Regardless of what genre of TV shows you prefer, there’s a good chance that the very talentedBrianne Howeyhas been in one that you’d like. She’s most famous for her many roles in various series over the years, and although she’s only been around the acting scene since 2010, has proven to be a very versatile and popular actress in that time. While she’s been in a few films too, she’s best known for her many great roles insome very bingeable TV shows.
Whether it’s horror shows, sitcoms, superhero shows, procedurals, or dramatic series, Howey has been in a diverse range of series, some going on to become very popular — especially in the era of streaming services. From a young age, she found work with single appearances in shows like the very popularNCIS.
With some great depth to many of her characters, there’s already been more than enough evidence that Howey has a bright future ahead of her, and she’s built up a cult following among fans of her shows and most famous characters along the way. With her career looking set to keep growing, here’s a look at Brianne Howey’s best performances across film and television so far.
10Horrible Bosses 2
These hit comedy films starring Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, and Charlie Day were both commercial hits for their memorably raunchy humor and quirky characters. In the second film,Horrible Bosses 2, the movie featured a funny montage scene where the three friends begin screening applicants for their new business.
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Sudeikis' character, Kurt, is well known for his weakness when it comes to beautiful women. In histypically thirsty style, he makes this scene hilarious as he takes a shine to every attractive woman that shows up for an interview. In a brief, but funny appearance during this scene, Brianne Howey shows up as one of these preferred applicants. Kurt being Kurt, takes one look at her, and hires her immediately despite the fact that she has zero work experience.
9The Middle
The Middlewas a lovable sitcom created by the same showrunners who madeRoseanne,and in some ways followed a similar comedic take on small-town life. It starred Patricia Heaton in the lead as the mother of a lower-income family in a fictional small town in Illinois. A very funny show, itsgreat casting and charactersand dramatic undertone made it an engrossing show which lasted for nine successful seasons, winning many awards along the way.
Between 2011 and 2012, Brianne Howey guest starred in two episodes ofThe Middle.She played a character named Emily, and although it wasn’t a major part on the show, came early enough in her career to act as a great stepping stone for her. It was also the first time she appeared in a comedy show, a genre she’d later prove to be very adept in.
To date, Howey’s only been in ten films so far, with most of these being small roles and indie films. She has, however, wrapped up filming on an upcoming film calledDear Santa, a Bobby Farrelly-directed Christmas comedy starring Jack Black and Keegan-Micgael Key, which is currently in post-production.
From those she has starred in so far, there’s been some good ones, one of them being the 2019 romantic comedy,Plus One. While her role in it was small, her character’s importance to the plot wasn’t. The film revolved around two friends named Ben and Alice, who are both tired of attending weddings alone, so make a pact to be each other’s plus ones for them.
Of course, being a romantic comedy, this meant the characters weredestined to slowly realize their feelingsfor each other along the way. However, Howey’s character, Jess Ramsey, made sure this never happened earlier, since in the beginning, Ben is enamored by her and spends his time longing to date her.
7Time Trap
By 2017, Brianne Howey’s numerous appearances on TV shows and her burgeoning film career led to her landing the lead role ina great indie sci-fi-adventurefilm calledTime Trap.The film took its inspiration from more famous films like those in theIndiana Jonesfranchise and followed similar themes of archeologists discovering hidden wonders with legendary underpinnings.
Howey played Jackie in the film, an archaeologist grad student who enters a cave system to find her professor after he seemingly disappears inside it. The group soon discovers that this place holds some unique secrets, chief among them the fact that time works very differently here. The film was fairly well-received by critics given its financial constraints, with Howey playing her character very well in it.
Over the course of its four-season run on ABC,Revengewas one of the most popular shows around in terms of its key demographic. Starring Madeline Stowe and Emily VanCamp, the show won multiple awards and was slated for a spin-off that ultimately never got made.
It centered on a young woman who returns to a wealthy town nearly two decades after she was mistreated there by other residents. She creates a fresh identity for herself as a new resident andplans on seeking revengebut winds up also uncovering a web of other secrets and lies in the town.
Howey played a character in three episodes of the show’s second season. Again, while it wasn’t a very large part overall, it helped her to continue gaining experience in the industry that would lead to larger roles later on.
5The Passage
InThe Passage,a show that unfortunately didn’t last long, Brianne Howey played a character named Shauna Babcock, a death row inmate. The show was based on the Justin Cronin novels and features a post-apocalyptic world of vampires. It revolved around a secret facility’s attempts to create a cure for all diseases.
Unfortunately, this involves creating a deadly virus first that has the potential to destroy the world. Government conspiracies abound, and the world is later plunged into a dystopian future where humankind has to battle for its survival. Although the show’s pilot received decent reviews, these weren’t enough to save it and Foxcanceled it after just one season. Nevertheless, it showcased some great performances from Howey before its cancelation.
As good as she was in the show, Brianne Howey didn’t have much luck inTwistedeither. Another show of hers that got canceled after one season, this one wasa teen-mystery-dramathat centers on a teenager named Danny Desai, who spent five years in Juvenile detention after being charged with murdering his aunt.
After returning to town, Danny is trying to readjust to life again amid all the inertia of his past when he becomes the suspect in another murder that occurs there. Brianne Howey had a recurring role in the show as a wild teenager named Whitney Taylor.
DC’s famous female-led version of the Caped Crusader,Batwomanfound itself a great niche in the superhero world as a TV series that lasted for three seasons on The CW. The show broke ground when Javicia Leslie became the first Black, bisexual woman to play the role. A popular show that was critically acclaimed, it featured some unique storylines, plenty of action, and a character-driven story that earned many nominations and wins among LGBT award shows.
Between 2019 and 2020, Brianne Howey joined the show and was featured in four episodes. A far more established TV actress by this point, she earned the role of Regan Pye, a character based on a supervillain from the comics. Her character caused a stir with some pretty steamyscenes she shares with Kate Kane(Ruby Rose), who was the original Batwoman on the show before Javicia Leslie joined it.
2The Exorcist
A spin-off from the legendary film,The Exorcistbrought the demonic scares of the original film to the small screen. Featuring the likes of Geena Davis and Alan Ruck as parents of two daughters who begin experiencing some strange happenings, the show was praised critically and wasgenerally well-receivedfor being a solid outing despite having to contend with the looming shadow of its iconic counterpart hanging over it.
“Some viewers will be measuring it against what they consider to be one of the scariest movies the genre has ever produced, the 1973 film directed by William Friedkin. Others, schooled on decades’ worth of parodies of that same movie (especially its projectile-vomiting and 360-degree-head-spinning scenes), will be on the lookout for anything in the TV show that might be laughably ineffective or pretentious. The premiere, at least, deftly avoids both traps. It doesn’t try to be the movie or outdo it in terms of fright factor, nor does it provide any reasons for mockery. It’s well-made, well-acted television…”
Brianne Howey played one of the two daughters in the show, displaying some great contrasts to the relatively simpler characters she played in other shows. With some excellent nuance to her performance, she also showed a definite talent for the horror genre too, a fact underscoring her talent since she’s now best known for her dramatic roles.
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Although it was a solid show, with wonderful performances from Howey and her cast mates, these facts were ultimately unable to save the show from being canceled after two seasons. However, given the recent death of the movie’s legendary director, William Friedkin, and the upcoming film,The Exorcist: Believer, interest in this franchise is on a high again.
1Ginny & Georgia
After all Brianne Howey’s tough luck with great shows that were canceled for reasons beyond her control, the streaming era has proven why stars like her often get overlooked because their shows never see the light of day amid network TV’s reputation for culling shows too soon. Netflix has revitalized the young actress’s career as she landed one of the main roles inGinny & Georgia.
A coming-of-age single mother drama that harks back to the days ofThe Gilmore Girls,the show has so far proven hugely popular. After its second season premiered earlier this year, it was almost immediately renewed for a third and fourth season and has a dedicated fan base who can’t get enough of it.
Howey plays Georgia Milleron it, a single mother of a teenage daughter named Georgia and a 9-year-old son named Austin. While it’s easy to fall in love with her adorable southern accent in the show, Howey, a California native, does not speak in that accent in real life.
In the show, Ginny moves to a new neighborhood. Something her family has become accustomed to in light of her free-spirited ways. However, as the show unravels, there’s a lot more to her story as we learn she was also a survivor of abuse and a teen mother who literally had to reinvent herself to keep her family safe.
A great show, to date, this one makes the best use of Howey’s clear talent. While she’s always shown glimpses of being a star throughout her career, she’s finally realized all that potential with this hit show.
