Various shows Chadwick Boseman appeared in but got unnoticed
Chadwick Boseman, the actor best known for his role of Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, passed away at age 43 after a lengthy battle with colon cancer. The upsetting news was posted to Boseman’s personal Twitter account on the evening of August 28, 2020, by his family.
The fact that Boseman was able to meet the acting demands of a Supreme Court justice (Thurgood Marshall), a famous athlete (Jackie Robinson), and the Godfather of Soul (James Brown) justify not only Boseman’s range but the diversity of the Black experience. However, it was Boseman’s role of T’Challa, the King of Wakanda, that gave him the required repute in Hollywood. Boseman appeared for the lead role of Marvel’s first installment of Black Panther which was released in 2018. The film went on to be a mega-hit. Not only is Black Panther the highest-rated Marvel movie on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes, but it bagged seven Academy Award nominations including one for Best Picture, the first superhero movie to do so.
Chadwick Boseman’s name might remain synonymous with the superhero he played, but he has left behind us a body of work that deserves a revisit owing to his loss. Like many, Chadwick began his walk of life on the small screen, where at times he would also go unnoticed. Even if you’re one of his biggest stans, you sure might’ve missed noticing his appearance in some of these shows. Here are some famous shows the late actor appeared on before he became the Black Panther.
– Third Watch
An FDNY drama by Edward Allen Bernero and John Wells, Boseman appeared briefly as a guest on Third Watch, a series aired in 2003. A show based on Firefighters, paramedics, and cops had Boseman playing the character of David Wafer in the episode entitled ‘In Lieu of Johnson’.
– Law & Order
Created by Dick Wolf, Law and Order followed a crime story (usually a murder), adapted from current headlines, from two separate vantage points, the police investigation and the prosecution in court. Boseman landed himself a single-episode role of which he played Foster Keyes in the episode entitled “Can I Get a Witness?”
– ER
One of NBC’s most popular shows, ER was a medical drama based around the lives of doctors in the emergency room at County General Hospital. The long-running primetime medical soap featured Chadwick Boseman in 2008 as Derek Taylor for the episode titled ‘Oh brother’. This role of his, however, again lasted for just one episode
– Lie To Me
A year after starring in ER, Boseman featured on Fox Studios’ drama Lie To Me which surprisingly proved to be a career-defining point for him. The drama based on psychology and crime featured Boseman in an episode entitled ‘Truth or Consequences’. The show apparently required a steady spree of guest stars to keep its stories running, and Chadwick Boseman became one of them.
– Persons Unknown
A show that didn’t quite make it big on TV, NBC’s Persons Unknown was a mystery-drama series in which seven strangers were abducted and taken to a deserted town, where an unknown presence observes them and keeps them trapped within the confines of the town. Boseman played the character of a sergeant named Graham McNair. He was a major part of the cast but the show failed to hit off.
– Castle
For the year 2010, a guest appearance by Chadwick came to view on an episode titled ‘Poof! You’re Dead’ which was the twelfth episode of the third season of Castle. He played the character of Chuck Russell in the murder mystery and featured for a single episode only. The show was led by Stana Katic and Nathan Fillion.
– Justified
Timothy Olyphant led-American drama series Justified, Boseman featured for a guest role as Ralph ‘Flex’ Beeman in the second season episode “For Blood or Money”. Boseman played a small role as a friend of Clinton who seeks revenge after Clinton shoots him in the hand and steals his car. He was later in the episode shot by the character of Deputy U.S. Marshal Rachel Brooks.
– Fringe
Said to be very under-watched, Fringe was one of Fox Network’s sci-fi genre shows that first aired in 2008. In the series, Boseman was cast in what is perhaps his most memorable TV guest spot: Cameron James. His character had the powers to affect electromagnetic fields but claimed to have no real control over it leading things to happen involuntarily sometimes like like making metal fly.
In 2012, alongside Titanic fame actor Billy Zane, Chadwick was cast in a feature film called ‘The Kill Hole’ after which he never returned to TV again. The followup to his 2012 flick was ’42’ by which he became the star in the sports universe. Chadwick won critical praise for his portrayal of Jackie Robinson, the man who was the first Black player to compete in Major League Baseball, breaking the color barrier when he played first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 14, 1947.
He might not be with us anymore but his work in the industry will continue to be cherished by millions.
Boseman would be seen for the last time on screen in George C. Wolfe directed ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’ based on the play of the same name by August Wilson. A preview of the film was to be screened on Netflix today but due to Boseman’s demise, the screening has been postponed and the film would be released later this year.
Our deepest condolences to the family and fans of the departed soul. May the King rest easy.
Source: Looper
