Tammy Townsend, Malcolm Barrett, Cynthia Kaye McWilliams, Michael Trucco, Ashley Olivia Fisher, and Pasha Lychnikoff are set as series regulars opposite previously announced Deon Cole in BET+’s upcoming dark comedy series Average Joe. The series, which received a cast contingent script-to-series order in February, hails from Robb Cullen and McG.
Set in The Hill district of Pittsburgh and inspired by Cullen’s life, Average Joe follows blue-collar plumber, Joe Washington (Cole) who discovers his recently deceased father lived a secret, second life and stole millions of dollars from dangerous people just before he died. Now those people think Joe knows where it is. A bloody and violent confrontation triggers a chain of events that force Joe and his close-knit circle of family and friends out of their very average and mundane lives into a life or death race against time to find the truth and the millions.
Townsend plays Angela Washington, Joe’s loving wife who suffers from a painful illness. Despite her illness, she works shifts as a waitress to help to provide for her family. She recognizes how hard Joe works for her and their daughter, Jennifer, and sees him as a true blue collar guy until he comes home with dead bodies in his truck.
Barrett portrays Leon Montgomery, a somewhat hapless hardware store owner. One of Joe’s best friends. He is married to Cathy, who never gives him a moment of peace. Leon comes to Joe’s rescue when he visits Teddy’s office and finds that Joe was attacked by two Russian mobsters, including Jennifer’s boyfriend, Dimitri. He offers to help Joe dispose of the bodies, but fumbles when he takes home one of the Russian men’s cellphones, leading the friend group into a world of trouble that no one is prepared for.
McWilliams is Cathy Montgomery, Leon’s ball-busting wife. She appears to have a strong dislike for her
husband and is planning on divorcing him. Cathy is known for being obsessed with crime shows. Her obsession proves helpful when she saves Leon’s life after a Russian mobster tracks one of the deceased mobster’s phones to their home and attempts to kill Leon.
Trucco plays Benjamin “Touch” Tuchawuski, Joe’s long-time best friend. He’s a police officer with a vice for painkillers and heroin to help him get through his days. When he finds out that Joe and Leon are in trouble with the Russian mob, he decides to get his hands dirty instead of following protocol. He doesn’t lend a helping hand without requesting a piece of the multimillion-dollar Russian mob money and Teddy’s coveted Steelers ticket.
Fisher portrays Jennifer Washington, Angela and Leon’s eighteen-year-old daughter. She has a bright future ahead of her. Recently, she was accepted into Carnegie Mellon and is dating an appealingly innocent Russian boy, Dimitri.
Lychnikoff is Nicolai Dzhugashvili, a ruthless Russian mob boss and Dimitri’s father. He will stop at no end to find his son and the money that Teddy stole from him before his unlikely demise.
Average Joe is written by Cullen, who executive produces alongside McG, Mary Viola and Corey Marsh for Wonderland Sound and Vision. It’s slated for premiere in 2023.
Townsend can currently be seen as a series regular on the seventh and final season of OWN’s Queen Sugar. Her film credits include Robert Townsend’s cult classic The Five Heartbeats, The Preacher’s Kid, Simone, Playing Mona Lisa, The Pest and The Brady Bunch Movie. Townsend is repped by Kass Management and Pakula King & Associates.
Barrett recently wrapped shooting a role in Apple TV+’s upcoming series The Changeling, opposite LaKeith Stanfield and Adina Porter. He was previously seen in Nat Geo’s Genius: Aretha, opposite Cynthia Erivo. Barrett is repped by Entertainment 360 and Gersh.
McWilliams can be seen opposite Samuel L. Jackson in the Apple TV miniseries The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey. She also starred opposite Michael Chiklis on Paramount Network’s Coyote and recurred on Amazon’s Bosch. McWilliams is repped by APA and Vault Entertainment.
Trucco recently appeared as Wade Scarborough in Netflix’s Midnight Mass. Other recent credits include Young Sheldon, The Midnight Club and The Rookie. He’ll next be seen in a recurring role on CBS drama series Fire Country. Trucco is repped by AFA Prime Talent Media and Innovative Artists.
Fisher most recently won the Best Actress award at the 202O LA Film Awards for The System. She is repped by Moxie Artists Management and Meyer & Downs.
Lychnikoff’s recent credits include Bullet Train opposite Brad Pitt, Season 4 of Stranger Things, Shameless, Ray Donovan, and Siberia opposite Keanu Reeves. He is repped by Stewart Talent and Industry Entertainment.
Source: Deadline
