The bestChad Michael Murraymovies 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 seriesUndressed. This helped lead to his breakout role onThe Gilmore Girlsas Tristin DuGray.
After another recurring role inDawson’s Creek, Murray’s popularity exploded when he grabbed one of theleading roles inOne Tree Hill. This also led to several film roles,mostly in young adult movies likeFreaky FridayandA Cinderella Story. He hasn’t slowed down since aging out of many of those young adult releases, earning some great roles in movies likeFruitvale Stationand TV shows likeMarvel’s Agent CarterandSullivan’s Crossing.
Dawson’s Creek
Cast
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.
While his role was not a huge one,Chad Michael Murray impressed with his performance as Charlie Toddin the young adult drama seriesDawson’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.
Recasting The Main Characters From Dawson’s Creek, Today
Dawson’s Creek cast jumpstarted the careers of big stars back in 1998, but if the show was cast today, who would play the main characters?
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.
Gilmore Girls
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.
Chad Michael Murray’s first major television role came in the drama seriesThe Gilmore Girls.Murray played Tristin DuGray in the first seasonof 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.
Chosen
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.
In 2013, Chad Michael Murray took on one of the lead roles in the action-thriller seriesChosen. 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 gameand 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.
Sullivan’s Crossing
Sullivan’s Crossing follows neurosurgeon Maggie Sullivan as she returns to her hometown after personal and professional upheavals. In her journey to reconcile with her present challenges, she confronts a difficult past she had long evaded, framing a story of introspection and emotional growth.
The CW seriesSullivan’s Crossingis 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 theSullivan’s Crossingseries after finishing up with herVirgin Riverbooks, 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 ofVirgin Riverto 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 forfans ofVirgin Riverto watch, as a third season is on the way.
A Cinderella Story
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.
In 2004, Chad Michael Murray took on the lead romantic interest role in the rom-comA Cinderella Story.This Hilary Duff vehicletells a modern-day version of theCinderellafairy 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 playsAustin 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.
Riverdale
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.
Chad Michael Murray joinedRiverdalein 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.
Riverdale: 10 Biggest Scandals On The Show
Riverdale’s teens and adults have all acted in outrageous ways since season 1, making for some truly noteworthy scandals over time.
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 leaderand made a perfect villain for the third season of the series, which was Certified Fresh at 84% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Freaky Friday
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.
In 2003, Chad Michael Murray picked up his first major movie role inFreaky 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’sFreakier Friday.
One Tree Hill
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.
The biggest breakout role of Chad Michael Murray’s career came in 2003 when he signed on to play Lucas Scott in the TV dramaOne 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 Hillfollows two half-brothers named Lucas (Murray) and Nathan (James Lafferty), their competitive drive on their basketball team, and their romantic interests.
A One Tree Hill Revival Could Fix The Later Seasons' Biggest Flaw
Between 2003 and 2012, One Tree Hill aired nine seasons and 187 episodes, but there was a problem in the later seasons only a revival could fix.
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.
Agent Carter
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.
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 seriesAgent Carteras 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.
Fruitvale Station
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.
Ryan Coogler (Black Panther, Creed) made his directorial debut with the 2013 biographical drama movieFruitvale 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 Murraystars 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, andMurray delivers a great performance as the officer who shot Grant in the back.
