Krysten Ritter doesn’t take up space in a show just to be there. She changes the pace every time she enters a scene. Her voice has a bite to it, and her expressions say more than the script ever could. You can tell when she’s playing someone who’s been hurt, even if she never says it out loud. Her characters aren’t warm, but they’re honest.
She’s not the actress you call for something safe. She plays people with sharp edges and makes sure they stay sharp. Some of her shows were cut short before they got their due. Others lasted long enough to show what she can really do when the material works in her favor.
She’s played a cynical roommate, a reluctant hero, and a woman on the verge of collapse. None of them looks or sounds the same. You don’t walk away from her scenes without remembering the way she carried them. This list isn’t built on fan favorites alone. It’s built on shows that gave her real moments to work with. If someone’s trying to figure out why Krysten Ritter stands out, these five shows will tell them what they need to know.
The 5 Krysten Ritter TV shows every fan should watch
1) Jessica Jones (Netflix, 2015–2019)

Krysten Ritter played Jessica with a sense of control that never felt forced. She made it clear from the first episode that this wasn’t a character designed to be liked. Jessica spent most of her time pushing people away and refusing help, even when she clearly needed it. Ritter didn’t try to soften her. She leaned into the parts that made her difficult.
The first season stood out because it dealt with trauma in a way superhero shows usually avoid. Jessica wasn’t chasing villains for glory. She was surviving Kilgrave’s psychological grip and fighting her own guilt. Ritter’s body language did most of the talking. Her eyes stayed tired, and her reactions always came from somewhere buried.
The show didn’t succeed just because of its subject. It worked because Ritter made Jessica honest. You could see how much pain she carried and how hard she tried to move forward. That balance gave Marvel TV something it hadn’t seen before.
2) Don’t Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 (ABC, 2012–2013)

Ritter took Chloe and made her feel like someone who existed before the cameras started rolling. She didn’t pause for punchlines or play into sitcom rhythm. She threw herself into every scene and let Chloe’s unpredictability carry the show forward. She wasn’t just wild. She had structure beneath the chaos.
Chloe’s interactions with June gave the show its rhythm. One was tightly wound, and the other refused to play by any rule. Ritter didn’t act like she had to win the scene. She just let Chloe say whatever she wanted and trusted that honesty would make it land.
Even when the show leaned into absurd moments, it never lost track of its tone. That’s because Ritter kept Chloe grounded in her own logic. She played her like someone who understood the world better than she let on. That clarity made the character stand out long after the show ended.
3) Breaking Bad (AMC, 2009–2010)

Jane Margolis wasn’t meant to be a major character, but Ritter turned her into one. She entered Jesse Pinkman’s life quietly. She offered him a room without judgment and kept her own story vague. Their chemistry worked because Ritter didn’t play Jane as a love interest. She played her like someone trying to stay clean.
The moment their relationship shifted felt earned. Jane let down her guard slowly. Ritter made her hesitation obvious without needing to say it. When things spiraled, she didn’t play it for drama. She played it like a person sliding back into something they thought they escaped.
Jane’s death was quiet and cruel. It wasn’t just shocking. It changed how Jesse saw the world. It changed how the audience saw Walter. Ritter didn’t need more scenes. She made her role count. Her absence created more tension than some characters ever managed while alive.
4) Gravity (Starz, 2010)

Lily Champagne didn’t want to be in a support group, and Ritter made that obvious from the start. She slouched in chairs and answered questions with frustration. It wasn’t a performance meant to win anyone over. She played Lily like someone who showed up because she had no other option.
The show focused on people who had survived suicide attempts and didn’t know what to do next. Ritter didn’t try to make Lily interesting. She let her sit in the discomfort. Her reactions weren’t exaggerated. Her silences carried the weight of someone who couldn’t explain what went wrong.
Ritter didn’t rely on sarcasm here. She didn’t lean on energy or speed. She slowed everything down. Lily’s story didn’t move fast, and that was the point. The show gave her room to sit with questions most series avoid. Ritter didn’t answer them. She just made sure they stayed visible.
5) Love and Death (HBO Max, 2023)

Sherry Cleckler didn’t raise her voice and didn’t step into the spotlight. Ritter played with her with restraint. She stood on the edges of conversations and watched them unfold. She asked questions but rarely revealed what she really thought. That made her more realistic than most supporting characters.
The story followed Candy Montgomery and the people around her. Sherry wasn’t part of the courtroom or the violence. She lived in the town. She hosted events. She watched everything change from a front row seat. Ritter made Sherry feel like someone you could run into at the grocery store.
Her scenes didn’t stretch long. They didn’t need to. She grounded the show in regular life. When people gossiped, she looked uneasy. When Candy spoke, she listened carefully. Krysten Ritter didn’t play into the drama. She played into pressure. That presence reminded viewers that the story wasn’t just about what happened. It was about who had to keep living there.
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