American actor and producer Viola Davis is one of the few people to have won the Triple Crown of Acting. She is also an EGOT winner. The New York Times named her one of the finest performers of the 21st century, while Time named her one of its most influential individuals. In 2025, she was awarded the Cecil B. DeMille Award.
In addition to being nominated for Doubt, The Help, and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Davis won an Oscar for Fences. She starred in Widows, The Woman King, among others. She was the first black lead to win an Emmy for her role in How to Get Away with Murder.
Patricia Riggen is the director of the 2025 action thriller G20, which stars Viola Davis as US President Danielle Sutton. Sutton uses her military experience and leadership to save her family, other international leaders, and world peace when terrorists take over the G20 Summit.
Starring Anthony Anderson, Marsai Martin, Ramón Rodríguez, Clark Gregg, Antony Starr, and others, it was made available globally on April 10, 2025, on Prime Video.
Here is a list of the seven best Viola Davis shows and movies to watch if you liked her in Prime Video’s G20.
Disclaimer: The following list is ranked in no particular order, and the opinions expressed belong solely to the author.
Fences and 6 other best Viola Davis shows and movies to watch if you liked her in Prime Video’s G20
1) The Help

The Help (2011) is a period drama film set in Jackson, Mississippi, in the 1960s, directed by Tate Taylor, based on Kathryn Stockett's novel. It follows aspiring journalist Skeeter Phelan as she interviews Black maids during the Civil Rights Movement to expose the racism they encounter while working for white households.
As Aibileen Clark, an African American maid whose emotional fortitude and powerful voice highlight the hardship and tenacity of domestic workers in the Jim Crow South, Viola Davis delivers a powerful performance.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Netflix, Hulu
2) Fences

Denzel Washington co-produced and directed the 2016 period drama Fences, which is based on August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1985 play.
It is a 1950s drama set in Pittsburgh that centers on Troy Maxson, a former baseball player who, in spite of social constraints and his own past, tries to support his family by picking up trash.
Troy's actions affect his relationship with his devoted wife Rose (Viola Davis) and their teenage son as he battles broken dreams and unsolved regrets.
As the devoted wife, Rose Maxson, who must balance duty, sacrifice, and love in the face of her husband Troy's past and disappointment, Viola Davis delivers a standout performance.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Paramount Plus
3) The Woman King

The action-drama The Woman King (2022) takes place in the Dahomey kingdom of West Africa in 1823.
It is based on actual events and tells the story of General Nanisca (Viola Davis), the commander of the all-female Agojie warriors, who teaches a new generation of recruits to protect their country from foreign invaders and rival tribes. The movie explores sisterhood and the fight for independence.
In The Woman King, Viola Davis steals the show as General Nanisca, the seasoned commander of the Agojie warriors. Her performance perfectly captures the strength and vulnerability of a woman battling both internal and external foes.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Apple TV+
4) Widows

Steve McQueen's 2018 neo-noir heist thriller, Widows, is based on the British television series of the same name from 1983.
The film centers on four Chicago women who want to steal $5 million from a vicious local politician to pay off a violent crime boss after their husbands are killed in a botched robbery.
Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, and Cynthia Erivo make their cinematic debuts in the movie, along with Viola Davis as Veronica, a widow and representative of the teachers' union.
In Widows, Viola Davis's complex performance serves as the foundation for the movie's tale of survival and retaliation.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
5) Doubt

John Patrick Shanley's 2008 drama picture Doubt is based on his own Pulitzer Prize-winning play.
It centers on Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep), who is suspicious of Father Flynn's (Philip Seymour Hoffman) actions toward a kid in 1964 in a Bronx Catholic school. She enlists the help of Sister James (Amy Adams) to uncover the truth based on merely circumstantial evidence.
The film also raises issues of religion and morality as the tension increases. Viola Davis plays the role of Mrs. Miller, the mother of the student at the center of suspicion.
Davis plays Mrs. Miller, the torn mother whose son is entangled in a web of suspicion in Doubt. Her portrayal serves as an example of the conflict between moral obligation, love, and devotion.
Where to watch: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+
6) Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

George C. Wolfe's drama Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020) is based on August Wilson's 1982 play. The film focuses on legendary blues singer Ma Rainey (Viola Davis) during a tense recording session in 1927 Chicago.
Tensions within the band increase as Ma and the white producers quarrel, and her conceited trumpeter Levee (Chadwick Boseman) complicates her life. With a focus on Ma's authoritarian figure, the film addresses trauma, power, and artistic despair.
Ma Rainey is brought to life by Viola Davis's radiant performance, which steals the show in every scene. She portrays the iconic blues singer, a woman who fights for her artistic freedom and independence in a world of producers ruled by White people.
Where to watch: Netflix
7) How to Get Away with Murder

Peter Nowalk and Shonda Rhimes developed the American legal drama thriller series How to Get Away with Murder, which aired from 2014 to 2020.
The drama centers on Annalise Keating (Viola Davis), a distinguished defense lawyer and law professor at a prestigious university in Philadelphia, who joins five other students in a complex murderous plot.
Throughout the series, trauma, power struggles, and her career defending criminal cases all have an impact on Annalise's life.
Viola Davis makes a strong impression in How to Get Away with Murder as Annalise Keating, a shrewd and sophisticated defense lawyer who handles both personal and legal issues.
Where to watch: Prime Video, Hulu, Apple TV+, Disney+
Interested viewers can watch G20, one of Viola Davis's latest movies, on Prime Video.