Honestly, it is kind of hard to remember a time before "ew, David" became a permanent part of the internet's vocabulary. We all know Annie Murphy as the girl with the boop-able nose and the chaotic socialite energy, but if you think her career starts and ends with a designer suitcase in a motel, you’re missing the best parts. Looking back from 2026, her filmography is actually a wild, genre-bending ride that most people didn't see coming.
She didn't just stumble into fame. Before the big break, Annie was a struggling Canadian actor who literally had three dollars in her bank account when she got the audition for Schitt’s Creek. Talk about a close call. If she hadn't landed that role, she might have quit acting entirely, which is a terrifying thought for anyone who appreciates a good "A Little Bit Alexis" dance break.
The Roles That Defined Annie Murphy Movies and TV Shows
When people search for Annie Murphy movies and TV shows, they usually start with the Rose family. It makes sense. Alexis Rose is a masterpiece of character growth. But have you actually looked at what she did next? She went from the brightest, pinkest comedy on TV to some of the darkest, grittiest projects on streaming.
Schitt's Creek (2015–2020)
This is the big one. Six seasons of pure heart. Annie played Alexis, the socialite daughter who could somehow get kidnapped by Somali pirates and make it sound like a minor travel inconvenience. She won a Primetime Emmy for this in 2020, and rightfully so. The way she played Alexis—starting as a vapid caricature and ending as a deeply empathetic, self-reliant woman—is basically a masterclass in acting.
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Kevin Can F**k Himself (2021–2022)
If Schitt's Creek was a warm hug, this show was a bucket of cold water. It’s a brilliant, trippy experiment. The show switches between a bright, multi-cam sitcom (complete with a fake-sounding laugh track) and a dark, single-cam drama. Annie plays Allison McRoberts, a "sitcom wife" who is secretly miserable and plotting to kill her husband. It’s stressful. It’s bleak. It’s also the moment everyone realized she had some seriously heavy dramatic range.
Black Mirror: "Joan Is Awful" (2023)
This was a peak "meta" moment. Annie plays Joan, a normal woman who discovers her entire life is being turned into a streaming series in real-time, with Salma Hayek playing her. It’s a terrifying look at AI and data privacy that feels way too real in 2026. Watching her and Salma Hayek try to out-disgust each other to break the system is one of the funniest and most disturbing things she’s ever done.
Breaking Into the Big Screen and Animation
While TV is definitely her home base, she has been quietly building a movie resume that’s just as eclectic. Most people don’t realize she’s done a fair amount of voice work too.
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- Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (2023): She played the "villain," Chelsea, a popular mermaid who is actually a giant sea monster. It’s a complete 180 from her usual roles, and she clearly had a blast playing the mean girl.
- Fingernails (2023): This was a much more understated, sci-fi romantic drama. She played Natasha, starring alongside Riz Ahmed and Jessie Buckley. It’s a quiet film about a machine that tests if couples are actually in love.
- Praise Petey (2023): This animated series on Freeform/Hulu is a hidden gem. She voices Petey, a NYC "it girl" who ends up running her father's small-town cult. It’s weird, sharp, and totally her vibe.
Russian Doll and Beyond
In season two of Russian Doll, she stepped into the 1980s as a younger version of Ruth Brenner. It was a supporting role, but she nailed the mannerisms of the older Ruth so well it was almost eerie. She has this knack for disappearing into a period piece without it feeling like a costume party.
The "Hidden" Early Years
Before she was Alexis, she was a working actor in Toronto doing the rounds on shows like Rookie Blue, Flashpoint, and Blue Mountain State. She even co-created and starred in a web series called The Plateaus back in 2015. It was a mockumentary about a struggling indie band. If you can find it online, watch it. You can see the seeds of her comedic timing being planted there.
What Most People Get Wrong About Her Career
People assume she’s just naturally funny or that Alexis was easy to play. But if you watch her interviews, she’s actually pretty self-deprecating and worked incredibly hard to find the "soul" in characters that could have been one-dimensional. She’s also a writer and producer, often looking for projects that subvert expectations of what a "leading lady" should be.
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She’s not looking for the next Schitt's Creek. She’s looking for the next thing that scares her. Whether it’s a dark comedy about a cult or a sci-fi drama about love, she keeps pivoting.
How to Catch Up on Her Best Work
If you want to see the full evolution of Annie Murphy, don't just stick to the hits.
- Start with Schitt’s Creek for the comfort and the growth.
- Jump to Kevin Can Fk Himself** to see her burn the "sitcom wife" trope to the ground.
- Watch "Joan Is Awful" on Netflix if you want a quick, 60-minute dose of her playing a high-concept nightmare.
- Look for Nine Perfect Strangers Season 2 (2025) where she joined the cast as Imogen. It’s a trippy, tense performance that shows she can hold her own in a massive ensemble of heavy hitters.
The best way to appreciate her work is to watch the transition from the sunny streets of Schitt's Creek to the grime of Allison's kitchen. She isn't just an actress who got lucky; she's a versatile performer who survived the "broke actor" phase and came out the other side as one of the most interesting people on television. Check out her earlier work on CBC Gem if you're in Canada, or dive into her voice acting on Hulu to see just how much range she actually has.