Bobby Lee's 10 Best Movies And TV Shows

The best Bobby Lee TV shows and movies highlight why the bombastic comedian has continued to have a successful career across multiple decades, long before he became known for co-hosting hit podcasts Bad Friends and Tigerbelly. Born in San Diego in 1971, Bobby Lee got his start in comedy after making an on-a-whim decision to enter get on stage at an amateur comedy night. Less than a year later he was opening for the likes of Pauly Shore and Carlos Mencia, eventually working as a regular at The Comedy Store in LA.

When it comes to his work on the screen, it was an appearance on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno that brought him national attention, and from there he went on to appear in a variety of movies and TV shows. While his work on the big screen includes appearances in cult-classic comedies like 2004’s Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle and 2008’s Pineapple Express, it’s his work in television that’s defined his career. The comedian and podcaster has some truly hilarious roles in his lengthy career, as the best Bobby Lee TV shows and movies prove.

10 What Would Diplo Do? (2017)

Bobby Lee Played Brian

The 2017 sitcom What Would Diplo Do? ran for a single season on Viceland, the short-lived cable channel operated by Vice Media. The show was created by Dawson’s Creek star James Van Der Beek, who also played the central character as Diplo. Diplo is a well-meaning but hapless DJ and music producer, and the sitcom was a comedy-of-errors that followed his various attempts to find success.

While What Would Diplo Do? might not be the most successul sitcom out there, and didn’t garner a large fanbase to say the least, it does still contain one of the funniest roles from Bobby Lee, and so is more than worthy of its place among his best TV shows. Lee played Diplo’s road manager, Brian, who was in many ways just as clueless as the titular character. What Would Diplo Do? remains available for streaming via Tubi, and is more than worth checking out for Bobby Lee fans who want to dive deeper into his back catalogue.

9 The Awesomes (2013-2015)

Bobby Lee Voiced Tim/Sumo

Running for three seasons on Hulu between 2013 and 2015, The Awesomes was an animated show that focused on a team of unlikely superheroes who find themselves as the replacements for a former team of far more competent characters. The team, called The Awesomes, included the likes of Professor Dr. Awesome, Muscleman, Concierge, and Gadget Gal. The show also remains a standout of Bobby Lee’s career when it comes to voice acting, as he played the shape-changing hero Tim, an 11-year-old boy who could change into a Sumo wrestler.

The Awesomes never took itself too seriously, and this made it incredibly suitable for Bobby Lee. While the role may not be his most memorable, it was an incredible performance nonetheless. It’s also one of the few times Lee has been a main cast member on an animated show – a somewhat surprising fact given how memorable he made Tim/Sumo as a character.

8 Animal Practice (2012-2013)

Bobby Lee Played Dr. Yamamoto

The NBC sitcom Animal Practice may only have lasted for 9 episodes of season 1 in 2012, though it still remains one of the best performances as a main cast member from Bobby Lee. The show took many of the tropes from medical dramas like E.R. and applied them to a veterinary setting, focusing on the various members of a team led by Dr. George Coleman (Justin Kirk), a talented vet who also happens to despise pet owners.

Bobby Lee’s character, Dr. Yamamoto, provided much of the comic relief across the 9 episodes of Animal Practice. He was incredibly suited to the role, as is to be expected given his comedic talents. The show also stands out as a highlight of Bobby Lee’s career since, of the handful of Animal Practice episodes that made it to air, “Dr. Yamamazing” is still considered the absolute best, and just so happens to be the installment that focused most heavily on his character.

7 Dream Corp LLC (2020)

Bobby Lee Played Tricky Ricky

Of all the best Bobby Lee TV shows, Dream Corp LLC is inarguably the strangest, though it also in some ways feels the most suited to the actor’s unique style of comedy. Running for three seasons on Adult Swim between 2016 and 2020, Dream Corp LLC was an absurdist comedy that blended rotoscope animation with live-action sequences.

The show focused on a back-alley facility that specialized in dream therapy, with each episode having the dreams of a different patient analyzed and (thanks to the animated sequences) shown on-screen. Bobby Lee appeared in season 3 as Tricky Ricky, and would return for several episodes. The character was just as bombastic as the rest of the show, and of all the roles in the later years of Lee’s career so far, perhaps most harks back to his MADtv roots.

6 Splitting Up Together (2018-2019)

Bobby Lee Played Arthur

Splitting Up Together is a comedy series about a married couple, Lena (Jenna Fischer) and Martin (Oliver Hudson), who decide to divorce but continue living in the same house for the sake of their children. The show explores the complexities of modern family dynamics and co-parenting while navigating their new lives apart and the possibility of rekindling their relationship.

Cast

Jenna Fischer , Oliver Hudson , Bobby Lee , Diane Farr , Lindsay Price , Olivia Keville , Van Crosby , Sander Thomas

Character(s)

Lena , Martin , Arthur , Maya , Camille , Mae , Mason , Milo

Release Date

March 27, 2018

Seasons

2

Creator(s)

Emily Kapnek

The ABC sitcom Splitting Up Together ran for two seasons between 2018 and 2019, and despite the cancelation it is fondly remembered by its fanbase both for its unique and relatable premise and the performances of the cast, including Bobby Lee. Splitting Up Together focused on separated couple Lena (Jenna Fischer) and Martin (Oliver Hudson), who, following their divorce, agree to cohabit for the benefit of their children.

Bobby Lee was a main cast member in Splitting Up Together, playing Arthur, one half of a married couple who are close friends of Lena and Martin. Splitting Up Together stands out as one of the best Bobby Lee TV shows because the role was remarkably understated and less outlandish than many of his other appearances, showing his suitability for more grounded sitcoms. He also had several touching moments alongside fellow cast member Lindsay Price, who played Arthur’s wife Camille, further showcasing his range beyond his sketch-comedy origins.

5 Inside Job (2021-2022)

Bobby Lee Voiced Dr. Andre

Netflix’s Inside Job is a sci-fi adult animated comedy series that is set in a conspiracy-laden government agency known as Cognito Inc., one of six major ruling bodies that control the world. The show follows two partners who manage the organization and wade through several major events in history, exploring the various conspiracy theories that float around via various information circles.

Release Date

October 22, 2021

Seasons

2

Creator(s)

Shion Takeuchi

The animated Netflix series Inside Job was canceled after just two seasons, a decision that came with no shortage of outcry from its many dedicated fans. The series focused on a government agency responsible for more-or-less every popular conspiracy theory, with the twist being that they were all real. As far as voice work goes, Inside Job also stands out as one of the best Bobby Lee TV shows thanks to his role as Dr. Andre Lee, one of the central characters in the series.

Dr. Lee was a Korean-American biochemist – though his personality was completely removed from usual portrayals of scientists in TV shows. Bobby Lee’s Inside Job character was both a genius when it came to creating strange narcotics, and a frequent user of his own creations. The part tapped into everything that makes Bobby Lee such a great comedic presence, and had the show not been prematurely canceled it’s likely that there’d have been even more great Dr. Lee moments to come.

4 Magnum P.I. (2019-2023)

Bobby Lee Played Jin

Magnum P.I. (2018) is a modern reboot of the classic 1980s series. It stars Jay Hernandez as Thomas Magnum, a decorated former Navy SEAL who returns to Hawaii to work as a private investigator. Supported by his loyal friends T.C. (Stephen Hill) and Rick (Zachary Knighton), and former MI6 agent Juliet Higgins (Perdita Weeks), Magnum navigates complex cases while living in the lush Hawaiian landscape.

Cast

Jay Hernandez , Perdita Weeks , Zachary Knighton , Stephen Hill , Amy Hill , Tim Kang

Release Date

September 24, 2018

Seasons

5

Creator(s)

Peter M. Lenkov , Eric Guggenheim

NBC and CBS’s 2018 reboot of Magnum P.I. may not be as acclaimed or celebrated as the 1980s original, though it’s a solid action drama in its own right. What’s more, playing the character of Jin was a highlight of Bobby Lee’s recent career, and showed his versatility when it comes to appearing outside of bombastic comedies. Bobby Lee, of course, brought some of his considerable comedic talents to the role, but Magnum P.I. still stands out as being a shift in tone from the shows he’s most known for.

Bobby Lee first appeared in the second season of Magnum P.I., and returned in 11 episodes from seasons 2 to 5. His character, Jin Jeong, started out on the show as a pickpocket who enlists the help of Magnum after a cell phone he stole contained some sinister text messages hinting at a much darker crime. Jin then would reappear as both a mild form of comic relief, and a character who provided some of the most interesting cases Magnum worked throughout the 2018 reboot.

3 And Just Like That (2021-2023)

Bobby Lee Played Jackie Nee

In this revival and sequel to HBO’s iconic Sex and the City, the show continues to follow the lives and friendships of Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda as they transition into life in their 50s.

Cast

Sarah Jessica Parker , Cynthia Nixon , Kristin Davis , Mario Cantone , David Eigenberg , Willie Garson , Evan Handler , Sara Ramirez , Chris Noth , Sarita Choudhury

Release Date

December 9, 2021

Seasons

2

Showrunner

Michael Patrick King

Considering he started his career in quirky comedies like MADtv, joining that cast of the Sex and the City sequel-spinoff, And Just Like That, seemed like an odd career direction for Bobby Lee. However, by the end of the first season, it was clear that his character of Jackie Nee was a career highlight for the comedian. It was also a surprisingly personal role for Lee himself, as he revealed that filming And Just Like That came during his struggles with sobriety and alcohol dependency.

Speaking on the podcast “Broad Ideas” (via NYPost), Bobby Lee revealed that his experience filming And Just Like That was a key turning point, and that turning up on set while so inebriated that he struggled to read the script was something of a wake-up call:

I couldn’t even understand what the f**k it was even saying. It was a nightmare. I remember thinking, ‘This is never going to happen again — I have to get sober.’”

Still, this didn’t impact his final performance as Jackie Nee, a colleague and friend of Carrie Bradshaw’s in her new life as a podcaster. He made sure that Nee was an endearing presence on-screen that viewers found it incredibly easy to relate to among the new characters in the Sex and the City spinoff, and it remains one of the best Bobby Lee TV shows so far.

2 Reservation Dogs (2021-22)

Bobby Lee Played Dr. Kang

Reservation Dogs is a Hulu original series about teenage Native American friends who grow up together on a reservation in Oklahoma. The series stars D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Paulina Alexis, Lane Factor, and Devery Jacobs as the four friends and was created by Sterlin Harjo and Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi.

Release Date

August 9, 2021

Seasons

2

The FX comedy-drama Reservation Dogs was created by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi, running from 2021 to 2023 across 3 seasons. The show was incredibly unique, as it focused on the lives of Indigenous teens in Oklahoma and their struggle to earn enough to move away from the reservation. The show was highly critically acclaimed, winning multiple awards and receiving nominations for several Primetime Emmys and a Golden Globe.

Bobby Lee joined the cast of Reservation Dogs in the first season, and while he only had a handful of appearances, his role as Dr. Kang secures the show both as one of the best he’s been a part of and one of his most noteworthy performances. Dr. Kang is a well-meaning but hapless medical professional and works as the doctor at the tribal clinic. Bobby Lee plays the character incredibly well, with scenes like Dr. Kang being trapped near-nude after being locked out of his hotel room being among the funniest in the entire show.

1 MADtv (2001-2009)

Bobby Lee Was A Regular Cast Member

While the actor has starred in many feature films and series for the small screen since, his tenure on MADtv for almost a decade continues to be regarded as the best Bobby Lee TV show. Bobby Lee has starred in a myriad of roles since, and many that showcase his capabilities as a performer in a more serious context than the cult sketch show. However, when it comes to his abilities as a comedian (for which he remains mostly known), his MADtv sketches remain the best examples of his work.

Bobby Lee was a main cast member on MADtv from 2001 to 2009, during which time he was one of the most popular names on the roster. His MADtv characters like Bae Sung, Joseph Yamanashi, Average Asian, and the Bling Kung Fu Master are still considered by many fans to be some of the best to appear in the shows entire run. While he’s appeared in dozens of other projects since, it’s difficult to consider anything else as more worthy for the title of best Bobby Lee TV show or movie than MADtv.