5 Catherine O’Hara TV shows and movies to remember the late actress by

Catherine O’Hara was never just part of the story. She was the story. When she passed away on January 30, 2026, at the age of 71, it genuinely felt like losing someone who had been present throughout decades and decades worth of TV reruns, movie nights, and absolute comfort watches.

Catherine O’Hara was truly an icon who brought so many iconic characters to life on our screens, characters who lived through mundane experiences like failure, grief, panic, and wealth issues, and she somehow made all of it look funny and endearing without making any of it feel hollow.

If you truly want to remember the actress, you go back to the roles where the stories felt strongest just because she was part of them, and these five TV shows and films capture that perfectly.

5 Catherine O’Hara TV shows and movies to remember the late actress by

1) Schitt’s Creek (2015–2020):

Schitt’s Creek opens with the Rose family losing everything overnight after their business manager steals all of their fortune. Their mansion is taken away, their accounts are all frozen, and their only remaining asset is a small town Johnny once bought just as a joke.

The very same joke now becomes their new home. A run-down motel. Two rooms. No privacy and zero bank balance. Fun!

Catherine O’Hara plays Moira Rose, who is in complete denial about everything happening. A former soap star clinging to dear life for past fame, she treats Schitt’s Creek like a temporary and minor inconvenience.

She refuses to unpack, and while Johnny tries to build back up some sense of stability, Moira only obsesses over her lost status, her lost pretty wigs, and her long-gone career.

As the show moves on, Catherine O’Hara's Moira joins a local theater group, becomes part of a Jazzagals choir, and learns to interact with the town she once seemed to hate. Her relationship with her children grows, too. She struggles to connect, often saying the wrong thing, but there is growth nonetheless.

The show ends with Moira eventually returning to acting.

2) The Studio (2025):

The Studio centers its story on Continental Studios, a once respected film company that is now drowning in bad decisions. Matt Remick takes over as studio head after a public shake-up meant to please corporate interests. His predecessor, Patty Leigh, played by Catherine O’Hara, is fired after overseeing ten straight box office failures.

The Studio at first frames Patty as the fall guy. She is removed, blamed, and she is also publicly humiliated. But the story instead follows how she navigates life after being stripped away from all of that power she once seemed to have. Patty becomes a mentor to Matt, offering guidance without pretending the system is fair towards anyone.

Patty also rebuilds herself as an independent producer and starts making smarter, leaner projects.

The Studio uses Patty's arc to show how Hollywood finds it so easy to throw away people, especially women, while still relying on their knowledge to survive.

3) Committed (2001):

Committed follows Liz Larsen, a working mother dealing with a demanding corporate job, three children, and a disorganized family. The plot is built on constant pressure like missed deadlines, childcare disasters, office sexism, and exhaustion.

Liz is also the backbone of the family. Her husband Joe helps her out, but most of the responsibility is meant for Catherine O’Hara's Liz to carry. At work, she faces misogyny from coworkers who doubt her authority, and at home, everything needs fixing at once.

Across the season, Liz does not “solve” her problems, but she adapts to the situations she finds herself in and keeps going.

4) Home Alone (1990):

Home Alone begins with madness in the house. The McCallister family oversleeps on the morning of their Paris trip after a power outage resets all of their alarms. In the rush, eight-year-old Kevin is accidentally left behind, home alone.

While Kevin enjoys some freedom before defending his home from thieves, the plot of the film follows his mother, Kate (Catherine O’Hara), and the rest of the family as they realize mid-flight that Kevin is missing on the trip.

Kate’s journey becomes a desperate attempt to get back home to her son, but all of the flights are booked, the airports fail her, and she sleeps in terminals. She finally makes it back home after she says yes to a risky ride with a polka band traveling in a moving van.

When she finally returns home on Christmas morning, she apologizes to Kevin and hugs him, a big relief on her face.

5) Beetlejuice (1988):

Beetlejuice follows Adam and Barbara Maitland, a couple who die suddenly and return as ghosts trapped in their home. When the house is sold to the Deetz family, there is havoc that comes about.

Delia Deetz, played by Catherine O’Hara, comes into the picture as a New York artist forced into suburban exile. She sees Winter River as beneath her. Under the guidance of an equally pretentious designer, she fills the house with bizarre abstract art.

As the Maitlands attempt to scare the family away, Delia treats supernatural events as aesthetic inspiration. Even possession becomes entertainment. Her refusal to take anything seriously escalates the absurdity.

The plot spirals when Beetlejuice is summoned, bringing about some real danger. Delia’s art literally traps her during the climax, symbolizing her vanity turning against her. The film ends with the coexistence between the living and the dead, while Delia remains unchanged.

These five projects showcase how Catherine O’Hara immersed herself in the iconic characters she portrayed, and how themes of panic, ambition, and denial run through each of these unforgettable roles.

Watching these stories now is not about nostalgia. It is about seeing how much humor and honesty O’Hara brought to everything she touched, and that is exactly how Catherine O’Hara should be remembered.

May her soul rest in peace.

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