LOS ANGELES: At the TCA panel for FX’s You’re The Worst, creator Stephen Falk and actors Chris Geere, Aya Cash, Desmin Borges, Kether Donohue, reflected on the series’ first successful season and teased the upcoming Season 2.
Of particular interest was Falk’s discussion of how the series has somewhat organically grown into an ensemble show. Explaining that he’s “sort of allergic to the rom-com sidekick thing,” in which the main characters’ best friends are only around to provide expositional discussions about their romantic entanglements, Falk said, “It’s always been my sneaky desire to do more of an ensemble show… I just wanted to make them full human beings.” He cited the warm reception of You’re The Worst‘s brilliant “Sunday Funday” episode, when the four main characters first got to hang out all day, as validation for his decision to go for more of an ensemble feel going forward. Falk mentioned that there will be much more of Becca and Vernon, as well as some new characters; one plot will involve Edgar finding himself in “the world of improv comedy” and making a few new friends.
As for Jimmy and Gretchen, Cash commented on how she doesn’t think they’ve grown much in the first season, but that, in Season 2, we’ll get a more fleshed out idea of what they’re like. “You do see the underbelly. We do sort of get into some real issues about what makes the characters tick.” The season will explore “each person’s relationship with themselves,” said Donohue, and Geere concurred: “They have to learn to compromise in order to progress.” At the end of last season, Jimmy and Gretchen moved in together, and Season 2 will begin with their cohabitation conflicts. The season will also dive deeper into Gretchen’s career and the rappers she works with — Falk even wrote a couple of raps (which Geere praised).
During the panel, Falk referenced his Weeds days and said he “comes from the Jenji Kohan school, and we burned down Agrestic in Season 3. We’re not burning down Agrestic [in Season 2 of You’re The Worst], but we’re certainly trying to challenge ourselves.” He also remarked on the show’s knack for balancing comedy with drama, for which he credits the actors: “To not use the actors’ entire register would be stupid.”
“I want it all,” Falk said of the show’s tonal balancing act. “To just be greedy as a writer is a fantastic luxury.”
Season 2 of You’re The Worst premieres September 9 on FXX.