Best Selena Gomez Films and TV Shows

By Nicole Ackman
Published: November 7, 2022 (Last updated: last month)
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We discuss the best Selena Gomez films and TV shows you must watch. Check out these brilliant recommendations.

Selena Gomez has been in the spotlight since she was ten years old and scored a recurring role on Barney and Friends. The now 30-year-old is an actress, singer-songwriter, producer, and head of the popular makeup range Rare Beauty. She has released several albums, done innumerable amounts of charitable work, and publicly struggled with lupus. Now, she shares her struggles with mental health in the new Apple+ documentary Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me.

The documentary premiered at AFI and is now available on the Apple TV+ streaming platform. It has received positive reviews from critics. In her review for Ready Steady Cut, Amanda Guarragi said, “This documentary is incredibly candid and explores stardom through the eyes of a young woman who has had trouble discovering who she truly is.”

In honor of Selena’s new documentary, it’s a great time to look back at some of my favorite TV and film appearances of hers. Selena is an actress that I’ve grown up alongside, and I have a lot of nostalgia for her early work and a lot of respect for her often-unrecognized talent as an actress.

Best Selena Gomez films and TV shows

Wizards of Waverly Place (2007-2012)

Selena Gomez made her name on the Disney Channel show Wizards of Waverly Place, which ran for five years. On the show, Selena plays Alex Russo, a young woman in New York City learning to control her wizarding powers alongside her two brothers, each knowing that one day they will compete for the title of family wizard. On this show, Selena showed her comedic talent at a young age and proved herself a worthy leading lady. The final episode of the series was the most-watched episode of any Disney Channel show.

Another Cinderella Story (2008)

In this modern adaptation of Cinderella, Selena Gomez stars as a young woman who is passionate about dance but whose adoptive mother, a washed up pop star, is determined to hold her back. The film stars Drew Seeley as a celebrity returning to his high school for his senior year and Jane Lynch as the hilariously evil mom. In it, Selena proved that she has dance talent and she recorded a handful of songs for the soundtrack, setting her on her way to her successful music career.

Princess Protection Program (2009)

Before Selena was besties with Taylor Swift, she was very publicly best friends with a fellow Disney Channel star Demi Lovato. They starred together in this Disney Channel Original movie in which a young princess (Lovato) whose life is in danger is placed in the “Princess Protection Program” and goes to live with a young tomboy (Gomez) and her dad. Even watching it now, the movie has a surprising amount of charm, largely due to the chemistry between Demi and Selena.

Ramona and Beezus (2010)

In 2010, Elizabeth Allen adapted the popular Ramona novels by Beverly Cleary into an adorable film starring Selena, Joey King, John Corbett, Ginnifer Goodwin, Josh Duhamel, and Sandra Oh. The film follows Ramona, a young girl full of playful creativity, as she struggles to navigate childhood and keep out of trouble. Selena plays her older sister, Beezus, who is having her own struggles in her first year of high school. It’s one of the earliest examples of Selena having great dramatic emotional material and she handles it excellently.

Monte Carlo (2011)

Monte Carlo is an enjoyable, fluffy film with beautiful scenery and a great soundtrack full of songs by Mika. Directed by Thomas Bezucha, it features Selena, Leighton Meester, and Katie Cassidy as three friends pretending to be socialites in Monte Carlo. While the reviews for the film were mixed, the film is a light and fun watch and Selena is as great as usual.

Hotel Transylvania (2012)

Selena Gomez has voiced Mavis, Dracula’s daugher, in all four of the Hotel Transylvania films. The computer-animated monster comedy films found unexpected success with audiences and critics alike. Other voice talents in the first film include Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Kevin James, Fran Drescher, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon, David Spade, and CeeLo Green. In the films, Dracula owns the titular hotel and operates it as a “human-free hotel” for monsters.

The Dead Don’t Die (2019)

The Dead Don’t Die, written and directed by Jim Jarmusch, may not have received positive reviews when it was released in 2019, but it’s still an interesting take on the zombie genre. It stars an impressive cast including Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Chloë Sevigny, Steve Buscemi, and Tilda Swinton. The film follows a zombie invasion of a small town as the police attempt to fight back and Selena appears as a young traveler who has come into town at the wrong time. It’s particularly fun to see her in scenes with Austin Butler, who starred as the titular role in Elvis earlier this year.

Selena + Chef (2020-Present)

One of Selena’s ongoing projects is a cooking show called Selena + Chef that appears on HBO Max. The show is now in its fourth season, having achieved impressive success. The series is filmed in Selena’s home, where she invites professional chefs to give lots of great tips and tricks. The show also donates $10,000 to a charity of each chef’s choosing, highlighting Selena’s commitment to philanthropy. In the most recent season, both Gordon Ramsay and Rachael Ray appeared as chefs.

Only Murders in the Building (2021-Present)

Selena’s other ongoing TV show is Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building, which has been renewed for a third season. The show, created by Steve Martin and John Hoffman, stars Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena as three residents of a New York City apartment building who team up to try to solve the mystery of the death of one of their neighbors. The comedy-drama has received rave reviews and has been nominated for multiple Emmy awards. It is definitely the first role in many years to fully utilize Selena’s dramatic and comedic talents.

Do you have any other recommendations for films and TV shows featuring Selena Gomez? Let us know!

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