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The best Chad Michael Murray movies and TV shows include a mix of young adult releases, and in recent years, more adult drama fare. Murray got his start as an actor after he graduated from high school and won a modeling scholarship, which helped him pick up an agent. He moved to California and quickly earned a role in the MTV drama series Undressed. This helped lead to his breakout role on The Gilmore Girls as Tristin DuGray.
After another recurring role in Dawson’s Creek, Murray’s popularity exploded when he grabbed one of the leading roles in One Tree Hill. This also led to several film roles, mostly in young adult movies like Freaky Friday and A Cinderella Story. He hasn’t slowed down since aging out of many of those young adult releases, earning some great roles in movies like Fruitvale Station and TV shows like Marvel’s Agent Carter and Sullivan’s Crossing.
10 Dawson’s Creek (2001-2002)
Charlie Todd
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In the small town of Capeside, Massachusetts, fifteen-year-old Dawson Leery and his friends — tomboy Joey, class clown Pacey, and many more — experience the highs and lows of teenage life and coming of age.
Release Date 1998-00-00
Cast James Van Der Beek , Katie Holmes , Michelle Williams , Joshua Jackson , Mary-Margaret Humes , John Wesley Shipp , Mary Beth Peil , Kerr Smith , Busy Philipps
Seasons 6
Directors Greg Berlanti
While his role was not a huge one, Chad Michael Murray impressed with his performance as Charlie Todd in the young adult drama series Dawson’s Creek. The series follows the lives of a group of close friends in Massachusetts, starting in high school and continuing into college. It featured the introduction of some major stars, including James Van Der Beek, Katie Holmes, Michelle Williams, and Joshua Jackson.
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Murray joined the cast in the fifth season as Charlie Todd. He was a womanizer in the series who dated both Jen (Michelle Williams) and Joey (Katie Holmes). He was dating two people when he was with Jen, cheating behind each of their backs, and then he later dated Joey, who he had actual feelings for. It wasn’t a major role, but it was enough to get Hollywood’s attention for later starring roles on television.
9 Gilmore Girls (2000-2001)
Tristin DuGray
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In the fictional town of Star's Hollow, single mother Lorelai Gilmore raises her high-achieving teenage daughter Rory. Mother and daughter rely on each other throughout their own life changes, romantic entanglements, and friendships.
Release Date October 5, 2000
Seasons 7
Story By amy sherman-palladino
Chad Michael Murray’s first major television role came in the drama series The Gilmore Girls. Murray played Tristin DuGray in the first season of the hit WB TV series. The series follows mother Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and daughter Rory (Alexis Bledel), who live in the small town of Stars Hollow in Connecticut. Both are looking for love, and their place in the world, but things seem tougher with Rory, who is still a teenager who is going through all life’s adolescence changes.
In the first season, Rory is dating a guy named Dean (Jared Padalecki), but Tristin is also in the picture, alternating between being mean to her (he always “mistakenly” calls her Mary) and trying to go out with her. He also causes conflict between Rory and her friend Paris and her relationship with Dean, making Murray’s character a small antagonist throughout season 1. Murray’s time on the hit show ended after that first season.
8 Chosen (2013-2014)
Jacob Orr
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Chosen, released in 2013, follows college student Michael Todd as he investigates the mysterious disappearance of Erica Fisc in New Orleans. As he delves deeper into the legend, he uncovers a sinister truth, putting his life in danger as those responsible for Erica's fate target him.
Release Date January 31, 2013
Runtime 90 minutes
Cast George Hardy , Natalie Hultman , Michael Bienvenu
Director Paul Dale
In 2013, Chad Michael Murray took on one of the lead roles in the action-thriller series Chosen. This was massively different from his previous young adult efforts. In the series, Milo Ventimiglia (This is Us) plays Ian Mitchell, a divorced lawyer who receives a box with a gun and a photo of a stranger. He is then told to kill the person in the photo, or his family will die. Then, another man attacks him, with the same orders. This is all a game presented by a group called The Watchers.
Murray plays Jacob Orr, another player forced into the game and someone who is also trying to find a way out. He is told to kill his target or his brother, who he has cared for since their parents died, will pay the price. The series mostly flew under the radar since it streamed on Crackle, but it did run for three seasons with Murray starring in the second and third.
7 Sullivan’s Crossing (2023-)
Cal Jones
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A successful neurosurgeon finds her life unraveling after a scandal, prompting a return to her childhood home in Nova Scotia. As she reconnects with her estranged father and navigates old friendships, a handsome newcomer complicates her efforts to rebuild her life while confronting past traumas. The drama unfolds against a picturesque coastal backdrop.
Release Date October 4, 2023
Creator(s) Roma Roth
Seasons 2
The CW series Sullivan’s Crossing is based on the books by Robyn Carr (Virgin River) and follows a neurosurgeon named Maggie Sullivan (Morgan Kohan) who returns to her hometown in Nova Scotia to reconnect with her father, Sully (Scott Patterson). Carr created the Sullivan’s Crossing series after finishing up with her Virgin River books, but both share a similar premise of small communities full of drama and romance.
This was a nice adult-oriented dramatic storyline for Murray, and the show remains a nice one for fans of Virgin River to watch, as a third season is on the way.
Chad Michael Murray stars as Cal, Maggie’s love interest, and the series follows Maggie as she tries to gain control of her life (she moved back home after someone sued her for negligence in her medical profession), and a relationship with widower Cal just complicates things. This was a nice adult-oriented dramatic storyline for Murray, and the show remains a nice one for fans of Virgin River to watch, as a third season is on the way.
6 A Cinderella Story (2004)
Austin Ames
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A Cinderella Story is a modern retelling of the classic fairy tale, focusing on a high school girl who faces hardships from her stepmother and stepsisters while finding solace through an online romance. Set in a contemporary American high school, the film explores themes of self-discovery, resilience, and the quest for true love amidst challenging circumstances.
Release Date July 16, 2004
Runtime 96 minutes
Director Mark Rosman
In 2004, Chad Michael Murray took on the lead romantic interest role in the rom-com A Cinderella Story. This Hilary Duff vehicle tells a modern-day version of the Cinderella fairy tale, with Duff playing a young woman named Sam whose father died following an earthquake. Her stepmother Fiona (Jennifer Coolidge) received everything after his death, and she prioritized her daughters and forced Sam to wait on her hand and foot to live in the home.
Coolidge steals the show as the wicked stepmother, but Murray and Duff share great chemistry...
Murray plays Austin Ames, a popular jock at Sam’s high school who develops an interest in her through an online chat room. The story plays out similarly, with them dancing at the prom, but he never sees her face and sets out to find out who she really is. Coolidge steals the show as the wicked stepmother, but Murray and Duff share great chemistry, and the movie is great fun for anyone looking for a lightweight rom-com.
5 Riverdale (2019)
Edgar Evernever
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A darker take on Archie, Betty, Veronica, and their friends from the Archie Comics series, Riverdale is a CW supernatural mystery series that sees the group trying to illuminate the truth surrounding various strange occurrences and murders in the titular town. When a teenage girl is found dead in the once-quiet town, the event starts a series of ever-growing mysteries that ultimately lead to darker secrets in the town's history. Led by Archie, the Riverdale gang will attempt to navigate their new normal while dealing with all of the drama that comes with being high school teenagers.
Release Date January 26, 2017
Seasons 7
Chad Michael Murray joined Riverdale in season 3. The series is based on the Archie Comics characters and sees them living a life of murder, secrets, and intrigue in what was pure guilty pleasure television for seven seasons. Murray was only in the series for its third season for a total of nine episodes and as a guest in season four. However, he plays Edgar Evernever, a very important character.
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Edgar is Evelyn Evernever’s husband and the leader of the Farm, a cult he created to manipulate the most vulnerable into harvesting their organs. This makes him a major villain in the third season, as he brings in Cheryl Blossom to join the cult and then recruits Betty as well. Murray was great in the role of the cult leader and made a perfect villain for the third season of the series, which was Certified Fresh at 84% on Rotten Tomatoes.
4 Freaky Friday (2003)
Jake
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Freaky Friday is a family comedy featuring Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis. In the 2003 film, a mother and daughter magically swap bodies through a mystical fortune cookie, forcing them to live each other's lives and gain new insights into their tumultuous relationship.
Release Date August 5, 2003
Runtime 97 minutes
Director Mark Waters
In 2003, Chad Michael Murray picked up his first major movie role in Freaky Friday. The movie stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan as mother and daughter Tess and Anna. The two struggle to get along, with Anna, an aspiring musician, and her mother, a widowed psychiatrist. However, this is a body swap movie, and when Tess and Anna switch bodies, they have a chance to understand how the other sees life to strengthen their bond.
Murray showed he was ready to take on more of these rom-com-styled roles with his performance...
Chad Michael Murray plays Jake, a teenage boy whom Anna has a crush on and eventually develops a relationship with. Murray showed he was ready to take on more of these rom-com-styled roles with his performance, and this helped him break out of his status as a television supporting character and move into more headlining roles. Murray returns as Jake in 2025’s Freakier Friday.
3 One Tree Hill (2003-2009, 2012)
Lucas Scott
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Set in the fictional town of Tree Hill, North Carolina, One Tree Hill chronicles the complicated and intertwined lives of its residents. Following half-brothers and rivals Lucas and Nathan Scott as they compete both for positions on their school basketball team and for the affection of their fellow students, Tree Hill's community is built around community spirit and the complex workings of the ever-growing Scott family.
Release Date September 23, 2003
Cast Chad Michael Murray , James Lafferty , Hilarie Burton , Paul Johansson , Sophia Bush , Barry Corbin , Craig Sheffer , Bethany Joy Lenz , Moira Kelly
Seasons 9
Showrunner Mark Schwahn
The biggest breakout role of Chad Michael Murray’s career came in 2003 when he signed on to play Lucas Scott in the TV drama One Tree Hill. Murray held down one of the main roles for the first six seasons, returned as a guest in the ninth season, and even directed an episode. One Tree Hill follows two half-brothers named Lucas (Murray) and Nathan (James Lafferty), their competitive drive on their basketball team, and their romantic interests.
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Murray and Hilarie Burton both left the series after the sixth season, even though they were two of the main five lead characters. In 2004, Murray won the Teen Choice Awards Choice Breakout TV Star – Male Award, the 2008 Teen Choice Awards Choice TV Act-r Drama Award, and was also nominated for a Prism Award for Performance in a Drama Series Storyline in 2006.
2 Marvel’s Agent Carter (2015-2016)
Jack Thompson
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Agent Carter is an Action-Adventure Superhero Sci-Fi television series that takes place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The show was developed by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, and revolves around the Stan Lee Comic Book character, Peggy Carter. Starring Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter herself, the adventure follows the S.H.I.E.L.D agent as she attempts to help Howard Stark from being accused of treason.
Release Date January 6, 2015
Seasons 2
Directors Louis D'Esposito
After years of playing young adult characters in movies and TV shows, Chad Michael Murray joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a very adult role. He starred in the 2015 Marvel TV series Agent Carter as Jack Thompson. This series focuses on the early days of Agent Peggy Carter following her time in World War II and her relationship with Captain America. A true war hero, Carter then joined the new SSR, the organization that would one day become S.H.I.E.L.D.
Murray stars as Jack Thompson, another World War II hero who became an agent and eventual Chief of the SSR. Murray was part of the ensemble cast who supported Hayley Atwell’s Peggy Carter, but he held his own as her superior and confidant. The series focused on how hard it was for Carter to find respect in the male-dominated law enforcement scene and Murray’s Jack Thompson was one of the officers she won over throughout the show’s two seasons.
1 Fruitvale Station (2013)
Officer Ingram
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Fruitvale Station is a 2013 drama film directed by Ryan Coogler, which chronicles the true story of Oscar Grant, a 22-year-old Oakland resident. The film follows the events leading up to his tragic death at the hands of a Bay Area Rapid Transit police officer. Starring Michael B. Jordan as Oscar Grant, the film highlights pivotal moments in Grant's life and his relationships with family and friends.
Release Date July 12, 2013
Runtime 85 Minutes
Director Ryan Coogler
Ryan Coogler (Black Panther, Creed) made his directorial debut with the 2013 biographical drama movie Fruitvale Station. The film is based on the events that led to Oscar Grant’s tragic murder at the hands of a police officer named Johannes Mehserle. Michael B. Jordan stars as Grant, while Kevin Durand and Chad Michael Murray star as the two BART police officers who were responsible for his death.
Chad Michael Murray stars as Officer Ingram (based on Johannes Mehserle, the man who murdered Grant). The film follows the last 24 hours of Grant’s life before his murder. Critics praised the film, awarding it a 94% fresh rating, with Coogler and Jordan receiving praise and numerous award nominations and wins. However, every movie needs a good villain, and Murray delivers a great performance as the officer who shot Grant in the back.
English (US) ·