Honestly, it is hard to find someone in Hollywood who makes everything they touch better quite like Sam Richardson. You’ve seen him. Maybe it was the wide-eyed, relentlessly optimistic Richard Splett on Veep, or perhaps you caught him as the guy trying to solve a murder at his own high school reunion in The Afterparty. He has this specific energy—a mix of "too pure for this world" and "secretly the smartest person in the room"—that has made Sam Richardson movies and TV shows a go-to for anyone who actually likes laughing.
He isn't just a sidekick anymore.
For a while, Sam was the ultimate "Hey! It’s that guy!" actor. He’d pop up in The Office or Arrested Development for five minutes, steal the scene with a polite but devastatingly weird line, and then vanish. But things changed. Between winning an Emmy for Ted Lasso and headlining big-budget sci-fi like The Tomorrow War, Richardson has moved into that rare space where his name on a poster actually means the project has a soul.
The Richard Splett Factor: Where It All Clicked
If we are talking about the turning point, we have to talk about Veep. Richard Splett was only supposed to be a one-off character. One episode. That was the plan. But the writers realized something pretty quickly: Sam Richardson is a comedic vacuum who sucks all the tension out of a scene and replaces it with hilarious sincerity.
In a show filled with the most cynical, foul-mouthed, and terrible human beings on television, Splett was a unicorn. He was polite. He was incompetent in a way that somehow led to him becoming President of the United States in the series finale. That’s not a spoiler anymore—the show ended in 2019, so if you haven't seen it, that's kinda on you. But Splett’s arc from a lowly "minder" to the leader of the free world is basically the blueprint for Sam’s career: being so likable that you eventually just win.
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Why Detroiters Is the Cult Classic You Missed
Look, if you want to understand who Sam Richardson is, you have to watch Detroiters. He co-created it with his real-life best friend Tim Robinson (the I Think You Should Leave guy). They play Sam Duvet and Tim Cramblin, two low-rent ad men in Detroit who make those terrible local commercials for furniture stores and hot dog joints.
It’s the most joyful show ever made about a city that usually gets a bad rap in the media.
- The Vibe: Pure, unadulterated friendship.
- The Comedy: Physical, absurd, and deeply weird.
- The Tragedy: Comedy Central canceled it after two seasons in 2018.
Fans are still mad about that. It’s 2026 now, and people are still tweeting at networks to bring it back. It was a victim of bad timing and a lack of marketing, but it’s where Sam’s "nice guy" persona was truly perfected. He wasn't just the joke; he was the heart.
Breaking Into the Big Screen and Genre-Hopping
Most comedy actors get stuck in a loop. They play the "funny friend" in every romantic comedy until they disappear. Sam avoided that by jumping into weird genres.
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Take Werewolves Within (2021). It’s a horror-comedy based on a video game, which sounds like a recipe for a disaster. Instead, Sam—who also produced it—turned it into a sharp, witty whodunnit that actually works. Then he hopped over to The Tomorrow War to play the comic relief alongside Chris Pratt. He managed to make a movie about aliens and time travel feel grounded just by being the guy who was rightfully terrified the whole time.
And let's not forget his voice. If you have kids, or if you just watch a lot of animation, you've heard him. He’s in Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken, he plays Norville (aka Shaggy) in Velma, and he’s been a staple in BoJack Horseman and Harley Quinn. His voice has this built-in warmth that makes even a sarcastic character feel approachable.
What is Sam Richardson Doing in 2026?
If you’re looking for what’s next, the man is busier than ever. He has a massive role in the upcoming Star Trek: Section 31 movie alongside Michelle Yeoh. Seeing Sam in the Star Trek universe is a bit of a trip, but he’s playing a character named Quasi, and early buzz says it’s a much more layered performance than we’re used to.
He is also returning to his voice-acting roots with The Angry Birds Movie 3 and a new Disney/Pixar-adjacent project called Hoppers, where he plays a character named Conner. Basically, if there’s a major production happening, Sam Richardson is probably in the trailer.
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Major Awards and Wins
| Year | Award | Show/Movie | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | SAG Award | Veep (Ensemble) | Won |
| 2022 | Emmy Award | Ted Lasso | Nominated |
| 2023 | Emmy Award | Ted Lasso | Won |
His win for Ted Lasso as the villainous billionaire Edwin Akufo was a huge moment. It proved he could play a jerk—a very specific, very funny jerk—and still command the screen. It was the "I can do more than just the nice guy" card, and he played it perfectly.
The Must-Watch Sam Richardson Checklist
If you’re just starting your Sam Richardson obsession, don't just click on whatever is trending. Start here to see the range:
- Veep (HBO): Start at Season 3. Watch his evolution. It’s the gold standard.
- Detroiters (Comedy Central/Paramount+): This is the soul of his comedy. It’s about friendship and cheap hot dogs.
- The Afterparty (Apple TV+): It’s a genre-bending mystery where every episode is a different movie style. Sam is the lead, and he carries the whole thing.
- I Think You Should Leave (Netflix): He appears in several sketches (like the Baby of the Year host), and they are some of the most quoted moments in the show’s history.
Sam Richardson’s career is a reminder that being the "nice guy" doesn't mean you're boring. It just means you have to be funnier than everyone else to get noticed. He’s done that. From the stages of Second City in Detroit to the Emmy stage in Los Angeles, he’s become the secret weapon of modern entertainment.
To stay ahead of his 2026 releases, keep an eye on the Star Trek press junkets and the animation slate for late summer. If you haven't revisited Detroiters lately, go do that. It’s better than you remember, and it’s the best way to support what he’s building.