Line #236 Characters/AmericanVandalSeason1


1	[[foldercontrol]]
2
3	!The Morning Show 9
4
5	[[folder:Peter Maldonado]]
6	!!Peter Maldonado
7	->'''Portrayed by''': Creator/TylerAlvarez
8
9	Co-anchor of Hanover High's Morning Show, and the writer and director of true-crime documentary ''American Vandal''.
10	----
11	* AmateurSleuth: His reasoning and detective work allows Dylan to be proved innocent. In season 2, he shows [[spoiler: Kevin innocent of being The Turd Burglar, if not of causing the Brownout.]]
12	* AttentionWhore: The opinion of [[spoiler:Mackenzie]], as well as several others, who claim that he is only using the documentary as a way to gain notoriety in the school.
13	** On the other hand, all these people, ''especially'' [[spoiler: Mackenzie]] had their sketchy behaviour revealed by the documentary, and Sara's slut-shaming was probably the only case where the consequences were undeserved.
14	* BigOlEyebrows: Sports a pretty thick pair.
15	* CharacterDevelopment: Initially, he's pretty much only concerned with finding the truth and has no qualms about exposing a person's deepest secrets to further his case, but his experience documenting the case slowly changes him, and he ultimately becomes more empathetic by the end.
16	** This is especially true with Sara Pearson; he leaves her TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to him in the documentary, and admits in his voiceover that she was right to give it to him. It's his way of owning his callous behavior.
17	* TheComicallySerious: Much of the show's humor comes from how seriously he takes his investigation into who spray-painted a bunch of dicks.
18	* DarkSecret: He apparently masturbates to American Apparel catalogues. Huh.
19	* {{Determinator}}: He will not stop until he uncovers the truth.
20	* ForGreatJustice: His stated motivation. Just about everyone, especially Mackenzie and Sara, suspect otherwise.
21	* GracefulLoser: Although he can be kind of a dick, he leaves Mackenzie and Sara's attacks at him in the documentary, and he genuinely seems like he wouldn't have minded if Sam had been harsher on him.
22	* HiddenDepths: sort of. Peter and Sam actually show some very good investigative reporting and deductive skills at times during the show, especially in the latter half.
23	* InsistsOnBeingSuspected: He asks Sam to write the case against him for diligence.
24	* IntrepidReporter: He's determined to uncover the truth of who spray-painted the dicks on the teachers' cars.
25	* KidDetective: Along with Sam.
26	* NerdGlasses: Wears these.
27	* PlatonicLifePartners: With Sam. It only takes a hit when Peter suggests Sam might be the dick-drawer and brings his crush with Gabi into it.
28	* RudeHeroNiceSidekick: Although a downplayed example, Peter is the abrasive, unpopular, and self-absorbed the "rude hero" to Sam's "nice sidekick".
29	* SeriousBusiness: ''Everything'' is this to him, but especially anything investigation-related.
30	* WrongGenreSavvy: Played with. Peter is often pretty accurate about what they're dealing with, but he behaves like a real detective or documentarian.
31	[[/folder]]
32
33	[[folder:Sam Ecklund]]
34	!!Sam Ecklund
35	->'''Portrayed by''': Creator/GriffinGluck
36
37	Peter's closest friend and co-producer of ''American Vandal''.
38	----
39	* ChildhoodFriendRomance: A one-sided variant with Gabi Granger.
40	* CrazyJealousGuy: Peter portrays him as one of these in building a case against him. Sam is not amused.
41	* DeadpanSnarker: Provides a lot of comic foil to Peter's seriousness.
42	* DoggedNiceGuy: Towards Gabi as Sam and Peter's viewers notice. While Sam is a genuine NiceGuy, unlike most examples of this trope, he gets called out for thinking he could throw her boyfriend's cheating in her face as a way of saving her, and he genuinely accepts he was wrong.
43	* EveryoneCanSeeIt: Numerous fans of ''American Vandal'' comment on how he and Gabi should get together. Even Mr. Rafferty gets in on it.
44	* GirlFriday: A RareMaleExample to Peter, although they are co-producers, due to Sam being CloserToEarth.
45	* HiddenDepths: Sort of. Peter and Sam actually show some very good investigative reporting and deductive skills at times during the show, especially in the latter half.
46	* KidDetective: With Peter.
47	* PlatonicLifePartners: With Peter. It only takes a hit when Peter suggests he might be the dick-drawer and brings his crush with Gabi into it.
48	* RudeHeroNiceSidekick: The "nice sidekick" to Peter's "rude hero", Sam is genuinely kind to everyone and only [[TheDogBitesBack snaps at Peter]] once he exposes his crush with Gabi and makes him look like a stalker.
49	* StringTheory: Sam does the string theory board.
50	-->'''Peter:''' He's really into string.
51	* UnluckyChildhoodFriend: He views himself as being this, though it's heavily implied he would've been on much stronger ground if he ''hadn't'' mocked Gabi's boyfriend.
52	* VictoriousChildhoodFriend: Somewhat. Gabi forgives him for his insensitive comments, but it's made clear from her body language that she still regards him as just a friend. Poor Sam.
53	* TheWatson: To Peter. He's much more levelheaded and calm, unless Gabi is involved.
54	* WhatTheHellHero: Gives Peter one of these after Peter exposes his crush on Gabi.
55	* YourMom: Makes a number of jokes about Peter's mom.
56	[[/folder]]
57
58	[[folder:Dylan Maxwell]]
59	!!Dylan Maxwell
60	->'''Portrayed by''': Creator/JimmyTatro
61
62	The primary suspect in the case, Dylan has already been expelled for drawing twenty-seven dicks on twenty-seven staff members' cars at the outset of the series. Peter creates ''American Vandal'' in a quest to prove his innocence.
63	----
64	* AssholeVictim: Dylan is railroaded and expelled for a crime he didn't commit. However, he really is kind of an unlikable prick, someone who tends to treat people like crap and engage in childish, mean-spirited pranks like knocking over a porta potty with someone locked inside.
65	* BadLiar: How his mother claims she knows he's innocent. He lies to her all the time, but she can always tell because ParentsKnowTheirChildren.
66	* BookDumb: Dylan himself admits he's not book-smart -- or street-smart either.
67	-->'''Dylan:''' I'm not, like, book smart or fucking street smart or whatever, but, like, I'm not dumb.
68	* BreakTheHaughty: Although somewhat less serious than other examples, he's really incredibly dumb, impulsive, and immature. He matures a lot over the course of Season 1, which leaves him a much sadder, more introspective character.
69	* ButHeSoundsHandsome: Dylan maintains he didn't spray-paint the dicks, but he keeps saying how funny it was and that sure makes him look guilty. Although subverted, because he really didn't spray-paint the dicks.
70	* ConvictedByPublicOpinion: Dylan's case had circumstantial evidence and one dubious eye witness. He gets expelled mostly because his reputation as a {{Delinquent\|s}} makes everyone assume he did it.
71	-->'''Peter:''' Disruptive, disrespectful, a history of poor decisions. You can see why the school board was convinced that Dylan was the type of person to do the dicks. The label fit.
72	%%* ClassClown: But not a particularly funny one.%%ZCE
73	* DiggingYourselfDeeper: His rudeness to Mrs Shapiro and his insistence that the dick drawing was super funny does this for him.
74	* DumbassHasAPoint: Mackenzie and Dylan argue that he's ''too stupid'' to have deleted footage from the server. Sam and Peter admit that this is actually very good evidence of his innocence.
75	-->'''Mackenzie:''' School's talking about Dylan like he's some criminal mastermind. Like, ok, they say he deleted the the security footage. Dude, Dylan's too dumb to delete footage.\
76	'''Dylan:''' Yeah, true. I'd never think to do that.
77	* DumbassTeenageSon: To his long-suffering parents, especially his stepfather, who just seems to want the best for him. It doesn't stop Dylan being an asshole to them.
78	* {{Jerkass}}: Guilty or not, he isn't the most pleasant guy. Especially to Ms. Shapiro.
79	** JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Dylan's not a bad person deep down. He's just kinda dumb. And rude.
80	* LoveMartyr: Dylan keeps going back to Mackenzie, no matter how many times she dumps and manipulates him. [[spoiler:It's implied he would've gotten back together with her even after finding out that she cheated on him and withheld evidence that could exonerate him, if she hadn't broken it off herself.]]
81	-->'''Lucas:''' Dylan is whipped as fuck, dude. It's like problematic.
82	* ThePrankster: He and the Wayback Boys make terrible prank videos for Website/YouTube.
83	* SadClown: He's a goofy, laid-back guy, but by the end of the series he's hiding a lot of sadness.
84	* TheSlacker: Hard work isn't really Dylan's thing.
85	* TheStoner: Smokes a lot of weed.
86	* ThenLetMeBeEvil: [[spoiler: He didn't spray-paint the dicks on the faculty's cars -- but in the final episode he does spray-paint a dick on Ms. Shapiro's driveway after she refuses to apologize to him. He has no prospects for the future, and everyone's pigeonholed him into being an idiot, so he decides to fulfill that role.]]
87	[[/folder]]
88
89	[[folder:Christa Carlyle]]
90	!!Christa Carlyle
91	->'''Portrayed by''': Creator/GHannelius
92
93	Student Body President and a member of the Morning Show, as well as numerous other school clubs and teams. Known for her good grades and political activism. Was receiving a CPR certification at the time of the incident, and also on crutches from a broken foot.
94	----
95	* AmbiguouslyEvil: [[spoiler: May have been responsible for the dicks, with her boyfriend Van Delorey.]]
96	* BigBadDuumvirate: [[spoiler:If she drew the dicks with Van Deloney, they would be this.]]
97	* CPRCleanPrettyReliable: Was receiving a CPR certification at the time of the incident. [[spoiler: Except she wasn't. She doesn't even know CPR.]]
98	** Although you ''can'' have CPR certification and still [[spoiler: freeze, panic, or be too unsure in your skill to come forward in an emergency--especially if you're, say, at a party and had too much to drink. Having a certificate in something doesn't mean you have the skill.]]
99	* {{Expy}}: Christa shares a lot of traits with ''{{Film/Election}}'''s Tracy Flick, [[spoiler: including possibly being more sinister than she seems.]]
100	* {{Foil}}: By the end, Christa and Dylan are the [[spoiler:major suspects of the crime]]. Their opposite reputations as GoGetterGirl and TheSlacker heavily influence matters.
101	* GoGetterGirl: Christa is smart, friendly, pretty, high-achieving, [[StudentCouncilPresident Student Body President]], and [[ExtracurricularEnthusiast part of a ton of school clubs and sports]]. The case against her is quickly discounted because she has such a good reputation.
102	-->'''Peter:''' Christa does it all. Star athlete, star mathlete. She thrives within the system but ironically, isn't afraid to speak out against it.
103	* GranolaGirl: A vegan, and once attempted to force the school to change its mascot from humpback whales, on the grounds that humpbacks are endangered.
104	* JerkassHasAPoint: Coach Rafferty might consider her a jerk for contributing to the football team's loss (of one game), but Christa is absolutely correct in her main point: religious and gender equality ''is'' more important than high school football.
105	* LaserGuidedKarma: Pre-series. In one of her protests, Christa pours laundry detergent down the stairs to illustrate the corruption in the school system [[note]]which might actually be her last effort at peaceful means of protest, [[spoiler: about her complaint about Rafferty's behavior towards her being swept under the rug]][[/note]]. She slips on the detergent herself, and breaks her foot. She's on crutches during the "incident", and during her early interviews for the show.
106	* NiceGirl: Christa is generally kind to all and liked by all in return. [[spoiler: Even if she was responsible for the dicks, she still led the campaign to have Dylan exonerated, rather than let him take the rap for her actions.]]
107	* SoapboxSadie: Christa constantly interrupts school to make political statements. When ''American Vandal'' goes viral, she leads the campaign to have Dylan returned to school.
108	* TheStrategist: She's a member of the Strategy Club, though no one has any idea what that is.
109	** Also: her boyfriend Van Delorey is with her at Nana's party, but doesn't appear in any prom photos (the only one of Christa is in a limo with several friends) or the after-party. [[spoiler: Van might not be at the prom because he's not a Hanover student, and he ''might'' just have a commitment elsewhere during the party. But it's more likely that Christa decided not to take Van to anymore school events, in case someone noticed how easy it was to mistake him for Dylan from behind.]]
110	* StrawFeminist: Deconstructed. Everyone is annoyed at her SoapboxSadie ways, and her attempt to get on the football team is played as this. But it gets a whole darker and more sympathetic look once [[spoiler:we find out that Rafferty bullied, humiliated, and ''physically injured'' her just to punish her]]. Given that she made the team even with [[spoiler:Coach Rafferty's attitude to and resulting treatment of her]], she must be a fantastic sportswoman.
111	* VillainWithGoodPublicity: [[spoiler: If she was responsible for the dicks, then she's definitely this.]]
112	[[/folder]]
113
114	[[folder:Madison Kaplan]]
115	!!Madison Kaplan
116	->'''Portrayed by''': Creator/AylinBayramoglu
117
118	Co-anchor on the Morning Show. Was shopping with her mom at the time of the incident.
119	----
120	* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Peter freely admits she's much better at the anchor job than he is.
121	* TheGenericGirl:
122	-->'''Kraz:''' She seems fine. She seems like a nice enough student. Just uh, yeah... super, super boring.
123	* MaleGaze: Dylan earns her ire by zooming in on her boobs whenever he's filming her for the Morning Show.
124	* PutOnABus: Or, rather, most of the other protagonists go on the bus to the other school, and she doesn't. She was a senior is season 1, so presumably she graduated and went off to college.
125	[[/folder]]
126
127	[[folder:Ming Zhang]]
128	->'''Portrayed by''': [[Creator/CodyWaiHoLee Cody Wai-Ho Lee]]
129
130	The only member of the Morning Show to have no alibi for the day of the incident.
131	----
132	* AsianAndNerdy: Textbook case, though he's actually extremely popular.
133	* BeneathSuspicion: He's just too lovable to be the culprit.
134	-->'''Peter:''' Ming is the ''only'' member of the Morning Show Nine without an alibi. But when looking at him as a suspect, I think Sam captures my thoughts pretty succinctly:\
135	'''Sam:''' Dude, it's Ming.
136	* CopHater: When law enforcement arrives to break up the party at Rachel Balducci's grandmother's house, a drunk Ming makes his dislike of the police ''very'' clear.
137	-->'''Partygoer:''' Oh, shit, the cops are here!\
138	'''Ming:''' Fuck the police!
139	* CourteousCanadian: Despite Dylan believing him to be Chinese, he's actually from Toronto. He's a LovedByAll NiceGuy.
140	-->'''Peter:''' During the third-period food fight last December, Ming didn't throw a single thing. If fact, he actually helped clean up the mess afterwards. And two months ago, Randell Snyder caught Ming returning a $20 bill to the lost-and-found.
141	* EnsembleDarkhorse: InUniverse. Comments on ''American Vandal'' have a lot of love for Ming
142	* ForeignExchangeStudent: Ming is from Toronto, Canada.
143	* HardDrinkingPartyGirl: He goes absolutely nuts at both Nana's party and the post-graduation party.
144	* InscrutableOriental: SubvertedTrope. His name, appearance, and status as a ForeignExchangeStudent imply he's Chinese. Dylan brings this up to cast suspicion on him. But then it's quickly revealed Ming is actually Chinese-Canadian from Toronto, and fulfils a [[CourteousCanadian very different national stereotype]].
145	* LovedByAll: Everyone loves Ming. The only person who ever seriously questions his innocence is Dylan, and it's on purely racist grounds.
146	* NiceGuy: His defining characteristic.
147	-->'''Peter:''' A lot of people would agree that Ming is the nicest kid in school. In many ways, he's a sort of anti-Dylan.
148	[[/folder]]
149
150	[[folder:Randall Snyder & Phil Huang]]
151	->'''Randall portrayed by:''' Creator/TuckerAlbrizzi
152	Two members of the Morning Show who are ruled out as suspects due to both being hospitalized at the time. Randall is also credited with "Additional Photography" for ''American Vandal''.
153	----
154	* AmbiguouslyGay: Sam notes how unusual it is for them both to have been hospitalized with Mono--aka "the kissing disease"--at the same time.
155	* BitCharacter: Neither of them receive much characterization.
156	* SmallRoleBigImpact: Randall never speaks a line, but it's revealed in 1.04 that he has been the cameraman whenever Peter and Sam are both on screen.
157	[[/folder]]
158
159	[[folder:Emily Hershey]]
160	A member of the Morning Show who is quickly ruled out as a suspect, as she was in Pheonix at the time of the incident.
161	----
162	* BitCharacter: The only one of the Morning Show 9 to receive no characterization at all.
163	[[/folder]]
164
165	!Other Hanover High School Students
166
167	[[folder:Gabi Granger]]
168	->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/CamilleHyde
169
170	A childhood friend of Sam Ecklund's, she gets credit as a co-producer on ''American Vandal'' because she knows a lot of the seniors, and is credited as "Transpo Captain" because she has a car.
171	----
172	* ChildhoodFriendRomance: She's a childhood friend of Sam's, and he nurses a crush on her for a long time without acting on it. [[spoiler: At the end he finally makes a move.]]
173	* TheDriver: Played with. Gabi seems to be driving Pete and Sam everywhere in the investigation except for school, but subverts the trope by being a fully realized character.
174	* DudeNotFunny: [[spoiler:She does not appreciate Sam making light of Brandon cheating on her.]]
175	* NiceGirl: Comes off as an extremely likable person.
176	* TwoferTokenMinority: At times the most prominent female member of the team, while also being black.
177	* WhatDoesSheSeeInHim: Both in- and out-universe. Sam is not the only person to wonder this about Gabi and Brandon [[spoiler: even before it's revealed he cheated on her with Sara Pearson.]] Many of the viewers did, too.
178	[[/folder]]
179
180	[[folder:Mackenzie Wagner]]
181	->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/CamilleRamsey
182
183	Dylan's on-again, off-again girlfriend, who claims he was at her house at the time of the incident.
184	----
185	* AllTakeAndNoGive: Her relationship with Dylan, in a nutshell.
186	* AloofDarkHairedGirl: Towards Dylan in general, and more specifically when [[spoiler:it turns out she had a good reason to trash the gym teacher's]].
187	* AttentionWhore: She craves attention from Dylan, and stages break-ups with him so that he'll do elaborate things to win her back.
188	* BerserkButton: She's known to go nuts whenever her parents are having problems.
189	* BitchInSheepsClothing: [[spoiler: She stood by and let her boyfriend of four years be expelled from school, have his future plans (including college applications) ruined, be left open to felony criminal charges and possible jail time, as well as incurring possibly ruinous debt for his low-income family, rather than admit to cheating on him.]]
190	* ColdSniper: Her preferred style of gaming.
191	* DarkActionGirl: Although she did trash the Coach's office, she prefers to demonstrate it via video games.
192	* DirtyCoward: Revealed to be this in the finale, having had video evidence that would have [[spoiler: exonerated Dylan the entire time]], only showing this when ''she'' becomes a suspect.
193	* FemmeFatale: A downplayed and realistic example, but she plays on this trope, being Dylan's girlfriend who he can't resist.
194	* GamerChick: Has a popular Twitch stream.
195	* JerkassHasAPoint: [[spoiler:She let Dylan potentially go to prison, but she's got a point when she tells Peter he's acting out of petty jealousy towards people more popular than him.]]
196	* IdiotBall: Mackenzie has[[spoiler: time-stamped video evidence of Dylan's alibi, but doesn't use it because it reveals that she's cheating on him. It never occurs to her to ''edit the footage'' so it starts when she's walking to the bedroom door? All she needs is twenty seconds of time-stamped footage that clearly identifies her, Dylan, and her bedroom as the location. If she didn't already have the skills to edit the footage (unlikely), she could have just asked the Twitch helpdesk, or looked up instruction videos on Website/YouTube, and where to find free software she could use to do editing. If someone asks her why she's topless from the back? She's already telling Dylan she was changing--just say that she spilled her between-rounds drink on her top, and she intended to change out of view of the camera.]]
197	* TheLadette: She has elements of this, like her love of gaming and more masculine way of dressing, but this borders on being an InformedAttribute.
198	* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: In 1.07, she gives a very harsh one of these to Peter after he accuses her of being the vandal with a very convincing and personal theory. While she [[JerkassHasAPoint brings up a good point]]--that Peter aired everyone's dirty laundry in public just to make his documentary--it's mostly said out of spite due to her realizing that [[spoiler: the only way to clear her name would be to send the Twitch Stream that shows her cheating on Dylan before he arrives, proving both of their alibis ''that she's had the entire time.'']]
199	* RedHerring: [[spoiler:The biggest one in the series. 1.07 makes a solid case that she and Dylan worked together to spray-paint the dicks as a way to get back at Mr. Rafferty. But her Twitch stream exonerates her. ''And Dylan.'']]
200	* YokoOhNo: How the Wayback Boys perceive her.
201	-->'''Dylan:''' Here's the thing: I don't talk about Mack in front of my boys. And I don't talk about my boys in front of Mack. [...] If I told them I was with Mack, they'd be like... just giving me a bunch of shit. [...]\
202	'''Ganj:''' Mackenzie fucking sucks.\
203	'''Lucas:''' Dylan is whipped as fuck, dude. It's like problematic.
204	[[/folder]]
205
206	[[folder:The Wayback Boys]]
207	->'''Spencer portrayed by:''' Creator/EduardoFranco\
208	'''Lucas portrayed by:''' Creator/LouWilson\
209	'''Brianna portrayed by:''' Creator/JessicaJuarez
210
211	Comprised of Spencer Diaz, Lucas Wiley, and Brianna "Ganj" Gagne, the Wayback Boys are Dylan Maxwell's closest friends, so named because they go "way back". They have an unpopular Website/YouTube channel where they make unfunny, mean-spirted prank videos.
212	----
213	* BookDumb: Like Dylan himself, none of them are very bright.
214	* CloudCuckooLander: All of them, but especially Spencer.
215	* IdioticPartnerConfession: To try and play up the Wayback Boys' reliability, Peter asks them if they would cover for Dylan lying. Their answer is less than helpful.
216	-->'''Peter:''' Okay, if Dylan cheated on a test in school and this teacher was suspicious that somebody had cheated, would you lie and say that Dylan did not cheat?\
217	'''Spender:''' Yeah.\
218	'''Dylan:''' Dude, don't say that. That doesn't help. Say no. Say no.\
219	'''Spencer:''' What? Well, I mean, I ain't no rat. Why?\
220	'''Lucas:''' I would also say yeah.
221	* TheLadette / TheSmurfettePrinciple: Ganj is the only girl in the group.
222	* NonIndicativeName: The Wayback Boys include a girl.
223	* ThePrankster: Their M.O.. Unfortunately, they're not very good at it.
224	* TheStoner: All of them.
225	[[/folder]]
226
227	[[folder:Alex Trimboli]]
228	->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/CalumWorthy
229
230	The only witness to the crime, who insists that he saw Dylan spray-painting the dicks.
231	----
232	* CharacterTics: He says "One hundred percent" when he is [[spoiler: lying through his teeth.]]
233	* TheConspiracy: May have been part of one with Ms. Shapiro to [[spoiler:frame Dylan.]]
234	* ConsummateLiar: He claimed to be best friends with a dead student. [[spoiler: (He wasn't.)]] He claimed he drank 11 beers at Nana's party. [[spoiler: (He drank 1.)]] He claimed Sarah Pearson gave him a handjob. [[spoiler: (She didn't.)]] And he claimed he saw Dylan Maxwell spray-painting the dicks on the faculty cars. [[spoiler: (He didn't, but this may have been a genuine mistake and later misinterpretation, instead of an outright lie.)]]
235	** PlagiarismInFiction
236	-->'''Peter:''' That day, Alex earned huge points when he gave an [[RousingSpeech inspirational speech]] at the mess hall. He told his red team to "know yourself, and know your worth." But a quick google search would suggest he just took lyrics from a popular {{Music/Drake}} song and changed the N-word to "red team". ''[{{Beat}}]'' Not sure how I feel about that.
237	* GloryHound: It's implied that he may have lied about seeing Dylan so he could take the credit for saving lunch.
238	* HaveIMentionedIAmSexuallyActiveToday: He totally got a handjob from Sarah Pearson. [[spoiler: He didn't.]]
239	* KarmaHoudini: Despite Dylan constantly saying that he's going to kick Alex's ass the next time he sees him, [[spoiler: the worst he actually does is shake up Alex's soda and drop his pizza on the ground. It's intentional, to show Dylan's CharacterDevelopment and how he's actively trying to make a better name for himself.]]
240	* TheStoolPigeon: Tells the school board that he saw Dylan Maxwell spray-painting the dicks.
241	[[/folder]]
242
243	[[folder:Sara Pearson]]
244	->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/SaxonSharbino
245
246	One of the hottest girls in school. Whether or not she gave Alex Trimboli a handjob somehow becomes crucial to proving Dylan's innocence.
247	----
248	* AllLoveIsUnrequited: After being rejected by Van Delorey for Christa, she [[spoiler:consoles herself with Gabi's boyfriend Brandon.]]
249	* AlphaBitch: Subverted. She comes off this way at first, but proves herself a decent person.
250	* BigDamnHeroes: [[spoiler:Saves Ming with CPR at the graduation party.]]
251	* CPRCleanPrettyReliable: Uses an egregious version of this to save [[spoiler:Ming]] at the graduation party. It doesn't even look like she's touching him.
252	* HeadTurningBeauty: Kraz describes her as "distracting."
253	* HiddenDepths: She knows CPR.
254	* GiveGeeksAChance: How else do you explain her hooking up with Pat Micklewaite?
255	* ReallyGetsAround: Has hooked up with 14 people, including Michael Polowski, Brad Cormack, Scott Winter, Pat Micklewaite, and [[spoiler:Brandon Galloway]]. [[spoiler: But not Alex Trimboli.]]
256	* SlutShaming: Implied to have been a victim of this after ''American Vandal'' reveals her hookup list.
257	* WhatTheHellHero: Gives a well-deserved one to Peter in the final episode.
258	[[/folder]]
259
260	[[folder:Brandon Galloway]]
261	->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/LukasGage
262
263	Captain of the football team, and Gabi's boyfriend.
264	----
265	* JerkJock: Fits to a T.
266	* LaserGuidedKarma: During the scene at the prom after-party when Sam and Gabi make up, it pans past Brandon [[spoiler: and his date--who isn't Gabi. She dumped his ass for cheating.]]
267	[[/folder]]
268
269	[[folder:Pat Micklewaite]]
270	->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/JacobHouston
271
272	An inexplicably popular student, who Peter views as a rival.
273	----
274	* {{Gonk}}: How Peter perceives him.
275	* KavorkaMan: He's not conventionally attractive by any means, but somehow he's hooked up with both Sara Pearson and Paige Davidson. He was also invited to the party.
276	* SitcomArchnemesis: To Peter, who is consistently baffled as to how Pat is more popular than he is.
277	* TheStrategist: He's the only other member of the Strategy Club with Christa. Not that anyone knows what the Strategy Club is.
278	[[/folder]]
279
280	!Hanover High School Faculty
281
282	[[folder:Vice Principal Keene]]
283	->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/MattMiller
284
285	Hanover High's vice principal.
286	----
287	* GoodCopBadCop: If Kraz can be trusted, then he plays the Bad Cop to Ms. Shapiro's Good Cop when he cancels off-campus lunch.
288	* ObstructiveBureaucrat: Tries to hamper Peter's investigation, [[spoiler:when Peter gets too close to the faculty complaint records.]]
289	* TurnInYourBadge: A non-police version of this, when he bans Peter from filming ''American Vandal'' on school property.
290	[[/folder]]
291
292	[[folder:Ms. Shapiro]]
293	!!Erin Anne Shapiro
294	->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/KarlyRothenberg
295
296	Dylan Maxwell's Spanish teacher, and the presumed target of the vandalism.
297	----
298	* BitchInSheepsClothing: Dylan and Kraz certainly think so, but neither are entirely trustworthy.
299	* TheChessmaster: According to Kraz, who compares her to [[TheSpymaster Lord Varys]] from ''Series/GameOfThrones''.
300	* TheConspiracy: May have been part of one with Alex Trimboli to [[spoiler:frame Dylan]]. It's never made clear.
301	* CoolTeacher: Most students view her as this. It's only Dylan and his friends who see her as an:
302	* EvilTeacher: To Dylan, and possibly to other students she dislikes.
303	* FamilialFoe: While Dylan certainly earned her ire in his own right, it didn't start with him. Dylan's big brother Cooper was a pain in Ms Shapiro's ass first, and so by the time Dylan came along, she was already suspicious of him before he even did anything.
304	* FramingTheGuiltyParty: Possibly what she believes she is doing by [[spoiler:framing Dylan]], as well as strong-arming a student into claiming another student cheated on a test.
305	* GoodCopBadCop: According to Kraz, she plays the Good Cop to Vice Principal Keene's Bad Cop in the plot to expose the culprit behind the vandalism. She came up with the plan to cancel off-campus lunch, then he carried it out, and she promised to intercede with him if a student came forward with the vandal's identity. That is, if anything Kraz says can be trusted.
306	* JerkassHasAPoint: For a debatable value of "jerkass". Dylan's own (and other) social media footage proves that his bad reputation, particularly in Ms Shapiro's class, was thoroughly earned. Peter points out in 1.01 that Dylan's past behavior--which has been properly documented--is one of the factors in the strong case against him.
307	-->'''Dylan:''' I mean, yeah, I draw a penis from time to time.\
308	'''Admin:''' Time to time. Once a week?\
309	'''Dylan:''' Four times a week?
310	* NeverMyFault: [[spoiler:After Dylan's innocence is proven and he is reinstated at school, she admits she was wrong about him spraying the cars, but flatly refuses to accept responsibility for her mistake, instead claiming that Dylan's own actions made him look guilty.]]
311	* SternTeacher: The most generous interpretation of her behavior.
312	* VillainWithGoodPublicity: It's a matter of debate how "villainous" she is, but she does at the very least [[spoiler: attempt to frame Dylan for slashing her tire]]. Nonetheless, she is well-loved by most of the school.
313	[[/folder]]
314
315	[[folder:Mr. Rafferty]]
316	!!Kyle Joseph Rafferty
317	->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/SeanCarrigan
318
319	Coach of the football team at Hanover High, and 2016 Teacher of the Year.
320	----
321	* CoolTeacher: How most students see him.
322	* CreepyGymCoach: Mr. Rafferty appears to be extremely genial and popular, but it's hinted at that he's abused his position from time to time. [[spoiler:Kraz claims "he's roofied people." Rafferty has a suspicious complaint on file for "inappropriate conduct with a student." People seem to think the notion of a TeacherStudentRomance is at least ''plausible''. He possibly put Christa in a position where she would be injured as revenge for her ruining his pep rally, and then there's the matter of what he whispered to her when she was on the ground. It's never really answered.]]
323	* EvilIsPetty: [[spoiler:He set Christa up for a tackle drill unnecessarily, likely just to get back at her for her Rosh Hashana stunt that ruined one game for the team.]]
324	* EvilTeacher: At the very least, he [[spoiler:set Christa up to be injured just for a stunt]], but it {{zigzag\|gingTrope}}s around the idea that [[spoiler:he's had sex with some students]].
325	* HotTeacher: How some students see him. [[SilverFox His age is apparently not a detriment.]]
326	* HyperAwareness: He immediately catches on to Peter's secret camera.
327	* KarmaHoudini: The footage of Christa's kicker tryout proves a case of teacher bullying at least (there was no reason whatsoever for another player to tackle her--kicker's don't get tackled on the field--and she clearly wasn't warned it was coming, so she didn't brace herself. Not to mention that whatever he said to her while she was recovering from that was bad enough that she made a formal complaint), and not only does the complaint (of "inappropriate conduct ''with a student''") get swept under the rug, but he wins Teacher of the Year.
328	* NeverMyFault: When you look back, it's clear he blames Christa and her Rosh Hashana protest for the football team losing a big game. Her protest disrupted a ''pep rally'', which led to one of the football team's key players being made ineligible to play that game for joining her walkout. First off, as Coach he should have made sure that every player on the team knew the consequences for walking out of school (it's not like this is the first time Christa's done something like this). Secondly, also as Coach, he should be able to adjust his strategy to cover ''one'' missing player.
329	* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Comes off this way much of the time. He's extremely forthcoming and helpful in interviews, he chooses not to get Peter in trouble for violating Keene's ban, and he seeks out Peter and Sam in order to answer their questions when it seems as though they suspect him of something. [[spoiler:He still seems like he's hiding something.]]
330	* RiddleForTheAges: What did he say to Christa Carlyle after she got knocked on her back? [[spoiler: If she did plan the dick drawings in revenge for him getting away with, even rewarded, for his behavior towards her, as [[{{Lampshaded}} Peter and Sam point out]] it must have been something really bad for her to be pushed to such extremes.]]
331	%%* SmugSnake: Especially to [[spoiler:Christa]].%%ZCE
332	* TeacherParentRomance: ExaggeratedTrope. He HasAType for students' moms, and is describes as a "serial-dater". Most plot-relevant is his dalliance with [[spoiler:Mackenzie's]] mother, which resulted in [[spoiler:Mackenzie trashing his office.]]
333	* VillainWithGoodPublicity: [[spoiler:Maybe. It's implied that something was covered up by the school, but we never know what.]]
334	[[/folder]]
335
336	[[folder:Kraz]]
337	!!Steven "Kraz" Krazinski
338	->'''Portrayed by:''' [[Creator/RyanOFlanagan Ryan O'Flanagan]]
339
340	History teacher at Hanover High. Likes to be called "Kraz."
341	----
342	* CoolTeacher: {{Invoked\|Trope}} and {{Deconstructed\|Trope}}. Kraz really wants to be perceived as cool by his students, but he does so so transparently that most students see though him. He attempts to ingratiate himself just end up making him really bad at his job, saying inappropriate things and deprioritizing actual teaching.
343	-->'''Peter:''' Kraz really wants to be loved by his students, and will say anything to win their affection. With Kraz, there's no filter. He tends to insert himself into places he doesn't belong -- like when he put out a twitter poll predicting whether two of his students would break up. Needless to say, he has a bit of a problem with boundaries.
344	* DidntThinkThisThrough: Did he really think he could get away with saying what he did on video? Turns out that a teacher who trash talks his colleagues and comments on how hot one of his female student is in an attempt to seem cool won't be employed for very long.
345	-->'''Kraz:''' Honestly, when you were making it, I thought it was gonna be just like--you were just gonna show it to the kids in the school. Between me and you guys, I didn't know it would go viral. Kinda wish I hadn't said some of the stuff that I said. Man that's like--I really wish I hadn't said a lot of that stuff.
346	* EveryoneHasStandards: He suggests that Mrs. Shapiro is a CrazyCatLady... but then seems to this is a low blow and backpaddles. He admits that Shapiro is married, her husband is super cool, and cats are actually great.
347	* FiredTeacher: He is fired for things said in the documentary, and he completely deserves it.
348	-->'''Kraz:''' But, I mean, was the school just in firing me? ''[{{Beat}}]'' Honestly, yeah. Yes.
349	* GossipyHens: A RareMaleExample. He spouts all sorts of rumors about his fellow staff members.
350	* GreenEyedMonster: Kraz is extremely jealous of Ms. Shapiro getting more insurance money to pay for her damaged car than him. He can be seen storming off in a huff when Mr. Rafferty wins Teacher of the Year.
351	* TotallyRadical: His way of trying to come off as cool reeks of this.
352	* UnreliableExpositor: It's unclear if anything he says about the other teachers can be taken at face value.
353	-->'''Peter:''' As teaches go, Kraz isn't the most reliable. He says a lot of things just to sound cool.
354	[[/folder]]
355
356	[[folder:Mr. Maeda]]
357	->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/AaronTakahashi
358
359	Physics teacher at Hanover High.
360	----
361	* SternTeacher: Has a reputation for this, as he confiscates students' electronics for the entire semester.
362	* RedHerring: [[spoiler:It's hinted that he might have been the target of the vandalism, but the investigation into him only serves to definitively prove that Sarah Pearson did not give Alex Trimboli a handjob.]]
363	[[/folder]]
364
365	[[folder:Mr. Baxter]]
366	->'''Portrayed by:''' [[Creator/PLBrown P. L. Brown]]
367
368	Teacher in charge of the Morning Show. Credited as executive producer of ''American Vandal''.
369	----
370	* ApatheticTeacher: Shows very little interest in his job.
371	* RedHerring: [[spoiler:A number of fans suggest that he might be the vandal, but Peter dismisses these claims.]]
372	-->'''Peter:''' Mr Baxter does have access to the security footage, and a potential motive to lash out against the school. It's rumored he's being pushed into early retirement. [...] Could he have deleted the security footage? Yes. But could he have drawn 27 dicks in 8.1 minutes? No. He's too fat.
373	[[/folder]]
374
375	[[folder:The Janitor]]
376	->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/ChristopherCorbin
377	!!Hector Montegro
378
379	Hanover High's janitor. Generally considered "creepy AF."
380	----
381	* CrustyCaretaker: For Hanover High.
382	* FaceOfAThug: Definitely looks creepy, [[spoiler:but he isn't the vandal.]]
383	* RedHerring: [[spoiler:Some fans and students suspect that he must be the vandal on the grounds that he is "creepy AF". He may be creepy, but he's not the vandal.]]
384	[[/folder]]
385
386	!Other Characters
387
388	[[folder:Denise & Greg Kavanagh]]
389	->'''Denise portrayed by:''' Creator/DendrieTaylor
390	->'''Greg portrayed by:''' Creator/LarryJoeCampbell
391
392	Dylan Maxwell's mother and stepfather. Both convinced of his innocence.
393	----
394	* GoodParents: Probably better than Dylan deserves.
395	* GoodStepfather: Greg is good to Dylan, despite Dylan trying to paint him as a regular WickedStepfather.
396	* ParentsKnowTheirChildren: Denise can tell when Dylan lies to her and so she knows he is innocent of drawing the dicks. However, the way she tells it, it comes across more like a mother's bias than real evidence.
397	-->'''Denise:''' When Dylan does something stupid, and he does stupid thing all the time, I mean, he usually'll--he admits it to me. I mean… ''[{{beat}}]'' Well, okay, so--he doesn't admit it. He lies to me a lot. But I can tell when he's lying and he knows that I can tell when he's lying, so he knows he can't really lie to me because when he looks at me and he lies and I ask him a question [[YouCanAlwaysTellALiar it's like his ears get red on the top, so I know]]. So I don't think that he did it because… ''[{{beat}}]'' I just don't.
398	* YoureNotMyFather: Dylan's attitude towards Greg.
399	[[/folder]]
400
401	[[folder:Mr. Janson]]
402	->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/FrankFarmer
403
404	An elderly man who becomes a target for a prank by the Wayback Boys.
405	----
406	* ConspiracyTheorist: Runs a conspiracy webpage. The Wayback Boys use this trait against him in their prank.
407	* ScatterbrainedSenior: He's not exactly all there.
408	* SecretKeeper: He holds the only known evidence that could exonerate Dylan. [[spoiler: His daughter destroys it out of anger.]]
409	[[/folder]]
410
411	[[folder:Van Delorey]]
412	->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/HunterClowdus
413
414	The "hot" counselor at Camp Miniwacka. Boyfriend of Christa Carlyle, and unrequited crush of Sara Pearson.
415	----
416	* BigBadDuumvirate: It's strongly implied that [[spoiler:he is this with Christa]].
417	* ChekhovsGunman: He's mentioned only a few times in passing. [[spoiler:The final episode strongly hints that he drew the dicks.]]
418	* EasyImpersonation: A {{downplayed\|Trope}}--if realistic--version.
419	-->'''Peter:''' [[spoiler:Van and Dylan]] are both 5'10" Caucasian males with wide builds. [[spoiler:Alex Trimboli claimed he saw Dylan wearing a hoodie, but maybe he didn't get that clear of a look. It's not crazy to think that Trimboli saw Van Delorey instead.]]
420	[[/folder]]
421

Context Characters / AmericanVandalSeason1