Deon Cole Leads a Returning Cast as ‘Average Joe’ Sends Its Characters Across the World in Season 2
‘Average Joe’ has quietly become one of the more distinctive titles in the streaming landscape, and its cast is a big reason why. The dark comedy thriller centers on Deon Cole as Joe Washington, a Pittsburgh plumber who discovers his late father secretly worked for the Russian mafia and had stolen ten million dollars and a car from them before he died.
The series, created by Robb Cullen and loosely inspired by his own life, premiered on BET+ in 2023 to strong reviews, earning an 86 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes and becoming the number one scripted drama series on BET+ during its debut week. With Season 2 now underway on Paramount+, it is worth revisiting exactly who makes up the cast of ‘Average Joe’ and how their roles have evolved.
The Core Cast of ‘Average Joe’
Deon Cole anchors the series as Joe Washington, the blue collar plumber whose ordinary life is upended when he learns his father had ties to organized crime. Cole, known primarily for his comedy background including his run on ‘Black-ish’, has drawn attention for the dramatic range the role demands, with one reviewer noting the series has shown that Cole is far more than just a comedian.
Tammy Townsend plays Angela Washington, Joe’s wife, who works as a diner waitress while managing a painful illness and maintaining a strong moral compass throughout the family’s ordeal. Malcolm Barrett portrays Leon Montgomery, one of Joe’s closest friends and the owner of a hardware store, a character some viewers may recognize from his earlier role as Seth Reed in Prime Video’s ‘The Boys’.
Cynthia Kaye McWilliams rounds out the central friend group as Cathy Montgomery, Leon’s wife, whose fascination with crime shows becomes darkly ironic once the group is pulled into real criminal danger. Michael Trucco plays Benjamin Touch Tuchawuski, another member of Joe’s inner circle whose arc has expanded considerably as the story has progressed into its second season.
Supporting Players and the Season One Ensemble
Beyond the central four, ‘Average Joe’ Season 1 featured a wider ensemble that helped flesh out the world around Joe and his family. Ashley Olivia Fisher played Jennifer Washington, Joe’s daughter, while Pasha D. Lychnikoff appeared as Nicolai Dzhugashvili, one of the primary antagonists tied to the Russian mob storyline.
Ashani Roberts appeared as Sgt. Pam Talford, a recurring law enforcement figure drawn into the fallout of Joe’s predicament. The season also included Sam Dubin as Danny and Chris Petrovski as Dimitri Dzhugashvili, characters whose actions early in the series set much of the plot’s chaos in motion.
The first season was set in the Hill district of Pittsburgh, and the show built its identity around the contrast between the Washington family’s average, working class existence and the increasingly violent underworld they found themselves navigating. That grounded setting became part of what made the series resonate, with one BET executive describing it as a thriller anchored in authenticity, friendships, and family drama.
How the ‘Average Joe’ Cast Changes for Season 2
Season 2 picks up after the events of the first season, with Joe attempting to move forward only for a new threat to pull him and his friends into a search for answers that leads them to Cape Town, South Africa. Deon Cole, Malcolm Barrett, Cynthia Kaye McWilliams, and Michael Trucco all return for the eight episode second season.
Joining the cast for the new episodes is Katlego Lebogang as Imani, a young woman whose connection to Joe’s family reshapes what he understood about his own past. Hakeem Kae-Kazim, a Nigerian British actor known for ‘Hotel Rwanda’, also joins as Sipho, a Cape Town crime boss who pursues Joe and his friends throughout the season.
The shift in location was a deliberate creative choice, with filming taking place on location in Cape Town rather than using a stand in city. In an interview with BOSSIP, Cole described the physical demands of the new season, saying the experience pushed him in ways he had not encountered before while shooting the first installment of the show.
Critical and Fan Reaction to the Expanding Cast
Critics have responded positively to how the ensemble has grown into its second season. Rotten Tomatoes highlighted the show’s knockout performances and its willingness to lean further into absurd humor while still delivering unexpected turns for its characters. Reviewers have specifically praised Trucco’s expanded presence as Touch, noting his character’s shift toward a more reckless, emboldened energy this season.
Fan reaction on platforms like IMDb has similarly centered on the ensemble chemistry, with viewers pointing to Cole and McWilliams as standout performers whose dynamic helps carry the series through its more chaotic plot turns. The introduction of Kae-Kazim’s villain has also drawn attention, with early responses calling his debut scene notably unsettling.
As ‘Average Joe’ continues its run on Paramount+, the cast remains central to why the series has held onto its audience through a change in streaming home and a complete shift in setting. Which member of the ‘Average Joe’ cast do you think has grown the most between the Pittsburgh chapter of the story and the new Cape Town storyline?
