The world is full of phonies, people and projects who are popular for no good reason, who´ve been elevated to power through privilege or aggressive publicists or the whims of fate. The success of the untalented and the mediocre can be a pretty depressing spectacle. So let´s not worry about them for now. Instead, we´re taking a moment to honor the underappreciated talents in our midst, tose who never quite get the laurels they deserve while Nicole Richies and Paul Walkers of the world land on magazine covers. The list begins with a man who got one of his first big breaks acting opposite a chimpanzee, and who can currently be seen acting opposite a horse and Dakota Fanning in Dreamer.

Underrated working actor:
Kurt Russell
Why?

He's been in a lot of schlock, and he's never won a major acting award, but there are few more reliable presences in American movies; Russell shows such joy in acting that even his dourest characters spark to life. An avowed libertarian and libertine, Russell enters a movie frame and immediately becomes the most fascinating guy at the party.

The evidence:

Russell's career is full of great performances, but it's a testament to his endurance that some of the best have come in the last half-decade: the well-meaning dirty cop in the underseen Dark Blue, the boyish superdad in the family charmer Sky High, and the determined, covertly embittered U.S. Olympic hockey coach in Miracle. Almost as impressive as Russell's onscreen performances are his exuberant DVD commentaries, where he reminisces with his filmmaking buddies and laughs like a hyena at his own shtick. Russell's boisterous comments on Used Cars and Big Trouble In Little China are classic.

Underrated badass:
Elijah Wood
Why?

Elijah Wood has the soft, sweet looks of a living teddy bear. He speaks with an accent that falls somewhere between Iowa and New Zealand. And there's at least one website (veryverygay.com) that exists solely to prove that he is very, very gay. Essentially, he doesn't seem like a badass. But, make no mistake, he is one––at least onscreen. After all, it was Wood, as the titular good son, who battled Macaulay Culkin on a cliff in The Good Son. And it was Wood who stole Jim Carrey's girlfriend, using Carrey's own words, in Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind. And it was Wood who punched like a girl, yet still managed to become a top hooligan in Green Street Hooligans. What does it all mean?

The evidence:

He may not be the strongest, and at 5'6", he's definitely not the tallest, but there's got to be something, some dark impulse, lurking behind those huge, eerily unblinking eyes, right? Hollywood certainly thinks so: Elijah Wood's next role is the chest-slashing punk rocker Iggy Pop.

Underrated sitcom:
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Why?

This fledgling FX sitcom follows the lives of four self-centered hipsters (Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, Rob McElhenney, and Kaitlin Olson) who run a bar on a cool stretch of South Philadelphia. Though the premise sounds like a cross between Cheers and Friends, It's Always Sunny never resorts to Cheers' comedic ba-dum-pum rhythm, or the gooey sentimentality that plagued Friends. The characters on It's Always Sunny don't learn lessons, or grow closer, or worry about their relationships: they're too busy picking up girls at abortion rallies, or being disgusted by old people in nursing homes, or dating black co-eds to prove they're not racist. In fact, It's Always Sunny is the perfect anti-sitcom, from its laugh-track-free dialogue to its sharply twisted plotlines to its ironically cheery theme music.

The evidence:

The fourth episode, "Charlie Has Cancer," cements the show's ability to mine serious issues (like, say, cancer) to genuinely funny ends. Upon learning that Charlie may have cancer, everyone, even Charlie, uses the information to suit their own agendas. The best line in the episode is delivered by Day, with a sarcastic eye-roll: "I found out I might have cancer, so, oooooh, scary."

Underrated comic-book creator:
Paul Chadwick
Why?

Chadwick's Dark Horse-published creation Concrete was widely celebrated during the black-and-white comics boom of the early '80s, but as the market splintered into critically lauded, bookstore-friendly art-comics and disreputable-but-cult-supported superhero fare, Concrete fell through the proverbial cracks. (It hasn't helped that Chadwick has spent more time lately working as the architect of The Matrix's online gaming universe than as a comic-book writer-artist.) The recent miniseries Concrete: The Human Dilemma reminded longtime fans of the unique quality of Chadwick's rock-hewn adventurer. Concrete's keenly analytical human brain, awkwardly oversized alien body, and deep social conscience make him a hero who thinks more than he acts, and Chadwick has developed a drawing style that keeps the action moving while unveiling the hundred little details that underlie every decision.

The evidence:

Dark Horse is in the process of reprinting all the Concrete collections in fine new editions. Each stands alone as a full, comprehensible story, but the best places to start are the odds-and-sods collections Depths and Heights, and—once the new edition comes out next spring—the emotionally devastating carjacking thriller Killer Smile, which belongs on any list of the all-time greatest graphic novels.

For a longer version of this feature, including our choices for "Underrated TV Chef," please visit avclub.com."