From Big Screen to Small

The new remake of 'The Day the Earth Stood Still' makes the best case possible for why good actors are better served by television than movies these days. Sure, there is a cluster of genuine movie stars who are also fine actors in their prime and able to headline in big, important films with well-written, complex characters. But many serious actors are now better served in a good TV drama, especially the kind of edgy, provocative material finding its way to pay and basic cable, and even sometimes to the networks.