10 Film Actors Who Could Use A Cable TV Comeback

Frances McDormand

Sharp and bitterly hilarious, Frances McDormand has both an Oscar (for Fargo) and a Tony (for the play Good People) under her belt. But the acerbic actress, best known for playing the quirky, hard-working police chief in Joel and Ethan Coen’s classic, seems fit for another statuette: the Emmy. Considering that Holly Hunter – another favourite of the Coens – made a smooth transition to the small screen on Saving Grace, there’s a near-guarantee that if a similar opportunity presents itself for McDormand, she should grasp it.

McDormand has earned four Oscar nominations, mainly for supporting performances in films like North Country and Almost Famous. She is best remembered for playing shrewd wives and worried mothers. Who doesn’t remember the hilarious scene in Almost Famous where she yells at a class of her college students that rock stars had kidnapped her son? A small but potent role in Moonrise Kingdom reminded audiences of the range the whip-smart actress showed in her early career. I don’t recommend that Frances McDormand should sign on to reprise her role as Marge Gunderson for FX’s TV adaptation of Fargo, but perhaps she should follow those film’s supporting stars, Steve Buscemi and William H. Macy, who have established big success on cable.