# That Girl Lay Lay (TV series)

That Girl Lay Lay is an American comedy television series created by David A. Arnold that aired on Nickelodeon from September 23, 2021 to March 20, 2024. The series stars That Girl Lay Lay, Gabrielle Nevaeh Green, Tiffany Daniels, Thomas Hobson, Peyton Perrine III, Caleb Brown, and Elijah M. Cooper.

## Premise

Struggling to make her mark at school and needing a best friend to talk to, Sadie wishes that Lay Lay, an artificially intelligent avatar from a personal affirmation app, were real and could help teach her how to stand out. When her wish comes true and Lay Lay is magically brought to life, they navigate life as teenagers and discover who they truly are, all while trying to keep Lay Lay's identity hidden.

## Cast
### Main

* That Girl Lay Lay as Lay Lay, an artificially intelligent phone avatar that comes to life in the form of a human teen girl with special abilities
* Gabrielle Nevaeh Green as Sadie, a girl who owned the phone avatar version of Lay Lay until it came to life
* Tiffany Daniels as Trish, Sadie's mother
* Thomas Hobson as Bryce, Sadie's father
* Peyton Perrine III as Marky, Sadie's brother
* Caleb Brown as Jeremy (season 1), Sadie and Lay Lay's classmate
* Elijah M. Cooper as Cobo (season 2)

### Recurring

* Andrea Barber as Principal Willingham, the principal of East Packer High School
* Kensington Tallman as Tiffany, the most popular girl in school
* Ishmel Sahid as Woody, the owner of Boombox Burger
* Anna-Grace Arnold as Gigi, an emo girl who only listens to herself
* Sean Phillip Glasgow as Lugnut
* Archer Vattano as Scoot, Marky's best friend
* Graydon Yosowitz as Graydon Waydon

## Production

On March 18, 2021, That Girl Lay Lay was ordered to series by Nickelodeon for 13 episodes, set to star Alaya High, who is otherwise known as Lay Lay. The series was created by David A. Arnold, who also serves as showrunner, and is produced by Will Packer Productions. Production for the series began in summer 2021. David A. Arnold, Will Packer, Carolyn Newman, John Beck, and Ron Hart serve as executive producers. On July 2, 2021, it was announced that Gabrielle Nevaeh Green as Sadie, Peyton Perrine III as Marky, Tiffany Daniels as Trish, Thomas Hobson as Bryce, and Caleb Brown as Jeremy all joined the main cast. On August 26, 2021, it was announced that the series would premiere on September 23, 2021.
On January 28, 2022, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on July 14, 2022.
On March 19, 2024, it was announced that the series would end after two seasons. The finale aired March 20, 2024.

## Episodes
### Series overview

| Season | Episodes | Episodes | Originally released | Originally released |
| Season | Episodes | Episodes | First released | Last released |
| 1 | 13 | 13 | September 23, 2021 (2021-09-23) | December 9, 2021 (2021-12-09) |
| 2 | 32 | 32 | July 14, 2022 (2022-07-14) | March 20, 2024 (2024-03-20) |

### Season 1 (2021)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Prod. code | U.S. viewers (millions) |
| 1 | 1 | "Out the App" | Wendy Faraone | David A. Arnold | September 23, 2021 (2021-09-23) | 101 | 0.27 |
| Sadie Alexander, a teenage girl, makes a wish that her hype-girl avatar, Lay Lay, would come to life. When she falls asleep, Lay Lay magically transforms into an actual human, so Sadie has to keep her a secret, passing her off as an exchange student from Houston, or else people will grow suspicious. Lay Lay convinces Sadie that she could stand out by running for class president against Tiffany, the popular girl in school. Guest stars: Andrea Barber, Kensington Tallman, Emma Winnick, Christine Rodriguez ||||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Lay Lay Lies Lies" | Wendy Faraone | Emily Winter & William Luke Schreiber | September 30, 2021 (2021-09-30) | 102 | 0.26 |
| After Lay Lay insults Trish's dinner, she and Sadie have to clean the dishes. Sadie then teaches Lay Lay about little white lies, such as the family praising "Trish's Dishes" when in reality they don't like them. Lay Lay takes the white lie up to extreme when she says that Trish's Dishes should be made everyday, which prompts Sadie and Lay Lay to make their own dinner, with disastrous results. Meanwhile, Marky and Bryce tries to make money from selling burger mugs to Woody (Ishmel Sahid). Guest stars: Ishmel Sahid, Isaiah Morgan Absent: Caleb Brown as Jeremy ||||||||
| 3 | 3 | "You-Go-Girl-Kart" | Wendy Faraone | Desia Gore | October 7, 2021 (2021-10-07) | 103 | 0.19 |
| Lay Lay decides to join the auto club so she could make a stylish ride, but Sadie, who feels she will mess it up, joins as well. When Lugnut (Sean Philip Glasgow) insults them by saying building cars is only for boys, which gets them to try to build their own ride to counter Lugnut. Meanwhile, Marky and Jeremy notice Trish's new invention and want to promote it. Guest stars: Andrea Barber, Kensington Tallman, Emma Winnick, Sean Philip Glasgow, Josh Banday Absent: Tiffany Daniels as Trish, Thomas Hobson as Bryce ||||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Lay Lay the Legendary" | Leonard R. Garner Jr. | Randi Barnes | October 14, 2021 (2021-10-14) | 105 | 0.28 |
| Guest star: Kate Flannery ||||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Ha-Lay-Lay-Ween" | Jody Margolin Hahn | Randi Barnes | October 21, 2021 (2021-10-21) | 110 | 0.25 |
| Guest stars: Andrea Barber, Kensington Tallman, Ishmel Sahid, Christine Rodriguez, Josh Banday Absent: Tiffany Daniels as Trish, Thomas Hobson as Bryce ||||||||
| 6 | 6 | "BoomBox Burger Bop" | Leonard R. Garner Jr. | Anthony Hill | October 28, 2021 (2021-10-28) | 106 | 0.18 |
| Guest stars: Andrea Barber, Ishmel Sahid, Sean Philip Glasgow, Graydon Yosowitz ||||||||
| 7 | 7 | "Ha-Lay-Lay-Lujah" | Leonard R. Garner Jr. | Angel Hobbs | November 4, 2021 (2021-11-04) | 111 | 0.26 |
| When the Alexanders attend their monthly visit to Church, Lay Lay has a whiff of Bryce's special ice cream without permission, and starts to suffer severe overheating. Sadie must convince Lay Lay to tell the truth should her glitch stop. Meanwhile, Marky pretends to be sick to get out of going to Church so he can watch a new movie. Guest stars: Ishmel Sahid, David A. Arnold, Lonyé Perrine, Roz Ryan Absent: Caleb Brown as Jeremy ||||||||
| 8 | 8 | "That Dude Dylan" | Kim Fields | Desia Gore | November 11, 2021 (2021-11-11) | 108 | 0.49 |
| Guest stars: Dylan Gilmer, Ishmel Sahid, Sean Philip Glasgow, Billy Van Zandt, Everly Carganilla Absent: Tiffany Daniels as Trish ||||||||
| 9 | 9 | "Mozzarella Heads" | Kim Fields | John D. Beck & Ron Hart | November 11, 2021 (2021-11-11) | 107 | 0.36 |
| Guest star: Natalie Lander Absent: Thomas Hobson as Bryce ||||||||
| 10 | 10 | "Lay Lay & Sadie's Big Hair Adventure" | Leonard R. Garner Jr. | Angel Hobbs | November 18, 2021 (2021-11-18) | 104 | 0.31 |
| Guest stars: Kym Whitley, Ishmel Sahid Absent: Caleb Brown as Jeremy ||||||||
| 11 | 11 | "Make Room for Lay Lay" | Jody Margolin Hahn | David A. Arnold | November 25, 2021 (2021-11-25) | 109 | 0.27 |
| Guest stars: Kensington Tallman, Ishmel Sahid, Tara Perry ||||||||
| 12 | 12 | "Fa-La-La-La-La-La-La-Lay-Lay" | Wendy Faraone | Emily Winter & William Luke Schreiber | December 2, 2021 (2021-12-02) | 112 | 0.30 |
| Guest stars: Andrea Barber, Ishmel Sahid, Pyper Braun ||||||||
| 13 | 13 | "Granny Fae Fae & Lay Lay" | Morenike Joela Evans | John D. Beck & Ron Hart | December 9, 2021 (2021-12-09) | 113 | 0.23 |
| When Sadie does not get the part she wanted in the play and Lay Lay's prank on the director goes wrong, Principal Willingham demands she sees Lay Lay's parents otherwise she will get expelled. Knowing Lay Lay is not from Houston, Sadie decides to disguise herself as her grandmother Fae Fae; despite the difficulties, the conference goes well and Lay Lay is off the hook. The episode ends on a cliffhanger when Marky overhears Sadie talking about Lay Lay's true identity. Guest stars: Andrea Barber, Graydon Yosowitz ||||||||

### Season 2 (2022–24)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Prod. code | U.S. viewers (millions) |
| 14 | 1 | "Ain't That a Glitch" | Wendy Faraone | David A. Arnold and John D. Beck & Ron Hart | July 14, 2022 (2022-07-14) | 201–202 | 0.25 |
| Guest stars: Joey Bragg, Sanai Victoria ||||||||
| 15 | 2 | "The Burger Games" | Wendy Faraone | Randi Barnes | July 21, 2022 (2022-07-21) | 203 | 0.15 |
| Guest stars: Andrea Barber, Ishmel Sahid, Elijah M. Cooper, Kensington Tallman, Anna-Grace Arnold, Wilkie Ferguson ||||||||
| 16 | 3 | "Lay Lay's Beauty Shop Day Day" | Kim Fields | Desia Gore | July 28, 2022 (2022-07-28) | 204 | 0.13 |
| Guest stars: Ishmel Sahid, Sean Philip Glasgow, Roz Ryan, Lonyé Perrine, Elijah M. Cooper, Archer Vattano, Marcus Folmar ||||||||
| 17 | 4 | "Lay Lay Gets a Pet Pet" | Kim Fields | Emily Winter & William Luke Schreiber | August 4, 2022 (2022-08-04) | 205 | 0.20 |
| Guest stars: Andrea Barber, Ishmel Sahid, Anna-Grace Arnold, Elijah M. Cooper, Archer Vattano ||||||||
| 18 | 5 | "Dylan and Rebecca's Cleve-Land-Land Adventure" | Jody Margolin Hahn | Desia Gore | September 15, 2022 (2022-09-15) | 210 | 0.17 |
| Guest stars: Young Dylan, Celina Smith, Archer Vattano, Joey Bragg, Brittany Ross ||||||||
| 19 | 6 | "Fami-Lay-Lay-Reunion" | Leonard R. Garner Jr. | Angel Hobbs | September 22, 2022 (2022-09-22) | 207 | 0.16 |
| Guest stars: Ramon Reed, Travis Wolfe Jr., Patricia Belcher, Gregg Daniel, Terrell Lee, Napiera Groves Boykin Absent: Peyton Perrine III as Marky ||||||||
| 20 | 7 | "Bars" | Jody Margolin Hahn | Freddie Gutierrez | September 29, 2022 (2022-09-29) | 206 | 0.19 |
| Guest star: Andrea Barber, Darryl "DMC" McDaniels, Kensington Tallman, Sean Philip Glasgow, Graydon Yosowitz, Elijah M. Cooper ||||||||
| 21 | 8 | "Freaky Fri-Day-Day" | Leonard R. Garner Jr. | David A. Arnold | October 13, 2022 (2022-10-13) | 208 | 0.23 |
| Guest stars: Kensington Tallman, Menik Gooneratne, Boone Nelson, Jane Carr Absent: Peyton Perrine III as Marky ||||||||
| 22 | 9 | "Lay Lay's Line Line Dance Dance" | Leonard R. Garner Jr. | Randi Barnes | October 20, 2022 (2022-10-20) | 209 | 0.14 |
| Guest stars: Andrea Barber, Elijah M. Cooper, Josh Banday ||||||||
| 23 | 10 | "Lay Lay's Par-Tay-Tay" | Kelly Elizabeth Jensen | Emily Winter & William Luke Schreiber | October 27, 2022 (2022-10-27) | 212 | 0.20 |
| Guest stars: Kensington Tallman, Elijah M. Cooper, Graydon Yosowitz, Anna-Grace Arnold, Good NEWZ Girls ||||||||
| 24 | 11 | "How Zelda Got Her Groove Back Back" | Wendy Faraone | Freddie Gutierrez | December 15, 2022 (2022-12-15) | 213 | 0.09 |
| Guest stars: Andrea Barber, Ishmel Sahid, Parvesh Cheena, Elijah M. Cooper, Archer Vattano, Graydon Yosowitz ||||||||
| 25 | 12 | "The App Came Back" | Evelyn Belasco | John D. Beck & Ron Hart | December 25, 2022 (2022-12-25) | 211 | 0.26 |
| Guest stars: Andrea Barber, Ishmel Sahid, Kensington Tallman, Elijah M. Cooper, Graydon Yosowitz, Miia Harris ||||||||
| 26 | 13 | "The Packer Packer Bowl" | Wendy Faraone | John D. Beck & Ron Hart | February 16, 2023 (2023-02-16) | 217 | 0.17 |
| 27 | 14 | "Sorori-Tay-Tay" | Kim Fields | Angel Hobbs | February 23, 2023 (2023-02-23) | 216 | 0.10 |
| Absent: Thomas Hobson as Bryce ||||||||
| 28 | 15 | "Beastie Pie" | Wendy Faraone | Emily Winter & William Luke Schreiber | March 2, 2023 (2023-03-02) | 214 | 0.13 |
| 29 | 16 | "A Place to Lay Lay Your Head" "Bringing Down the House House" | Natalie Van Doren | Randi Barnes | March 9, 2023 (2023-03-09) | 215 | 0.10 |
| Guest stars: Andrea Barber, Archer Vattano, Pyper Braun ||||||||
| 30 | 17 | "Bring It On" | Evelyn Belasco | Desia Gore | March 16, 2023 (2023-03-16) | 218 | 0.15 |
| Guest stars: Andrea Barber, Marissa Reyes ||||||||
| 31 | 18 | "Lay Lay's Little Little" | Morenike Joela Evans | Sandra Oyeneyin | March 23, 2023 (2023-03-23) | 219 | 0.13 |
| Guest stars: Anna-Grace Arnold, Archer Vattano, Graydon Yosowitz, Christine Rodriguez, Kaya Jackson ||||||||
| 32 | 19 | "Judge Lay Lay" | Leonard R. Garner Jr. | David A. Arnold | March 30, 2023 (2023-03-30) | 220 | 0.09 |
| Guest stars: Anna-Grace Arnold, Sean Philip Glasgow, Archer Vattano, Graydon Yosowitz, Preston Garcia ||||||||
| 33 | 20 | "Lay Lay Gets Ready to Rumble Rumble" | Kim Fields | Freddie Gutierrez | April 6, 2023 (2023-04-06) | 222 | 0.16 |
| Guest stars: Andrea Barber, Anna-Grace Arnold, Sean Philip Glasgow, Archer Vattano ||||||||
| 34 | 21 | "Ask Away-Way with Lay Lay" | Evelyn Belasco | Angel Hobbs | April 13, 2023 (2023-04-13) | 223 | 0.12 |
| Guest stars: Ishmel Sahid, Anna-Grace Arnold, Sean Philip Glasgow, Archer Vattano, Graydon Yosowitz, Christine Rodriguez, Marissa Reyes Absent: Elijah M. Cooper as Cobo ||||||||
| 35 | 22 | "All I Want for Christmas Is Lay Lay" | Jody Margolin Hahn | Randi Barnes | December 20, 2023 (2023-12-20) | 221 | 0.06 |
| Guest stars: Sean Philip Glasgow, Graydon Yosowitz ||||||||
| 36 | 23 | "Those Girls Lay Lay" | Leonard R. Garner Jr. | Desia Gore | February 19, 2024 (2024-02-19) | 224 | 0.06 |
| Guest star: Ishmel Sahid ||||||||
| 37 | 24 | "Sooth-Sadie" | Morenike Joela Evans | Emily Winter & William Luke Schreiber | February 21, 2024 (2024-02-21) | 225 | N/A |
| Guest stars: Ishmel Sahid, Kensington Tallman, Archer Vattano, Brandon Severs, Jay Brian Winnick ||||||||
| 38 | 25 | "Lay Lay Goes Away-Way" | Wendy Faraone | David A. Arnold | February 28, 2024 (2024-02-28) | 226 | N/A |
| Guest stars: Andrea Barber, Ishmel Sahid, Archer Vattano, Miia Harris, Miguel A. Núñez Jr., Kelly Perine ||||||||
| 39 | 26 | "Out the App 2: E-Lay-Lay-tric Boogaloo" | Wendy Faraone | John D. Beck & Ron Hart | February 28, 2024 (2024-02-28) | 227 | N/A |
| Guest stars: Miia Harris, Archer Vattano, Nicole Sullivan, Giselle Torres, Telci Huynh, Isabella Crovetti ||||||||
| 40 | 27 | "Granny Fae Fae's Back to Play Play" | Gwenn Victor | Mariah Rochelle Smith | March 6, 2024 (2024-03-06) | 228 | N/A |
| Guest stars: Andrea Barber, Telma Hopkins, Lincoln Bonilla Absent: Elijah M. Cooper as Cobo ||||||||
| 41 | 28 | "School of Rap" | John D. Beck | Alice Gammill | March 6, 2024 (2024-03-06) | 229 | N/A |
| Guest stars: Sara Rue, Kensington Tallman, Anna-Grace Arnold, Archer Vattano, Allisyn Snyder ||||||||
| 42 | 29 | "One Mo Bo" | Natalie Van Doren | Angel Hobbs | March 13, 2024 (2024-03-13) | 230 | N/A |
| Guest stars: Archer Vattano, Christine Rodriguez, Charity Joy Harrison, Rena Strober, David Shatraw ||||||||
| 43 | 30 | "Adventures in Parent-Sitting" | Evelyn Belasco | Warren Hutcherson | March 13, 2024 (2024-03-13) | 231 | N/A |
| Guest stars: Andrea Barber, Ishmel Sahid, Sean Philip Glasgow, Isa Eden, Innocent Ekakitie ||||||||
| 44 | 31 | "Powers to the People" | Jody Margolin Hahn | Sandra Oyeneyin | March 20, 2024 (2024-03-20) | 232 | N/A |
| Guest stars: Andrea Barber, Ishmel Sahid, Anna-Grace Arnold, Archer Vattano, Jalen Youngblood ||||||||
| 45 | 32 | "Toothaches and CHOFMA Breaks" | Evelyn Belasco | Freddie Gutierrez | March 20, 2024 (2024-03-20) | 233 | N/A |
| Guest stars: Billy Van Zandt, Kali Rocha ||||||||

## Broadcast

The first season is available to stream on Netflix as of January 21, 2022. The series was added to Paramount+ on February 2, 2023. However, it was removed on March 28, 2024. The second season was added to Netflix on February 23, 2023.

## Reception
### Critical response

Angelica Guarino of Common Sense Media gave the series a 4 out of 5 stars, stating that "technically, the show is sound: it has an engaging premise, a diverse cast, traditional sitcom conventions, and a bright and colorful set."

### Ratings

Viewership and ratings per season of That Girl Lay Lay :
| Season | Episodes | First aired | First aired | Last aired | Last aired | Avg. viewers (millions) |
| Season | Episodes | Date | Viewers (millions) | Date | Viewers (millions) | Avg. viewers (millions) |
| 1 | 13 | September 23, 2021 (2021-09-23) | 0.27 | December 9, 2021 (2021-12-09) | 0.23 | 0.28 |
| 2 | 23 | July 14, 2022 (2022-07-14) | 0.25 | March 20, 2024 (2024-03-20) | TBD | 0.15 |

### Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
| 2022 | NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Youth (Series, Special, Television Movie or Limited-series) | Alayah "Lay Lay" High | Nominated |
| 2022 | Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Kids TV Show | That Girl Lay Lay | Nominated |
| 2023 | NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Youth (Series, Special, Television Movie or Limited-series) | Alaya High | Nominated |
| 2023 | Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Kids TV Show | That Girl Lay Lay | Nominated |