When we talk about Sir Ian McKellen, the brain immediately goes to one of two places: the gravelly, authoritative "You shall not pass!" of Gandalf or the cold, metallic precision of Magneto. It’s unavoidable. The man is a titan of the silver screen and a god of the stage. But there’s this weird gap in how people view his career, as if he only exists in three-hour blockbusters or the West End.
Honestly, some of his most daring, hilarious, and downright bizarre work has happened on the small screen. Ian McKellen TV shows aren't just a side quest in his career; they are where he takes the biggest risks. While everyone was watching him lead armies in Middle-earth, he was busy playing a sleazy con artist in a British soap opera or trading insults with Derek Jacobi in a sitcom that felt like a fever dream.
If you think he’s always the "serious Shakespearean," you’ve been missing out.
The Vicious Brilliance of Freddie Thornhill
If you haven't seen Vicious, you haven't lived. Basically, it’s a multi-cam sitcom about an elderly gay couple, Freddie (McKellen) and Stuart (Derek Jacobi), who have lived together in the same London flat for nearly 50 years. They spend about 90% of their time absolutely shredding each other’s dignity.
It’s theatrical. It’s loud. It’s incredibly camp.
McKellen plays Freddie, a "moderately successful" actor who still clings to his minor fame. He treats every entrance into his own living room like he's stepping onto the stage at the Old Vic. The show was polarizing. Some critics thought it was too broad, but they kinda missed the point. Watching two of the world's greatest living actors deliver lines like "Bollocks that was a bitch" with perfect Shakespearean modulation is a gift.
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Underneath the insults, though, there’s a genuine tenderness. Season 2, which aired around the time same-sex marriage was legalized in the US and UK, actually dealt with the couple getting married after half a century. It showed that McKellen could do "sitcom funny" while still grounding the character in a very real, very vulnerable history.
That Time He Was a Con Artist in Weatherfield
Perhaps the most "wait, what?" moment in British television history was when Sir Ian McKellen decided he wanted to be on Coronation Street. This wasn't a cameo. He didn't just walk into the Rovers Return for a pint and a nod.
He played Mel Hutchwright, a fraudulent novelist who spent ten episodes in 2005 sponging off the local residents.
It turns out McKellen had always wanted to be in a soap. He actually approached his agent about it. He played Mel as a total sleaze—picking his teeth with a knife, drinking other people’s beer, and pretending to write a masterpiece called Hard Grinding. Watching him manipulate soap legends like Emily Bishop and Norris Cole was a masterclass in character acting.
He didn't "act down" for the soap. He treated it with the same weight as King Lear. That’s the thing about McKellen; he doesn’t have a "TV mode." He just has an "actor mode."
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The Experimental Mind-Bender: The Prisoner
In 2009, AMC and ITV tried to remake the 1960s cult classic The Prisoner. It was... weird. Jim Caviezel played Number 6, and McKellen played Number 2, the enigmatic leader of "The Village."
The show itself received mixed reviews—some people found it too abstract—but McKellen was haunting. He played Number 2 (also known as Curtis) not as a cartoon villain, but as a man who genuinely believed he was creating a utopia. He was genial, paternal, and terrifying all at once.
It's a forgotten gem of his TV filmography. Even if the plot gets a bit lost in the desert sand, McKellen’s performance anchors the whole thing. He makes you almost want to live in a brainwashing surveillance state just so you can hear him talk.
Bringing the Bard to the Living Room
We have to talk about the "Great Performances" and the filmed plays. For many, these are the definitive versions of these stories.
- Macbeth (1979): Opposite Judi Dench. This is legendary. It’s a minimalist production with no scenery, just faces in the dark. It’s claustrophobic and intense.
- King Lear (2008): Directed by Trevor Nunn. McKellen’s Lear is heartbreaking. He famously did a full-frontal nudity scene in this production to show the King's total reduction to "a bare, forked animal." On PBS, this was a massive event.
- Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny (1996): He won a Golden Globe for this one. He played Tsar Nicholas II, and he managed to make a doomed, somewhat weak historical figure deeply sympathetic.
Why Ian McKellen TV Shows Still Matter in 2026
As of early 2026, Sir Ian is still at it. Despite a scary fall off a stage during Player Kings in 2024, he’s back. He’s recently been involved in "mixed-reality" plays like An Ark in New York and is still a fixture on British television specials.
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The reality is that McKellen used television to democratize high art. Not everyone can afford a ticket to the West End. But everyone could watch him as a Tsar on HBO or a bickering partner on PBS.
What most people get wrong is thinking that his TV work is just "extra credit." In many ways, his television roles are more revealing of his range than his movies. In Extras with Ricky Gervais, he played a version of himself and gave a hilarious "tutorial" on acting that became an instant meme ("How do I act so well? I pretend to be the person I am portraying!").
He’s never been afraid to look silly, sleazy, or small on screen. That lack of ego is exactly why he’s still the most interesting person on any channel.
What You Should Do Next
If you want the full "McKellen TV Experience," don't start with the Shakespeare. Start with the range.
- Watch Vicious on streaming services like BritBox or PBS Passport. It’s the perfect antidote to his "serious" reputation.
- Track down the Extras "Sir Ian McKellen" episode (Season 2, Episode 5). It’s only 20 minutes of your life and it explains his sense of humor better than any biography.
- Look for the 1979 Macbeth on YouTube or educational archives. It’s a reminder that great acting doesn't need a $200 million budget or CGI capes.
By exploring these roles, you'll see a side of the actor that Gandalf's robes usually hide: a man who loves the craft of acting regardless of whether it’s for a global audience or a Tuesday night soap crowd.