Honestly, it’s kinda wild. Most people think of Glenn Close as the ultimate "movie star"—the woman who terrified a generation in Fatal Attraction or donned the dalmatian furs as Cruella de Vil. But if you’re only looking at her filmography, you’re basically missing the best stuff.
Close didn't just "do TV" when her movie career slowed down. She actually reinvented what it meant for an A-lister to cross over to the small screen. Long before every Oscar winner had a limited series on HBO, Glenn was out there doing the heavy lifting. She’s built a television legacy that’s arguably more complex than her big-screen work.
The Patty Hewes Effect: Why Damages Changed Everything
When people search for tv shows with glenn close, they usually start and end with Damages. And for good reason. Before 2007, legal dramas were mostly about heroic lawyers fighting for the underdog. Then came Patty Hewes.
Close played Patty for five seasons and 59 episodes. She wasn't a hero. She sort of wasn't even an anti-hero. She was a predator.
Watching her manipulate Rose Byrne’s character, Ellen Parsons, was like watching a cat play with a mouse for half a decade. Most people don't realize that Close was actually earning around $200,000 per episode back then. That’s a serious paycheck for basic cable in the late 2000s. She didn't just show up; she dominated the medium. She won two back-to-back Emmys (2008 and 2009) for Lead Actress in a Drama Series, and honestly? She deserved a third.
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The brilliance of her work in Damages is the stillness. She can say more with a slight tilt of her head than most actors can with a five-minute monologue. It’s terrifying. It’s masterful. It’s the reason the show survived a move from FX to DirecTV's Audience Network—people just couldn't stop watching her.
That One Season of The Shield
Before Damages, there was Captain Monica Rawling.
In 2005, The Shield was already a massive hit, but bringing in Glenn Close for Season 4 was a masterstroke. She played a precinct captain with a "strong moral compass," which is basically code for "the only person who could actually scare Vic Mackey."
It was only 13 episodes. Just one season.
But her impact was so massive that it basically paved the way for her to get her own show. She proved that a woman of a certain age could be the most powerful, intimidating person in a room full of corrupt, testosterone-heavy cops. If you haven't seen her go toe-to-toe with Michael Chiklis, you haven't really seen what she can do. She's a force of nature.
The Hidden Gems: From Tehran to The New Look
Lately, Close has been leaning into the streaming world, and it's been fascinating to watch.
- Tehran (Apple TV+): She joined the second season as Marjan Montazeri, a British woman living undercover in Iran. It’s a spy thriller, and she’s essentially the mentor figure, but with that classic Glenn Close edge.
- The New Look: She popped up recently as Carmel Snow, the legendary editor of Harper's Bazaar. It’s a smaller role, but she commands every second of screen time.
- The Simpsons: This is the one most people forget. She’s been the voice of Mona Simpson (Homer’s mom) since 1995. She’s done over a dozen episodes. It’s probably her most "human" role, ironically enough, considering it's a yellow cartoon.
The TV Movies You Probably Skipped
Back in the 80s and 90s, "TV Movies" were often seen as a step down. Glenn Close didn't care. She used them to tell stories that Hollywood wasn't ready to put in theaters.
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Take Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story (1995). She played a real-life Colonel who was discharged for being gay. This was 1995. It was a huge deal. She won an Emmy for it, but more importantly, she used her "movie star" power to force people to look at a social issue they wanted to ignore.
Then there's the Sarah, Plain and Tall trilogy. These are quiet, frontier dramas that she not only starred in but also executive produced. They aren't "flashy," but they show a completely different side of her—warm, resilient, and grounded.
What’s Next for Glenn Close on TV?
She’s not slowing down. In fact, she’s currently attached to a high-profile legal drama called All’s Fair from Ryan Murphy. She’ll be playing Dina Standish, and she’s executive producing it too. It’s almost like a spiritual successor to Damages, but with that glossy, high-energy Ryan Murphy vibe.
There's also talk of a series called Maud, where she'll play Maud Oldcastle. Basically, if you’re looking for tv shows with glenn close, the list is only getting longer and more impressive.
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The reality is that Glenn Close used television to prove she could do anything. She didn't need a $100 million blockbuster budget to be the most interesting person on your screen. She just needed a good script and a camera that could capture the terrifying, beautiful complexity of her eyes.
Next Steps for Fans:
If you want to truly appreciate her TV arc, start with the fourth season of The Shield to see her "prototype" power role, then binge all of Damages. If you need something lighter, find the Simpsons episode "Mother Simpson" (Season 7). It'll break your heart in a way her thrillers never do.