Busy Philippsis often one of the funniest and most energetic characters in the movies and TV shows that she appears in, but she always gives them impressive complexity at the same time. She got her acting career started in the late ’90s, with the incredibly underrated andimpressively castFreaks and Geeksbeing one of her earliest roles. Philipps went on to appear inDawson’s Creek,ER,Cougar Town,andGirls5eva.
She hasn’t just appeared in TV shows throughout her career, as Philipps has had significant movie roles dating back to the early 2000s, includingHome Room,White Chicks,He’s Just Not That Into You,I Feel Pretty, andthe musical adaptation ofMean Girls, one of the 2000s greatest comedies. A larger-than-life performer, Busy Philipps is a treasure whenever she shows up.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Cast
This spinoff of the Terminator franchise follows Sarah Connor, her son John, and Cameron, a Terminator reprogrammed to protect John. Pursued by time-traveling Terminator assassins, they must cope with life on the run as well as the impending threat of Skynet.
Disregarding the events of the third film,Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chroniclespicks up after the events ofTerminator 2: Judgment Day,making the Terminator timeline a bit more confusingthan before, with many not even including the show in it. The series revolves around Sarah Connor and her son John as they work together to stop the creation of Skynet. Given the series format,Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chroniclesis able to explore its characters deeper than ever before, which results in a fantastic show that often got to the core of humanity during its run.
Busy Philipps doesn’t have the biggest role in the show, only appearing for five episodes in season 2. She plays Kacy Corbin, the pregnant next-door neighbor to the Connors. She begins to bond with both Sarah Connor and John, andPhilipps shows more humanity in the dire situations that the main characters often find themselves in.
Revolving around a school shooting that left many dead, including the shooter and his parents,Home Roomexplores the fallout of the tragedy and how it affected a student named Deanna Cartwright, who was seriously injured, and Alicia Browning, a loner who was the only witness and is also considered a suspect. The film explores its subject material with an empathetic hand following the real-life Columbine tragedy, and features a pair of incredible central performances.
Home Roomwas only the second film of Busy Philipps' career, and she proved early on why she was a fantastic actor. She plays Alicia Browning in the film, who was left uninjured in the wake of the shooting and is suspected because of that and her background. When she visits Deanna (Erika Christensen) in the hospital, the two of them begin to empathize with her as they both attempt to fight the trauma they have. Philipps is incredible.
Mean Girlsis an adaptation of an adaptation of one of the best comedies of the 2000s. Based on the musical based on the original film, the 2024 adaptation ofMean Girlsis pretty great actually, bringing the story into a modern setting while also translating the musical aspects of the stage play. It largely plays out the same as the originalMean Girls, and while it might not always reach the same highs as its predecessor, it is a great time at the movies.
Mean Girls 2024 Ending Explained
The new Mean Girls film is both an adaptation of the 2004 classic movie and the 2017 stage production, providing a new, updated ending for viewers.
Busy Philipps finally got a chance to be inMean Girlsafterwishing she would have been in the original instead of inWhite Chicks. She fills in Amy Poehler’s shoes as Mrs. George, mom to Regina George, who also thinks she isn’t like a regular mom, she’s a cool mom. Philipps does an admirable job in the role andchannels a lot of the same energy as Poehler while trying to make it her own. It’s a great, albeit a small part.
7Vice Principals (2016-2017)
Busy Philipps as Gale Liptrapp
Nearly every collaboration with Danny McBride and HBO ends up being gold, andVice Principalsis no exception. The series revolves around McBride’s Neal Gamby, an ill-tempered vice principal who sets his sights on becoming principal when the old one is set to step down, alongside his sociopathic co-vice principal, played by Walton Goggins. When they don’t get what they want, the two of them conspire to ruin the new hire’s reputation to take her place. It’s hilarious from start to finish, and McBride and Goggins are incredible in it.
2009-2013
2016-2017
The Righteous Gemstones
2019-Present
Busy Philipps is also fantastic inVice Principalsas Gale Liptrapp, the ex-wife of Neal Gamby and new wife of Shea Wigham’s Ray Liptrapp. McBride’s Neal Gamby often focuses his hostility towards Ray, and Gale is caught in the crossfire. She is able to tap into the comedy of the series,holding her own against some heavy hitters like McBride and Goggins.
Truly ridiculous but genuinely funny throughout,White Girlsis a staple of early to mid-2000s comedies as two Black FBI agents go undercover as two rich white women (and hotel heiresses) to protect them from a kidnapping plot. Marlon and Shawn Wayans give impressively committed performances inWhite Chicks, and the movie has some of the most iconic quotes for any comedy film that came out around that time. It might not be the best movie of all time, but it is loved by those who have fond memories of it.
Busy Philipps is really great inWhite Chicks, playing Karen Googlestein, one of the friends of two heiresses who realize they like the fake versions of them by the end of the film.White Chickshas a strong supporting cast of characters, especially the group of friends Karen is in, and Philipps is one of the best. She grows throughout the course of the film, becoming much more confident even if many might not view her in that light.
Spanning 15 seasons and over 300 episodes,ERis one of the most popular medical dramas of all time. The series focused on the emergency room in a fictionalized Cook County General Hospital in Chicago, exploring the professional and personal issues that the staff often faced. It does everything right that a medical drama needs to do, while crafting emotionally engaging situations and well-realized characters, who are often working a lot of their own problems while set within a high-stress setting.
Busy Philipps joined the cast ofERas Dr. Hope Bobeck, a physician who grows close to Morris after he invites her to a bible study, knowing that she is a devout born-again Christian, even if he isn’t quite as into it as she is.It’s one of her most well-known roles as she was one of the most interesting characters during her time on the show, and her relationship with Morris is often entertaining every time they are on-screen.
Cougar Town
Cougar Town is a comedy about Jules Cobb, a mother in her forties, navigating the humorous ups and downs of middle age. Set in a small town, the series explores her life with her son, ex-husband, and a quirky group of friends who form a supportive yet unconventional extended family.
Running for six seasons,Cougar Townfollows a recently divorced woman in her 40s who is ready to face a new chapter of life alongside her friends and family in “Cougar Town”, a fictional Florida town nicknamed after the high school mascot. Simultaneously raunchy and endearing,Cougar Townis a hilarious watch that offers some insight into getting older and the pressures women often face from society when it does happen. It’s quite steamy, too, making it one of the riskier mainstream sitcoms at the time of its run.
Busy Philipps received a Critic’s Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role inCougar Town.
Cougar Townis the longest-running role of Busy Philipps' career as she plays Laurie Keller, the young, attractive employee of Courtney Cox’s Jules Cobb. Laurie has a fun, bubbly personality, much like most of the best roles in Philipps' career, andshe leans into that aspect of the character while also giving her a surprising amount of depth. It’s a joy to watch her character mature as the series progresses.
A fantastic musical comedy on Peacock,Girls5evarevolves around four women who were once part of the titular girl group, which gained brief popularity before falling into one-hit-wonder obscurity. Decades later, they reunited to try and find success again after feeling unfulfilled in their respective lives.Girls5evais consistently hilarious, tapping into the nostalgia of the early-aughts while also being incredibly insightful and smart. It’s a joy to watch, and the series makes it easy to root for the group to find success once again.
Girls5evais consistently hilarious, tapping into the nostalgia of the early-aughts while also being incredibly insightful and smart.
Busy Philipps is perfect in her role as Summer Dutkowsky, the self-proclaimed “hot one” of Girls5eva, who lives in a mansion with her daughter and neglectful husband. Leaning into the “dumb blonde” stereotype while often subverting it, Philipps is remarkable,showing off just how genuinely hilarious she is as a comedic actor, something she has done so well in her entire career.
Created by Kevin Williamson, the writer ofScreamandI Know What You Did Last Summer,Dawson’s Creekis a mature, witty teen drama that was highly influential within the genre. The series focused on a group of teens from Capeside, Massachusetts, as they explored love, friendship, tragedies, and more while growing up and finding themselves. It set the standard for teen dramas at the turn of the millennium and has been a staple of the genre since then.
20 Dawson’s Creek Moments That Made Fans Cry
Dawson’s Creek was packed with dramatic moments that made the audience cry, though it also had more lighthearted moments that brought out happy tears.
Busy Philipps didn’t even joinDawson’s Creekuntil season 5, being promoted to a main role in season 6, but she immediately made a big impact on the show as it transitioned into focusing on the characters in college. She plays Audrey Liddell, roommate to Katie Holmes' Joey Potter and eventual girlfriend to Joshua Jackson’s Pacey Witter. Audrey’s personality is larger than life, and she isn’t afraid to speak her mind, andPhilipps steps into the role perfectly, blending in with the rest of the cast quite well.
Unfortunately canceled after one season,Freaks and Geeksis one of the greatest teen shows of all time, focusing on a group of suburban high school students at various stages of their lives, and the issues they face.Freaks and Geeksis hilarious and insightful, with fully realized, complex characters. One of the wildest parts of the series is the sheer amount of talent it helped launch, including Linda Cardellini, Busy Philipps, Jason Segel, Seth Rogen, and James Franco.
Though it only ran for one season,it’s one of the greatest roles of Busy Philipps' career, as she plays Kim Kelly, the girlfriend of Franco’s Daniel Desario, whose relationship is often unstable and unhealthy. Kim eventually becomes best friends with Linda Cardellini’s Lindsay Weir after being antagonistic towards her early on. Kim doesn’t seem to have a lot to her character at first, but slowly opens up as the series goes on, andBusy Philippsgives her so much depth by the end ofFreaks and Geeksthat she became a fan favorite.
