Joe Washington survived the Russian mob, millions in missing money, and enough dead bodies to last several lifetimes; but apparently, being “average” still comes with some very dangerous consequences.
Deon Cole is officially back as Joe Washington when the hit dark comedy-thriller Average Joe returns for Season 2 on Paramount+ on Wednesday, August 19, and this time, Joe’s problems are going international.
The eight-episode sophomore season debuts with its first two episodes, followed by a new episode every Wednesday. And after the absolute insanity of Season 1, Joe is understandably attempting to move forward with his life. Unfortunately, somebody forgot to tell the Russian mob.
Season 2 picks up after the explosive events of the first season when a mysterious new threat connected to Joe’s old enemies puts his family in danger. What begins as another search for answers sends Joe and his crew from the familiar streets of Pittsburgh all the way to Cape Town, South Africa.
Yes, chile. The mess has officially gone global and is a lot more action-packed! As leading actor and legendary comedian Deon Cole revealed, season 2 is testing the physical limits of the cast and pushing fans’ expectations to the max.
“Man, get ready to experience twists and turns like you’ve never seen before. You’re going to get action and surprised by the unexpected as well,” Deon Cole told BOSSIP. “I learned how old I was doing it. But it was fun, man. It was fun to take that challenge on and do something different and learn from it, and had an experience that I’ve never had before.”
He continued,
“Being down in Cape Town, South Africa, and the city was so gracious to lend their love and support to us. And all the natives coming out, and man, it was something that I’ll never forget—so we know with what we’ve done with the show this season, the fans won’t either.”
Set against the stunning backdrop of Cape Town, Joe, Leon, Cathy and Touch find themselves pulled into a dangerous new adventure involving international criminals, assassins, bounty hunters, powerful enemies and some long-buried secrets that probably should’ve stayed buried.
And because this is Average Joe, absolutely nothing goes according to plan.
The brilliance of the series has always been watching seemingly regular people attempt to navigate circumstances they have absolutely no business being in. Joe isn’t James Bond. He isn’t Jason Bourne. He’s a plumber from Pittsburgh who made a series of increasingly questionable decisions after discovering that his late father stole millions from the Russian mob.
And somehow, he’s still alive.
That’s exactly where Deon Cole shines.
Cole’s signature dry humor makes Joe the perfect character to anchor a show that can move from hilarious to horrifying within seconds. One minute, you’re laughing at the crew trying to figure out how they’re going to escape another ridiculous situation, and the next you’re reminded that the consequences surrounding them are very real, which is what co-star Michael Trucco feels makes the show so unique.
“I am in the presence of comic royalty. So you got to know your place,” Trucco said. “This is Deon’s realm. Malcolm, Cynthia, all of them— their comedic timing is extraordinary. This is a perfect example where you sit and watch, and I learned a lot from my co-stars because we all trust each other, and we learn from each other. There’s scenes in there where we’re like, there’s written words and they’re funny, and we stayed on script, but there’s the little essence that happens in between the lines that you don’t see on the page. That when I get the opportunity to be on set with Deon, it’s just, it’s such a treat.”
Season 2 not only reunites Deon Cole and Michael Trucco with Malcolm Barrett, Cynthia Kaye McWilliams, but it’s also welcoming Katlego Lebogang and Hakeem Kae-Kazim into the increasingly dangerous world surrounding Joe. It appears ready to ask what happens when the consequences of that discovery follow you halfway across the world, giving the series an opportunity to get even bigger.
Joe’s original motivation was protecting the people he loves, and Season 2 raises those stakes considerably by putting that family directly in the crosshairs. Suddenly, surviving isn’t enough. Joe has to figure out who is coming after them, what they want, and just how many secrets from the past are still waiting to blow up his future. Judging by where this season is headed, Joe Washington might want to reconsider calling himself average because most plumbers aren’t dodging assassins in Cape Town.
