You must watch these 7 Merritt Wever TV shows if you loved her character Monica O’Brien in The Gilded Age

Most people noticed Merritt Wever in The Gilded Age because Monica O’Brien didn’t try to take over a scene, but still stayed with you. She didn’t speak much or push herself forward, but nothing about her felt like background. Her presence had weight, and her silences made you look closer. That kind of performance is not loud, but it sticks, and Wever has been doing it for a long time.

She has worked across all kinds of shows and never repeated herself. She played a nurse who started off shy but, eventually, found her voice. She led a western town without acting tough. She solved cases by listening instead of yelling. Nothing about her feels like a performance, and nothing feels like a trick. You never think she is showing off, and that is the point.

If Monica made you wonder where else she has been, then this list is a good place to start. These seven shows each gave her someone different to act, and she did not miss once. What you get every time is someone who feels real. Not perfect, not dramatic, just honest. That is what makes her one of the best people working in television today.

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You must watch these 7 Merritt Wever TV shows if you loved her character Monica O’Brien in The Gilded Age

1. Nurse Jackie

Zoey Barkow never walked into a room with confidence. She mumbled through introductions and second-guessed her own name. That is exactly how Merritt Wever began her run on Nurse Jackie. She did not pretend to know how to handle a hospital or how to fit into Jackie’s world. That awkwardness made her honest.

Over seven seasons, Zoey changed. She stopped asking for permission. She started speaking with more weight. She wore bright scrubs and stood her ground. Wever built those changes so slowly that it never felt like a performance. It felt like growth. Nothing about her delivery was flashy.

Her relationship with Jackie was one of the few things that gave the show some warmth. It was not just chemistry. It was trust. When Jackie fell apart, Zoey stayed. That loyalty made her more than comic relief. Wever won an Emmy and made sure no one ever forgot who Zoey was.

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2. Godless

Mary Agnes McNue had already buried her husband. She ran a town of women who had also buried theirs. That grief sat under every line Merritt Wever delivered on Godless. She never tried to act like a leader. She simply did what had to be done.

There was no grand speech and no dramatic stare. Mary Agnes did not ask for respect. She earned it. She did it by showing up and speaking plainly. Wever made that decision work. She never softened her delivery and never added extra emotion. She kept it blunt and steady.

Even when the story took a turn towards gunfights and showdowns, her presence pulled it back to something grounded. Wever made the town feel real. She made it feel lived in. Every time she spoke, you could hear how tired she was. That tiredness gave the show a backbone. She was the reason it didn’t drift into fantasy.

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3. Unbelievable

Detective Karen Duvall walked into the case without ego. She did not raise her voice and did not try to prove herself. Merritt Wever played her without any shortcuts. She let the character speak through small movements and pauses. That restraint gave the show its shape.

There is a scene in a kitchen that lasts for several minutes. Karen lets a victim talk without pushing for answers. She listens. She waits. She does not fill the silence. That scene explains everything you need to know about the detective. She cares more about the truth than recognition.

Wever could have played her louder. She could have made her seem heroic. Instead, she steps back, which makes the scenes feel real. It lets the story stay focused on the women who had been ignored. Wever gave the show something rare. She made the role about the people around her and not just herself.

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4. Severance

Merritt Wever’s part in Severance was limited but never forgettable. She played Ms. Casey as someone who seemed perfectly polite but completely hollow. She stood still. She spoke without reaction and moved like someone had taught her how to walk, leaving out the explanation for why one walks.

That choice worked because of the show’s world. Lumon expected silence and obedience. Ms. Casey gave both. Wever never tried to twist the character into something emotional. She kept her flat. That flatness became unsettling. It made her feel like a machine that still knew she used to be human.

Her scenes made you stop and look twice. Something always felt off, but never loud. That kind of discomfort helped explain what was broken at Lumon. Even when she left the screen, you still thought about her. Wever made the audience feel something heavy. That feeling stayed longer than any of the big plot twists.

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5. Roar

Merritt Wever’s episode in Roar asked her to stand on a shelf for most of the runtime. That could have turned into a joke. It could have become one long metaphor with no depth. But her character’s stillness felt like a scream.

She played a woman who did not fight back. She accepted her husband’s love even when it flattened her. She smiled. She agreed. She posed. The episode’s tension came from how long it took for her to stop pretending. Wever stretched that tension without any anger or tears.

When she finally stepped down, she did not give a speech. She just left, and that decision made the episode land harder than expected. Wever made it clear that change does not need to be loud. It just needs to be real. The show worked because she refused to overplay the moment. She gave it space to breathe.

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6. Tiny Beautiful Things

In Tiny Beautiful Things, Merritt Wever did not take the spotlight. Mostly on focus through flashbacks, she played a single mother of Clare and Lucas.

She showed up in scenes where her daughter recalls her relationship with her mother. She never interrupted and never rushed to fix anything. She listened. She stayed still. When it was time to speak, she said things that felt earned. Nothing about her delivery asked for attention, which gave it power.

Her storyline and character arc end up being a turning point for the narrative. Her daughter, Sarah, moved fast and spiraled often. Wever’s presence steadied that rhythm. She did not make herself the focus. She gave the focus something to rest against. That made her character essential. She turned a background role into something necessary. The show needed that kind of quiet, incredible, tender support to feel real.

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7. Run

Merritt Wever’s role in Run demanded chaos. She played Ruby Richardson, a woman who left her life behind in one message. She did not do it out of passion. She did it out of confusion and exhaustion. Wever leaned into that mess.

Ruby was not free-spirited. She was frustrated. She did not know what she wanted. She second-guessed herself in every step. Wever did not play her as fun or spontaneous. She made her nervous. She was slow to decide. That kind of portrayal made the show feel honest even when the story spun wild.

Her scenes with Domhnall Gleeson were filled with discomfort. They snapped at each other. They paused for too long. They looked like two people trying to remember why they ever liked each other. Wever carried all that without needing to explain it. She held the weight of a broken life and made it feel completely believable.

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