The Woody Harrelson movies and TV shows lineup continues to grow in 2026, with the veteran actor currently starring in Apple TV’s comedy series Brothers alongside longtime friend Matthew McConaughey.
Harrelson has spent more than four decades moving between television, film, comedy, drama and voice acting.
His career began with television, but he quickly became a major movie star.
He first reached a broad American audience as Woody Boyd on NBC’s Cheers.
That role established him as a gifted comedy performer.
He later moved into films such as White Men Can’t Jump, Natural Born Killers, The People vs. Larry Flynt, Kingpin, No Country for Old Men, Zombieland, The Hunger Games and Venom.
His television career also includes True Detective, White House Plumbers and The Freak Brothers.
Now, Brothers has brought Harrelson back to a leading television role.
The eight-episode Apple TV comedy premiered September 23, 2026, with Harrelson and McConaughey playing fictionalized versions of themselves.
The series uses their real friendship as the foundation for a fictional story involving a surprising family secret.
Woody Harrelson’s Early Career
Woody Harrelson was born July 23, 1961, in Midland, Texas.
He attended Hanover College in Indiana, where he studied theater and English.
Before becoming a major screen actor, Harrelson developed his performance skills through theater.
Television eventually provided his breakthrough opportunity.
In 1985, he joined the cast of Cheers.
The sitcom had already become a major American television hit when Harrelson arrived.
His character, Woody Boyd, worked as a bartender at the Boston bar where the series took place.
Woody was friendly, straightforward and often less sophisticated than many of the people around him.
Harrelson’s performance quickly became an important part of the show’s ensemble.
He remained with Cheers until its finale in 1993.
The role also earned him significant industry recognition.
Cheers Made Woody Harrelson a Household Name
Cheers became one of the most successful sitcoms of its era.
The series centered on the employees and customers of a Boston bar.
Harrelson joined after replacing Coach Ernie Pantusso as the establishment’s bartender.
His character brought a different comedic energy to the series.
Woody Boyd was often innocent and good-natured.
That personality gave Harrelson plenty of opportunities for physical comedy and understated humor.
His work on Cheers earned multiple Emmy nominations.
He won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1989.
The success of Cheers gave Harrelson a strong platform for his move into feature films.
He did not remain limited to television comedy.
Instead, he began taking increasingly different roles.
White Men Can’t Jump
One of Harrelson’s first major movie successes came with White Men Can’t Jump in 1992.
He played Billy Hoyle, a basketball hustler who teams up with Sidney Deane, played by Wesley Snipes.
The film combined sports, comedy and street-culture themes.
Harrelson’s performance demonstrated that he could carry a feature film.
The role also helped establish his screen chemistry with other major performers.
More importantly, the movie showed that his appeal extended beyond Cheers.
Harrelson was no longer simply known as a television sitcom actor.
He was becoming a versatile film performer.
Natural Born Killers
Harrelson took a dramatic turn in Natural Born Killers.
Oliver Stone directed the 1994 crime film.
Harrelson played Mickey Knox, a violent criminal who travels with Mallory Knox, portrayed by Juliette Lewis.
The role was dramatically different from Woody Boyd.
Mickey was dangerous, unpredictable and involved in extreme violence.
The movie became controversial because of its graphic content and portrayal of violence and media culture.
Harrelson’s performance showed his willingness to take challenging roles.
It also demonstrated how far his career had moved from traditional sitcom comedy.
The People vs. Larry Flynt
In 1996, Harrelson took one of the most important dramatic roles of his career.
He portrayed publisher Larry Flynt in The People vs. Larry Flynt.
Milos Forman directed the film.
The story focused on Flynt’s career and his legal battles involving freedom of expression.
Harrelson approached the character with both dramatic intensity and humor.
The performance earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.
That nomination became a major milestone.
It confirmed Harrelson as a serious dramatic performer while preserving the comedic instincts that had helped launch his career.
Kingpin
Harrelson returned to broad comedy with Kingpin in 1996.
He played Roy Munson, a former professional bowler whose career takes a disastrous turn.
The movie followed Munson as he attempts to return to competitive bowling.
Harrelson shared the screen with Randy Quaid and Bill Murray.
The film used exaggerated humor and physical comedy.
It became a popular title among fans of 1990s comedies.
The role also reinforced Harrelson’s ability to move directly from serious dramatic material into comedy.
That flexibility would become one of the defining characteristics of his career.
The Thin Red Line
Harrelson joined the ensemble cast of Terrence Malick’s The Thin Red Line in 1998.
The World War II drama featured a large group of prominent actors.
Harrelson played Sergeant Keck.
The movie received seven Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture.
Although Harrelson did not play the central character, the project became another important entry in his dramatic film career.
Working with Malick also placed him within the tradition of ambitious American filmmaking.
No Country for Old Men
Harrelson appeared in another major ensemble film with the Coen brothers’ No Country for Old Men.
Released in 2007, the movie starred Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin.
Harrelson played Carson Wells, a former Special Forces officer hired to recover stolen money.
The character enters the story as a professional trying to understand an increasingly dangerous situation.
The film became one of the most acclaimed productions of the decade.
It won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
Harrelson’s supporting role added another respected project to his résumé.
The Messenger
Harrelson delivered another major dramatic performance in The Messenger.
Released in 2009, the film followed soldiers responsible for informing families when service members die.
Harrelson played Captain Tony Stone.
Ben Foster co-starred as Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery.
The movie focused on grief, duty and the emotional consequences of military casualty notification.
Harrelson received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
The performance became another example of his ability to handle emotionally demanding material.
Zombieland
Harrelson returned to comedy in one of his most recognizable modern roles.
He played Tallahassee in Zombieland, released in 2009.
The movie followed a group of survivors navigating a zombie outbreak in the United States.
Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin joined Harrelson in the main cast.
Tallahassee was aggressive, confident and obsessed with finding Twinkies.
The character quickly became one of Harrelson’s most popular comedic roles.
He returned as Tallahassee in Zombieland: Double Tap in 2019.
The sequel reunited the original principal cast.
The Hunger Games
Harrelson became part of another major franchise when he joined The Hunger Games.
He played Haymitch Abernathy, a former winner of the Hunger Games who becomes a mentor to Katniss Everdeen.
Jennifer Lawrence played Katniss.
Josh Hutcherson played Peeta Mellark.
Haymitch was a complicated character.
He often appeared cynical and sarcastic, but his relationship with Katniss revealed a more protective side.
Harrelson appeared throughout the principal Hunger Games film series.
The role introduced his work to a massive international audience.
It also gave him a long-running franchise character.
Venom and Cletus Kasady
Harrelson entered another major franchise with Venom.
He played Cletus Kasady, a dangerous criminal connected to the Carnage storyline.
Harrelson first appeared as Kasady in the 2018 film Venom.
The character returned in Venom: Let There Be Carnage in 2021.
The role required a much more exaggerated performance than many of Harrelson’s dramatic projects.
Kasady’s transformation into Carnage became the central conflict of the sequel.
The two Venom films added another major commercial franchise to Harrelson’s career.
True Detective
Harrelson returned to television in a major way with HBO’s True Detective.
The first season premiered in 2014.
Harrelson played Louisiana State Police detective Marty Hart.
Matthew McConaughey portrayed Detective Rust Cohle.
The two characters investigated a murder case while dealing with their own personal problems.
The season became known for its dark atmosphere and complex characters.
Harrelson and McConaughey received major recognition for their performances.
Their chemistry became one of the defining elements of the first season.
That relationship would become especially relevant years later when the two actors reunited for Brothers.
White House Plumbers
Harrelson continued working in television with HBO’s White House Plumbers in 2023.
The five-episode limited series dramatized events surrounding the Watergate scandal.
Harrelson played E. Howard Hunt.
Justin Theroux played G. Gordon Liddy.
The series combined political history with dark comedy.
Harrelson also served as an executive producer.
The role gave him another opportunity to portray a real person rather than a fictional character.
The Freak Brothers
Harrelson has also maintained a presence in animation.
He provides the voice of Freewheelin’ Franklin Freek in The Freak Brothers.
The animated comedy follows three counterculture characters who are transported from the 1960s into the modern world.
Harrelson’s role demonstrates another part of his career.
His recognizable voice and comic delivery work effectively in animated productions.
The series has run from 2020 through 2026.
Recent Woody Harrelson Movies
Harrelson has remained active in feature films while returning to television.
His recent movie credits include several different genres.
Last Breath
Harrelson appeared in Last Breath, a 2025 survival thriller.
The film follows a group of divers facing a dangerous underwater situation.
Harrelson played Duncan Allcock.
The movie also stars Simu Liu and Finn Cole.
The project added another survival-based drama to Harrelson’s recent film work.
The Electric State
Harrelson also appeared in the 2025 science-fiction film The Electric State.
He provided the voice of Mr. Peanut.
The Netflix production was directed by Anthony and Joe Russo.
The film features a large ensemble cast.
Harrelson’s involvement added another voice-performance credit to his filmography.
Animal Farm
Harrelson voiced Boxer in the animated adaptation of Animal Farm.
The film features a large ensemble of voice performers.
Harrelson also serves as an executive producer.
The project represents another example of his involvement in animation.
Now You See Me: Now You Don’t
Harrelson returned as Merritt McKinney in Now You See Me: Now You Don’t.
The film continues the illusionist-heist franchise.
Harrelson’s character remains connected to the Four Horsemen.
The movie reunites him with other established members of the franchise’s ensemble.
Ella McCay
Harrelson appeared in Ella McCay, a comedy directed by James L. Brooks.
He played Eddie McCay.
The film features an ensemble cast that includes Jamie Lee Curtis, Albert Brooks, Kumail Nanjiani, Jack Lowden, Emma Mackey and Ayo Edebiri.
The project added another comedy to Harrelson’s recent movie work.
Full Phil
Harrelson stars as Philip Doom in Full Phil.
The 2026 film features Harrelson alongside Kristen Stewart.
The project gives him another opportunity to work within a character-driven story.
It also continues the pattern of alternating between major studio productions and smaller projects.
That balance has remained a consistent feature of Harrelson’s career.
Brothers Is His Latest Major Television Role
Harrelson’s newest major television project is Brothers.
The Apple TV comedy premiered September 23, 2026.
Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey play fictionalized versions of themselves.
Their characters are longtime friends.
The story changes when a decades-old family secret raises the possibility that the two men could actually be brothers.
Woody’s fictionalized character becomes determined to investigate.
Matthew’s character has another crisis involving a potential run for governor of Texas.
The series combines family comedy with the unusual real-life history surrounding the actors.
Brothers Episode Schedule
The first season contains eight episodes.
Apple TV released the first two episodes together on September 23.
After that, the service is releasing one new episode each Wednesday.
The scheduled season finale arrives November 4.
The current schedule is:
| Episode | Release date |
|---|---|
| Episode 1 | September 23, 2026 |
| Episode 2 | September 23, 2026 |
| Episode 3 | September 30, 2026 |
| Episode 4 | October 7, 2026 |
| Episode 5 | October 14, 2026 |
| Episode 6 | October 21, 2026 |
| Episode 7 | October 28, 2026 |
| Episode 8 | November 4, 2026 |
The first two episodes are currently available on Apple TV.
Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey’s Long Friendship
Harrelson and McConaughey have known each other since the 1990s.
Their first major shared movie was EDtv in 1999.
They later worked together on Surfer, Dude and True Detective.
Their friendship continued outside their professional collaborations.
That relationship is now central to Brothers.
The series allows the two actors to use their real chemistry while playing fictionalized versions of themselves.
The concept also draws on a real family story involving McConaughey’s mother and Harrelson’s father.
The biological connection remains unconfirmed.
The television show uses the possibility as fictional material rather than establishing it as a fact.
Woody Harrelson’s Acting Range
One of the clearest features of Harrelson’s filmography is its variety.
He has played:
- A friendly sitcom bartender
- A professional basketball hustler
- A violent criminal
- A controversial publisher
- A professional bowler
- A soldier
- A hired operative
- A zombie survivor
- A Hunger Games mentor
- A comic-book villain
- A police detective
- A historical political operative
- A fictionalized version of himself
That variety explains why his career has remained active across multiple generations.
He rarely stays in one genre for long.
Awards and Major Recognition
Harrelson’s career has earned significant recognition from major industry organizations.
He won an Emmy for Cheers.
He has received three Academy Award acting nominations.
His nominated film performances include:
- The People vs. Larry Flynt — Best Actor
- The Messenger — Best Supporting Actor
- Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri — Best Supporting Actor
His work has also received recognition through ensemble awards and nominations.
The combination of commercial projects and acclaimed dramas has helped him maintain a broad audience.
Woody Harrelson’s Role in Three Billboards
Harrelson also earned major recognition for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.
The 2017 film starred Frances McDormand, Sam Rockwell and Harrelson.
Harrelson played Chief Bill Willoughby.
The story centered on a mother demanding answers after her daughter’s murder remains unsolved.
The film mixed dark comedy with drama.
Harrelson’s performance added another complicated character to his filmography.
The movie received seven Academy Award nominations.
Why His Career Remains So Diverse
Harrelson has consistently moved between very different types of productions.
His early fame came from a network sitcom.
His film career then included independent dramas and major studio releases.
He later became part of franchises such as The Hunger Games and Venom.
Television returned as an important part of his career through True Detective and White House Plumbers.
Animation added another avenue through The Freak Brothers and other voice roles.
His latest series, Brothers, combines celebrity comedy with a fictional family mystery.
That range has allowed Harrelson to remain visible across different generations of American audiences.
Woody Harrelson Movies and TV Shows in 2026
The history of Woody Harrelson movies and TV shows stretches from Cheers to Brothers and covers an unusually wide range of genres.
He became a television star through Woody Boyd.
He established himself as a film actor with movies such as White Men Can’t Jump and Natural Born Killers.
He earned Oscar nominations for The People vs. Larry Flynt, The Messenger and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.
He appeared in major films including No Country for Old Men, Zombieland and The Hunger Games.
He joined the Venom franchise as Cletus Kasady.
He returned to television with True Detective and later starred in White House Plumbers.
His recent movie credits include Last Breath, The Electric State, Animal Farm, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, Ella McCay and Full Phil.
In 2026, Brothers gives him another leading television role.
The Apple TV series reunites him with McConaughey and places their longtime friendship at the center of a fictional family story.
As of September 24, 2026, the eight-episode series is in its first season, with weekly episodes scheduled through November 4.
Harrelson’s career continues to span television, theatrical movies, streaming productions, animation and comedy.
His ability to move between those formats remains one of the defining features of his work.
Fans exploring Woody Harrelson’s television career can also find more information about his work and connections in our article covering the Brothers TV show.
Which Woody Harrelson movie or TV role stands out most to you? Share your favorite in the comments and keep following the latest updates on his career.