While her recent acclaimed work onThe Penguinhas helped make her a big name,Cristin Milioti’s best movies and TV shows show that she has been putting together a more than impressive career for herself over the years. The American actor got her start in the theater, earning a Tony nomination for her performance inOnce. However, when she landed a recurring role onThe Sopranosin 2006, she really kickstarted her on-screen career, which led to bigger roles and more acclaim.
Milioti has appeared in some notable movies, including working with Martin Scorsese on one of his most popular movies. However, she has really found success on television, showing incredible versatility on some big shows. She has stolen scenes on popular sitcoms, played the hero in some thrilling sci-fi series, and created one of the most complex villains in the DC universe. With her recent acclaim, it is likely audiences will be seeing a lot more of Milioti in the future, but her best movies and TV shows already prove her talents.
Hit-Monkey
Cast
Hit Monkey is a 2021 animated streaming series developed by Marvel Television for Hulu. With Fred Tatasciore, Olivia Munn, Jason Sudeikis, George Takei, and Ally Maki in its star-studded voice cast, the show tells the story of a deadly Japanese macaque who wages war on Tokyo’s criminal underworld with the help of the ghost of an assassin.
Cristin Milioti has had voice-over parts on series likeThe SimpsonsandFamily Guy, butHit-Monkeyprovided her with a main role on anadult animated seriesthat fit nicely into her impressive talents. Based on a rather obscure Marvel Comics property,Hit-Monkeyfollows a snow monkey who is mentored as a killer by the ghost of a dead assassin, setting out on a mission of revenge against an evil crime syndicate.
Milioti gets in on the fun during the second season of the show as Iris, the estranged daughter of the dead assassin who becomes Hit-Monkey’s ally. The series wisely embraces the absurdity of its premise, making for a wild, bloody, and hilarious experience. While it is very different from the other Marvel series out there, it is a refreshing change of pace from some of those clean-cut stories.
The Resort
The Resort: Created by Andy Siara, this mystery thriller follows a couple celebrating their anniversary at a tropical vacation destination. Their lives take an unexpected turn as they become entangled in an unsolved mystery that challenges their relationship and uncovers hidden truths within the luxurious surroundings.
Cristin Milioti has appeared in some of the most popular shows of the 21st century, but there are also some less popular series that she has been a part of that are worth seeking out. One such show is thePeacock original seriesThe Resort. Milioti and William Harper Jackson star as a married couple vacationing at a resort for their 10th anniversary only to be sucked into a mystery involving a tourist who went missing at the same resort years ago.
While the mystery itself is not the highlight of the series, the talented actors help to elevate the story by perfectly playing the funny yet suspenseful tone.
Milioti is wonderful as the lead of the show,playing a woman who is feeling stuck and aimless in her life and grabs onto this mystery as something to inject her with some purpose. While the mystery itself is not the highlight of the series, the talented actors help to elevate the story by perfectly playing the funny yet suspenseful tone.
The Sopranos
The Sopranos follows New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano as he navigates the challenges of managing his family and criminal enterprise. He seeks guidance from psychiatrist Jennifer Melfi while dealing with complex dynamics involving his wife Carmela, cousin Christopher Moltisanti, and other Mafia associates. Released in 1999, this series delves into organized crime and personal struggles.
WhileThe Sopranosis undoubtedly one of thebest shows of all time, it was not the best display of Cristin Milioti’s talents but rather an important step for her career. The ground-breaking crime series starred James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano, a boss in a New Jersey crime family who deals with the stress of his work, the various dramas in his home life, and his own mental health crisis.
Appearing in only a handful of scenes over the course of three episodes,Milioti’s role of Catherine Sacrimoni, the daughter of Johnny Sacks. Despite not being a big part of the show,The Sopranosallows Milioti to show her talents, commanding some emotional scenes in which her father is on his deathbed. As Milioti’s star in Hollywood continues to rise, more people are discovering her work in the legendary show and noting her amazing skills even in such a small role early in her career.
How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother is a television series that follows a father telling his children about his past. Released in 2005, it explores his experiences and adventures with four close friends, leading up to meeting their mother, as depicted through a series of flashbacks.
While theending ofHow I Met Your Motherwas not well received by fans of the sitcom, Cristin Milioti was a highlight of the final season. How I Met Your Mother centered around a father telling his teenage kids the story of how he and their mother met, with the flashbacks showcasing the funny and charming adventures of him and his friends as 30-somethings living in New York City.
While the series showcased a lot of girlfriends for Ted Mosby,Milioti had the daunting task of filling the role of the titular mother who had been teased since the first episode. While there was a lot of controversy about how her character of Tracy McConnell was used in the end, Milioti managed to step into the final season of the show and create a character who was funny, charming, and lovable, living up to the high standards fans had created for her in their minds.
Made For Love
In a near-future setting, Made for Love follows a woman who escapes her controlling tech billionaire husband, only to discover he has implanted a monitoring device in her brain. The series explores themes of privacy, autonomy, and the complex emotions that arise from technological entanglement in relationships.
Cristin Milioti has showcased her incredible versatility in a number of projects, but she has especially shown a talent for playing darker comedic roles within high-concept premises, such as inMade for Love. Milioti stars as Hazel Green, a young woman who has finally gotten herself out of a toxic relationship with her overbearing and controlling tech-billionaire partner, Byron (Billy Magnussen). However, she soon discovers that Byron implanted her with a tracking device that allows him to see her location, and her activities, and read her emotional data.
The show is a clever and profound satire on both the modern tech world and controlling relationships.
The show is a clever and profound satire on both the modern tech world and controlling relationships. Despite the premise,Milioti finds a way to make Hazel and her journey a grounded one as she searches for independence and control of her life. While the series was critically acclaimed, it was unfortunately canceled after two seasons.
The Wolf of Wall Street
The Wolf of Wall Street, released in 2013, is a biographical crime drama directed by Martin Scorsese. The film follows New York stockbroker Jordan Belfort, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, as he becomes embroiled in a high-stakes securities fraud case involving Wall Street corruption and organized crime connections.
Cristin Milioti not only had the opportunity to appear as part of a star-studded ensemble that included Leonardo DiCaprio, Margot Robbie, and Matthew McConaughey, but she did so in one of Martin Scorsese’s wildest movies.The Wolf of Wall Streettells the true storyof Jordan Belfort, a Wall Street trader who made millions off his shady deals while also living a life of excess, filled with sex, drugs, and outrageous expenses.
Milioti plays a memorable supporting role in the movie’s first act as Teresa Petrillo, Jordan’s first wife, who sees him spiral down this path of indulgence before she discovers his affair with Naomi (Robbie). The movie is one of the funniest Scorsese has ever made with laugh-out-loud scenes of partying and mayhem. However, it is also a compelling saga of greed and selfishness told in epic fashion.
Fargo
Fargo is a Black Comedy Crime Drama television series that is based on the film of the same name, which was originally created by the Coen Brothers. The TV adaptation was developed by Noah Hawley and follows an anthology format for each of its seasons, taking place in a different time period or location within the “Fargo” universe. So far, the series has seen big-name stars like Billy Bob Thornton, Ewan McGregor, Chris Rock, and Kirsten Dunst.
Even among a star-studded cast like the one seen inFargoseason 2, Cristin Milioti finds a way to stand out in a supporting role. The second season of the show takes place in 1979, following a married couple (Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons) who find themselves thrust into the middle of a war between two rival crime families. Patrick Wilson also stars as Lou Solverson, the noble lawman and family man who is looking into the bloody mayhem.
Milioti has a supporting role as Betsy, Lou’s loving wife who is also battling cancer. Though she is removed from the crime story of the series, Milioti makes Betsy a memorable, grounded character who is brave and loving in the face of her own struggles. Season 2 is still regarded by many fans as thebest season ofFargoto date, telling a truly unique and unpredictable crime story with fascinating characters and some wonderful homages to the work of the Coen Brothers.
Black Mirror
Black Mirror is a dystopian anthology series that explores the unsettling and profound impact of modern technology on society. Premiering in 2011, it examines various scenarios where technological advancements intersect with human nature, creating thought-provoking narratives about contemporary and future issues.
The anthology seriesBlack Mirrorhas seen some big names appear in various episodes, from Daniel Kaluuya to Hayley Atwell to Jon Hamm. However, Cristin Milioti took the lead role in one of the best episodes in the series. “USS Callister” is a fun and twisted space adventure that stars Milioti as a woman who finds herself transplanted into a Star Trek-like fantasy world where a controlling and vicious creator (Jesse Plemons) controls everything.
USS Callister" was so popular that it will become the first episode to get a sequel in season 7 ofBlack Mirror.
The episode’s colorful look sets itself apart from the dark and bleak episodes ofBlack Mirror, while it also has a surprising sense of humor balanced with unsettling sci-fi ideas. While the cast is one of the most impressive on the show,Milioti steals the show with a performance that is funny, harrowing, and heroic. “USS Callister” was so popular that it will become the first episode to get a sequel inseason 7 ofBlack Mirror.
Palm Springs
Palm Springs is a sci-fi comedy film that sees two strangers, Nyles and Sarah, who meet at a wedding reception and, after heading off for a night of debauchery, are tossed into a strange vortex that keeps them date locked in November 9th with no perceivable way out. Nyles and Sarah bond while trying to find an escape from the odd time loop as the truth behind the vortex slowly unravels.
Cristin Milioti has done more work on television than in movies, but she proved she was capable of carrying a movie in her breakout role inPalm Springs.The Hulu Original moviestars Milioti as Sarah, a troubled young woman suffering through her younger sister’s wedding when she meets a mysterious fellow guest, Nyles (Andy Samberg). After spending the night together, Sarah wakes up to realize she is repeating the wedding day again and that she is stuck in the same time loop Nyles has been stuck in.
Milioti is hilarious in the lead role, playing the outraged frustration of Sarah being stuck in this predicament while also adding some interesting layers to her story. The movie itself is a wonderful blend of a time-loop story and a rom-com. Milioti and Samberg share terrific chemistry, with their synchronized dance routine as one of the highlights of it all.
The Penguin
Created by Lauren LeFranc, The Penguin is a crime-drama spin-off television series of 2022’s film The Batman. Set shortly after the events of The Batman, Oz Cobb, A.K.A. the Penguin, begins his rise in the underworld of Gotham City as he contends with the daughter of his late boss, Carmine Falcone, for control of the crime family’s empire.
While Cristin Milioti’s career was already well on the rise,The Penguinhas led her to another level of fame and acclaim. The series is aspinoff of Matt Reeves’The Batman,taking place after the events of the movie and seeing Colin Farrell reprise his role as Oz Cobb aka The Penguin. With Gotham City reeling from The Riddler’s attack and the crime world in chaos following Carmine Falcone’s death, Oz takes the opportunity to take power for himself.
Milioti plays the perfect foil to Oz as Sofia Falcone, the daughter of the late mob boss who has just returned from Arkham Asylum. Sofia is a deeply complicated character, a woman who was wronged by her family and now seeks revenge on those who betrayed her while also taking control of her life. Milioti balances the character’s unsettling nature with a sense of sympathy and vulnerability. The series serves as a great crime drama regardless of whether viewers are fans of the Batman universe or not.
