10 Best Movies and TV Shows

In 2024, Sabrina Carpenter is breaking streaming records for her music left and right. Every single she released shot to the top of the charts. While she has been singing since a very young age, Carpenter got her foot in the door in the entertainment industry in the acting world. While she primarily appeared in television roles, Carpenter also appeared in a handful of movies.

Carpenter got her big break in the acting world thanks to the Disney Channel. She has appeared in several shows for the network as well as several of their Disney Channel Original Movies. The network helped to boost Carpenter’s profile, and her first full-length albums as a musical artist were also through Disney’s Hollywood Records. Thanks to Disney and Carpenter’s hard work, the actress and singer has demonstrated her talent in a lot of projects.

10

Law & Order: SVU (2011)

Carpenter appeared in season 12, episode 12 “Possessed”

This episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Known for being the episode with Taryn Manning as an assault survivor. It, however, also features young performances from two future Disney Channel stars: Sabrina Carpenter and Peyton List.

Carpenter is only in a few minutes of the episode, but her dramatic role as a young child who is an assault survivor shows how much depth she has at such a young age. Many actors who live or work in New York when starting out in the industry get their start on one of these Law & Order points – or even more than one. Carpenter just appeared in this one Law & Order episode, but it wasn’t too long after appearing here that Carpenter would get her next big break.

9

Work It (2020)

A dance rom-com

Although Carpenter is better known for her singing now, she also possesses quite a bit of dancing talent. She hasn’t taken many roles that showcase her dancing skills, however Work it Does.

Carpenter stars as a college student who decides to try out for a dance team to pad her college application. When she doesn’t make the team, she decides to start her own team with some of the school’s misfits who all have their own styles. She enlists a former dance champion to help coach them. Although much of the movie is built on the lead-up to the competition, Carpenter’s character also struggles with figuring out what she really wants in life and falls in love.

Carpenter also had a song featured on the soundtrack, and she was a producer on the movie.

8

Royalties (2020)

A series about writing music

Royalties was a streaming series created by and starring Darren Criss. The show lasted for one season on Quibby before Quibby went under. In it, a couple of musicians write songs for singers, sometimes funny, and the process gives them a unique challenge.

Carpenter recurs in the series as Bailey Rouge. She largely plays the “straight man” to more comedic counterparts on the show. Jennifer Coolidge plays her mother, for example. The series, though short-lived, allowed Carpenter to showcase her dramatic work as well as her vocals. Because each episode features the leads writing music for other characters, she gets to sing the “perfect song” on the show. Carpenter fans will see the show as a welcome window, albeit mostly satirical, into the world of songwriting.

7

Adventures in Babysitting (2016)

A DCOM remake of an 80s classic

Adventures in babysitting is a beloved ’80s classic starring Elisabeth Shue as a babysitter who ends up on the adventure of a lifetime. In 2016, the Disney Channel remade the movie as their 100th Disney Channel Original Movie. Carpenter and Sofia Carson, who both appeared in multiple Disney Channel projects at this point, appeared as rival babysitters.

Although the movie was not as good as the original, it was updated for a modern audience. For example, the two babysitters cross paths in a photography competition where they accidentally switch cell phones, which is where most of the action kicks off. They end up taking each other’s babysitting jobs and on a trek across town to find a missing child.

The movie reimagines moments from the original, such as the teenagers participating in karaoke together, which helps to recreate the spark of the original movie. It may have received mixed reviews from adults, but kids love it, and Carpenter as a babysitter struggling to take charge is fun to watch.

6

Emergency (2022)

Carpenter plays a worried sister

Many of Carpenter’s projects as a teenager had her playing the best friend of a main character or a supporting role in someone else’s story. She does that here too, but she adds a lively energy to the movie.

Emergency Follows a group of young black men in college who find a young white woman unconscious on their living room floor. Not wanting to be blamed for what happened to you, they try to figure out just what to do. They settle on dropping her off at a local hospital, but a series of obstacles get in their way. Because of the nature of the storyline and the way it plays out, the movie manages to find the delicate balance between thriller and dramedy.

Carpenter’s role in the movie is as the sister of the unconscious young woman. She spent the evening tracking down her sister’s phone and trying to save her from what happened to her. She also accidentally pepper sprays herself at one point, allowing her the opportunity to show off some of her comedy skills.

5

The Hate U Give (2018)

Inspired by the novel of the same name

Sabrina Carpenter is not the star of The Hate U Give. She plays Hailey, the friend of Amandla Stenberg’s Starr at the beginning of the movie, but a major event in Starr’s life comes between them, revealing Hailey’s true character

Starr and her friend are pulled over by the police, and when the police officer assumes the boy is reaching for a gun, he shoots him and arrests Starr. Starr, a young black woman in a school full of white students, maintains her anonymity after the incident at first, but the death of her friend crushes her, especially when the police officer in charge has no consequences for his actions.

This movie speaks to the systemic racism that can be prevalent without someone realizing. Carpenter’s Hailey is there as a minor antagonist for Starr, someone who makes racist comments in everyday conversation without even thinking about how they affect her friend. Carpenter’s role here is not a lover, but one that allows her to portray something far from other girl-next-door characters.

4

Milo Murphy’s Law (2016-2019)

Carpenter voices multiple characters

throughout Milo Murphy’s LawCarpenter lends her voice to multiple characters, but her primary role in the animated series is Melissa Chase. The show follows the titular Milo whose family, the Murphys, have the worst luck.

Melissa is one of Milo’s best friends. She is smart, self-assured, and is willing to do anything to help her friends. In the series, she actually spends a lot of time researching Milo and his family and everything related to “Murphy’s Law” to see if she can help him. Carpenter gets to show her signature sarcastic tone here in a lot of her interactions with Milo and their other friends.

Although the show was part of Carpenter’s work in the middle of her years working for the Disney Channel, it is a good showcase of how well she would perform in animated projects. Many fans have wondered if she will ever voice a Disney princess.

3

Clouds (2020)

Inspired by real events

Clouds is inspired by the memoir Fly a Little Higher: How God Answered a Mom’s Small Prayer in a Big WayWritten by the mother of a teenage boy who lived with cancer, but longed to be a musician. Carpenter plays Zach’s best friend. She writes songs with him, shares their music on the Internet, and helps him achieve his dream of becoming a musician before he dies.

This means that audiences here not only get to see Carpenter in a more dramatic role than she usually takes on, but she also gets to sing for the film.

Unfortunately for those who want to catch Carpenter in the movie, Disney+ removed it from their platform in 2023 despite it being in the top 50 straight-to-streaming releases of 2020. They have not yet made it available in a physical format Or sell it to another platform.

2

The Short Story of the Long Road (2019)

Carpenter showcases a more grounded approach

The Short History of the Long Way is one of Carpenter’s lesser known movies, but also one of her best. So many of Carpenter’s projects relied on broad humor and even absurdity, showcasing her charm and comedic timing. While there’s nothing wrong with that, Carpenter immediately excels in more dramatic and grounded roles, like this one.

Carpenter plays Nala, a young woman who lives life on the road with her father. They take on odd jobs to survive, live in a mobile home, and relish the freedom of not being tied down. But when Nala ends up alone, her whole world changes. Her mobile home breaks down, leaving her stuck on the road to find the mother she never met. Floors make you wonder if they want to put down roots somewhere.

Besides Carpenter, the movie also boasts the talent of Steven Ogg, Danny Trejo and Maggie Siff. It is a real gem in Carpenter’s resume.

1

Girl Meets World (2014-2017)

Carpenter’s most iconic role to date

Sabrina Carpenter’s big break came courtesy of the Disney Channel. When Disney decided to create a sequel series to Boy meets worldCarpenter was cast as Maya Hart, the best friend to Riley Matthews (Rowan Blanchard). Maya is sarcastic, feisty, creative and incredibly funny. She is also incredibly afraid of being vulnerable with anyone other than Riley. Carpenter quickly became the fan-favorite character on the show with her charm and her tendency to steal every scene she was in.

Girl meets world Follows Riley and Maya through their teenage years as they deal with crushes, find their passions and grow apart. While most will probably write the show off as something for kids, the show works as a great sequel series that the whole family can enjoy. It also gives a lot of emerging talent a great space to hone their skills. Both Blanchard and Carpenter were able to learn and excel thanks to Girl Meets World.

In time, Sabrina Carpenter will probably have many roles that are even better than Maya Hart, but right now, Maya is her most iconic.