Jane Leeves: One of the Best and Most Underrated Actresses of All Time

Since the end of summer 2023, I have started and finished three different TV shows: Frasier, Hot in Cleveland, and The Resident.

Now at this point, I’m sure you’re thinking one of two things or maybe both of them. (1) That’s a lot of TV. How does Grace find the time to watch all of that? (2) Those are shows with extremely different plots. Grace must have a lot of interests.

If you were thinking those things, you would be right. Most of my free time is spent binge-watching shows, and I do enjoy wide varieties of television.

However, there was a purpose in my choosing those three shows, and that purpose shows that they are more closely connected than you would think.

The first of the three that I watched was Frasier. I got hooked on this show one night when I decided to sit in the living room with my dad, and he had it on the TV. This sitcom ran from 1993 to 2004, telling the story of psychiatrist Frasier Crane as he navigates life with his father Martin Crane, his brother Niles Crane, his producer Roz Doyle, and his father’s physical therapist Daphne Moon.

The second show that I binged was Hot in Cleveland after deciding to take a break from Frasier on my second time going through it. Hot in Cleveland, a sitcom from the 2010s, follows the lives of Joy Scroggs, Victoria Chase, and Melanie Moretti, three middle-aged women from California who crash land in Cleveland, Ohio, and decide to uproot their lives and move there.

The third and final show was The Resident. This medical drama debuted in 2018 and concluded its sixth and final season in January 2023. It takes place in Atlanta, Ga., and follows resident Conrad Hawkins and his co-workers while they deal with patients and conflict within the hospital.

As different as these three shows may seem, there is one thread that connects them all: English actress Jane Leeves.

When most people are asked to name an actress, they would say names like Scarlett Johansson, Julia Roberts, or Jennifer Lawrence. However, I believe that Leeves deserves to be listed in such company.

She owns the screen every time she appears, and, as evidenced by the three different shows listed, she is extremely talented. Frasier was one of the most popular shows of its time with an ensemble cast featuring Kelsey Grammer, David Hyde Pierce, John Mahoney, and Peri Gilpin; and Leeves was able to fit right in to the point where imagining the show without her character Daphne Moon is impossible. In fact, Daphne’s relationship with Niles (played by Pierce) is one of the best parts in my opinion.

In Hot in Cleveland, Leeves took her place alongside three other TV legends in Betty White, Wendie Malick, and Valerie Bertinelli as the lovable Joy Scroggs; and in The Resident, she got the chance to move away from comedy and into drama by playing orthopedic surgeon Kit Voss, thus proving that she can thrive in any environment. Yet even though it was a drama, Leeves still delivered several lines reminiscent of her sitcom roots.

Sometimes it’s difficult for me to associate an actress with more than one role. For example, Scarlett Johansson will always be Black Widow, and Jennifer Lawrence will forever be Katniss Everdeen.

However, Jane Leeves isn’t just one character. Instead, she is Daphne Moon, Joy Scroggs, and Kit Voss; and they are her. It’s easy for me to go from one show to the other and enjoy each character for who they are. I believe this is because of Leeves. Her performances are effortless and believable, and it’s obvious not only that she gives her all every time but also that she enjoys herself while she’s doing it.

It might sound cliché, but I’m thankful for Leeves and her portrayal of three of my most favorite characters of all time. I would definitely put her on my Mount Rushmore of actresses, and I would entreat you to do the same.

* Frasier and Hot in Cleveland are streaming on Paramount+, and The Resident can be found on Hulu.