Natasha Rothwell’s ‘How To Die Alone’ Sets Main Cast With Conrad Ricamora, KeiLyn Durrel Jones, Jocko Sims; Bashir Salahuddin To Recur
EXCLUSIVE: Conrad Ricamora (How To Get Away With Murder), KeiLyn Durrel Jones (The Other Two) and Jocko Sims (New Amsterdam) are set as series regulars opposite Natasha Rothwell in How To Die Alone, an original comedy from Onyx Collective for Hulu. Additionally, Bashir Salahuddin (South Side) will recur in the eight-episode series, which is written, starring and co-showrun by Rothwell via her overall deal with ABC Signature and Onyx Collective.
How to Die Alone follows Melissa (Rothwell), a fat, Black neurotic who’s never been in love. After a comical brush with death, she refuses to settle for anything less than the life she wants, catapulting her on a journey to becoming “100% that bitch” in real life by any means necessary.
More from Deadline
Ricamora will play Rory. Self-involved, boy-crazy, love-starved Rory is Mel’s well-meaning best friend. Rory loves to have a good time at all costs and is blind to his privileges — having been adopted by an über wealthy Upper East Side family. His father, the CEO of JFK, is embarrassed by Rory and his winding path in life. When his JFK crush, a bicoastal bae named Ben, shows interest in him, Rory finds himself experimenting with monogamy for the first time … and holding on for dear life.
Durrel Jones will portray Terrance, an Air Force veteran and one of Melissa’s closest friends on the tarmac at JFK. Terrance has a thirst for adventure that inspires Melissa. Their chemistry and his sense of humor keep Mel cracking up and hanging out with him on her smoke breaks. Mel is the brightest spot in his day, and he genuinely wants to help chase her dreams, but when he tries to hold her accountable, it sends her running in the opposite direction.
Sims is Alex, Melissa’s current boss and former fling. For Mel, Alex is the one that got away. For Alex, Melissa is the one who unceremoniously sent him packing. Engaged to be married but still working closely with Mel, Alex can’t help but audit what went wrong in their workplace situationship as he gets closer to walking down the aisle with his fiancée Julie.
Salahuddin recurs as Brian, Melissa’s holier-than-thou, know-it-all, CPA older brother. Unhappily married with two kids, he resents Melissa for her aimlessness and his mother for depending on him as “man of the house” but still finds himself helping them out, against his better judgment. It’s no wonder he needs a drink or two to help him unwind every night.
Rothwell and Vera Santamaria (PEN15) serve as co-showrunners and executive producers. Desiree Akhavan (The Bisexual) and Jude Weng (Only Murders in the Building) serve as executive producers.
Ricamora is best known for starring alongside Viola Davis in ABC’s How to Get Away with Murder. He was last seen in Searchlight’s Fire Island, directed by Andrew Ahn, and recurred on the past three seasons of Fox’s The Resident. He’s repped by A3 Artists Agency.
Durrel Jones recently recurred in the HBO Max series The Other Two. He starred in the short film Sparring Partner at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival and in Neil Labute’s feature Out of the Blue opposite Diane Kruger. He also recurred on HBO’s Succession and guest starred on East New York, Chicago Fire, The Equalizer and Blue Bloods. He’s repped by TalentWorks & JWS Entertainment.
Sims most recently starred as Dr. Reynolds in medical drama New Amsterdam, which wrapped after a five-season run on NBC. In addition, Sims’ short film Grown, a comedy that he wrote and directed, will have a world premiere at SXSW this year. Sims is repped by APA and Benedetti Entertainment.
Salahuddin is the co-creator, writer and star of HBO Max’s South Side as well as IFC/AMC+’s Emmy-winning series Sherman’s Showcase. Salahuddin was a staff writer on NBC’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, where he was nominated for an Emmy award. He and his writing partner Diallo Riddle are executive producing, co-writing and showrunning Book of Marlon, a comedy starring Marlon Wayans, which is in development at Starz. He’s repped by CAA and Yorn Levine Barnes.
Best of Deadline
Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
