Joe Pera
Joe Pera
Played by: Joe Pera
A kindhearted choir teacher living in Marquette, Michigan. Although he's only in his thirties, his behavior and interests generally reflect someone a lot older. As a result, most of his friends tend to be old people."Hello. My name is Joe Pera."
- Absurd Phobia: By his own admission, jack-o-lanterns. He takes a drive every Fall to reflect on why this is. Gene theorizes it's because each jack-o-lantern you carve has part of your soul in it.
- In season 3, Joe admits one of his biggest fears is, bizarrely, getting bitten on the nose by a snake and dying in a British hospital, nose swollen.
- Apologizes a Lot: Joe is quick to apologize if he thinks he made you even slightly uncomfortable.
- Blind Without 'Em: Joe has poor eyesight without his glasses. He tries at one point to train his eyes to not need them, but it doesn't work.
- The Bore: Joe's antics and interests tend to bore other people closer to his age.
- Canine Companion: Joe has a Basset Hound named Gus.
- Catchphrase: "Hello. My name is Joe Pera."
- Cool Car: He at least feels this way about his 2001 Buick Park Avenue.
- Disco Dan: Not only does he act like an old man, but even as a music teacher, modern music seems to have mostly eluded him.
- He dresses up as John Denver for his choir class in the Christmas special, thinking they'd know who he is.
- He also became obsessed with "Baba O'Riley", believing it to be a new song and trying to share it with everyone else. He also listens to it by calling every radio station he can to ask them to play it, rather than just looking it up online.
- Extreme Doormat: In the very first episode, he considers selling his house to a random family just because they thought it was for sale and he didn't want to disappoint them.
- Formerly Fat: Joe mentions in the first episode that he was a chubby boy, and flashbacks to his childhood show that to be the case.
- Fourth-Wall Observer: As the title of the show implies, Joe talks directly to you.
- Hidden Depths: Joe's certainly not the type of guy you'd expect to be into anime like Dragon Ball.
- Humble Hero: Joe is very happy with his simple life in quiet Marquette, Michigan. Whenever Joe has a "big" goal, it's something very mundane, like building an arch of beans in his backyard.
- Intergenerational Friendship: Because of the way Joe acts, he gets along best with older people.
- Momma's Boy: Or rather Grandmomma's Boy. Joe spends a lot of time with his Nana, and "Joe Pera Waits with You" shows that he routinely accompanies her to the hair salon and then goes out for a fish fry with her afterwards. Unlike most examples of this trope, this isn't portrayed as a bad thing.
- Nature Lover: Joe enjoys the beauty of nature and is very knowledgeable about trees. In fact, he says in "Relaxing Old Footage with Joe Pera" that he'd like to start his own television network, Tree TV, which would just be footage of trees and animals, with the occasional NBA game. He'd also like to make a Waterfall TV network, and merge the two into one.
- Nice Guy: Joe is uncommonly kind and very concerned with other people's feelings. In the first episode alone, he contemplates selling his house just so he doesn't have to disappoint the family who wants to buy it, despite it not being for sale.
- No Social Skills: Although he has a group of friends, Joe has a hard time making speaking casually with most people. He's at least aware of this fact.
- Raised by Grandparents: Joe's parents are never seen or mentioned, not even in flashbacks to his childhood, where he's only ever shown with two sets of grandparents. Further implied by Nana's obituary, which says she is survived by her grandson, with no mention of either of Joe's parents.
Nana
Frances "Nana" Josephine Pera
Played by: Josephine Pera (Season 0), Nancy Cornell (Season 1), Pat Vern Harris (Season 2)
Joe's grandmother.- Gossipy Hens: She and her friends gossip with each other when getting their hair done at the salon.
- Surprisingly Sudden Death: She suddenly passes away offscreen in the middle of "Joe Pera Has a Surprise for You".
- Technologically Blind Elders: An informed trope. Joe says after her passing that he never managed to teach her how to use the DVD player, and considers that one of his greatest failings.
Sarah Conner
Sarah Conner
Played by: Jo Firestone
The school's new band teacher. She appears pretty normal at first, but is eventually revealed to be a paranoid conspiracy theorist.- Conspiracy Theorist: Due to her paranoia, she believes in a lot of crackpot theories.
- Crazy-Prepared: Not only has a fully-stocked bunker in the event of societal collapse (whether it be temporary or permanent), but constantly carries various tools on her person. She even carries around both lethal and distinctively non-lethal self-defense mechanisms, such as the blinding flashlight she shows off in "Joe Pera Listens to Your Drunk Story".
- Fourth-Wall Observer: Temporarily becomes one in order to let a grieving Joe have some space to write Nana's obituary.
- In "Joe Pera shows you how to pack a lunch" she seems to have retained her fourth wall awareness as she urges Joe to tell you the story of what happened after he returned from the events of the previous episode.
- Improperly Paranoid: Is constantly worried about things like the power grid shutting down and other doomsday predictions, which is why she has a fortified basement full of non-perishable food.
- Late-Arrival Spoiler: Season 2 begins after Joe and Sarah have become an Official Couple.
- Meaningful Name: Although it's never commented on, she shares her name with Terminator protagonist Sarah Conner. A fitting name for someone worried about the future and apocalyptic events.
Gene Gibson
Gene Gibson
Played by: Gene Kelly
Joe's best friend and a retired freighter captain. He and Joe often get into wild shenanigans together offscreen, and because of this, Gene's wife Lulu has a rocky relationship with Joe.- Always Identical Twins: Has a twin brother named Glass who lives in Miami. Joe meets him in "Joe Pera Gives You Piano Lessons", mistaking him for Gene.
- Cool Chair: Starting in Season 3, Gene has become very passionate about chairs, eventually getting a job in a furniture store. Using his new employee discount, he gets himself a nice ergonomic recliner.
- Fourth-Wall Observer: Not quite as prominently as Joe, but he enjoys helping Joe out whenever he's trying to teach you something, and often ends up teaching Joe something in the process.
- Identical Twin ID Tag: Since Glass is living in Miami, he tends to dress in much louder clothing compared to Gene.
- Intergenerational Friendship: Gene is at least forty years older than Joe. By the end of Season 3, he's also befriended Gabriel, who is a middle school student.
- Parental Neglect: Gene admits that he wasn't always there for his sons when they were growing up, which he regrets, and now that his sons are adults, they don't seem to have the time for him. They patch things up when Gene acts as a substitute for one of their models in their fashion show.
Lulu Gibson
Lulu Gibson
Played by: Alma Washington
Gene's wife. Because of some things Joe has done in the past, she and him have a rocky relationship and she tries to avoid him if she can."Hey Joe. Please, don't come over here."
- Characterization Marches On: She gets closer to Joe after he gives her piano lessons so she can play a song at her and Gene's anniversary party.
- Happily Married: Despite her distaste for Joe and Gene's offscreen antics, she's still very much happy, and even asks for Joe's help to learn a song for their anniversary party, and also gives Joe advice on being in a relationship.
- Noodle Incident: Joe and Gene are often responsible for these, which is why Lulu doesn't really like him. Such incidents include ordering a bunch of movies off the satellite, pretending to be French-Canadian fur trappers in the house, and putting a bullet in the microwave.
Mike Melsky
Mike Melsky
Played by: Conner O'Malley
A car mechanic and Joe's new neighbor who moves in at the beginning of the series.- The Alcoholic: Drinks a lot, and ends up getting his license suspended in Season 3.
- Fourth-Date Marriage: He and Sue got married two months after meeting each other.
- Grease Monkey: He runs a car repair shop, and helps Joe install a CD player in his car so he can play "Baba O'Riley".
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He can be a real dick to Joe, and his childish outbursts and disgusting habits eventually start to deteriorate his marriage, but he can be supportive, visiting Joe after Nana's passing.
- Lost Food Grievance: His attempts to take a bite out of his perfect egg bite without breaking the egg yolk are treated this way, with him banging on the table and screaming every time he fails.
- Manchild: A less sympathetic portrayal than most. He often has loud outbursts in public, embarrassing his wife, and his treatment of Joe can often be pretty harsh.
- Real Men Eat Meat: In Season 2, he insists on eating an entire roast chicken as a single protein meal a day. He eventually promises to stop this diet in his apology to Sue.
Sue Melsky
Sue Melsky
Played by: Jo Scott
Mike's wife. She's a lot more mature than him, and is quick to tire of his childish outbursts.- Cloudcuckoolander's Minder: She often has to be the one to calm Mike down during his outbursts, although she's getting pretty sick of it.
- Fourth-Date Marriage: She married Mike two months after meeting him.
- Good Is Not Nice: She's there to keep Mike under control, and might help Joe out if Mike is being a bit of a bully, but she can be pretty curt with Joe as well.
- Lady Drunk: Downplayed. She's much more under control than her husband, but she and her friends get together for "Wine Wednesday" every week.
The Melsky Kids
The Melsky Kids
Nicole Melsky played by: Rose Callaghan, Josh Melsky played by: Eddie Reyes, Kelsey Melsky played by: Sophia Battinus
Mike and Sue's three kids.- A Boy, a Girl, and a Baby Family: A teenage daughter, a younger brother and a very young sister.
- The Cutie: Kelsey is a very sweet and innocent little girl, and a bright spot in an otherwise dysfunctional family.
- Troubled Teen: Nicole is very moody and gets into trouble while in Joe's class, and Josh seems to generally be a little troublemaker.
Gabriel
Gabriel
Played by: Zachary Uzarraga
A new student in Joe Pera's choir class, who spent his entire childhood living in an Antarctic scientific research base.- Intergenerational Friendship: He and Joe quickly hit it off, and Gabriel eventually finds his way into Gene's life, where they cooperate in a political campaign for Gene to be elected President of the World.
- New Transfer Student: He just moved to America from Antarctica of all places.
- Raised in a Lab: He was born and raised in an Antarctic research base, since his parents were scientists who worked there.
- Teen Genius: He and Gene end up accidentally finding an algorithm that can accurately predict the stock market.
- What the Hell Is That Accent?: He has a unique manner of speaking, and in his introduction to Joe's class, he attributes this to having been collectively raised by an international team of scientists.
- Wise Beyond Their Years: Is extremely well-spoken and insightful, and is usually seen socializing with adults rather than kids his age.
