Jim Belushi is a bit of a chameleon, even if you’ve spent the last twenty years mostly seeing him as the quintessential "TV dad." Honestly, if you grew up in the early 2000s, it was almost impossible to escape his face. He was the guy on the couch, the guy with the beer, and the guy who somehow always had a gorgeous wife who was way too patient with him. But that's just the tip of the iceberg.
From the grit of Saturday Night Live in the mid-80s to his current life as a literal cannabis farmer on Discovery, the list of Jim Belushi TV shows is way longer and weirder than most people remember. He’s done prestige drama, weird 90s sci-fi, and about a million voices for cartoons your kids probably watch.
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The Sitcom That Never Seemed to End
When people talk about Jim Belushi TV shows, the elephant in the room is According to Jim. It ran from 2001 to 2009. Think about that for a second. Eight seasons. In an era where shows get canceled after three episodes if the Twitter metrics aren’t perfect, Jim lasted nearly a decade on ABC.
It wasn’t a "critic’s darling." In fact, critics mostly hated it. It has a dismal 14% on Rotten Tomatoes. But the fans? They loved it. It was comfort food. Jim played Jim Orenthal, a suburban dad in Chicago with a blues band in the garage. It was basically his real life but with a script. It’s the kind of show that still plays in waiting rooms and hotels across the country because it’s easy to watch and features Courtney Thorne-Smith keeping him in line.
Where It All Started: SNL and the Early Years
Before he was a suburban dad, Jim was living in the shadow of his brother, the legendary John Belushi. He joined the cast of Saturday Night Live in 1983, just a year or so after John passed away. That’s a heavy weight to carry. He stayed until 1985, creating characters like "That White Guy" and "Hank Rippy."
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He wasn’t just a performer there; he was a writer too. It was a chaotic era for the show, but it gave him the comedic chops that eventually led to his movie career in the late 80s with K-9 and Red Heat.
But before the movies really took off, he had some deep-cut shows that most people have completely forgotten:
- Who's Watching the Kids? (1978): His first major TV gig. It didn't last long, but it got him out of Chicago.
- Working Stiffs (1979): He starred alongside a young Michael Keaton. Imagine that duo today. It was about two brothers working as janitors. It only lasted nine episodes, but it's a fascinating "what if" in TV history.
- Wild Palms (1993): This was a weird one. A sci-fi miniseries produced by Oliver Stone. It was trippy, futuristic, and totally different from anything else Jim has ever done.
The Voice Behind the Cartoons
This is the part that usually surprises people. If you look at the full list of Jim Belushi TV shows, about half of them are animated. Jim has a very specific, raspy "Chicago" voice that works perfectly for tough guys or grumpy coaches.
He was Coach Wittenberg in Hey Arnold!. Remember the guy who was obsessed with winning and had a rocky relationship with his wife, Tish? That was Jim. He also voiced Simon the Monster Hunter in Aaahh!!! Real Monsters and Phil Palmfeather in the Mighty Ducks animated series.
He even voiced Jake in The Blues Brothers: The Animated Series in 1997. He’s spent a huge chunk of his career in a recording booth, which is probably a lot easier on the knees than filming a sitcom for 14 hours a day.
The Prestige Era: Twin Peaks and Beyond
In 2017, Jim did something nobody expected. He showed up in David Lynch’s Twin Peaks: The Return. He played Bradley Mitchum, one half of the "Mitchum Brothers" (alongside Robert Knepper). They were these quirky, sort of dangerous but ultimately lovable Vegas casino owners.
It was a reminder that when Jim is given a great director and a weird script, he’s actually a fantastic character actor. He followed that up with a role in the HBO miniseries Show Me a Hero, which was about a housing crisis in Yonkers. No jokes, no blues bands, just straight-up drama.
Growing Belushi: The Reality Pivot
If you flip through the channels today, you’re likely to find him on Growing Belushi. This isn’t a scripted sitcom. It’s a reality show on Discovery (and Max) about his actual life running Belushi’s Farm in Southern Oregon.
He’s not just a celebrity spokesperson; he’s actually in the dirt. The show follows him trying to build a legal cannabis empire while dealing with pests, harvest failures, and his old buddy Dan Aykroyd occasionally showing up to talk about "missions from God." It’s surprisingly vulnerable. You see him struggling with the legacy of his brother’s overdose and trying to find a new purpose in life.
It’s currently in its third season as of 2023, and it has rebranded him for a whole new generation. He’s no longer just the "According to Jim" guy; he’s the guy who grows "Captain Jack" and "Blues Brothers" weed.
What to Watch Next
If you're looking to dive back into his filmography, start with Twin Peaks: The Return for the shock value of seeing him in a David Lynch world. If you want nostalgia, find the Hey Arnold! episodes with the Coach. And if you’re into the business side of things, Growing Belushi is genuinely interesting, even if you aren't into the subject matter itself.
The best way to experience his range is to track down Working Stiffs if you can find it—seeing him and Michael Keaton together is a wild relic of the late 70s. You'll see the raw energy that eventually turned into the polished, reliable TV star he became.
Check your local streaming listings or Discovery+ for his most recent work, as he's still very active in the industry, even as he spends more time in the fields of Oregon than the soundstages of Hollywood.