If you’ve been watching movies at any point over the last fifteen years, you’ve definitely seen Liana Liberato. She was the heartbreaking lead in David Schwimmer’s Trust, the younger version of Michelle Monaghan in The Best of Me, and most recently, the "ghost" (well, sort of) Quinn Bailey in Scream VI. But for a long time, Liana was strictly a "movie person." She’s even said in interviews that she was actually kinda hesitant about doing television because it felt like uncharted territory.
Funny how things change.
Fast forward to 2026, and the conversation around tv shows with liana liberato has exploded. She’s no longer just a guest star or a "rising indie actress." She’s become a cornerstone of some of the most bingeable, dark, and weirdly funny series on streaming. From supernatural teen curses to high-stakes serial killer satires, her TV resume is finally catching up to her cinematic pedigree.
The Breakthrough: Light as a Feather
Before she was dodging Ghostface, Liana took her first big swing at a series lead with Hulu’s Light as a Feather. Honestly, if you grew up on Pretty Little Liars or The Craft, this show was basically made for you.
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Liana played McKenna Brady, a girl caught in a supernatural game of "Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board" that starts killing off her friends in the exact ways predicted during the game. What’s cool about her performance here is that she didn't just play the "final girl" trope. She had to play two versions of herself—McKenna and her twin sister Jennifer.
It was a massive undertaking for her first series regular role. She earned two Daytime Emmy nominations for it, which is pretty wild for a YA horror show. It proved she could carry a narrative over multiple seasons, not just a 90-minute film.
Based on a True Story: Turning the Tables
If Light as a Feather was her entry point, Based on a True Story on Peacock is where she really got to flex. Working alongside Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina, Liana plays Tory Thompson, Ava’s younger sister.
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The show is a total send-up of our culture’s weird obsession with true crime. Tory starts out as this somewhat secondary character, but by Season 2, she’s right in the thick of it. Her character’s arc is actually insane—going from being skeptical of the whole "starting a podcast with a serial killer" plan to literally dating the killer (played by Tom Bateman).
Liana’s mentioned that she didn't even read the full pilot script before signing on. She just knew the voice of the writing was special. It’s a darker, more comedic side of her that we haven’t seen as much in her movies. She’s great at playing that "slightly messy but trying her best" vibe that makes Tory feel like a real person, even when the plot gets totally absurd.
The Deep Cuts: Early Guest Spots
You can’t talk about tv shows with liana liberato without looking at where she started. Like most actors who grew up in the industry, she did the "procedural rounds" in the mid-2000s.
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- Cold Case (2005): One of her first-ever jobs. She played Charlotte Jones in an episode called "Strange Fruit."
- House (2008): She appeared as Jane in the episode "It's a Wonderful Lie."
- Sons of Anarchy (2008-2009): This is the one most people forget. She had a recurring bit as Tristen Oswald. It was gritty, it was early, and it showed she could handle adult dramas even as a kid.
- Criminal Minds: Evolution (2024): More recently, she stepped into the BAU world as Jade Waters. This was a big deal for fans because it brought her back to that high-intensity crime drama space she excels in.
Why Her TV Roles Hit Differently
There’s a specific quality Liana brings to her TV work that’s hard to replicate. She has what people call "expressive eyes," but it's more than that. She has this way of making even the most outlandish scenarios—like a supernatural chrysalis growing on her back—feel grounded.
In A Million Little Things, where she played Kai, she brought a layer of vulnerability that fit perfectly with the show’s "sad but hopeful" aesthetic. She doesn't just show up and say lines; she seems to really inhabit the specific "world" of the show, whether it’s a bright L.A. comedy or a dark, rainy thriller.
What to Watch Next
If you’re just now diving into her television filmography, you’ve got a lot of ground to cover.
- Start with Based on a True Story: It’s her most current and arguably her best work. The chemistry with the rest of the cast is top-tier.
- Binge Light as a Feather: If you want something spooky and fast-paced, this is the one.
- Check out her Criminal Minds arc: Especially if you like the more procedural, "hunt of the week" style of television.
Liana Liberato has spent years being the "secret weapon" of indie movies. Now that she's a fixture in the streaming world, it's clear she's not going anywhere. Whether she's playing a victim, a survivor, or a girl dating a murderer, she’s consistently the most interesting person on the screen.
Keep an eye on Peacock and Hulu for her upcoming projects, as she's currently one of the most in-demand actresses for "elevated" genre TV. If you haven't seen her work in Based on a True Story yet, that should be your priority this weekend.