From The Righteous Gemstones to The Hateful Eight, Walton Goggins has left his mark in Hollywood, thanks to his innate chemistry and ability to nail eccentric, offbeat roles. He is a powerhouse character actor with a talent for playing those morally ambiguous characters audiences can't get enough of. Although his career began in the early '90s, Goggins' breakout role didn't occur until over a decade later in The Shield.
While Goggins' portrayal of detective Shane Vendrell put him on the map, it's far from the only role to garner praise. Here are 10 of the best Walton Goggins movies and TV shows in order of release date and where you can find them on platforms like Prime Video and the ever-reliable Hulu.
The Shield (2002-2008)
While shows like Law & Order see the good guys taking down the bad, The Shield shines a light on the darker side of law enforcement. Over the course of seven seasons, audiences follow a corrupt group of LAPD officers and their many misdeeds. The Shield marks Goggins' breakout role as Shane Vendrell. Morally complicated, gritty, and downright evil at times, Shane proves just how good Goggins is at playing anti-heroes.
The Shield is widely considered one of the greatest shows of all time, but if that isn't enough of a selling point for you, consider it a must-watch if you love dark crime dramas. A little bit Law & Order and a little bit The Sopranos (1999), this is a series you watch to see people breaking bad. Goggins and the rest of the cast play some of the most complex, nuanced characters on TV.
House of 1000 Corpses (2003)
House of 1000 Corpses (2003) is a "love it or hate it" film chronicling two couples' terrifying encounter with a serial killer family in the backwoods of Texas. Director Rob Zombie draws clear inspiration from '70s and '80s rural horror fare like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974). What follows is enough blood and gore to proudly earn its R-rating.
In one of his more underrated roles, Goggins plays Steve Naish, the unfortunate sheriff tasked with responding to the horror. There isn't much to his character here. He plays a wussy sheriff, who (spoilers!) gets one of the most iconic and cinematic deaths in the movie. Still, if you want to see Goggins in a vastly different role from The Shield, consider booting up House of 1000 Corpses… if you can stomach it.
Sons of Anarchy (2008-2014)
Sons of Anarchy revolves around the titular outlaw motorcycle club and the messy politics that come with running a criminal enterprise. Goggins makes his first big crime drama return since The Shield. This time, it's in a more sympathetic, less villainous role as Venus Van Dam, a transgender prostitute and later love interest of Kim Coates' Tig (Kim Coates). Goggins never plays Venus as a joke. Instead, she is a well-rounded, well-realized character that's easy to root for.
What starts as a minor part in Season 5 ultimately expands into a larger role that's much different from Goggins' other work. Still, fans of The Shield will find a similar grit, darkness, and cast of morally complex characters. If you like crime dramas, Sons of Anarchy is a wild treat!
Justified (2010-2015)
Timothy Olyphant stars in Justified as Raylan Givens, a US Marshall intent on serving Harlan County as he sees fit. In his opposition is Goggins' Boyd Crowder, a career criminal with sharp intelligence and troublesome morals. Playing an antagonist is never easy, yet Goggins imbues Boyd with charisma and charm. It's no surprise the actor walked away with three Broadcast Television Journalists Association nominations and an Emmy nom for the role.
Once again, Goggins proves he feels right at home in crime dramas. Unlike The Shield or Sons of Anarchy, Justified has a neo-western feel with its Appalachian, rural Kentucky setting. If you enjoy Paramount originals like Yellowstone (2018) and Mayor of Kingstown (2021), the series has a similar vibe (network TV meets crowd-pleasing crime stories), despite not belonging to the network or creator Taylor Sheridan's filmography.
Predators (2010)
As the fifth film in the Predator franchise, Predators is a bit more schlockier than its predecessors. In a Saw-esque opening, an elite group of soldiers find themselves on a planet as opponents for the titular alien species. Doing what Goggins does best, he plays a criminal named Stans who arms himself only with a shiv. Iconic? You bet it is.
Sharing screen time with an ensemble cast means less Goggins, but the moments when he is center stage are memorable, thanks to his comedic timing. Upping the blood and gore, Predators is a solid choice for franchise fans or anyone in need of a popcorn movie with lots of fun, unhinged action. However, if you want more impactful storytelling and tension, consider the original Predator (1987) or the prequel Prey (2022) your best bets.
Django Unchained (2012)
Goggins' first collaboration with director Quentin Tarantino occurred in Django Unchained. In an epic story of revenge, a freed slave named Django (Jamie Foxx) teams up with a bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz) to cross names off the South's Most-Wanted list and, eventually, rescue his wife from a plantation. Goggins plays Billy Crash, a vile racist who orchestrates death matches among enslaved people. Despite limited screen time, Goggins delivers a memorably brutal performance.
As Tarantino's highest-grossing movie to date, Django Unchained is a must-watch for anyone who fell in love with the director's penchant for blending dark humor and graphic violence into thrilling crime dramas with those signature close-ups and long tracking shots. Think Pulp Fiction (1994) and Reservoir Dogs (1992), but without a historical western flair—just prepare yourself for mature themes and frequent use of the N-word.
The Hateful Eight (2015)
One of Quentin Tarantino's most divisive and controversial films, The Hateful Eight still walked away with a small handful of Oscar nominations. When a bounty hunter (Kurt Russell) and his prisoner (Jennifer Jason Leigh) take shelter in a stagecoach stopover, they cross paths with a motley crew of questionable characters. Goggins' Chris Mannix is one of them. While he starts as an insufferable redneck cliche, he transforms into someone much different by the movie's end. Goggins captures these nuances expertly, making him a standout among a big-name cast.
As with many Tarantino projects (like we saw with Django above), The Hateful Eight contains heavy themes and controversial moments. From the violence directed at its female lead to the abundance of racially-charged language, the movie can create an uncomfortable viewing experience for some. For others, it's a tense, atmospheric ride elevated by Tarantino's signature cinematography and direction. More of a slow-burn than Django, The Hateful Eight is probably best reserved for Tarantino enthusiasts well-acquainted with this style.
Vice Principals (2016-2017)
After Vice Principals' 2016 debut, Danny McBride and Jody Hill's comedy series became a quick hit. Goggins stars alongside McBride as two rival high school vice principals who put aside their petty feud to compete against an English teacher keen on securing the newly opened principal position.
The enemies-turned-friends chemistry between Goggins and McBride makes Vice Principals worth watching alone. However, it also allows Goggins to deliver a goofy yet layered performance that stands out in a filmography filled with more dramatic roles. The humor can be a bit hit-or-miss at times, but overall, Vice Principals makes for a fun watch for fans of comedies and satire.
The Righteous Gemstones (2019-2025)
Another Danny McBride creation, The Righteous Gemstones, by its simplest definition, is about a dysfunctional family of televangelists led by Eli Gemstone (John Goodman). While the entire Gemstone family is likeably hateful, Goggins shines as Uncle Baby Billy Freeman, Eli's brother-in-law and former child star.
Throughout The Righteous Gemstones' four seasons, Goggins oozes charismatic Southern charm, cementing Uncle Baby Billy as one of the series' best characters. Ask any Goggins fan what their favorite role of his is, and they'll likely tell you this one. If eccentric characters and irreverent humor are your thing, this series will scratch that itch while offering a surprisingly deep exploration of religion, including all the belief, corruption, and hypocrisy that can come with it.
Fallout (2024)
Video game adaptations have a bad reputation in Hollywood. However, Fallout manages to break that stigma. Based on the Bethesda game franchise of the same name, the Amazon Prime Video series takes place after a nuclear strike devastates Earth. Goggins stars as The Ghoul, a bounty hunter mutated by radiation.
No stranger to westerns and complex characters, Goggins' trademark Southern charm turned The Ghoul into one of the show's most beloved characters—and an unexpected heartthrob. While fans of the game will love Fallout, the series remains welcoming enough for non-gamers to enjoy, too. If post-apocalyptic shows like The Last of Us or dystopian nightmares like The Man in the High Castle appeal to you, Fallout deserves an easy spot on your watch list, even if it's just for Goggins' Ghoul.
