Leslie Grossman is everywhere. Honestly, if you’ve turned on a television in the last twenty-five years, you have probably seen her face, even if you didn't quite realize it at the time. She’s one of those rare "chameleon" actors who can transition from a bubblegum WB sitcom to a blood-soaked Ryan Murphy anthology without breaking a sweat.
Most people know her now as a staple of the American Horror Story universe. But if you think that’s where her story starts, you’re missing out on a decade of some of the weirdest, funniest, and most underrated performances in TV history.
The Ryan Murphy Connection: It Started with Mary Cherry
Long before she was a witch or a cult member, Leslie was Mary Cherry.
If you weren't watching Popular on The WB in 1999, you missed a cultural reset. Leslie Grossman played a character so unhinged and specific that Ryan Murphy—the show's creator—essentially wrote the role just for her after she auditioned for other parts. Mary Cherry was a wealthy, bizarre high schooler with a penchant for saying the most chaotic things imaginable.
It was the first sign that Leslie could handle Murphy’s specific brand of camp.
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Fast forward nearly two decades. After years of smaller guest spots, she reunited with Murphy for American Horror Story: Cult. She played Meadow Wilton, a woman so obsessed with Nicole Kidman and desperate for approval that she became the perfect target for a literal cult leader. From there, the leslie grossman tv shows list exploded into a gallery of iconic AHS personas:
- Coco St. Pierre Vanderbilt (Apocalypse): A billionaire heiress whose "power" was literally sensing gluten. Until, you know, she realized she was a powerful witch.
- Margaret Booth (1984): A religious zealot with a body count. This was Leslie at her most menacing.
- Ursula Khan (Double Feature): A ruthless Hollywood agent who would probably sell her soul for a 10% commission.
- Barbara Read (NYC): A more grounded, tragic role that showed her range beyond the usual snark.
- Ashleigh (Delicate): A PR expert who felt more like a supernatural fixer.
Why What I Like About You Still Matters
There is a specific generation of TV watchers who don't think of Leslie as a horror icon. To them, she is Lauren.
For four seasons on What I Like About You, Leslie played the best friend and co-worker to Jennie Garth’s Val Tyler. This was peak 2000s multi-cam sitcom energy. She was the fast-talking, neurotic foil to the more serious leads. If you go back and watch it now, her comedic timing is actually what carries a lot of those B-plots.
She wasn't just "the friend." She was a scene-stealer.
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The Guest Star Life: From Grey's to The Good Place
Leslie Grossman is a "working actor" in the truest sense. Her IMDB is a literal roadmap of the greatest hits of the 2010s.
Remember Donna Shellstrop? In The Good Place, Leslie played Eleanor's (Kristen Bell) supposedly deceased mother. It was a brief but perfect role. She managed to make a character who faked her own death and started a new life in suburbia feel weirdly... relatable?
She’s popped up in Scandal as a character named Lisa. She was in Dexter. She played a mother in a supermarket in Speechless. She even did a stint on Modern Family.
One of her most underrated recent roles was Georgina Meriwether in Love, Victor. Playing the mother of one of the lead characters, she had to balance the comedy of a "perfect" suburban mom with the genuine tension of a family falling apart. It was subtle. It was quiet. It proved she didn't need a chainsaw or a designer gown to be the most interesting person in the room.
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The Monsters Era and Beyond
In 2024, she took a hard turn into true crime.
In Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, Leslie played Judalon Smyth. If you followed the real-life trial, you know Judalon was a pivotal—and highly scrutinized—figure. She was the mistress of the brothers' therapist. Playing a real person involved in such a heavy, tragic case is a far cry from the gluten-sensing heiress of AHS.
But that's the thing about leslie grossman tv shows. They are never just one thing.
She also recently appeared in Nobody Wants This as Rabbi Shira. It’s a return to her comedic roots, but with the wisdom of an actor who has seen it all. She brings a specific "LA energy" to her roles that feels authentic because she actually grew up there.
Actionable Takeaways for the Leslie Grossman Fan
If you want to truly appreciate her career, don't just stick to the Netflix trending page. Here is how to navigate her filmography:
- Start with the Camp: Watch American Horror Story: 1984. It is arguably her best performance in the franchise because she gets to play both the victim and the villain.
- Find the Hidden Gems: Track down clips of Popular. It’s hard to find on streaming sometimes, but Mary Cherry is the blueprint for everything she’s done since.
- Appreciate the Voice Work: She’s lent her voice to Family Guy and American Dad!. Listen for that signature dry wit.
- Watch the Menendez Series: For a look at her "serious" acting chops, her portrayal of Judalon Smyth is a masterclass in playing a complicated, disliked figure with empathy.
Leslie Grossman isn't going anywhere. Whether she’s playing a rabbi, a witch, or a frantic 90s teenager, she remains one of the most reliable tools in a casting director's arsenal. She makes every show she's in just a little bit weirder, and a whole lot better.