Television Sitcoms
ByJoe Capraro
Jenna Fischer was one of the anchors of "The Office," appearing as Pam Beesly in every one of the 188 episodes of the NBC hit series. Since the finale of "The Office" was broadcast in 2013, Fischer has remained relatively busy, making a variety of television and film appearances over the past decade. In addition, Fischer has also been a regular fixture on the popular weekly podcast "Office Ladies," which she hosts with her best friend and "The Office" co-star, Angela Kinsey.
Her first role after "The Office" wrapped was as Alli in the 2013 film "Are YouHere?" Itstarred Owen Wilson,Zach Galifianakis, Amy Poehler, LaurenLapkus, and PeterBogdonavich.
Despite the array of comedic talent, "Are You Here?" was inarguably a dud, scoring an 8% rating from critics onRotten Tomatoes. Max Nicholson of IGN Movies said the film tried to bridge the gap between comedy and drama and left audiences hanging in the empty space between the two genres while also wasting the skills of its impressive cast. "In the end," he wrote, "'Are You Here' isn't quite funny enough to be a comedy, nor does it take itself seriously enough to be a drama. I would say that it's a dramedy, but the tone is so erratic that it doesn't really fit in that category either."
Fischer's next film was the 2014 indie coming-of-age drama "Kiss Me,"which was directed by "Survivor" host Jeff Probst.
Jenna Fischer played an imprisoned librarian on You, Me and the Apocalypse
After "Kiss Me," Jenna Fischer made an appearance on the 2014 TV miniseries "Ten X Ten" alongside Hollywood fixtures like Richard Kind, Adam Brody, Bill Pullman, and Judith Light.
Her next role was on the end-of-the-world comedy miniseries "You,Me, and the Apocalypse," which aired on NBC in 2015 and 2016. Fischer plays Rhonda, a librarian who ends up in a New Mexico prison in place of her son and who breaks out to reunite with her family before the Earth is destroyed by a comet. In an interview with AOL Build, Fischer pointed out that while both this show and "The Office" were based on British shows of the same name, that's where the similarities ended.
Unlike "The Office," the cast of the American adaptation of "You, Me, and the Apocalypse" was largely made up of holdovers from the British version. Fischer was one of the few American additions to the cast, and was joined by Megan Mullaly and Rob Lowe.
Her next role was a three-episode arc as Jennifer Lambert on the crime drama, "The Mysteries of Laura." However, she couldn't escape Rob Lowe for long, soon finding herself cast opposite the "9-1-1: Lone Star" star in another television series.
Jenna Fischer also appeared on an episode of Drunk History
Comedy Central
2017 was a busy year for Jenna Fischer. She appeared on Season 1, Episode 18 of "The Grinder" as Kelly, the girlfriend of Rob Lowe's character,Dean Sanderson.
She also made a guest appearance on an episode of "Drunk History" as Katharine Wright, the younger sister of famous pioneering aviators Orville and Wilbur Wright.Katharine was a teacher and worked closely with her brothers on their flight projects, eventually giving up teaching after Orville was injured in a 1908 test flight. Katharine was also active in promoting women's suffrage in Ohio, and Fischer proudly promoted her "Drunk History" appearance in an Instagram post, writing, "Me! Tonight! Drunk History on Comedy Central. I play the little known Wright sister!!! A great feminist herstory!"
Next up, Fischer starred alongside Ben Stiller in the dramatic film "Brad's Status," which was written and directed by Mike White, the creator of "TheWhite Lotus." Somehow, she also found time that year to fit in two episodes of the TBS comedy "TheGuest Book" as Dr. Laurie Galiff.
The following year Fischer starred in the Clint Eastwood-directed film "The 15:17 to Paris," about a terrorist attack on a train in the French city.
Jenna Fischer is set to star in the upcoming Mean Girls movie musical
Roy Rochlin/Getty Images
While these are the highlights of Jenna Fischer's acting work since "The Office" ended, fans of hers won't have to wait long to see her on-screen again. Fischer is slated to star in the upcoming Paramount+ "Mean Girls" musical adaptation as Ms. Heron. Ms. Heron is the mom of Cady Heron, who was played by Lindsay Lohan in the 2004 film version.
Angourie Rice ("Mare of Easttown") will play Cady in the movie musical. Tina Fey and Tim Meadows will reprise their roles as Mrs. Norbury and Principal Duvall, respectively, and Busy Phillips will step in as the mom of Regina George (Renée Rapp), a role that was played by Amy Poehlerin the original 2004 movie. Fey is writing the adaptation and will produce it alongside Lorne Michaels, who helmed the 2004 film version.
The Broadway adaptation of "Mean Girls" was critically acclaimed, being nominated for 12 Tony awards. With multiple holdovers from the original cast joining Fischer and other talented newcomers, the upcoming "Mean Girls" movie musical promises to be as delightful as the classic film and current stage versions.
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