Jenna Lamia is an American actress, writer, and audiobook narrator. She developed the Netflix limited series The Perfect Couple, and also served as its showrunner. She is also known for her role as Judy in the SyFy series Resident Alien, and is a writer on a few episodes.
Career Acting Lamia began her acting career in New York City, where she appeared on Broadway in Eugene O'Neill's Ah, Wilderness! at Lincoln Center. She soon moved on to television and film appearances, and is best known for her roles as Sherri Ward in The Fighter with Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale,(USA) Entertainment Weekly, January 7, 2011, pg. 47, by: Chris Nashawaty, "Knockout Women!" Siobhan Miller in Law and Order: SVU, Carrie Schillinger in Oz, and as Poppy Downes in Comedy Central's Strangers With Candy, with Amy Sedaris. Over the span of her career, she has appeared on and off-Broadway, in over 30 television shows and feature films, and voiced video games and animated characters for film and television. As of 2021, she appears as Judy Cooper in the Syfy television series Resident Alien, starring Alan Tudyk.
Audiobook narration As an audiobook narrator, Lamia has won several golden earphones awards from AudioFile magazine, and was named Female Narrator of the Year in 2010 by the Audio Publishers Association.The Wall Street Journal, May 28, 2010, pg. A26, by: Marshall Heyman, "At the Audies: Judging a Book by Its Reader" Also in 2010, she won Best Solo Narration - Female for The Chosen One. She voiced Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan in The Help, which won best fiction audiobook of the year in 2010. In 2020, she won another Audie Award as part of the ensemble cast of Jarrett Krozocska's Hey, Kiddo.
Writing and producing Lamia is also a writer and producer of television and films. After selling her first feature script, All About Me, to New Line Cinema in 2006,Variety, December 1, 2006, p. 4, by: Pamela Mcclintock, "Pair team for teen comedy" she joined the writing staff of The CW's 90210. After 90210, Lamia went on to write, produce, and act in Awkward.
She began writing and producing the dramedy No Tomorrow in 2016. In 2017, she began writing and co-executive producing the crime comedy-drama Good Girls for NBC.
In December 2019, it was announced that she would write and executive produce an adaptation of Elin Hilderbrand's novel The Perfect Couple, for the Fox network.
In April 2021, production began on the feature film My Best Friend's Exorcism, which Lamia adapted from the 2016 novel by Grady Hendrix.
In September 2024, Netflix released all six episodes of the limited series The Perfect Couple, which Lamia wrote and executive produced. The series is an adaptation of The New York Times bestselling novel by Elin Hilderbrand, and stars Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Eve Hewson, Billy Howle, Meghann Fahy, Ishaan Khatter, Donna-Lynn Champlin and Michael Beech. The Perfect Couple was the most-watched American debut series on Netflix in all of 2024, and the second most-watched debut series worldwide.
Filmography Acting Year Title Role Notes 1998 Hi-Life Girl Teen 1999 Strangers With Candy Poppy Downes Episode: "Old Habits - New Beginnings" 1999 The Guiding Light Ali 1999 FANatic Announcer (all episodes) 2000 Brutally Normal Ali Episode: "Damaged Goods" 2000 Law and Order: Special Victims Unit Siobhan Miller Episode: "Taken" 2001 Corkscrew Hill Paddy McMooney 2000–2002 Oz Carrie Schillinger 8 episodes 2003 Happy End Sparkle 2004 Without a Trace Alice Blossom Episode: "Hawks and Handsaws" 2004 NYPD Blue Gina Bell Episode: "Old Yeller" 2004 The Jury Christine Britton 2008 Something's Wrong in Kansas Shelby 2009 The Box Diane Carnes 2010 The Fighter Sherri Ward 2012 The Polar Bears Polar Girl 1 2013 The Call Brooke 2013–2016 Awkward. Lesley Miller 10 episodes 2016 Family Guy Mrs. Wong Episode: "The Boys In The Band" 2018 Dirty John Laurel Episode: "One Shoe" 2019 Legend Quest: Masters of Myth Marcella 2021–2025 Resident Alien Judy Cooper 30 episodes 2021 Small Engine Repair Patty Swaino
Writing Television Year Title Developer Writer Executiveproducer Notes2010–1290210 2014–16Awkward. 2016–17No Tomorrow 2018–21Good Girls 2022 Resident Alien 2024 The Perfect Couple
Film Year Work Role2022My Best Friend's ExorcismScreenwriter
Awards and nominations Year Award Nominated work Result 2003 Audie Award The Secret Life of Bees 2010 Audie Award for best solo narration The Chosen One 2011 MTV Movie Award for Best FightThe Fighter 2020 Audie Award for best young adult recording. Full cast. Hey, Kiddo
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