Annie Potts has had an acting career that spans movies and television for more than 40 years. She’s been very lucky in some of her audition choices as many of the roles she has secured over the years have resulted in movies that have spanned numerous sequels over 20 or 30 years. She’s also appeared in several successful television shows.
These days, most of Potts’ work is on television. After appearing in the Big Bang Theory spinoff series Young Sheldon as the titular character’s grandmother, she’s set to reprise the role again for another spinoff series. Potts will play Meemaw again for Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage. She’s also seen recent success in the modern Ghostbusters sequels, a franchise she first appeared in during the 1980s. Potts has played so many loved characters in so many loved properties that fans are likely to continue seeing plenty more of her.
10Goodtime Girls (1980)
As Edith Bedelmeyer
Because of Annie Potts’s long career in television, she’s appeared in quite a few series that didn’t last beyond the first season. Some didn’t even last beyond the first few episodes. Goodtime Girls made it through its first season, but not beyond that. That doesn’t mean it isn’t a great idea for a show.
The concept followed a group of four young women who live in a one-room apartment together. The small living space isn’t the only interesting part of their situation though. The women live together because the show is set during World War II. Potts played the most level-headed of the four, often ending up as the straight-woman in comedy situations.
It might have just premiered about 30 years too early. The Canadian series Bomb Girls, which began in 2012, featured a similar premise, but fared much better, getting an additional season. That series, however, focused on the characters working in a munitions factory during the war instead of solely on their living situation, which likely made a difference.
9Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2005-2009)
As Sophie Devere In 4 Episodes
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit centers on the NYPD’s Special Victims Unit, a specialized team of detectives who investigate and solve cases of sexual assault, child abuse, and domestic violence. Under the leadership of Captain Olivia Benson, the unit deals with complex and sensitive crimes, balancing empathy for victims with the pursuit of justice.
There have been so many actors who have guest-starred in episodes of the Law & Order franchise that some of them have even played multiple roles. That’s not the case for Potts. She played an attorney in four episodes of Law & Order: SVU in seasons 7, 9, and 10. Though that was years ago, it’s always possible the show could bring her back since her character is a pretty interesting one.
Sophie Devere is a defense attorney, which means she’s often operating against the detectives and attorneys who are the main characters of the show. In particular, she usually defends the juvenile characters accused of awful crimes, and Devere’s strategy often blames the environment for the actions of the minor in question or even brain chemistry. Her defense strategy makes for some very interesting courtroom scenes, so it would certainly be intriguing to see the character brought back to the long-running show.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit has been nominated for (and won) many awards, and its best episodes are a big reason why.
8Dangerous Minds (1996-1997)
As Louanne Johnson
It’s exciting to see a different side of the actress.
Dangerous Minds is not the best drama to come out of the ‘90s. Like so many other TV projects that Potts starred in, the show didn’t make it beyond the initial season. It was inspired by the Michelle Pfeiffer movie of the same name, with Potts in Pfeiffer’s role.
She plays a teacher who genuinely wants to make a difference in the lives of her inner-city students. Shows like that can get a little heavy-handed at times, but they highlight real-world issues that the larger audience might not be aware of.
The series also gives Potts the chance to show her dramatic side. Potts is best known for her work in comedy. Most of her best movies and television shows in her career are comedy projects. It’s exciting to see a different side of the actress.
7Arlo The Alligator Boy (2021)
As Edmée
This animated movie and its spinoff series are aimed at the younger set of audience members. Arlo is part alligator, part human, who was raised by a woman in a swamp. When he turns 15, she reveals to him that he was originally from New York, which she knows because of the wristband that was on him following his birth. He decides to make the journey to find his father in New York.
Potts’s role in the movie isn’t a huge one. She voices the woman who raised Arlo, but since she’s described as something of a hermit, she doesn’t accompany him on his journey. She does, however, get to sing one song since the movie is a musical. She also recurs in the series that follows the movies. The movie itself was nominated for several Annie Awards and praised for its inclusivity.
6Young Sheldon (2017-2024)
As Connie ‘Meemaw’ Tucker
A spinoff of the sitcom The Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon follows the youth and coming-of-age of Sheldon Cooper during his childhood in Texas as he pursues science and academia. The show also follows his parents, siblings, and Mee-Maw, painting a picture of the world where Sheldon grew up.
Potts was nominated for two Critics Choice Awards…
When Big Bang Theory came to an end, the spinoff series Young Sheldon was launched. It featured the character Jim Parsons had played for years, but as a child, growing into his teen years and going off to college. The series has allowed fans to get to know the Cooper family better than the original sitcom, though with Sheldon as the narrator, it’s entirely possible that not all of the events are completely reliably recounted either, leading to some continuity issues for fans.
Potts played Sheldon’s grandmother during the entire run of the show. In some ways, Meemaw is a stereotypical grandmother as she enjoys mocking her son-in-law but has plenty of fun with her grandchildren. In a series where Sheldon is one of the most misunderstood, however, she shows a lot of patience with him as she tries to understand the leaps his intelligence cause him to make. Her character comes across as fun-loving and sympathetic, making her a fan-favorite. It’s no wonder she’s slated to visit the next spinoff series as well.
Potts was nominated for two Critics Choice Awards for her work in the series.
Young Sheldon’s spinoff Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage has a chance to explain why The Big Bang Theory’s Meemaw is nothing like her younger self.
5Pretty In Pink (1986)
As Iona
Pretty in Pink is a 1986 romantic comedy-drama directed by Howard Deutch and written by John Hughes. The film stars Molly Ringwald as Andie, a high school student navigating social divisions and romantic entanglements. With a prominent supporting cast including Jon Cryer and Andrew McCarthy, the story explores themes of class disparity and youthful aspirations in the context of 1980s suburban America.
Pretty In Pink is best-remembered for Molly Ringwald as the poor girl who falls for the rich classmate and makes her own dress when wants to go to prom with him. Ringwald, however, isn’t the only big name in the movie. Jon Cryer is her best friend Duckie, Andrew McCarthy is the boy she has a crush on, and Potts is the manager of the record store where Ringwald’s Andie works.
Potts’s character Iona is seemingly Andie’s only female confidante in the movie. She’s the one who encourages Andie to broaden her horizons and to go to prom whether she has a date or not. Iona even gives Andie her old prom dress, which is what helps creates one of the most memorable sequences in the movie. The character is one of the best friends anyone could ask for in an ‘80s movie, and Potts makes everyone wish they knew an Iona.
Potts wore the same jacket to her audition for Pretty in Pink as she did another 1980s classic, Ghostbusters .
4Any Day Now (1998-2002)
As Mary Elizabeth ‘ME’ Sims
…the series was nominated for multiple NAACP Awards…
Any Day Now is another instance of Potts getting to show her talent in a more dramatic television role. The series saw a Black woman and a white woman reconnect as adults after they had been best friends growing up. While the Black woman had left their small town behind to start her career, the white woman stayed and raised a family with her high school boyfriend. The two drifted apart as adults.
Potts played the woman who decided to stay and raise kids with her high school boyfriend while Lorraine Toussaint played her best friend. The series had a unique format since it followed the two friends reconnecting and reminiscing. The stories played out in the present while flashing back to the past so all of the main roles were played by multiple actors similar to the modern drama This Is Us.
The series also explored racial tension in the South since the two women grew up in the 1960s when their friendship wouldn’t have been looked upon favorably by everyone they knew.
Throughout the run of the show, the series was nominated for multiple NAACP Awards, a GLAAD Media Award, and many of the child actors received Young Artist Award nominations.
Lorraine Toussaint and Annie Potts reunited in an episode of The Fosters years later.
3The Toy Story Franchise (1995-2019)
As Bo Peep
Toy Story is a beloved animated franchise created by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The series centers on the secret life of toys, primarily focusing on the friendship between Woody, a cowboy doll, and Buzz Lightyear, a space ranger action figure. The films explore themes of friendship, loyalty, and growing up, resonating with audiences of all ages. Toy Story is widely credited with revolutionizing animation, as the first film was the first fully computer-animated feature. The franchise is not only a critical success but also a cultural icon, influencing a generation of films and storytelling in animation.
The Toy Story movies have proven to be a juggernaut for Disney and Pixar. When the first movie premiered in 1995, it’s unlikely anyone involved in making it knew the movie would build a franchise that would continue 20 years later. Potts has done a lot of voice acting in her career, but her voice is likely most recognizable to many as Bo Peep.
Potts voices the doll who comes with a hook and her own toy sheep. She is Woody’s love interest throughout the movies, and she has a larger role in some more than others. Eventually, she’s separated from the rest of the toys and considered “lost.” Her storyline gives an imaginative take on just what happens to lost toys when kids grow out of them and allows her to reunite with Woody after thinking she would never see him again. She is certainly a beloved Potts character.
2The Ghostbusters Franchise (1984-2024)
As Janine Melnitz
Ghostbusters is a multimedia franchise created by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. The first two films were released in the ’80s, but Ghostbusters III got stuck in development hell for years. Nearly 30 years after Ghostbusters II hit theaters, a reboot starring female Ghostbusters was released, followed by another reboot/sequel in 2021 titled Ghostbusters: Afterlife. The popular characters have also appeared in several video games and animated TV shows since the franchise’s creation in 1984.
Annie Potts is likely best known for her role as Janine in the Ghostbusters franchise. She is initially the receptionist or assistant to the team. Janine is the person responsible for answering the phones, fielding requests, and keeping the office in line. She’s a bubblegum-popping, wise-cracking addition to the team, but for the original movies, she doesn’t get to do much beyond that.
The Ghostbusters franchise is an enduring sci-fi classic though, allowing Janine’s role to expand in the modern sequels. She even gets to don a suit and help capture the dangerous spirits threatening the world. It’s a welcome addition to her character in the movies.
Annie Potts even made a cameo in the all-female Ghostbusters movie, honoring her past character before any of the modern sequels were even announced. Her charm and sarcasm is a big part of what has helped the franchise endure for so long; the cast chemistry in every installment is fantastic.
Ghostbusters is one of the most popular supernatural franchises of all time, and it’s still going strong 40 years after the release of the original. Ghostbusters came back with an all-female reboot in 2016, and since then, there have been two sequels to the original movies. Though they have all been successful at the box office, they vary in quality. For me, the best Ghostbusters movie will always be the original. The cast was amazing and the story was new, funny, and exciting.
1Designing Women (1986-1993)
As Mary Jo Shively
Four women work together running an interior design company in Atlanta, Georgia. The company is run by sisters Suzane and Julia Sugarbaker, Mary Jo, a divorced mother, and Charlene, a sweet country girl. The series follows the daily lives of these women at work and in their personal lives, telling their stories of love and friendship.
The TV role that Annie Potts will likely be remembered for long after she’s gone is that of Mary Jo in Designing Women. The series centered on a group of four women and one man with very different personalities who worked for an interior design company. The series flourished in the late 1980s and early ‘90s when female ensembles like those of Golden Girls were surging in popularity. Designing Women, however, skewed a little younger than Golden Girls.
Potts’s character Mary Jo was the sarcastic one of the bunch, which was likely due in part to her last few roles seeing her play sarcastic characters as well. She was also a single mom, not something often portrayed on television at the time. The series was nominated for a slew of awards during its run, but Annie Potts was never recognized for her superb acting.
