Rise to Fame
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist put her on the industry's radar in 2008, but the real making happened in 2011 when she landed two roles in the same year: Darcy Lewis in Thor and Max Black in 2 Broke Girls. The sitcom ran six seasons on CBS and turned her into a face people recognized in grocery stores. She played sardonic so well that it stopped feeling like acting.
In the Spotlight
2 Broke Girls getting canceled without a finale could have been a slow fade. Instead she reprised Darcy Lewis in WandaVision, then signed onto Shifting Gears on ABC opposite Tim Allen as both star and producer. Season 1 pulled nearly 17 million multi-platform viewers in its first week. Season 2 outrated Abbott Elementary in total viewers. Critics weren't sold (47% on Rotten Tomatoes), but those numbers make reviews beside the point.
Side Notes
Her real last name is Litwack. She took "Dennings" from a family friend, partly so she could tell who actually knew her versus who just knew the character. She grew up homeschooled, finished high school at 14, in a TV-free household, which makes her becoming a sitcom fixture for six years either the setup or the punchline. As a kid she introduced herself to strangers as Wednesday Addams. She married musician Andrew W.K. in 2023, which is its own kind of casting choice.