Introduction
Natalie Morales is one of the most versatile and dynamic actresses in Hollywood. From comedy to intense drama, she has worked through various film genres and proven her talent in multiple genres. An actress with such versatility has earned both critical acclaim and fan love.
Morales has won people’s hearts worldwide through her TV shows and film appearances. This report seeks to explore the Top 10 Best Movies and TV Shows with Natalie Morales in them. It examines a few of her most memorable performances and their impact on her career.
Natalie Morales became a popular actress through her roles in both big movies and TV shows. She started by guest-starring on CSI: Miami and, two years later, starred in the science fiction comedy-drama The Middleman. These roles helped her become an in-demand and familiar face in the entertainment industry.
This helped Natalie Morales gain recognition among casting agents, leading to guest roles in many TV programs. Over time, she secured starring roles in major television shows, further establishing herself as a prominent actress.
Best 10 Natalie Morales Actress Movies And TV Shows
1. Parks and Recreation (TV Show) | (2010-2015)
In 2010, Natalie Morales joined one of the top-rated sitcoms on television for a recurring role. In the NBC series Parks and Recreation, she portrayed Lucy. This popular series is about the employees working for the Parks Department of the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana. The list of incredible names is endless: Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Nick Offerman, and Chris Pratt. Natalie Morales joined the cast for season 2 and was also a recurring cast member during the third and seventh seasons.
- Cast: Amy Poehler, Nick Offerman, Chris Pratt2, Aubrey Plaza, Adam Scott, Rashida Jones, Retta, Jim O’Heir, Aziz Ansari, Rob Lowe
- Release Date: April 9, 2009
- Seasons: 7
- Showrunner: Michael Schur
A Fun Role in a Classic Comedy:
Natalie Morales had one of her first major roles in NBC’s hit comedy series Parks and Recreation. She played Tom Haverford’s ex-girlfriend. Though her character played a more minor part in the story arc, she made an impression.
Natalie’s Character and Contributions:
Morales’ character, Ann Perkins’ rival, brought an interesting dynamic to the ensemble that made the show. Her sharp wit and natural comedic timing made her a fan favorite, even in a supporting role.
Why Fans Loved Morales in This Role:
Her chemistry with the whole cast, but more notably with Aziz Ansari’s character, was unbreakable. Morales introduced fresh and fun energy to the show, which helped upgrade the already stellar humor.
2. Dead to Me (TV Show) | (2020-2022)
In 2019, Natalie Morales appeared in the Netflix dark comedy series Dead to Me. The series features Christina Applegate as Jen, a recently widowed real estate agent who is dealing with her loss through therapy. She soon meets Judy, played by Linda Cardellini, in a support group; Judy is lying about her husband dying (her fiancé left her). The twist of the story is that Jen is mourning the death of her husband in a hit-and-run accident, but she does not know that Judy was the hit-and-run driver.
- Cast: Linda Cardellini, Christina Applegate, James Marsden
- Release Date: March 3, 2019
- Seasons: 3
- Showrunner: Liz Feldman
The Dark Comedy That Took the World by Storm:
Dead to Me is a series on Netflix that combines dark comedy and suspense. The drama follows two women who end up in an unlikely friendship as they try to deal with grief, revenge, and secrets.
Natalie’s Role in This Show:
Morales played a huge part in this show, adding layers to the narrative in her sharp, witty, and emotional portrayal. Her performances deepened the show’s exploration of human emotions.
How Her Character Added Depth to the Story:
Through her involvement in the storylines of grief and revenge, viewers could experience how Morales balanced humour and drama.
3. The Grinder (TV Show) | (2015–2016)
The Grinder (2015–2016) is a wry legal comedy about Dean Sanderson, a charismatic TV actor known for playing a lawyer on a hit series. After the show ends, he returns home and joins his family’s law firm, despite having no real legal training. His brother Stewart, a hardworking real attorney, must deal with Dean’s outlandish antics in the courtroom. The show blends humor with family dynamics as Dean’s TV experience clashes with Stewart’s professional approach to law.
The series masterfully combines humour, family drama, and absurd situations that earned critical acclaim for clever writing and performances. Although it had a cult following, the show was cancelled after one season.
- Cast: Rob Lowe, Fred Savage, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, William Devane, Natalie Morales
- Release Date: September 29, 2015
- Seasons: 1
- Showrunner: Jarrad Paul and Andrew Mogel
Though “The Grinder” was on the air for only one season, it stood out for its quirky premise and delightful characters. The series starred Rob Lowe and Fred Savage, with Natalie Morales bringing comedic chops.
Natalie’s Performance and Chemistry with Co-stars: Her role was an excellent counterpoint to the outlandish personalities of the lead characters. The comedies, with the witty timing and charm of Morales, made the show a hit.
Why It’s Worth Watching: Although it is no longer in production, “The Grinder” has earned its place as a cult favourite, with many fans giving much praise to Morales’ addition to its unique sense of humour and tone.
4. Language Lessons (Movie) 2021
Language Lessons is a 2021 heartfelt drama film by Natalie Morales and Mark Duplass. The film is written and directed by Morales, a drama depicting the relationship between Adam (Duplass), a man grieving his wife’s death, and Cariño (Morales), his online Spanish teacher. Their virtual lessons progress to become very close to each other as they reveal their vulnerabilities and personal loss while never meeting face-to-face. The film, filmed during the COVID-19 pandemic, uses a minimalist approach to tell its poignant story through video calls. Praised for authentic performances and emotional depth, Language Lessons is touching in its exploration of human connection and the power of friendship.
- Cast: Natalie Morales, Mark Duplass
- Release Date: September 10, 2021
- Duration: 91 minutes
- Director: Natalie Morales
- Writers: Natalie Morales, Mark Duplass
An Independent Drama That Was Brought into the Limelight: This indie, which dropped in 2021, stars a language teacher with her pupil. “Language Lessons” delves into connectivity and the type of unexpected ways by which individuals relate.
Performance of Natalie, connecting to Mark Duplass, Co-star in this movie: The most effective acting job is shown by Morales when working off Mark Duplass within the small and slight, character-driven tale in “Language Lessons”. In essence, her delicate action provides great emotional detail in this movie.
Review of Film from the Critics: It has appreciated the story’s freshness, and Morales’s performance is truly depicted with sincerity and depth, proving that she is a multi-talented actress.
5. Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (2018)
Natalie Morales has had a few voice roles in animated shows. She guest-starred in BoJack Horseman, twice in Harley Quinn, and voiced a character in the 2024 animated film Thelma the Unicorn. The biggest animated release she appeared in was the 2018 movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. At the time of its release, Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse was regarded as one of the best Spider-Man movies ever released and introduced the movie world to Miles Morales.
- Director: Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey
- Release Date: December 14, 2018
- Distributor(s): Sony
Cast: Jake Johnson, Kimiko Glenn, Hailee Steinfeld, Liev Schreiber, Luna Lauren Velez, Nicolas Cage, Lily Tomlin, Mahershala Ali, John Mulaney, Shameik Moore, Brian Tyree HenryRuntime117 minutes
In the Movie, Miles Morales becomes Spider-Man after the death of his world’s Peter Parker, only to learn that the world is much bigger than he ever believed when he finds other Spider-heroes from the multiverse. Natalie Morales plays the role of Ms. Calleros, one of the teachers at Miles’ Brooklyn Visions Academy. It was she who assigned the essay that Miles wrote about himself, which was the essay that finally led to Miles’ final monologue. The Best Animated Feature winner has a 97% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
6. The Little Things (Movie) 2021
The Little Things (2021) is a psychological thriller by John Lee Hancock with Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, and Jared Leto. It’s a story about a burned-out deputy sheriff, Joe “Deke” Deacon (Washington), and Detective Jim Baxter (Malek), who team up to investigate a series of murders in Los Angeles. As they zero in on Albert Sparma (Leto), Deke’s unconventional methods and dark past come into play. The conclusion sends chills in delving into obsession, morality, and guilt.
- Cast: Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, Jared Leto
- Release Date: January 29, 2021
- Duration: 127 minutes
- Director: John Lee Hancock
A Denzel Washington, Rami Malek Dark Thriller
Featuring Natalie Morales in pivotal secondary roles in this crime-thrill ride, Natalie Morales delivered a significant performance in ‘Inside Man,’ where she works alongside Denzel Washington, sharing the scene with Rami Malek alongside Denzel Washington.
This suspenseful film, which helped add nuance to the already intense atmosphere, also contributed to the gripping sense of the film.
It is a well-received movie with major social and personal relevance
The movie didn’t fare well in terms of reviews, but Morales was widely noted for adding an important aspect to the complicating layers of the story.
7. The Newsroom (2012)
In 2012, Natalie Morales became a part of the HBO political drama series The Newsroom, which Aaron Sorkin created. The plot revolves around a fictional news network that wishes to present a news show that reports the truth despite corporate and commercial hurdles. Jeff Daniels played the lead role of a news anchor named Will in the series. As for Morales, she only appeared in a few episodes of the first season as a supporting cast member named Kaylee.
- Cast: Jeff Daniels, Emily Mortimer, John Gallagher Jr., Alison Pill, Thomas Sadoski, Dev Patel, Olivia Munn, Sam Waterston
- Release Date: June 24, 2012
- Seasons : 3
- Writers: Aaron Sorkin
She was written out of the show after the first season and never reappeared in the series.
Morales plays Neal’s (Dev Patel) girlfriend and someone whose dad died on 9/11. She was in “I’ll Try to Fix You” and “5/1” in the first season, where she was mostly a companion to Neal during two major events. She was written out of the show after the first season and never appeared again in the series. Critics were cool about the series, but it won Daniels a Primetime Emmy Award while earning Jane Fonda a nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress.
8. The Middleman (2008)
Following several guest appearances on two TV shows, Natalie Morales appeared in her first lead role for the comic book television series The Middleman. Morales stars as Wendy Watson, an artist who suffers from a creative block that leads her to be approached by a secret agency where she is called to assist in combating evil forces. She works with The Middleman (Matt Keeslar), a fixer who deals with mad scientists, invading aliens, and other supernatural threats.
- Cast: Linda Cardellini, Christina Applegate, James Marsden
- Release Date: March 3, 2019
- Seasons: 3
- Showrunner: Liz Feldman
The series has a 100% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
They also have a robot named Ida who helps them. Morales received praise for her role as Wendy, a cool-under-pressure woman with photographic memory who helps save the world more than once. The series aired on ABC Family for one season with only 12 episodes. Compared to the vibrant fantasy show like Pushing Daisies, this series holds a 100% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes with universal acclaim but has very few audience ratings and went under the radar.
9. Grey’s Anatomy (2024)
The most successful TV show Natalie Morales starred in is Grey’s Anatomy. However, her role on the show came in 2024 as the recurring Dr. Monica Beltran. This was in the 20th season, which only had a limited 10-episode run thanks to the writer’s strike, although, on the bright side, it did see Ellen Pompeo return to the series in a regular role after stepping back in the previous season.
- Cast: Ellen Pompeo, Chandra Wilson, James Pickens Jr., Justin Chambers, Kevin McKidd, Jesse Williams, Bokhee An, Camilla Luddington, Patrick Dempsey, Sara Ramirez, Jessica Capshaw, Sandra Oh, Caterina Scorsone, Sarah Drew, Kelly McCreary, Kim Raver, Jason George, Eric Dane, Giacomo Gianniotti, Jake Borelli, Katherine Heigl, Jerrika Hinton, Chyler Leigh, Chris Carmack, T.R. Knight, Debbie Allen, Jaicy Elliot, Anthony Hill, Kate Walsh, Greg Germann, Isaiah Washington, Aniela Gumbs, Martin Henderson, Payton Silver, Gaius Charles, Tessa Ferrer, Stefania Spampinato, Alex Landi, Scott Speedman, Mark Saul, Nicole Rubio, Richard Flood, Ryder Goodstadt, Steven W. Bailey, Adelaide Kane, Alexis Floyd, Harry Shum Jr., Midori Francis, Niko Terho
- Release Date: March 27, 2005
- Seasons:21
- Creator(s): Shonda Rhimes, Michelle Lirtzman
Morales returned for the 21season as well, still recurring and not yet fully on board as a series regular.
Morales debuts in the third episode of this series as a new pediatric surgeon; she is right in the middle of the action, coming into conflict with Dr. Amelia Shepherd (Catherine Scorsone) when they eventually work together, earning each other’s respect. While Pompeo was still gone, the season remained the lowest-rated of the entire run, at only 5.1. Morales returned for the 21season as well, albeit still in a recurring role and not yet promoted to a regular status.
10. Santa Clarita Diet (2017-2019)
Natalie Morales appeared in the Netflix zombie comedy series Santa Clarita Diet as a recurring character, Anne Garcia. The series stars Drew Barrymore as Sheila Hammond, a suburban real estate agent who becomes a zombie. However, she still has most of her brainpower and facilities, although she has an almost insatiable hunger for human flesh. Timothy Olyphant stars as her husband, Joel, who helps her cover up the murders and protect her from the outside world.
- Cast: Timothy Olyphant, Drew Barrymore
- Release Date: February 3, 2017
- Seasons: 3
- Showrunner: Victor Fresco
After Joel kills Dan with a shovel and Sheila eats him, Anne ends up romantically involved with Lisa (Mary Elizabeth Ellis), Dan’s widow.
She is religious Sheriff’s Deputy Anne Garcia, married to Dan Palmer, a neighbour of Sheila and Joel. After Joel kills Dan with a shovel and Sheila eats him, she ends up romantically entwined with Lisa (Mary Elizabeth Ellis), Dan’s widow. Eventually, she learns the truth and thinks Sheila is a messenger of God. The series holds a 78% score on Rotten Tomatoes; however, the third season ended with a 100% perfect rating.
Conclusion
From The White Lotus TV series to Language Lessons film, Natalie Morales has established herself as a versatile actress. Be it comedy, drama, or thriller, she has all that to get people to laugh, cry, and be on the edge of their seats with every movie she stars in. What makes Morales a talent worth looking forward to is that she easily makes transitions from dramatic to comedies.
FAQs
- What are some of the best Natalie Morales movies? Some of her popular movies include Language Lessons, The Little Things, and Pineapple Express.
- Which Natalie Morales TV show is best? “The White Lotus” and “Dead to Me” are some of her best and highly acclaimed works.
- Has Natalie Morales acted in some major Marvel movies? Well, she did make a cameo appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
- What makes Natalie Morales a different kind of actress? She stands out in every project by playing both comedic and dramatic roles.
- Is Natalie Morales in any upcoming TV shows or films? She is indeed carrying on with a very busy career, with many exciting new roles that are set to be released soon.
- The Dark Comedy That Swept the World: Dead to Me is a dark comedy suspense series on Netflix. The drama unfolds the story of two women who find themselves in an unlikely friendship as they try to deal with grief, revenge, and secrets.
- Natalie’s Role in This Show: Morales played a huge part in this show, adding layers to the narrative in her sharp, witty, and emotional portrayal. Her performances deepened the show’s exploration of human emotions.
- How the Character Added Depth to the Story: Through her involvement in the storylines of grief and revenge, viewers could experience how Morales balanced humour with drama.
