'Supergirl': Who Plays Mary McGowan?

Supergirl returned from a pretty lengthy hiatus tonight, and a beloved actress came along for the [...]

Supergirl returned from a pretty lengthy hiatus tonight, and a beloved actress came along for the ride.

Spoilers for tonight's episode of Supergirl, "Schott Through the Heart", below!

The episode saw Winn Schott (Jeremy Jordan) dealing with a unique family reunion, following the explosive death of his father, Winslow Schott/Toyman (Henry Czerny). At the funeral, Winn was reapproached by his estranged mother, Mary McGowan (Laurie Metcalf), who was hoping to reconcile things with her son.

While Metcalf's appearance in the world of Supergirl was first announced back in November, seeing it in action is sure to delight fans, considering the impressive filmography that she has acquired over the years. Metcalf first began her acting career in the late '70s, before officially debuting as a "Weekend Update" reporter in a 1981 episode of Saturday Night Live. She arguably became a household name with her performance on Roseanne, playing the title character's sister Jackie from 1988 to 1997.

Since the original run of Roseanne ended, Metcalf has appeared in television shows like 3rd Rock from the Sun, Norm, The McCarthys, and Getting On. Some in the geek culture world might recognize Metcalf for her role as another notable TV mom, playing Sheldon Cooper's mother Mary throughout The Big Bang Theory's tenure.

On the film side, Metcalf has had a wide array of roles, including Debbie Salt in Scream 2, and Andy's mom in the Toy Story franchise. In 2017, Metcalf's career reached a new height, as she earned an Oscar nomination and a slew of other awards for her role in Lady Bird.

While Metcalf can currently be seen making waves in the Roseanne revival, her appearance on Supergirl marks a pretty significant role for the actress. As she explained before her casting was officially announced, she took the guest-starring role "so her youngest child can meet her idol, Melissa Benoist." And it sounds like the appreciation for Metcalf extends both ways, and that her role will have a lingering effect on the current trajectory of the show.

"Unfortunately we only have Laurie for one episode, but that story continues over the course of a few episodes," Jeremy Jordan told ComicBook.com about tonight's episode. "And I think [it] culminates in some really great stuff that's coming up."

What do you think of Laurie Metcalf making her Supergirl debut? Let us know in the comments below.

Supergirl airs Mondays at 8/7c on The CW.

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