Why Drew From B Positive Looks So Familiar

With "B Positive" on the air, it seems that the old-fashioned, multi-camera sitcom format is alive and well. The CBS series — which was created by Chuck Lorre and Marco Pennette, upon whom the story is loosely based — debuted its second season in 2021, bringing back all of its popular characters. One such individual who has returned is the lead character, Drew, a divorced father who turns to an old friend from high school for a kidney when he cannot find a desperately needed donor. 

Drew from "B Positive" likely looks familiar to comedy fans, and that is because the character is portrayed by actor and comedian Thomas Middleditch. Middleditch has become a notable performer over the course of the last decade, with numerous starring and support roles littered throughout his resume (per IMDb). With that in mind, let's dive in and take a look at some of the actor's most notable onscreen roles to date.

One of the earliest notable film roles that Thomas Middleditch got to sink his teeth into came with the debut of Adam McKay's "The Other Guys" in 2010. One part buddy cop spoof, and one part satire of Wall Street, the film sees Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg team up to take down a criminal conspiracy to defraud the NYPD pension fund. 

In "The Other Guys," Middleditch has a small part as a pretentious art curator who confronts Terry Hoitz (Wahlberg) when Hoitz arrives to talk to his ex-wife. Middleditch's role in "The Other Guys" is very much indicative of the types of roles that helped propel him to his eventual starring performances in projects such as "Silicon Valley." Like many other improvisational comedians before him (such as "Saturday Night Live" alums Will Ferrell or Amy Poehler), Middleditch took on a number of small supporting characters before rising to his own starring vehicles. Similar roles included beloved TV series such as "The League" on FX, as well as the 2012 Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis comedy, "The Campaign," among others.

In 2014, Thomas Middleditch debuted in what could arguably be considered his most well-known and beloved role to date: Pied Piper founder Richard Hendricks on HBO's "Silicon Valley." The series, set in the titular Northern California locale, provided audiences with a pitch perfect satire of tech industry companies and the computer programmers who make them run. As Hendricks, Middleditch portrayed a brilliant — but shy and socially awkward — businessman, who possesses ample computer skills but not much in the way of business acumen.

"Silicon Valley" ran for six seasons between 2014 and 2019. Though the series did experience some changes and narrative shifts throughout its run – particularly following the departure of T.J. Miller – Thomas Middleditch remained the focal point of the show in his performance as Richard Hendricks. In fact, the series finale flashed forward 10 years to catch up with the Pied Piper crew, revealing that Richard never really lost his awkward, bumbling personality even as he saw increased success in his compression technology.

After the release of "Zombieland" in 2009, many horror-comedy fans clamored for a sequel. However, they had to wait an entire decade to get the gang back together for more zombie carnage. "Zombieland: Double Tap" brought old favorites back for more post-apocalyptic chaos but also introduced new characters such as Zoey Deutch's Madison and Rosario Dawson's Nevada. Two other major additions to the cast included Luke Wilson as Albuquerque –- a "doppelganger" of Woody Harrelson's Tallahassee -– as well as Thomas Middleditch as Flagstaff, himself a doppelganger of Jesse Eisenberg's Columbus. 

"Double Tap" was directed by original "Zombieland" director Ruben Fleischer and debuted to largely positive critical reactions. This praise extended to the doppelgangers, as well: both Luke Wilson and Thomas Middleditch brought something genuinely fun to the table in their performances as Albuquerque and Flagstaff. However, there's a strong case to be made that Middleditch comes out as the winner. This is primarily due to how well he impersonates Jesse Eisenberg and mimics the future Lex Luthor actor's distinct personality tics.

Though primarily known for doing work in the comedy world, Thomas Middleditch has also made his way to the realm of big-budget blockbusters (similar to many of his other "Silicon Valley" co-stars, in fact). Specifically, the actor had a notable role in the 2019 "Godzilla" sequel, "Godzilla: King of the Monsters." Playing Monarch Director of Technology Sam Coleman, his character was presented as one of the film's main heroes and a major connective thread between the mysterious organization and the United States government.

Although the Warner Bros. MonsterVerse has become its own interconnected universe of films, Sam Coleman only appears in the one movie. However, "Godzilla: King of the Monsters" is actually not the only film to feature a performance by Thomas Middleditch. In addition to his role as Coleman in the 2019 sequel, Middleditch also had a small vocal performance in 2017's "Kong: Skull Island," though that role does not have any overt connection to his live-action role as Sam Coleman.

Finally, and most recently, Netflix audiences may recognize Thomas Middleditch for his recent collaboration with "Parks and Recreation" and "Sonic the Hedgehog" actor Ben Schwartz. The two are well-known improv comics, and they teamed up in 2020 for the Netflix release of their special series "Middleditch & Schwartz." In the series, the two would walk out on stage together and create an entire improvisational comedy special built around a single suggestion from the audience. Three episodes were released, all debuting in April 2020.

"Middleditch & Schwartz" was met with widespread critical acclaim upon its debut on Netflix in 2020. Since the two comedians were the core appeal of the show, much of this praise was heaped upon them — with viewers praising their improv skill and ability to entertain audiences (both live and at-home) with minimal prep time. Despite the positive reaction, there has been no formal confirmation of a second season or installment of the special series at this time.