Robert Duvall’s career spanned seven decades, during which he portrayed a diverse range of characters.
From a morally corrupt military officer to a crime family consigliere, his grounded performances in films such as Apocalypse Now and The Godfather received critical acclaim.
However, his television roles, which came long before the streaming boom, remain underrated. Though Duvall’s TV appearances were sporadic, he brought a sense of gravitas, making them worth revisiting.
Here are some of the late actor’s impressive television performances that prove he would’ve ruled the modern streaming landscape.
The Outer Limits
Image credits: ABC
The series ran from 1963 to 1965, and Duvall made three appearances in the anthology sci-fi drama during its original run. He first played CIA agent Louis Mace in the episode The Chameleon and later portrayed intelligence officer Adam Ballard in the two-part story The Inheritors.
Both episodes cast Duvall as a government official confronting extraterrestrial life, a concept later popularized by shows like The X-Files and Invasion. A similar contemporary series following Duvall as a seasoned investigator could have likely topped the streaming charts.
The Outer Limits can be streamed on Prime Video and Tubi.
The Twilight Zone
Image credits: CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images
The 1960s anthology classic featured Duvall in the fourth-season episode, Miniature. He played Charley Parkes, a man who becomes obsessed with a dollhouse after falling in love with a wooden doll.
Duvall’s subtle performance grounded the otherworldly premise in real emotions. Streaming hits like The OA, Dark, and Sense8 proved surreal storytelling works, and Duvall would’ve thrived in a Netflix thriller of that kind.
The Twilight Zone is currently streaming on Paramount+ and Tubi.
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Image credits: NBC
Hosted by the legendary Alfred Hitchcock, the anthology series starred Duvall in the seventh-season episode, Bad Actor.
He played Bart Conway, an alcoholic struggling actor with anger issues who takes method acting a little too far.
Netflix’s The Kominsky Method and HBO’s Barry are proof that meta Hollywood stories can thrive on streaming, and it was a missed opportunity that Bad Actor was never expanded into a Duvall-led standalone series.
Alfred Hitchcock Presents is available to watch on Peacock and Tubi.
Broken Trail
Image credits: AMC
The 2006 Western miniseries, co-developed by Duvall, features one of his finest TV performances as Prentice “Prent” Ritter, an aging cowboy who, along with his nephew, resolves to rescue five Chinese girls from slave traders.
The rise of Yellowstone and its spin-offs revived the Western genre in modern times. Duvall’s Golden Globe-nominated performance and the genre’s resurgence are strong indications that a big-budget, epic family saga with Duvall as the patriarch would’ve been a streaming hit.
Broken Trail can be rented on Apple TV.
Lonesome Dove
Image credits: CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images
Based on Larry McMurtry’s novel of the same name, the four-part miniseries starred Duvall as Augustus “Gus” McCrae, a former Texas Ranger who joins a cattle drive to Montana in a bid to revive his thirst for adventure.
The role earned Duvall an Emmy nomination and is widely regarded as his best performance on TV. While several follow-ups capitalized on the show’s popularity, none featured Duvall, and all failed to achieve the original’s reverence.
In today’s reboot-heavy streaming era, a Lonesome Dove revival could have served as the perfect swan song to the late actor’s career.
Lonesome Dove is currently streaming on Tubi and Peacock.
