Hello Sunshine! All the TV Shows and Movies Reese Witherspoon Has Produced, Ranked
Where does 'The Morning Show' fall on our list? Find out!
Reese Witherspoon's production company, Hello Sunshine, has become one of the most prolific production companies in the entertainment business, with new content coming out at a rapid rate. In fact, you’ve most likely watched something Ms. Witherspoon produced during the last few months—whether you knew it or not! (Daisy Jones and the Six, perhaps?)
With her latest producing endeavor, The Last Thing He Told Me (an Apple TV+ adaptation of Laura Dave's thriller starring Jennifer Garner) just around the corner—it premieres April 14—we’ve rounded up all the projects that the Legally Blonde star has produced throughout her career. Below, a complete ranking of said projects. (To be clear, not all of these fall under the Hello Sunshine banner.)
All 24 Reese Witherspoon-Produced TV Shows & Movies, Ranked
24. Legally Blondes (2009)
This straight-to-DVD tangential sequel to 2001’s Legally Blonde and 2003’s Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde flew under the radar when it came out—and for good reason! The little-known and little-watched sequel, which follows Elle Woods’s cousins as they defend themselves when they are framed for a crime, has a dismal 37% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. We feel confident putting this at the bottom of the pile when it comes to Witherspoon’s producing career.
Related: Hello Sunshine Indeed! Reese Witherspoon's Net Worth In 2023 and How She Made It
23. Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde (2003)
Only faring slightly better than its lesser-known sequel, Witherspoon’s first foray into producing lands almost at the bottom of the list. The actress starred in and acted as an executive producer on this follow-up to 2001’s sleeper hit Legally Blonde. Unfortunately, because expectations were so high, this rushed-into-production sequel falls all the more flat, retreading old territory from the first film and trying to squeeze more life out of already tired blonde jokes. Both audiences and critics panned the film. Here’s hoping the long anticipated Legally Blonde 3 is a return to form!
22. Hot Pursuit (2015)
Photo by Alexander Tamargo/WireImage
A road movie featuring two charismatic leads like Reese Witherspoon and Sofia Vergara should have been a sure-thing. However, this odd couple pairing of Witherspoon as a policewoman with Vergara as the wife of a drug lord who she must protect fell into old tropes and just plain misogyny. In a somewhat rare moment, critics and audiences agreed, as the film holds a ridiculously low 8% approval rating with critics and a 35% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
21. Lucy in the Sky (2019)
Lucy in the Sky, a movie following a female astronaut who loses touch with reality after a transcendent experience in outer space, has all the makings of a good movie. Co-written and directed by Fargo’s Noah Hawley and starring a talented cast including Natalie Portman, Jon Hamm and Zazie Beetz, expectations were high for the film on paper. Sadly, the space film failed to ground its story and missed the mark when it came to connecting with critics and audiences. It was ultimately forgotten in the ether.
20. Get Organized with the Home Edit (2020 - Present)
One of the reality-TV offerings from Witherspoon’s production company, Get Organized with the Home Edit sees two expert home organizers help both celebrities and everyday people declutter their spaces. While the series, which has yet to be renewed or canceled by Netflix, brings a new angle with its celebrity guests, it still gets lost in the already cluttered home improvement reality-TV marketplace.
19. Your Place or Mine (2023)
JC Olivera/Getty Images
Your Place or Mine sees a return to romantic comedies for stars Reese Witherspoon and Ashton Kutcher. Unfortunately, the movie does little to find its own footing with the well tread subject-matter of two best friends who are secretly in love. Plus, seeing as the stars are largely separated for the entire movie, it’s hard to judge the chemistry between them. Without us rooting for their union in the end, the film is just plain unsatisfying, despite the innate charm of its two leads. Critics and audiences were both on the same page with this one, with both rating it in the 30% range on Rotten Tomatoes.
18. Where the Crawdads Sing (2022)
Sony Pictures
Where the Crawdads Sing’s source material and its author have already seen their fair share of controversy. And the divisiveness has crossed over into the film adaptation as well. Critics and audiences firmly disagree when it comes to the Daisy Edgar-Jones fronted film, with critics panning it and audiences championing the drama/mystery/romance. Fans of the original novella may be more likely to enjoy the Netflix film, however with such extreme reactions, it’s probably a safe bet to put it lower on your watchlist.
17. Master the Mess (2018)
The precursor to Get Organized with the Home Edit, Master the Mess sees The Home Edit team tackling decluttering homes for regular people and celebrity guests. This original format connected slightly better with audiences than the Netflix follow up, but still failed to make the pop-culture mark that similar series in the home-improvement genre have been able to.
Related: Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth to Divorce—Inside the Oscar Winner's Marriages and Relationships
16. Surface (2022 - Present)
Surface stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw as a woman struggling with memory loss following a supposed suicide attempt, and her journey to uncover the truth behind her seemingly perfect life. Despite an engaging lead actress and interesting premise, the series has not quite been able to connect with both critics and audiences. However, as the show has been renewed, there is hope it will be able to find its footing in season two.
15. Broken (2016)
TV movie Broken, starring Anna Paquin, Penelope Ann Miller and T.R. Knight, follows a southern divorce attorney as she works to balance her professional and personal lives. Initially meant to launch a TV series marking Paquin’s return to the medium, ABC made the decision to pass on the show, turning the pilot into a one-off TV movie. The potential for the series is still evident with strong performances from its leads, however it failed to set itself apart from any number of shows with similar premises.
14. Fair Play (2022)
Documentary Fair Play follows New York Times bestselling author Eve Rodsky as she aims to change the unbalanced—and unfair—division of work in her own home and in society as a whole. The doc follows three families in the exploration of this issue, which sees the majority of home care fall to women even as more women are in the workforce than ever. The timely film is inspired by Rodsky’s book of the same name, though however important its subject matter is, it is not the most thrilling watch.
13. My Kind of Country (2023 - Present)
Apple TV
This new musical competition series sees executive producers Reese Witherspoon and Kacey Musgraves team up with Orville Peck, Mickey Guyton and Jimmie Allen to find the next big country star. While music competition series are old hat at this point, the reality show sets itself apart not only with its celebrity judges, but the fact that each one gives a workshop imparting knowledge to the contestants. As a result, even if the contestant is voted off, they’ve still had the opportunity to learn some invaluable information that should help them continue to pursue their music career. That alone makes us happy to support the new competition series on Apple TV+.
12. Meet Me in Paris (2023)
Meet Me in Paris earns points for its inventive twist on both reality TV and romantic comedies. The first reality rom-com movie, it follows the journey of three real women who travel to Paris looking for true love. The real-life exploration of a well-worn romantic movie plot adds new life to an old trope. However, it is unlikely to appeal to anyone that isn’t already a fan of the genre.
11. Shine On with Reese (2018)
Shine On with Reese marked Reese Witherspoon’s first unscripted role in her long entertainment career. The talk show featured the actress sitting down for one-on-one interviews with inspiring female guests with the conversation centering around how she achieved her dreams. Despite the uplifting and motivational premise and its roster of impressive guests including Dolly Parton and Ava DuVernay, the series had a hard time making a splash in the already crowded talk show pool and only lasted one season.
Related: No Need to Work ‘9 to 5’—Dolly Parton’s Net Worth In 2023 Is Fit for a Country Queen
10. Truth Be Told (2019 - Present)
Apple TV+ series Truth Be Told follows a true crime podcaster, played by the powerhouse Octavia Spencer, who gets pulled into the mystery of the case that made her career when new evidence arises that suggest the man she helped put behind bars may have been wrongly convicted. Each season centers around a different case and a new mystery for Spencer’s Poppy Parnell to pursue. The fresh fictional take on the true-crime podcast proliferation of our society gives this crime/mystery series the edge that has taken it into its third season despite an uneven start.
9. Something From Tiffany’s (2022)
Another Witherspoon-produced romantic comedy, Something From Tiffany’s takes the genre and finds a fun if not-quite-fresh angle. The movie follows a woman who receives an engagement ring that was intended for someone else that somehow leads her to her actual soul mate. Featuring a leading turn from Insecure’s Kendrick Sampson, the movie is endearing and entertaining enough to forgive its predictability and formulaic nature.
8. Daisy Jones & The Six
Prime Studios
The limited series, adapted from the New York Times bestseller from Taylor Jenkins Reid, centers around the growing success of rock band Daisy Jones and The Six in 1970s Los Angeles and the highs and lows that come with that kind of fame. The show is entertaining enough to keep you watching but doesn’t quite reach the rockstar heights of the fictional band at its core.
Related: Riley Keough’s Net Worth In 2023 Is Worthy of a Presley
7. From Scratch (2022)
This limited series from Netflix follows an American study-abroad student in Italy, played by Zoe Saldana, who falls in love with a Sicilian chef and navigates the challenges that arise from trying to blend their two vastly different lives. Even with the almost overly-used romantic plot of an American woman finding love abroad in a romantic country, the series is able to find its footing with Saldana’s magnetism and the inherent beauty of the Italian setting. Audiences and critics agree, as the 8-episode limited series holds a 92% from critics and an 86% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes.
6. Penelope (2006)
A fairytale plot set in modern times, the charming Penelope sees Reese Witherspoon taking a supporting role to Christina Ricci’s winning title character. Penelope is a young aristocratic heiress who was born under a curse—instead of a regular nose she has a pig snout. In true fairytale style, the only way the curse will be broken is if she finds love with someone who accepts her as she is. James McAvoy is charming as Penelope’s love interest and the film includes the always welcome presences of Catherine O’Hara and Richard E. Grant. While not breaking new ground, this modern day fairytale is still effortlessly watchable for the whole family.
5. Little Fires Everywhere (2020)
Little Fires Everywhere is a miniseries adapted from Celeste Ng’s 2017 bestselling novel of the same name. The series follows two families, zeroing in on matriarchs Elena Richardson and Mia Warren—played by Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington, respectively. The seemingly perfect Richardson family finds their lives upended by the mysterious Warren and her daughter. The fiery performances from the two female leads mixed with the engaging subject matter made the series a hit when it first premiered and keeps it as a must-watch years later—even in this already crowded slate of critically-acclaimed limited series.
4. The Morning Show (2019 - Present)
Apple TV+
The Morning Show has managed to blend fictionalized on-set challenges with real-world, headline-grabbing news. As a result, you have a show that is as relevant as it is entertaining, complete with performances from veteran actors Jennifer Aniston, Steve Carell and Reese Witherspoon herself. With a third season coming in the next few months and a fourth season in question, if you haven’t been watching this Apple TV+ series, now is the time to catch up.
3. Wild (2014)
Based on Cheryl Strayed’s memoir Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, 2014’s Wild sees Reese Witherspoon taking on the author’s role as a bereaved daughter and divorcée who leaves her destructive pattern behind to take on the over a thousand mile Pacific Crest Trail alone and without training. With a powerful, emotional performance at its center, the film earned an Oscar nomination for both Witherspoon and supporting actress Laura Dern, who portrayed her mother. A coming-of-age movie for those over 30, Wild achieves the difficult balance between relatable and entertaining.
2. Gone Girl (2014)
One of the best modern book-to-film adaptations, Gone Girl is fantastically written (book author Gillian Flynn penned the screenplay), impeccably directed by the iconic David Fincher and incredibly well acted by Rosamund Pike, who earned an Oscar nomination for her role as Amy Dunne. The story of a woman who goes missing and her husband who seems a bit too uninterested in finding her, the movie is smart, creepy and compelling—with one hell of a twist. Despite obtaining the film rights from Flynn in 2012 with the intention of playing the lead role, Witherspoon smartly withdrew herself from consideration when she realized she wasn’t the right actress for the part, staying as a producer instead. Critics and audiences were in total agreement when this movie debuted—it’s definitely not one to skip.
1. Big Little Lies (2017-2019)
When Reese Witherspoon founded Hello Sunshine, she intended to use her power to “put women at the center of every story.” With HBO’s Big Little Lies, she has been able to do just that. A showcase for multiple generations of talented actresses, including Nicole Kidman, Laura Dern, Shailene Woodley, Zo? Kravitz and Witherspoon herself, Big Little Lies is based on the bestseller of the same name by Liane Moriarty. The crime, drama and mystery hybrid tells the story of the beachfront town of Monterey, which becomes the scene of murder and mischief, told through the eyes of three mothers. The series explores society’s expectation and treatment of women when it comes to marriage, parenting, sex and friendship. The two seasons of the female-focused show perfectly embody Witherspoon’s goal as a producer while showcasing her and her co-stars acting chops along the way.
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