Hulu’s new coming-of-age mystery “Phony” follows a teenager whose world feels suddenly unfamiliar after a car accident. Sam Nivola (“The White Lotus”) and Connie Britton (“Friday Night Lights,” “Nashville”) portray a son and mother at the center of this story that mixes high school life, dark humor, and a growing sense that something isn’t right. The first two episodes of “Phony” premiere Oct. 20 on Hulu, with new episodes dropping weekly until Dec. 1. Here’s what we know about the series, its cast, and the team behind it.
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After a car accident lands Sonny Cooke (Nivola) in the hospital, he wakes up believing an impostor has replaced his mother, Ellen (Britton). Unfortunately for him, nobody else seems to notice anything is wrong.
In an interview with Teen Vogue, creator and co-showrunner Nick Paley (“Marcel the Shell With Shoes On”) explained the show’s premise grew from a childhood fear. “When I was a kid, I had this irrational fear of losing my mom, and it was just a very core feeling,” he said. Turning that into “a really fun, exciting mystery” helped shape the series.
Co-showrunner Anthony King (“The Afterparty”) pointed to “Freaks and Geeks” as a model. “[The story] just feels so really about teenagers and not TV teenagers, but actual teenagers,” he told the outlet.
The cast includes:
- Connie Britton as Ellen Cooke
- Sam Nivola as Sonny Cooke
- Grace Brennan as Mallory
- Maliq Johnson as Vogel
- Colter Lee as Weldon
- Meera Syal as Sharla
- Mahaela Park as Chloe
- Elijah Fox as Ethan
- Kelvin Yu as Jason Chang
- Mellany Barros as Sofia
- Adam Beauchesne as Mark Carbone
- Kai Creagh as Dylan
Nivola landed the role before his season of “The White Lotus” aired. “We looked at everybody in that age range, and Sam just had a real inner beauty,” Paley told Teen Vogue. “There’s an earnestness to the humor, and Sam just got that better than anyone.”
King added, “He’s always making interesting choices, and it’s always so real.”
Jessica Kelly (“Euphoria,” “Y2K”) and Lisa Parasyn (“SkyMed,” “Schitt’s Creek”) cast “Phony.” The duo have previously worked together on other hits like Prime Video’s “Overcompensating.”
As for what makes an actor stand out to these CDs, Parasyn looks for something individual. “They just have their own style. They have their own special-ness, their own sparkle,” she told Daily Actor. Kelly, on the other hand, looks for truth over performance. “It has this fine line of truth and humor and unique way of using words or thoughts,” she said.
And for self-tapes, Parasyn’s advice is simple: “Please know your lines.” Kelly focuses on the opening: “The beginning is really the most important thing. The first couple of words. So, giving yourself at least like one moment before and then making sure that the first part is alive.”
While we wait for word on the show’s future, keep your acting résumé fresh by checking out these regularly updated casting roundups:
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