You probably know her as the person who swore for the first time in Star Trek history. Or maybe you know her as the bubbly, fast-talking ginger cadet who eventually became the heart of a starship. But if you only look at mary wiseman movies and tv shows through the lens of a single sci-fi franchise, you’re honestly missing out on one of the most versatile theater-trained actors working today.
Wiseman doesn't just play "quirky." She does something much harder: she plays people who are desperately trying to be okay in a world that feels a bit too loud. From her early days in the New York theater scene to her recent jump into prestige streaming dramas, her filmography is a weird, wonderful mix of high-stakes space opera and deeply uncomfortable indie comedy.
The Sylvia Tilly Effect and the Trek Legacy
Let’s just get the big one out of the way. When people search for mary wiseman movies and tv shows, they are usually looking for Star Trek: Discovery. For seven years (2017–2024), Wiseman played Sylvia Tilly. She started as a nervous cadet with a self-help book and ended as a mentor at Starfleet Academy.
What made Tilly work wasn't just the "science is cool" energy. It was the anxiety. Wiseman brought a frantic, relatable humanity to a franchise that sometimes feels a bit too stiff. She made it okay for a Starfleet officer to have a panic attack or talk too much when they're nervous.
Interestingly, as of early 2026, the big talk in the fandom is her role in the spin-off Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. While many expected her to be the lead, reports have confirmed she’s appearing as a guest star. It's a bit of a shocker for fans who saw her as the natural bridge between the two shows, but it also frees her up for the darker, more grounded work she’s been gravitating toward lately.
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Beyond the Final Frontier: Baskets and Longmire
Before she was jumping through mycelial networks, Wiseman was cutting her teeth on some pretty gritty TV. If you haven't seen her in Baskets, go find it. She played Trinity, a recurring character who had to hold her own against Zach Galifianakis. Working with Galifianakis is apparently like trying to keep a straight face during a hurricane; Wiseman has mentioned in interviews that his joke rate is basically overwhelming.
Then there’s Longmire. She played Meg Joyce, a nurse and a love interest for Archie "The Ferg" Ferguson. It was a quieter role, but it showed that she could do the "small town, real stakes" vibe just as well as the "saving the universe" vibe.
She also popped up in:
- Room 104: In the episode "Josie & Me," she gave a tour-de-force performance that felt more like a stage play than a TV episode.
- Difficult People: A quick but memorable appearance as Lyss.
- Netflix Presents: The Characters: She played Shannon in the John Early episode.
The Big Shift: The Residence and 2025 Projects
Last year was huge for her. She joined the Shondaland universe in the Netflix series The Residence. Playing Marvella, the White House executive chef, Wiseman got to trade her phaser for a chef’s knife. It’s a "whodunnit" set in the White House, and seeing her move into that high-gloss, fast-paced Shonda Rhimes world was a pivot nobody really saw coming but everyone loved.
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She also took a dark turn in Devil In Disguise: John Wayne Gacy, playing Karen Kuzma. If you're used to the sunshine of Sylvia Tilly, this one is a gut punch. It’s a testament to her Juilliard training—she can go from "optimistic scientist" to "woman living in a true-crime nightmare" without breaking a sweat.
Mary Wiseman in Film: Quality Over Quantity
She isn't a "movie star" in the traditional blockbuster sense. She’s an actor’s actor. Her film roles are often small but pivotal. Look at Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story (2019). She’s part of the theater troupe. It’s meta, it’s brief, and it’s perfect because that is where she actually comes from—the stage.
Other film credits include:
- Carole & Grey (2024): She took the lead as Carole in this Jon Bass project.
- Type 1 (2023): A short film where she played Laura.
- Health to the King (2018): Another short where she played a nurse.
Basically, if you want to see her best work, you have to look at the indies. She seems to pick projects based on the "weirdness" factor rather than the paycheck.
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Why Her Theater Background Matters
You can't talk about mary wiseman movies and tv shows without mentioning the stage. She’s a Juilliard grad (classmates with Mary Chieffo, who played the Klingon L'Rell!). In 2022, she was nominated for a Lucille Lortel Award for her work in At The Wedding.
She has this incredible ability to handle dense, rhythmic dialogue. Whether it's "technobabble" in Star Trek or the sharp, biting comedy of an Off-Broadway play, she finds the melody in the words. She's also stayed active in the New York scene, recently involved with the Atlantic Theater Company's 40th anniversary season.
Actionable Insights for Fans
If you're looking to catch up on her career, don't just binge Discovery. Here is the "Wiseman Pro-Tier" watchlist:
- Watch "Josie & Me" (Room 104, Season 2): This is arguably her best acting work. It's raw, it's weird, and it shows her range better than any CGI-heavy show could.
- Track down Baskets: Watch how she handles deadpan comedy. It's a completely different muscle than the one she uses for sci-fi.
- Follow the Stage: Keep an eye on the Atlantic Theater Company or Lincoln Center Theater listings. She frequently returns to the stage, and seeing her live is a totally different experience than seeing her on a screen.
- Check out The Residence: If you want to see her in a mainstream, high-production-value mystery, this is the one.
Wiseman is currently filming a project titled Office Romance, though details are still pretty hush-hush. Whether she's on a starship or in a White House kitchen, she remains one of those actors who makes every scene feel a little more human. Honestly, we just need more people like her who aren't afraid to be a little messy on camera.