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Movie actors on great TV shows

Toni Collette, Alec Baldwin and Laurence Fishburne are just a few of the actors who've learned that the best roles can be found on TV.
/ Source: msnbc.com contributor

Laurence Fishburne, “CSI”

"The Grave Shift" --The first day on the job for Dr. Langston (Laurence Fishburne, right, pictured here with Wally Langham) turns from bad to worse when a simple burglary case quickly overlaps with a complicated arson and homicide case, on CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION, Thursday, January 22, (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.
Photo: Adam Taylor/CBS   ©2008 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
"The Grave Shift" --The first day on the job for Dr. Langston (Laurence Fishburne, right, pictured here with Wally Langham) turns from bad to worse when a simple burglary case quickly overlaps with a complicated arson and homicide case, on CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION, Thursday, January 22, (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Adam Taylor/CBS ©2008 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.Adam Taylor / CBS Entertainment

Laurence Fishburne is new to the original version of CBS’ “CSI,” but he has already folded himself into the ensemble, which is remarkable for an actor of his stature. Despite the gravitas he brings to any role he plays, Fishburne is thoroughly convincing as a rookie CSI at the Las Vegas crime lab. That his character is smart and accomplished and just new at this particular job helps to mitigate what Fishburne brings to the table, but it’s remarkable how Fishburne fits into the formula that has worked well for so many years.

Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock”

**File** This 2006 photo, provided by NBC TV, shows the stars of the network's hit comedy series \"30 Rock,\" from left, Alec Baldwin as Jack Donaghy, Tina Fey as Liz Lemon and Tracy Morgan as Tracy Jordan. NBC's freshman sitcom,  which earns rave reviews but low ratings, will get a second chance to prove it can win over viewers. (AP Photo/NBC Universal, Mitchell Haaseth-File)
**File** This 2006 photo, provided by NBC TV, shows the stars of the network's hit comedy series \"30 Rock,\" from left, Alec Baldwin as Jack Donaghy, Tina Fey as Liz Lemon and Tracy Morgan as Tracy Jordan. NBC's freshman sitcom, which earns rave reviews but low ratings, will get a second chance to prove it can win over viewers. (AP Photo/NBC Universal, Mitchell Haaseth-File)Mitchell Haaseth / NBC UNIVERSAL

That Alec Baldwin, the dramatic actor of “always be closing” fame, had comic chops isn’t surprising, since he’s demonstrated them for years. That he is the best thing about NBC’s “30 Rock” absolutely was a surprise. As Jack Donaghy, Baldwin holds the show together, playing the faux NBC Universal executive in the tiny space between delusion and genius, lunacy and intelligence. From channeling multiple characters in a single scene to just flawlessly delivering absurd one-liners, he’s usually the funniest part of a very funny series.

Toni Collette, “The United States of Tara”

Toni Collette
In this image released by Showtime, Toni Collette is shown in the Showtime original series, \"United States of Tara,\" premiering Sunday, Jan. 18, 2009, at 10:00 p.m. EDT. (AP Photo/Showtime, Jordin Althaus) ** NO SALES **Jordin Althaus / Showtime

In the title role of Showtime’s brand-new series “The United States of Tara,” Toni Collette plays a middle-class mother with multiple personalities, and she has been nothing short of astonishing so far. Each of Tara’s three “alters” borders on stereotype, but Collette humanizes each alter-ego: teenager T (Collette’s age, 36, seems to have been divided in half when she’s T), homophobic — and male — redneck Buck (a character whose interaction with Tara’s family is even more intriguing since her teenage son his gay), and 50s-ish but not at all desperate housewife Alice (who has a great subversive layer underneath her proper exterior). More remarkably, Collette manages to disappear into each alter while retaining some of Tara, the fourth and most vulnerable, raw character Collette plays. Fully inhabiting four characters in one half-hour series isn’t something most actors could do half as well as Collette does.

Harvey Keitel, “Life on Mars”

Harvey Keitel
This undated promotional photo, provided by ABC, shows actor Harvey Keitel as counterterrorism expert John O'Neill in \"The Path to 9/11,\" the network's five-hour miniseries about the events detailed in The 9/11 Commission Report and other sources. \"The Path to 9/11\" airs commercial-free at 8 p.m. EDT Sunday and concludes the following evening. (AP Photo/ABC/Peter Stranks)Peter Stranks / AMERICAN BROADCASTING COMPANIES

ABC’s “Life on Mars” may not compare to the British version for some viewers, but it’s one of U.S. network television’s stronger and more intriguing new ensemble dramas, and Harvey Keitel is a key part of it. As a period piece — it’s set in the 1970s, as its main character has somehow time-traveled there from the present — it needs actors who can plausibly be non-caricature versions of know-it-all but quite ignorant New York cops. Michael Imperioli does fine work as a detective, but Harvey Keitel seems to just be his character, Lieutenant Gene Hunt. The part may not require much from him as an actor, but as a cop who plays by his own rules yet can also see through his own cocky and stubborn exterior, Keitel is thoroughly convincing.

Gabriel Byrne, “In Treatment”

Gabriel Byrne
In this image released by HBO, Gabriel Byrne is shown in a scene from the HBO original series, \"In Treatment.\" The program was nominated for a Golden Globe award for best television Drama, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2008. The awards will be held on Jan. 11, 2009 in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/HBO, Claudette Barius) ** NO SALES **Claudette Barius / HBO

Over 43 half-hour episodes of “In Treatment,” Gabriel Byrne mostly sat in a chair and asked questions of his character’s patients. That’s what’s most remarkable about his rich and fascinating performance. He did a lot by doing very little, and with the help of the show’s writers, turned Paul Weston into more than just someone who listens to other people’s problems. Weston’s own issues were often visible even on Byrne’s poker face. While his own therapy sessions (with a strong performance by Dianne Wiest as his therapist) helped flesh that out, Byrne was mostly able to convey a deeply intelligent, deeply wounded man just by sitting in a chair.