The Best Seth Rogen Movies & TV Shows, Ranked
Over the years, Seth Rogen has gradually become one of my favorite actors and producers in Hollywood. I’ve started to gravitate towards his projects without ever realizing it. I, like many others, I imagine, was introduced to Rogen’s work through his more “stoner” roles like in Pineapple Express (2008). It was something he was (and still is) incredibly good at and often known for.
As I matured, I started to appreciate Seth Rogen’s comedy as a means of commentary and vulnerability. There is more depth in his movies and TV shows—whether he’s acting in them and/or producing them—than he may get credit for. There’s also a real authenticity in Rogen’s work, because of which I am drawn to it. You can watch his best movies and TV shows on Apple TV, Netflix, and more.
Seth Rogen has a knack for being a part of projects that become cult classics. Freaks and Geeks is the start of that. Coincidentally, Ken Miller is also Rogen’s first professional acting job. Freaks and Geeks also happens to be another one of those fan-favorite shows that has just one season, like My So-Called Life (1999) and Firefly (2002).
A friend actually showed Freaks and Geeks to me—for the first time—when we were in high school, and the caliber of the show’s cast is still totally absurd to me—Linda Cardellini, John Francis Daley, Busy Philipps, and Jason Segel, just to name a few. I’m still seeing new generations find and love the show and Rogen’s role in it. He balances humor and vulnerability from the start of his career, and it only gets better from here.
Seth Rogen is no stranger to cult classic raunchy comedies. While some people may prefer Superbad (2007), I’m more of a Neighbors and This Is The End (2013) fan. I was instantly drawn to Neighbors because it co-starred Zac Efron, and I grew up watching him in High School Musical (2006). It felt like this movie was a real mark of his career’s evolution and his capabilities in comedy.
Likewise, it showed a more mature, sharpened version of Rogen’s comedy, coinciding with his character, Mac Radner, who is a father. It also represented the continued evolution of Rogen’s career, as he often wears multiple hats on projects. With Neighbors, he was both an actor and producer. He starred opposite Rose Byrne, whose comedic performance rivals that which she delivers in the deeply underrated Spy (2015). I honestly suggest that as a follow-up for a double-feature movie night, but you may want to just keep the trend going with the sequel, Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (2016).
Knocked Up is certainly one of Seth Rogen’s most well-known movies. That accolade is well-deserved in that it’s the first movie in which he is the leading man. It’s a real breakout role, opposite Katherine Heigl. Unfortunately, I don’t know that Knocked Up has aged the best, as opposed to other Heigl-led romantic comedies, like Life As We Know It (2010).
Rogen and Heigl have great chemistry that keeps the movie afloat when it puts Rogen’s Ben Stone on a pedestal and keeps Heigl’s Alison Scott far away from it. The movie really has a strange, sexist tone towards its female characters, while celebrating the men. At its best, though, Knocked Up is actually entertaining and emotionally surprising in its exploration of accidental pregnancies.
I was young when Kung Fu Panda came out, and I never could’ve imagined that there would be a whole universe for the movie. I should have because, since then, there have been Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011), Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016), and Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024). Rewatching it as an adult, I can really see all the impressive details in the animation that combines different styles.
I also have a newfound appreciation for the voicework. Rogen does a great job as Mantis. It’s no wonder that he’d go on to voice Pumbaa in the live-action The Lion King (2019). It also helps that Kung Fu Panda is led by Jack Black, who is just incredible. So, while I don’t think any animated movie can be better than Shrek 2 (2004), I recognize that Kung Fu Panda is great.
Platonic is one of the most criminally underrated comedies on TV right now. It’s charming and laugh-out-loud funny. I recommend it to everyone who will listen. Then again, it’s not all that surprising that it flies a bit off the radar. That tends to happen with gems in Apple TV’s catalogue, like Trying (2020). Seth Rogen reunites with Rose Byrne in Platonic, and they play best friends Will and Sylvia. Their chemistry is what makes this show what it is.
To that point, Platonic tells you what it is in its title. It’s a story about a man and a woman who are navigating midlife and are platonic best friends. So, it’s fun to watch and really challenges me as a romantic comedy fanatic. I keep thinking that Will and Sylvia will end up together, and Platonic keeps telling me why that’s the least interesting option, which I enjoy. If you want to, there are already two seasons out now, and you can catch up in time for the already-renewed third.
There’s a great chance that you’ve already heard of The Studio after its complete sweep during the last award season. As someone who watched the first season after the awards, as I did with Modern Family (2009), I completely understood why it kept winning. It’s excellent, hilarious, immersive, and subversive. The roster of cameos is unlike anything I’ve ever seen on TV. I don’t want to spoil any of them for you, so you can have the same jaw-dropping viewing experience.
The series regulars are also just impressive—Seth Rogen, Ike Barinholtz, Kathryn Hahn, and the late and truly great Catherine O’Hara. It’s also such a fun show to watch as a fan of Rogen’s work, as he’s the co-creator, writer, and executive producer on The Studio. This comedy really feels like something that can only exist after Rogen’s history in the business, chronicled through many of the projects on this list.
There may be some people who think that Knocked Up is Seth Rogen’s best romantic comedy, and I have to wonder if that’s because they haven’t seen Long Shot. I really think that it is one of the best rom-coms from the last 10 years, like up there with Crazy Rich Asians (2018). The earnest, palpable chemistry that Rogen and Charlize Theron have in this movie is what rom-com fans yearn for.
The concept is also fresh and interesting. Charlotte Field (Theron) is the U.S. Secretary of State who is running for President of the United States. So, she hires journalist Fred Flarsky (Rogen) to be her speechwriter. She also happens to be Fred’s childhood crush, whom she babysat. So, Long Shot has all of these tropes working in its favor. It’s an entirely enjoyable, genuinely romantic addition to the genre and has the star power that should’ve made it a blockbuster.
