[4][5][6][7] In the original series, Shelly dropped out of high school to marry the trucker Leo Johnson, who began to abuse her after their marriage.

Her main storyline focuses on her trying to save their troubled daughter, Becky Burnett, from her own marriage to an abusive drug addict.

Shelly is a waitress who dropped out of high school to marry the trucker Leo Johnson (Eric Da Re), who she had fallen for after he gave her attention.

Shelly first appears in the second episode, drinking with friends at the Roadhouse, where she expresses concern for Becky, who is married to Steven Burnett (Caleb Landry Jones), an unemployed, abusive drug addict.

The owner of the trailer park, Carl Rodd (Harry Dean Stanton), gives her a ride to the Double R Diner as she calls Bobby to explain the situation.

[12] In the thirteenth episode, Shelly is working at the Double R Diner when Becky calls her expressing concern for Steven, as she hasn't seen him in two days.

[13] In Fire Walk With Me, Shelly is first seen working at the Double R Diner, when Norma asks her to assist Laura Palmer with the Meals on Wheels deliveries.

Shelly is referenced in the cookbook Damn Fine Cherry Pie: And Other Recipes from TV's Twin Peaks by Lindsey Bowden.

[19] Mädchen Amick originally auditioned for the role of Donna Hayward, which ultimately went to Lara Flynn Boyle.

[20] In Pervert in the Pulpit: Morality in the Works of David Lynch, Jeff Johnson states that Shelly is one of the "salvageable characters" saying "Shelly, for instance, after so much abuse from Leo, gains a sense of self-confidence and a better self-image, giving up her scamming with Bobby and even entering the Miss Twin Peaks competition.

Yes, she extricated herself from the high-school hell that consumed Laura by dropping out and getting married to brooding, drug-running trucker Leo Johnson.