Casual is an American television comedy drama television series that premiered on October 7, 2015, on Hulu. Created by Zander Lehmann and directed by Jason Reitman, 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.
On October 19, 2017, Hulu renewed the series for a fourth and final season with all eight episodes released simultaneously on July 31, 2018.
Contents
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
Episodes
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%.