A pair of Saturday Night Live castmembers are headed to HBO Max.
Punkie Johnson and Ego Nwodim have joined the cast of the WarnerMedia streaming service’s anthlogy series Love Life. The two are among seven actors added to the cast for season two: Leslie Bibb, John Earl Jelks, Arian Moayed, Kimberly Elise and Blair Underwood have also signed on.
Johnson and Nwodim are the latest SNL castmembers to find work on scripted series, following the likes of Aidy Bryant (Hulu’s Shrill), Kenan Thompson and Chris Redd (NBC’s Kenan), Kate McKinnon (Peacock’s Joe Exotic), and Cecily Strong (Apple’s Schmigadoon!).
Season two of Love Life centers on Marcus Watkins (The Good Place alum William Jackson Harper), who’s coming out of a years-long relationship and is plunged back into the search for romantic fulfillment he thought he had already found. Jessica Williams (2 Dope Queens, The Daily Show) stars as Mia, the object of his affection. The cast also includes Chris “Comedian CP” Powell, Janet Hubert, Jordan Rock and Maya Kazan. Season one regulars Anna Kendrick, Zoë Chao, Peter Vack, Sasha Compére and Nick Thune will also appear.
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Johnson will be a regular castmember, playing Ida Watkins, Marcus’ outspoken sister who’s much more in tune with her authentic self than he is. Bibb (Jupiter’s Legacy) will recur as Becca, a woman with whom Marcus begins a purely sexual relationship, only to have it become more complicated than that. Jelks (On Becoming a God in Central Florida) recurs as Kirby Watkins, Marcus and Ida’s affable but formidable father. Moayed (Succession) will recur as Kian Parsa, a close friend of Marcus’ who recently sold his tech company for big bucks.
Nwodim will guest star as Ola Adebayo, a playwright who seems like a perfect match for Marcus — but they get together so fast that they have to confront whether they’re really right for each other. Elise (Apple’s Mosquito Coast) and Underwood (When They See Us) will guest as Mia’s parents, whose presence (or absence) shaped much of Mia’s worldview.
Sam Boyd, Bridget Bedard and Rachelle Williams will be co-showrunners for the season. They executive produce with Kendrick, Harper, Paul Feig and Dan Magnante. Lionsgate Television and Feigco Entertainment produce the series.
Johnson is repped by 3 Arts Entertainment and WME; Nwodim by CAA, Rise Management and Hansen Jacobson; Bibb by ICM and John Carrabino Management; Jelks by Innovative Artists and Red Letter Entertainment; Moayed by Gersh, Kipperman Management and Schreck Rose; Elise by Buchwald; and Underwood by Thruline Entertainment, ICM Partners and Felker Toczek.
