Casual is an American television comedy drama television 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, August 12, 2015. Created by Zander Lehmann and directed by Jason Reitman,"Hulu Picks Up Jason Reitman 'Casual' Comedy Series in Lionsgate TV Pact". Variety, October 30, 2014. it centers on Valerie (Michaela Watkins), 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 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 as part of the festival's new Primetime platform of selected television projects."TIFF's First-Ever TV Lineup Includes Jason Reitman's 'Casual' and 'Heroes Reborn'". Indiewire, August 13, 2015.
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 Michaela Watkins 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 as Charles, Valerie and Alex's hedonistic father Evan Crooks as Emile, Laura's ex-boyfriend Alisha Boe as Becca, Laura's friend Taylor Spreitler as Mia, Laura's friend Frances Conroy as Dawn, Valerie and Alex's mother Patrick Heusinger as Michael, Laura's photography teacher Zak Orth as Drew, Valerie's ex-husband Eliza Coupe as Emmy, Alex's free-spirited romantic interest Katie Aselton as Jennifer, a therapist who works in the same building as Valerie Dylan Gelula as Aubrey, a student in Laura's homeschool group Britt Lower 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 as Fallon, Jordan's assistant Kyle Bornheimer as Jack, Valerie's love interest, friend of Jennifer Rhenzy Feliz as Spencer, Laura's classmate and boyfriend, who has terminal cancer Jamie Chung as Tina Valerie's landlord who becomes involved with Alex Nadine Nicole 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 as Judy, a single mom who also hires Alex to work in her company's IT department Lorenza Izzo as Tathiana, Laura's girlfriend she met while traveling Nicky Katt as Cyril, a mechanic. This was his last role before his untimely death in 2025. It was his first acting job in about 5 years.
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 the first season holds a rating of 77 out of 100 based on twenty critics’ reviews. Rotten Tomatoes gave the first season a 93% rating based on twenty-eight critics’ reviews, with the critical consensus reading, "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 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 Rotten Tomatoes, based on fifteen 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 Metacritic, the season holds a rating of 88 out of 100, based on seven critics. The third season also has a critics' rating of 88%.
See also List of original programs distributed by Hulu
References
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