Sam Rockwell has danced his way to the top and into fans’ hearts in many iconic roles. The actor most recently returned to theaters in Gore Verbinski‘s sci-fi comedy, Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die, about an alleged time traveler trying to recruit people from a local diner to save the world. Rockwell has always committed 100 percent to his roles, making him a joy to watch onscreen.

This commitment also applied to the 2019 limited series that many may have forgotten about. In the role of a lifetime, Rockwell portrays the iconic choreographer and director Bob Fosse in Fosse/Verdon. In just eight episodes, the actor takes the legend of Fosse from beginning to end in a series that doesn’t hold back. Fosse was not just a brilliant choreographer, but an imperfect person consumed with insecurity and self-doubt in his quest for success. Rockwell leans into these imperfections in a chronicle of a man who needs validation from the person he hurt the most.

Sam Rockwell Was Just One Half of an Iconic Duo in ‘Fosse/Verdon’

Bob Fosse was a giant in the Broadway community, but his story would have been incomplete without the presence of his estranged wife, Gwen Verdon. There was a time when Verdon was the more successful of the two, a Broadway star who was instrumental in Fosse’s development as a creative. The Hulu series knew better than to make Gwen a supportive wife; it instead put her on equal footing with her husband.

Rockwell shines as Bob, but Michelle Williams steals the show as Gwen. The series is a non-linear triumph that charts their life together — their ups and downs and everything in ebtween. The first episode kicks everything off not with the beginning of their relationship, but the fissure that caused their romance to dissolve. Starting the series with the filming of Cabaret was a brilliant creative decision. It is Fosse’s comeback after the critical failure of Sweet Charity, and it is also when Gwen discovers the infidelity that fractured their marriage.

Fosse/Verdon flashes back and forth to the important moments of their lives, and does so spectacularly. The series perfectly blends the spectacle of Broadway with the realities of what these characters are feeling. A heartbreaking story of infidelity and legacy, Fosse/Verdon features both Rockwell and Williams’ best performances, even if those performances aren’t widely remembered.

Broadway can be a niche subject, but even those who don’t know about Fosse’s legacy know him, at least in passing. He and Verdon remained creative partners even after their romance faltered. Together, they revived Chicago, and Verdon debuted the role of murderess Roxie Hart in the production. Chicago would go on to have great significance in Hollywood after the 2003 Rob Marshall film starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Renée Zellweger.

Fosse’s breadth of work left such a pop culture imprint that he ended up directing a fictionalized autobiography about himself in 1979. All That Jazz is perhaps the best-known entry point for non-Broadway audiences, which is a shame after all he contributed to the entertainment world. Fosse/Verdon contextualizes all of this and is a series not just for theater fans, but for anyone who wants to see compelling character work and a fascinating story. The series zips by in an instant in an easily digestible span of eight hours.