a clever reverse of your typical romantic comedy when two friends, Jason Fryman (Adam Scott) and Julie Keller (Jennifer Westfeldt), decide to have a child together while keeping their relationship platonic. Jason and Julie are lifelong friends, but when they see people around them struggle with relationships after having kids they decide to have one together to avoid the risk of children ruining a relationship. Even though the concept may be hard to believe, the chemistry between the entire cast, especially Scott and Westfeldt, makes the concept believable.
Caleb Sinclaire in 'The Vicious Kind' (2009)
The Vicious Kind is an exploration of difficult family dynamics. Caleb Sinclaire (Adam Scott) tries to warn his brother Peter (Alex Frost) to get away from his new girlfriend Emma (Brittany Snow) when he brings her home for Thanksgiving. However, as the holiday goes on, Caleb begins to become infatuated with Emma. This is one of the earlier dramatic roles Scott takes on, and you can see many elements in his performance here that translate to his success with Severance.
The Greatest Event in Television History
In four episodes, Adam Scott’s mockumentary-style miniseries attempted to recreate iconic openings of 80s television shows. Each episode of the series was built to be its own story, airing months apart from one another, all with the goal of recreating the magic of 80s television. With a slew of guest stars including Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler, Nick Kroll, and Jon Hamm, The Greatest Event in Television History is a nice love letter to the TV of old. Adam Scott plays a variety of characters in the series, from reenacting the opening of Simon and Simon to Too Close for Comfort.
Ben in 'Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later' (2017)
In the same way that we are so excited about the return of Party Down, Adam Scott joined the cult classic cast of Wet Hot American Summer for the ten-year anniversary with a three-and-a-half-hour miniseries. Replacing Bradley Cooper as Ben, Adam Scott fits right in with the chaotic nature of the cast. Even though Scott had big shoes to fill in Cooper’s absence, the movie acknowledges the change by relating it to a procedure Ben received over the ten-year gap.