SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 19: Melissa Peterman arrives at the 2020 American Rescue Dog Show at Barker Hangar on January 19, 2020 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/Getty Images)
TV - Movies
Why Brenda
Sparks In Young
Sheldon Looks
So Familiar
By MELISSA LEMIEUX
Melissa Peterman started her career in theater, but her first film role was in the Coen Brothers movie “Fargo,” where she played one of two sex workers hired by Carl Showalter and Gaear Grimsrud. It was a small part, but Peterman made it count with memorable lines like "Go Bears!"
FARGO
Peterman’s best-known role is arguably Barbara Jean "BJ" Hart in the sitcom “Reba.” Her character plays a pivotal role in the show's premise, as the obliviously cheerful dental hygienist who has an affair with her boss — who just happens to be Reba’s husband.
Reba
Her most prominent big screen role after "Reba" was in 2012's "Here Comes the Boom," where she played Lauren Voss. Her character is the harried and put-upon sister-in-law to Kevin James' Scott Voss, and her constant sparring with her husband makes life at home uncomfortable for Scott.
Here Comes the Boom
Peterman appeared on a number of sitcoms before landing on a longer-lived series. She was Mrs. Muncie on three episodes of “Surviving Suburbia,” and appeared on five episodes of Lifetime's "Rita Rocks," before finally heading her own CMT sitcom, “Working Class.”
Series Of Sitcoms
Peterman's next major stop was on the ABC Family/Freeform sitcom "Baby Daddy," where she portrayed Bonnie Wheeler for 100 episodes. Bonnie is an imperfect mother who became pregnant at seventeen, but she is always there to help, and she provides great comedic and romantic moments.
Baby Daddy