''Casual'' is an American television comedy-drama series that premiered on October 7, 2015, on Hulu."See a not-so-happy Michaela Watkins in a first-look photo from Jason Reitman's Casual — exclusive"
''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...

'', August 12, 2015. Created by Zander Lehmann and directed by Jason Reitman, it centers on Valerie (

Michaela Watkins Michaela Suzanne Watkins (born December 14, 1971) is an American actress and comedian. She is best known for starring on the Hulu series '' Casual'' and on the short-lived sitcoms '' The Unicorn'' and ''Trophy Wife'', as well as being a cast memb ...

), a newly divorced single mother living with her brother Alex ( Tommy Dewey) and her daughter Laura ( Tara Lynne Barr). The cast also includes

Frances Conroy Frances Hardman Conroy is an American actress. She is best known for playing Ruth Fisher on the television series '' Six Feet Under'' (2001–2005), for which she won a Golden Globe and three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and received four Prime ...

and Nyasha Hatendi. In advance of its premiere on Hulu, the first two episodes received a preview screening at the

2015 Toronto International Film Festival The 40th annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from 10 to 20 September 2015. On 28 July 2015 the first wave of films to be screened at the Festival was announced. Jean-Marc Vallée's '' Demolition'' starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Na ...

as part of the festival's new ''Primetime'' platform of selected television projects. On October 19, 2017, Hulu renewed the series for a fourth and final season with all eight episodes released simultaneously on July 31, 2018.

Cast and characters

Main

as Valerie, a successful therapist divorcing her husband after finding him with a younger woman. * Tommy Dewey as Alex, Valerie's younger brother who co-founded the popular dating site Snooger * Tara Lynne Barr as Laura, Valerie's teenage daughter * Nyasha Hatendi as Leon, Valerie's one-night stand whom Alex befriends * Julie Berman as Leia, Valerie's assistant

Guest and recurring

Fred Melamed Fred Melamed (born May 13, 1956) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He is best known for portraying Sy Ableman in the Coen Brothers' ''A Serious Man'' (2009). He is also known for his collaborations with Woody Allen appearing in seven of ...

as Charles, Valerie and Alex's hedonistic father * Evan Crooks as Emile, Laura's ex-boyfriend *

Alisha Boe Alisha Ilhaan Bø (born March 6, 1997), known professionally as Alisha Boe, is a United States–based actress. She is known for playing Jessica Davis in the Netflix drama series ''13 Reasons Why''. Early life Boe was born in Oslo, Norway, to ...

as Becca, Laura's friend * Taylor Spreitler as Mia, Laura's friend *

as Dawn, Valerie and Alex's mother *

Patrick Heusinger Patrick Heusinger (born February 14, 1981) is an American actor, known for his roles on the television series '' Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce'', '' Gossip Girl'', '' Royal Pains'' and '' Absentia''. Early life Heusinger was born and raised in ...

as Michael, Laura's photography teacher *

Zak Orth Zak Orth (born October 15, 1970) is an American actor known for his roles in ''Wet Hot American Summer'', '' The Baxter'', '' Melinda and Melinda'', '' In and Out'', ''Music and Lyrics'', and '' NYC 22''. He also starred in the NBC television dram ...

as Drew, Valerie's ex-husband *

Eliza Coupe Eliza Kate Coupe (born April 6, 1981) is an American actress, comedian and model, known for playing Jane Kerkovich-Williams in the ABC comedy series '' Happy Endings'', Denise "Jo" Mahoney in the final two seasons of the medical comedy-drama '' ...

as Emmy, Alex's free-spirited romantic interest *

Katie Aselton Kathryn Aselton (born October 1, 1978) is an American actress, film director and producer. She directed and co-starred in '' The Freebie'', which was shown in the non-competition "Next" category at the Sundance Film Festival in 2010. She also st ...

as Jennifer, a therapist who works in the same building as Valerie. *

Dylan Gelula Dylan Nicole Gelula (born May 7, 1994) is an American actress who is best known for her role of Xanthippe on '' Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt'', as well as her work in independent film. In 2016, Gelula made her film debut as the lead actress with ...

as Aubrey, a student in Laura's homeschool group. *

Britt Lower Brittney Leigh Lower () is an American actress known for her roles as Liz in ''Man Seeking Woman'', Tanya Solibakke in ''Unforgettable'' and Helly R in ''Severance''. Early life Lower was born on August 2, 1985, in Heyworth, Illinois, to Steven ...

as Sarah Finn, Alex's ex-girlfriend. * Vincent Kartheiser as Jordan Anderson, Alex's new partner in his company and Sarah's fiancé *

Britt Robertson Brittany Leanna Robertson (born April 18, 1990) is an American actress. She is known for her lead role in '' The First Time'' (2012), and has appeared in the films ''Tomorrowland'' (2015), '' The Space Between Us'' (2017), ''A Dog's Purpose'' ...

as Fallon, Jordan's assistant. *

Kyle Bornheimer Kyle Edward Bornheimer (born September 10, 1975) is an American actor and comedian known for his roles on the sitcoms '' Worst Week'', ''Brooklyn Nine-Nine'', '' Casual'', and '' Playing House''. Life and career Bornheimer was born in Mishawaka ...

as Jack, Valerie's love interest, friend of Jennifer. *

Rhenzy Feliz Rhenzy Feliz (born October 26, 1997) is an American actor and occasional singer, who is best known for playing the role of Camilo Madrigal in Disney's 2021 computer-animated feature film '' Encanto'' and Alex Wilder in the Hulu/Marvel original s ...

as Spencer, Laura's classmate and boyfriend, who has terminal cancer. *

Jamie Chung Jamie Jilynn Chung (born April 10, 1983) is an American actress and former reality television personality. She began her career in 2004 as a cast member on the MTV reality series '' The Real World: San Diego'' and subsequently through her app ...

as Tina Valerie's landlord who becomes involved with Alex *

Nadine Nicole Nadine Nicole Heimann (born September 15, 1983), known professionally as Nadine Nicole,"Working Girl." ''Soap Opera Digest''. November 30, 2015. pg. 45. is an American actress. Personal life Nicole was born in Rochester, Michigan, to a German fat ...

as Casey, Laura's boss and an environmental activist * Maya Erskine as Rae, Alex's roommate and the mother of his daughter, Carrie. *

Judy Greer Judith Therese Evans (born July 20, 1975), known professionally as Judy Greer, is an American actress. She is primarily known as a character actress, who has appeared in a wide variety of films. She first rose to prominence in a variety of suppor ...

as Judy, a single mom who also hires Alex to work in her company's IT department. *

Lorenza Izzo Lorenza Francesca Izzo Parsons (; ; born September 19, 1989) is a Chilean actress and model. She has appeared in films, including ''Aftershock'' (2012), '' The Green Inferno'' (2013), '' Knock Knock'' (2015), and Quentin Tarantino's ''Once Upo ...

as Tathiana, Laura's girlfriend she met while traveling.

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (2015)

Season 2 (2016)

Season 3 (2017)

On June 23, 2016, Hulu renewed the series for a 13-episode third season. The season premiered on May 23, 2017.

Season 4 (2018)

On October 19, 2017, Hulu renewed the series for a fourth and final season with all 8 episodes being released simultaneously on July 31, 2018.

Reception

The first season received critical acclaim. On

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

the first season holds a rating of 77 out of 100 based on 20 critic reviews, indicating 'generally favorable reviews'.

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

gave the first season a 93% 'certified fresh' rating based on 28 critic reviews, with the critical consensus "Jason Reitman's Casual is a funny -- albeit very specific -- look at modern dating, sharpened by edgy dialogue and self-assured performances." For the

73rd Golden Globe Awards The 73rd Golden Globe Awards honored the best in film and American television of 2015. It was broadcast live on January 10, 2016, from The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California beginning at 5:00 p.m. PST / 8:00 p.m. EST by NBC. ...

, the series was nominated in the category for Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy. The second season received similar acclaim. It holds an 87% approval rating on review aggregator website

, based on 15 reviews, with an average rating of 8.8/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Well-written and solidly acted, Casual offers a profane -- yet profound -- take on life's many challenges". On

, the season holds a rating of 88 out of 100, based on 7 critics, indicating "Universal acclaim".

References

External links

* * {{Hulu 2015 American television series debuts 2018 American television series endings 2010s American comedy-drama television series 2010s American LGBT-related comedy television series 2010s American LGBT-related drama television series Casual sex in television English-language television shows Hulu original programming Lesbian-related television shows Television series about dysfunctional families Television series about siblings Television series by Lionsgate Television Television shows set in Los Angeles