Maggie Lawson
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Maggie Lawson (born August 12, 1980) is an American actress who is best known for her role as Detective Juliet "Jules" O'Hara in the television series Psych, and its subsequent film series. From 2018 to 2019, she held the recurring role of Natalie Flynn in the third and final season of Fox's Lethal Weapon.
Early life, family and education
Template:Expand section Lawson was born on August 12, 1980, in Louisville, Kentucky and was raised there as well.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She began performing onstage at age eight, in local community and dinner theatre productions.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Career
Lawson started her career in community and dinner theater productions. She became a youth TV host on WDRB Fox 41 Kid's Club in Louisville. She relocated to Los Angeles for her first television pilot at 15.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Lawson performed in various sitcoms like Cybill, Boy Meets World and Home Improvement throughout her early career in both guest starring and supporting roles. She also made guest appearances on television series such as Smallville and Fear Itself, and co-starred in It's All Relative and Crumbs.
For The Wonderful World of Disney, Lawson starred in a double role in Model Behavior featuring Justin Timberlake. She portrayed Nancy Drew in the 2002 film Nancy Drew. Other film credits include Pleasantville, Nice Guys Sleep Alone and Cleaner.
From 2006 to 2014, Lawson co-starred in the USA Network original series Psych, as Detective Juliet "Jules" O'Hara. She reprised her role in 2017 in Psych: The Movie, in Psych 2: Lassie Come Home in 2020 and Psych 3: This Is Gus, in 2021.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2011, Lawson briefly returned to her roots in theater to star in the play Greedy, directed by her then-partner and Psych co-star James Roday. It ran for a few weekends in Los Angeles.
Following Psych, she scored leading roles in ABC's 2013 sitcom Back in the Game, CBS's 2014 sitcom pilot Save the Date and CBS's 2016 fantasy sitcom Angel from Hell. She also had short arcs on Two and a Half Men, The Great Indoors, and Netflix's The Ranch. Also for Netflix, Lawson starred in the recurring role of Christa on the second and third seasons of horror-comedy series Santa Clarita Diet as well as the movie Spivak in 2018.
For Hallmark Channel, Lawson has starred in My Favorite Wedding and Christmas Encore in 2017, The Story of Us and Christmas in Evergreen: Tidings of Joy in 2019.
Lawson starred in a recurring role as Dr. Natalie Flynn on the third season of Lethal Weapon and was featured in Treehouse, the sixth episode of Hulu's monthly horror movie anthology Into The Dark.
In 2020, she played Kay, the female lead opposite Jason Biggs, in the FOX comedy series Outmatched, "about a blue-collar couple [...] in South Jersey trying to get by and raise four kids, three of whom just happen to be certified geniuses."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2025, Lawson joined the main cast of Blue Bloods spinoff Boston Blue, in the role of Sarah Silver, half-sister of lead detective Lena Silver.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Personal life
Throughout the series run of Psych (2006–2014), Lawson was in a relationship with series lead James Roday Rodriguez.<ref name=2006Start>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=2014End>Template:Cite web</ref>
On November 14, 2014, Lawson became engaged to Back in the Game co-star Ben Koldyke<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and married him on August 8, 2015, on his family's ranch in New Mexico. In early 2017, Lawson filed for divorce from Koldyke.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | I've Been Waiting for You | Debbie Murdock | TV movie |
| Pleasantville | Lisa Anne | ||
| 1999 | Nice Guys Sleep Alone | Meghan | |
| 2000 | Model Behavior | Alex Burroughs/Janine Adams | TV movie |
| 2002 | Cheats | Julie Merkel | |
| Heart of a Stranger | Amanda Maddox | TV movie | |
| Nancy Drew | Nancy Drew | TV movie | |
| 2003 | Winter Break | Michelle Casper | |
| 2004 | Love Rules! | Kelly | TV movie |
| Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman | Rachel | TV movie | |
| 2007 | Cleaner | Cherie | |
| 2009 | Still Waiting... | Allison | Video |
| Killer Hair | Lacey Smithsonian | TV movie | |
| Hostile Makeover | Lacey Smithsonian | TV movie | |
| Gamer | Female News Host #1 | ||
| 2010 | A Date with Diana | Diana | Short |
| 2017 | My Favorite Wedding | Tess Harper | TV movie |
| Psych: The Movie | Juliet O'Hara | TV movie | |
| Christmas Encore | Charlotte Lacy | TV movie | |
| 2018 | Spivak | Jeanine Mulholland | TV movie |
| 2019 | The Story of Us | Jamie Vaughn | TV movie |
| Christmas in Evergreen: Tidings of Joy | Katie Connell | TV movie | |
| 2020 | Psych 2: Lassie Come Home | Juliet O'Hara | TV movie |
| 2021 | Psych 3: This Is Gus | Juliet O'Hara | TV movie |
| A Lot Like Christmas | Jessica Roberts | TV movie | |
| 2024 | Sugarplummed | Emily Mitchell | TV movie |
| 2025 | I Was a Child Bride: The Courtney Stodden Story | Krista | TV movie |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Hang Time | Kim | Episode: "Green-Eyed Julie" |
| 1996–97 | Unhappily Ever After | Madelyn | Recurring Cast: Season 3 |
| 1997 | Step by Step | Alana Mills | Episode: "Loose Lips" |
| Cybill | Jennifer | Episode: "Like Family" | |
| Meego | Brooke | Episode: "Fatal Attraction" | |
| Boy Meets World | Debbie | Episode: "I Love You, Donna Karan: Part 1" | |
| 1998 | Home Improvement | Samantha Hayes | Episode: "An Older Woman" |
| Kelly Kelly | Ally | Episode: "The Wedding Show" | |
| 1999 | Working | Julie | Episode: "Romeo and Julie" |
| Felicity | Rebecca | Episode: "Todd Mulcahy: Part 2" | |
| Family Rules | Hope Harrison | Main Cast | |
| ER | Shannon Mitchell | Episode: "Responsible Parties" | |
| Party of Five | Alexa | Recurring Cast: Season 6 | |
| 2001–02 | Inside Schwartz | Eve Morris | Recurring Cast |
| 2002 | Smallville | Chrissy Parker | Episode: "Redux" |
| 2003–04 | It's All Relative | Liz Stoddard-Banks | Main Cast |
| 2005 | Tru Calling | Megan Roberts | Episode: "The Last Good Day" |
| 2006 | Crumbs | Andrea Malone | Main Cast |
| 2006–14 | Psych | Juliet O'Hara | Main Cast |
| 2007 | Rules of Engagement | Jesse | Episode: "Jeff's Wooby" |
| 2008 | Fear Itself | Samantha the Bride | Episode: "In Sickness and in Health" |
| 2012 | Justified | Layla | Episode: "Thick as Mud" |
| 2013–14 | Back in the Game | Terry Gannon Jr. | Main Cast |
| 2014–15 | Two and a Half Men | Ms. McMartin | Recurring Cast: Season 12 |
| 2016 | Angel from Hell | Allison | Main Cast |
| 2017 | The Great Indoors | Rachel | Recurring Cast |
| 2017–18 | The Ranch | Jen | Recurring Cast: Season 2, Guest: Season 3 |
| 2018–19 | Lethal Weapon | Natalie Flynn | Recurring Cast: Season 3 |
| Santa Clarita Diet | Christa | Recurring Cast: Season 2–3 | |
| 2019 | Into the Dark | Rebecca Wheeler | Episode: "Treehouse" |
| 2020 | Outmatched | Kay | Main Cast |
| 2023–25 | The Milk Chug | Jo (voice) | Main Cast |
| 2025 | Boston Blue | Sarah Silver | Main Cast |