You probably know him as the guy who crawled up walls in a spandex suit or the frantic guy screaming about the "metaphor" in a Facebook boardroom. But if you’ve only seen Andrew Garfield on the big screen, you’re basically missing the connective tissue of his entire career.
Honestly, the way people talk about his "jump" to TV recently with Under the Banner of Heaven is kinda funny. They act like he’s a movie star slumming it in prestige television for an Emmy. That’s not what happened. Garfield didn’t just show up to TV; he was forged in it.
Before he was an A-lister, he was doing the grunt work on British sets, playing everything from a nervous teen in a sugar-fueled drama to a wide-eyed Frank in a New York-bound Dalek spaceship. It’s a wild ride.
The Mormon Detective and the Crisis of Faith
Let’s talk about the big one first because it’s why everyone is googling Andrew Garfield TV shows right now. Under the Banner of Heaven (2022) is heavy. Like, "don't watch this before bed" heavy.
Garfield plays Detective Jeb Pyre. He’s a devout Mormon. He’s got the perfect family, the perfect faith, and a very non-perfect double murder on his hands. What makes this performance special isn't the procedural stuff—we've seen a thousand "brooding detectives." It’s the way his face physically seems to collapse as his faith dissolves. There's this scene in his car where he's just... broken. It’s visceral.
The show got some heat from the LDS community for how it portrayed certain historical aspects, but strictly as a piece of television? It’s arguably Garfield’s most controlled, internal work. He didn't win the Emmy, but the nomination was basically a foregone conclusion the second the trailer dropped.
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Where He Actually Started: Sugar Rush and Doctor Who
Most people think The Social Network was the beginning. Nope. If you want to see a baby-faced Andrew Garfield, you have to go back to 2005.
He was in a Channel 4 show called Sugar Rush. He played Tom, a slightly awkward, sweet guy who was basically the "best friend" archetype. It was a cult hit in the UK, very neon and very mid-2000s. It’s weird seeing him there now, knowing he’d eventually be doing Scorsese movies.
Then there’s the Doctor Who of it all.
In 2007, he popped up in a two-parter: "Daleks in Manhattan" and "Evolution of the Daleks." He played Frank, a Tennant-era character with a Southern accent that was... well, it was a choice. But you could see the "it" factor even then. He was acting his heart out against guys in giant pepper-pot suits. That takes commitment.
The Red Riding Trilogy: The Real Turning Point
If you want to sound like an expert when talking about Andrew Garfield TV shows, mention Red Riding (2009).
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This is a three-part miniseries that is dark. Pitch black. It’s about corruption and child murders in Yorkshire. Garfield leads the first installment, 1974, as Eddie Dunford, a cocky young journalist who thinks he can fix a broken system.
He can’t.
This was the bridge between "TV kid" and "Serious Actor." It’s gritty, it’s depressing, and it’s some of the best British television of that decade. If you haven't seen it, find it. It explains why he’s so good at playing characters who are slowly being crushed by the weight of the world.
Why He’s Playing a Magician in 2026
So, what’s next? He’s currently filming Wild Things, an Apple TV+ series where he plays Roy Horn (of Siegfried & Roy fame) alongside Jude Law.
First look photos leaked recently showing them in full Vegas-magician garb, and it’s a total 180 from the somber detective in Utah. It’s theatrical. It’s loud. It’s exactly the kind of transformative role that Garfield excels at because, at his core, he’s a theater geek who happens to be a movie star.
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The Missing Links: Short Runs and Cameos
People often forget he did Trial & Retribution and a random episode of Freezing. He also did a weirdly beautiful segment for Simon Schama's Power of Art where he played a young man in a Caravaggio-inspired world.
He’s also popped up as a guest judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, which, honestly, should count as a "show" because he was clearly having the time of his life.
The Nuance of His TV Choices
Garfield doesn't do "background" TV. Even in his early stuff, he was picking projects that had a bit of an edge.
- Sugar Rush was progressive for its time.
- Red Riding was an experimental noir.
- Under the Banner of Heaven tackled the sociology of religion.
He uses the small screen to do the deep character work that big-budget movies sometimes gloss over. While the world waits for him to maybe (hopefully?) put the Spider-Man mask back on, his TV filmography is where the actual soul of his acting lives.
If you’re planning a binge-watch, don’t just stick to the hits. Start with Red Riding to see the raw talent, then move to Under the Banner of Heaven to see the refined expert. And maybe skip the Doctor Who episodes unless you really love Daleks.
Next Steps for Your Binge-Watch:
Check your streaming regional locks; Under the Banner of Heaven is a Hulu/Disney+ staple, but the Red Riding trilogy often hops between platforms like AMC+ or BritBox. If you want to see his very first steps, look for Sugar Rush on Channel 4’s streaming service if you have a VPN, or hunt down the DVDs for a real nostalgia trip.