The past few years saw the untimely passings of "Dawson's Creek" icon James Van Der Beek and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Gossip Girl" star Michelle Trachtenberg, and now TV fans have to weather another tragic blow: The loss of Hayden Panettiere, the child star–turned–grown-up actress known for her roles in "Remember the Titans," "Bring It On: All or Nothing" and the "Scream" franchise, among others.
Panettiere died at the age of 36 on Sunday, August 16, after emergency responders found her unresponsive at an apartment complex in Greenville, South Carolina; no official cause of death has been formally announced. The performer leaves behind a daughter and a decades-spanning career that spanned popular drama series, big-budget films, soap operas and more.
In honor of the late star, here are three TV shows starring Hayden Panettiere that you should check out and where to stream them now.
'Heroes'
"Save the cheerleader, save the world," declared the famous tagline of the NBC superhero drama "Heroes," which ran for four seasons from September 2006 to February 2010. And that not-so-average cheerleader — Texas teen Claire Bennet, who discovers she can heal from any injury instantly — was portrayed by Panettiere in a breakout role that not only anchored the drama's central mystery but also provided much of its emotional heft.
And sure, the subsequent seasons of "Heroes" had a hard time replicating the quality of that exceptionally bingeable first season, but that was to no fault of Panettiere, who consistently brought a level of grounded relatability to an increasingly baffling sci-fi premise.
Stream "Heroes" on Netflix now
'Ally McBeal'
Panettiere started her career when she was just 11 months old as a commercial performer, later segueing into soap operas, animated movies and, later, primetime dramas like the early-aughts FOX series "Ally McBeal." The then-12-year-old joined the cast of the Calista Flockhart-led legal dramedy in its fifth and final season as Maddie Harrington, the long-lost daughter of the title character.
Appearing in 12 episodes in a buzzy part (her character was revealed to have been conceived via an egg donation Ally made years prior), Panettiere gave a subtle and vulnerable performance that held its own against her much older castmates, including Julianne Nicholson, James Marden and Regina Hall.
Stream "Ally McBeal" on Hulu now
'Nashville'
Panettiere found herself in quite the duet with "Nashville," ABC's hit musical drama that aired on the alphabet network for four seasons from October 2012 to May 2016 before moving to CMT for its final two seasons. She led the series as ambitious young singer Juliette Barnes, whose rising star puts her in a fierce rivalry with fading country-music legend Rayna James (Connie Britton).
Along the way, the women contend with business drama, romantic entanglements, family betrayals and more, all while having to remember that the show must go on. (And yes, that is actors themselves crooning those tunes.)
Critics praised Hayden Panettiere's performance as Juliette; for TV Fanatic, Lindsay MacDonald wrote: "A round of applause for Hayden Panettiere and her amazing range. She portrayed the full spectrum of emotion, from flirty to bitchy to carefree to decimated. She might be all over the board, but she owns every single scene."
Stream "Nashville" on Netflix now
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