Blake Lively Movies and TV Shows: Complete Ranked List

Blake Lively made the leap from teen TV icon to versatile film star, going from playing a Manhattan socialite on a CW soap opera to carrying survival thrillers solo, hosting Saturday Night Live at 21, and later stepping into the director’s chair for a Taylor Swift music video. Her filmography now spans everything from critically acclaimed dramas to franchise blockbusters, and the quality split is stark: some projects landed in the 90% range on Rotten Tomatoes, while others barely cleared 20%.

Breakthrough Role: Serena van der Woodsen in Gossip Girl (2007–2012) ·
Highest-Rated Film: The Town at 92% Tomatometer (2010) ·
Lowest-Rated: Green Lantern at 25% (2011) ·
Latest Release: Another Simple Favor (2025)

Here’s a quick look at her most notable films, their Tomatometer scores, and where you can stream them today.

“After her major feature debut in 2005’s The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Blake Lively hopped over to television as the lead in Gossip Girl.”

— Rotten Tomatoes Editorial

“Lively expanded her career by directing Taylor Swift’s 2021 music video I Bet You Think About Me.”

— Plex Editorial

What is Blake Lively most famous for?

Blake Lively became a household name after starring as Serena van der Woodsen in The CW’s Gossip Girl for all six seasons from 2007 to 2012. (Rotten Tomatoes Editorial) The series followed Manhattan’s elite Upper East Side crowd, and Lively’s character served as the show’s emotional center—returning from boarding school in the pilot episode and driving the narrative through six years of romance, scandal, and friendship arcs.

Gossip Girl role

Serena van der Woodsen was written as the girl who had everything but still craved authenticity—fitting Lively’s public persona at the time. She hosted Saturday Night Live in 2009 at age 21, the same year the show was at its ratings peak, cementing her transition from actress to mainstream celebrity. (Plex)

Breakthrough on The CW

The exposure from Gossip Girl opened doors to film leading roles. According to Rotten Tomatoes, she made her major feature debut in 2005’s The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants before moving to television, then hopped back to film with increasing ambition. (Rotten Tomatoes Editorial)

The implication: Her early TV fame gave her the leverage to handpick film projects—some landed in the critical sweet spot, while others missed.

What is Blake Lively’s best movie?

When measured by Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer scores, The Town (2010) takes the crown at 92%—her highest-rated film to date. Ben Affleck directed and starred in the Boston heist thriller, with Lively playing the love interest caught between loyalty and survival. (Rotten Tomatoes Editorial)

Ranked by Tomatometer

The top five highest-rated Blake Lively films break down as follows:

• The Town (2010) — 92%
• A Simple Favor (2018) — 84%
• The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005) — 82%
• The Shallows (2016) — 79%
• Café Society (2016) — 71%

The gap between her best and worst performances is striking: Green Lantern (2011) sits at just 25%, a superhero misfire that reunited her with future husband Ryan Reynolds. (Rotten Tomatoes)

Top films like The Age of Adaline

The Age of Adaline (2015) occupies a middle tier at 54%—a time-frozen drama that showcased her ability to carry a film emotionally, but critics were mixed on the script. (Rotten Tomatoes)

The pattern: Her best work tends to be tight ensemble pieces (The Town, A Simple Favor) or high-concept solos (The Shallows), while star-driven vanity projects have generally underperformed critically.

Blake Lively movies and TV shows on Netflix

Direct Netflix streaming of Blake Lively films is limited as of 2025. None of her major titles appear on the Netflix US library, though the platform’s catalog rotates seasonally. Her films are more accessible through Apple TV, Roku, and Plex, which maintain consistent catalogs of her work. (Roku)

Available titles

Blake Lively movies available on Roku include The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (2008), Savages (2012), Green Lantern (2011), The Shallows (2016), and The Age of Adaline (2015). (Roku)

Streaming options

Apple TV streams the broadest catalog: The Town, Green Lantern, The Age of Adaline, Another Simple Favor, The Shallows, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, It Ends With Us, and The Rhythm Section. (Apple TV) Plex also lists Another Simple Favor (2025) as Emily Nelson. (Plex)

The catch: Viewers expecting a centralized Netflix hub for Lively’s work will need to look elsewhere—or subscribe to multiple platforms to access her full filmography.

Blake Lively TV shows

Beyond Gossip Girl, Blake Lively’s television appearances are sparse but notable. She hosted Saturday Night Live in 2009, the youngest female host that season, and appeared in a Sesame Street special in 2018 titled When You Wish Upon a Pickle. (Plex)

Gossip Girl

All six seasons of Gossip Girl ran from September 2007 to December 2012, with Lively starring as Serena van der Woodsen—the character who returns from boarding school and restarts old dramas. Apple TV lists the series in its catalog. (Apple TV)

Other appearances

Her only other major TV credit is the Sesame Street guest appearance, a stark contrast to her Manhattan socialite roles. She has not returned to series television since Gossip Girl ended, focusing entirely on film projects.

Blake Lively best movies

Blake Lively’s filmography spans genres—from teen comedies to survival thrillers to revenge dramas—but her most successful entries share a common thread: tight scripts, strong ensemble casts, or high-concept premises she could carry solo.

Critic favorites

Her most critically acclaimed films, ranked by Tomatometer:

• The Town (2010) — 92%: Boston heist drama directed by Ben Affleck
• A Simple Favor (2018) — 84%: Thriller-comedy co-starring Anna Kendrick
• The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005) — 82%: Teen comedy-drama ensemble
• The Shallows (2016) — 79%: Survival thriller filmed almost entirely in the water

The 67-point Tomatometer gap between her best (The Town) and worst (Green Lantern) major roles illustrates how heavily project quality affects her critical standing. (Rotten Tomatoes)

Popular hits

The Shallows stands out as her highest-grossing solo starring role—a survival thriller where she played a surfer attacked by a great white shark. It earned strong box office returns and marked her ability to anchor a blockbuster without co-stars. (YouTube Box Office Rankings)

A Simple Favor (2018) and its sequel Another Simple Favor (2025) represent her most sustained franchise attempt—a dark comedy thriller series pairing her with Anna Kendrick. The first scored 84%; the sequel dropped to 58%, suggesting diminishing returns. (Rotten Tomatoes)

Lively’s career follows a project-driven trajectory rather than a star-vehicle model. When she chooses well-written material with strong collaborators, critics respond. When she carries weaker material alone, both audience and critical reception suffers.

Related reading: Forest Whitaker Movies and TV Shows – Complete Filmography and Best Films

While our list ranks by Tomatometer, this Swedish overview of her roles Swedish overview of her roles spotlights similar favorites like Gossip Girl and The Shallows.

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