You probably know her face, even if you can’t quite place the name at first. Or maybe you know her voice. Daveigh Chase is one of those rare performers who managed to define two completely different corners of pop culture before she even hit her twenties. On one hand, she was the voice of pure, island-inspired innocence as Lilo Pelekai. On the other, she was the literal embodiment of nightmares as Samara in The Ring.
But for TV fans, the Daveigh Chase TV shows list tells a much more complex story. It's a journey from "it girl" child star to a gritty, prestige drama actress, followed by a sudden, quiet disappearance from the screen that left a lot of people wondering where she went.
The Voice of a Generation: Lilo & Stitch: The Series
It’s hard to overstate how massive Lilo & Stitch was for Disney in the early 2000s. After the movie blew up, the studio did what they do best: they turned it into a massive TV franchise. Daveigh Chase didn't just walk away after the film; she stayed on for Lilo & Stitch: The Series, voicing the titular character for 65 episodes between 2003 and 2006.
Honestly, her voice work as Lilo is arguably the soul of that show. She captured that specific "weird kid" energy—the kind of girl who takes pictures of tourists and feeds peanut butter sandwiches to Pudge the fish. While many child actors get swapped out when a movie goes to series, Chase’s voice was so distinct that the show wouldn't have felt right without her.
She also voiced the character in the various spin-off films like Stitch! The Movie and Leroy & Stitch, effectively spending her entire early teens as the face (well, voice) of a Disney icon.
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The Dark Turn: Rhonda Volmer in Big Love
If Lilo & Stitch was her childhood peak, HBO’s Big Love was her "I’m a serious actress" moment. Playing Rhonda Volmer, Chase was... well, she was terrifying in a completely different way than she was in The Ring.
Rhonda was a 14-year-old sociopath-in-training raised in a polygamist compound. She was the "child bride" of the prophet Roman Grant, and man, did Chase play that role with a chilling level of manipulation. You’ve never seen a teenager weaponize their own victimhood quite like Rhonda did. It was a massive departure from the sunny beaches of Hawaii.
She appeared in 32 episodes from 2006 to 2011. During this time, she was working alongside heavy hitters like Bill Paxton, Chloe Sevigny, and Harry Dean Stanton. Most critics at the time pointed to her as a breakout star because she could make you feel bad for her and be absolutely disgusted by her in the same scene.
The "Forgotten" Lead: Oliver Beene
Before Big Love really took off, Chase had a main role in a sitcom that a lot of people have totally forgotten about. It was called Oliver Beene.
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Set in the 1960s, the show was basically trying to be the next Wonder Years but with a more absurdist, kitschy vibe. Chase played Joyce, the girl next door and the title character's voice of reason. It only lasted two seasons on Fox (2003–2004), but it showed she had comedic timing that didn't rely on being a "creepy kid" or a voice in a booth.
The Guest Star Grind
Like most child actors in the late 90s and early 2000s, her resume is a graveyard of "guest star" credits. If you go back and rewatch some of the biggest shows of that era, you’ll see her popping up in the background:
- Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1998): This was her TV debut. She played a little girl in the episode "Christmas Amnesia."
- ER (2000): She played a patient named Taylor Walker.
- Charmed (2000): She was the young version of Christina Larson.
- CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2004): A classic one-off guest spot during the height of the procedural's popularity.
- Cold Case (2004): She played Ariel Shuman in an episode titled "The Sleepover."
She even did a massive amount of voice work for a PBS Kids show called Betsy's Kindergarten Adventures, where she voiced the lead character, Betsy, for 58 episodes.
Why the Career Stalled
So, what happened? After Big Love ended in 2011, the Daveigh Chase TV shows credits basically dried up. She did a TV movie called Killer Crush in 2015 and a couple of indie horror films like Jack Goes Home (2016), but the momentum stopped.
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The reality is a bit messy. Chase dealt with several high-profile legal issues in the late 2010s. In 2017, she was questioned by police after leaving a dying man outside a hospital (though she wasn't charged with a crime in that instance). Later, there were arrests for joyriding and drug possession. These types of headlines are a death knell in an industry that moves on to the next "new thing" every six months.
The Legacy of a Child Star
Looking back, Chase's career is a fascinating snapshot of early 2000s Hollywood. She wasn't just a "one-hit wonder" child star. She successfully bridged the gap from animation to horror to prestige HBO drama—which is a pivot most actors can't pull off.
If you want to revisit her best work, start with Big Love. It’s where you see her actual range beyond the "spooky girl" archetype. Or, if you need something wholesome, the original Lilo & Stitch series remains one of the best examples of a movie-to-TV transition in Disney history.
What to do next:
If you're looking to watch her best TV performances, Big Love is currently streaming on Max. If you're more interested in her voice acting, the entire Lilo & Stitch catalog is available on Disney+. For those curious about her cult-classic film roots, checking out the original Donnie Darko (where she plays Samantha Darko) is a must, as it sets the stage for her later, darker TV roles.