Sally Field's TV Roles, From Gidget To Brothers & Sisters, Ranked

At the risk of sounding utterly cliché, we like her — we really like her. Sally Field overcame a tragic past to become an actor and soon established herself as a bona fide star. Most impressively, she's sustained a successful movie and TV career over the course of six decades (!), and shows no sign of slowing down. In 2026, two months before turning 80, Field took home the newest of her four Emmy awards, this one for her starring role in Netflix's "Remarkably Bright Creatures."

We could sing the praises of Field's film performances, among them "Norma Rae," "Places in the Heart," "Mrs. Doubtfire," "Steel Magnolias," "Forrest Gump," and "Lincoln." But this time we're taking a look at her small-screen appearances, which are just as impressive as her big-screen ones, and in some cases, arguably better. From a fresh-faced teen and an age-worn widow, to a troubled mom and a high-flying nun, to one role which called her to be a host of different people, Field has enjoyed a wealth of acting challenges. We, in turn, enjoyed watching each one and have taken the opportunity to highlight her best TV appearances, as ranked by IMDb viewers. Let us know if you agree with the picks!

"It's a Wonderful Life" it ain't, but this 1972 holiday thriller (which earned a 6.2/10 from IMDb critics) delivers genuine creeps along with the campiness. Sally Field plays Chris, the youngest of four sisters summoned by their ailing father, who believes Elizabeth, his second wife, is trying to kill him. Sure enough, murders begin to occur — but is the chilly stepmom really guilty? And will Chris make it through the weekend alive? Field's wide-eyed, genuine performance helped establish her as more than just a cute sitcom character.

Our list would not be complete without the role that launched Sally Field's career. "Gidget," based on the successful film franchise made famous by Sandra Dee, starred Field as the perky California surfer girl navigating school, home life, and boyfriends, particularly her true love, Moondoggie. (Her nickname is a mashup of "girl midget.")  Earning a respectable 6.6/10 on IMDb, the show established the actor as the sweet girl next door, a stereotype she would defy in future years. Fun fact: Field appeared on "The Dating Game" and unwittingly passed up a chance to date with her surfing coach!

Sally Burton wasn't just any newlywed. She came into the marriage with that titular "something extra" — her ability to read minds, particularly her husband John's (John Davidson). The premise wasn't enough to hold viewers' interest, though. The series lasted only two seasons, earning 6.6/10 among IMDb users, but it helped Sally Field stay in the public eye until her meatier roles came along. It also proved Field was ready to move on from playing bubbly teens as she and Davidson made an amorous pair. 

Six years after winning and breaking hearts in "Steel Magnolias," Sally Field brought out her Southern charm again for this 1995 miniseries following the long life and loves of a turn-of-the-century Texas socialite. By now, the Emmy-winner was well known for playing plucky women surviving personal tragedies, but this role called for her to age 70 years and carry a three-part melodrama almost singlehandedly. Even "Roots," an even more acclaimed miniseries, used two different actors to play Kunta Kinte as he aged. IMDb scored the drama a 6.7/10.

In another departure from her norm, Sally Field co-starred in "Dispatches From Elsewhere," the quirky 2020 AMC thriller. Janice becomes part of a team trying to solve an interactive puzzle that sends them all over their city and leads to unexpected self-discoveries along the way. Viewers on IMDb were divided over the final few episodes — some thought they were a letdown, but others disagreed. They had no such quarrel with Field's performance, however, which they rated at a 6.8/10. 

The cheery, unconventional Sister Bertrille is what might have become of Maria Von Trapp had she not left the convent to become stepmom to a musical family. Viewers were charmed by Sally Field's portrayal of the New York-based novice who enters a Puerto Rican convent with youthful effervescence and modern ideas (for the late '60s, that is). Plus, because this was the era of quirky sitcoms, it just so happened that Sr. Bertrille's cornette headpiece sent her airborne when the wind was right. Nostalgic IMDb viewers rated the comedy a 6.9/10.

On the crest of her matriarchal era, Sally Field anchored the Walker family in this primetime soap about relationships, dark secrets, business woes, and other juicy topics. The cast of "Brothers & Sisters" included such stellar co-stars as Calista Flockhart, Rachel Griffiths, Balthazar Getty, Matthew Rhys, and Dave Annable. But it was Field whose star shone brightest here, and she earned the third of her four Emmys to prove it — not to mention being a major factor in the show's 7.5/10 IMDb rating.

Defying the odds against the longevity of teen actors' careers, Sally Field continues to turn in stellar work decade after decade. Her latest acclaimed performance was as Tova, an aquarium night janitor who learns to heal from the loss of her husband and son with the help of a drifter musician and a wise octopus (you read that right!). Based on the best-selling book by Shelby Van Pelt, "Creatures" earned Field her most recent Emmy, not to mention a 7.6/10 from IMDb.

Having proven she could play a character with mental illness (see No. 1), Field took home an Emmy for playing Maggie, the mother of Abby Lockhart (Maura Tierney) on NBC's "ER" in September 2006. Maggie has bipolar disorder and often goes off her medication, leading to unpredictable behavior and a complex mother-daughter relationship. Yet when Abby's son is born premature, Maggie proves to be a literal lifesaver. Field's episodes all rank in the high 7s and 8s on IMDb, but since she wasn't a regular cast member, we have to knock this down a notch.

It can be tough choosing the No. 1 entry in a best-of list, but not this time. At a 7.9/10 on IMDb, Sally Field's Emmy-winning star turn in the 1976 TV movie "Sybil" stands out now and forever as her tour de force. As a woman who develops dissociative identity disorder (DID) to cope with her memories of childhood abuse, Field convincingly assumed 16 different personas, among them an infant, an angry 9 year old girl, an old woman, and a sophisticated French-speaking teen. Joanne Woodward was equally compelling as the psychiatrist who helps her heal.