# Flatbush Misdemeanors

Flatbush Misdemeanors is an American comedy television series created by Kevin Iso and Dan Perlman. It is based on Iso and Perlman's 2017 digital series of the same name. In October 2020, it was given a straight-to-series order by Showtime. The series premiered on May 23, 2021. In August 2021, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on June 19, 2022. In September 2022, the series was canceled after two seasons.

## Premise

A raw and grounded comedy of city life, follows Dan and Kevin, who play characters struggling to thrive in their new surroundings in the brash environment of Flatbush, Brooklyn. The show explores two longtime friends seeking to climb out of their heads and connect with others.

## Cast and characters
### Main

* Kevin Iso as Kevin, a broke painter from the South, struggling to figure out how to make a living. However, he keeps bumping his head. In the first season, he lives on Dan's couch and delivers food for a local roti shop.
* Dan Perlman as Dan Joseph, a fish-out-of-water public school teacher with a fondness for Xanax. Dan handles chronic depression and an unlikely new stepdad with the help of partner-in-crime, Kevin. In the first season, he also works as the equipment manager and one-time coach for his high school basketball team, the Beauford Delaney Pigeons.
* Kristin Dodson as Zayna Bien-Aime, Drew’s niece. She’s strong and independent and one of Dan’s outspoken high school students.
* Kareem Green as Kareem, an uncompromising, confident alpha male. Kareem owns and operates Kareem's Larry's Bike Shop in Flatbush. He serves as Dan’s self-appointed guide to the neighborhood, excitedly claiming his role as Dan’s new stepdad.
* Hassan Johnson as Drew Hill, a bold and direct man who is extremely protective of his loved ones. Drew's demands come into conflict with the livelihoods of both Kevin and Dan.

### Recurring

* Maria Bamford as Maria, Dan's mom. Weird, upbeat, with mental health issues, Maria was emotionally dependent on Dan when Dan was a kid. When the series begins, Maria is now happier than she's ever been now that she's with new husband, Kareem. Maria's newfound joy with Kareem is confusing to Dan.
* Kerry Coddett as Jasmine
* Sharlene Cruz as Jess
* Napoleon Emill as Blue, Drew's friend and business associate. Blue is always playing video games and hopes to be a professional Untitled Goose Game player.
* Jackie Fabulous as Miss Venestine
* Sticky Fingaz as Anthony, Zayna's father.
* Sam Jay as Georgia, Kevin's older sister. Georgia is a successful music producer, who is the clear favorite to Kevin and Georgia's parents.
* Alyssa Limperis as Sydney, a Narcotics Anonymous participant who befriends Dan.
* Zuri Reed as Dami, a high school student and Zayna's best friend in the first season. Dami is the daughter of a Nigerian nurse and a Haitian minister. Dami does not appear in the second season, as it's revealed that her parents sent her to live in Africa for the year.
* Yamaneika Saunders as Dr. Flowers, Dan's therapist. Dr. Flowers has no patience for Dan. She knits during sessions and shouts at Dan when he doesn't follow her advice.
* Lenny Venito as Franklin, Dan's sponsor in Narcotics Anonymous.
* Zoe Winters as Nancy, the administrator of the No Negro Left Behind Art Fellowship. Nancy is in charge of Kevin's art fellowship in the second season. She lacks self-awareness and views herself as an ally to the black community.
* Roy Wood Jr. as Principal Douglass, the Principal at Beauford Delaney High School. Principal Douglass is by-the-book and no-nonsense, but not interested in playing a hands-on role running the school until necessary. He fills his drawers with children's snacks and quarter-waters. Douglass has little energy for Dan's missteps, but has few other staffing options, so he begrudgingly tolerates Dan.

### Guest

* Greer Barnes as Lawyer
* Joyelle Johnson as Nneka
* Cody Kostro as Terry
* Ali Siddiq as Bishop
* Dan Soder as Ben

## Episodes
### Series overview

| Season | Episodes | Episodes | Originally released | Originally released |
| Season | Episodes | Episodes | First released | Last released |
| 1 | 10 | 10 | May 23, 2021 (2021-5-23) | August 1, 2021 (2021-8-1) |
| 2 | 10 | 10 | June 19, 2022 (2022-6-19) | August 21, 2022 (2022-8-21) |

### Season 1 (2021)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | US viewers (millions) |
| 1 | 1 | "leanin'" | Justin Tipping | Kevin Iso & Dan Perlman | May 23, 2021 (2021-05-23) | N/A |
| Longtime friends Kevin and Dan struggle to thrive in their new surroundings in Flatbush, Brooklyn; when Kevin spills a local drug dealer's stash while on a food delivery, both their lives are thrown into unexpected upheaval. |||||||
| 2 | 2 | "vortex" | Justin Tipping | Kevin Iso & Dan Perlman | May 30, 2021 (2021-05-30) | 0.130 |
| Zayna deals with a rumour while Kevin deals with delivering on his first freelance painting job; Dan prepares to attend Jess's birthday party. |||||||
| 3 | 3 | "the chicken or the egg" | Justin Tipping | Kevin Iso & Dan Perlman | June 6, 2021 (2021-06-06) | N/A |
| When Kevin and Dan's jazz musician neighbor faces eviction, Kevin enlists Jasmine to organize a protest; Dan anxiously dreads an after-school meeting with Jess to discuss a case in which he expects to be fired for his ties to Drew and Zayna. |||||||
| 4 | 4 | "retrograde" | Nefertite Nguvu | Kerry Coddett | June 13, 2021 (2021-06-13) | N/A |
| Kevin spends a 'shrooms-filled night out with his successful sister which leads to a series of revelations; in an effort to make Dan bond with his stepdad, Dan's mum drags him into competing in the Greenest Block in Brooklyn contest. |||||||
| 5 | 5 | "dub" | Nefertite Nguvu | Chuck Hayward | June 20, 2021 (2021-06-20) | 0.063 |
| Dan vies for a position as head coach of his school's basketball team; Kevin has an encounter with Drew that begins a shift in their dynamic; Zayna, suspended from the dance team for her fight with Dami, has to deal with the consequences. |||||||
| 6 | 6 | "bad connection" | Nastaran Dibai | Chris Case | June 27, 2021 (2021-06-27) | N/A |
| Dan and Kevin's growing roommate tensions coincide with an ongoing fight between their new neighbors; when Dan struggles to have much-needed Zoom therapy with his brutally honest therapist, she manages to resolve everyone's issues simultaneously. |||||||
| 7 | 7 | "lockdown" | Brennan Shroff | Anna Salinas | July 11, 2021 (2021-07-11) | N/A |
| When the school goes on lockdown due to a bomb threat, Dan moves to help Jess defuse the situation while Zayna learns a shocking secret about her family through Dami. Meanwhile, Kevin meets with a gallery owner, who gives his work an honest review. |||||||
| 8 | 8 | "lakay" | Nefertite Nguvu | Kerry Coddett & Kevin Iso | July 18, 2021 (2021-07-18) | N/A |
| Zayna finds out the truth about what happened with her father, and she falls out with her uncle, Drew, and runs away. Meanwhile, Drew is looking for Zayna, and she goes to her teacher, Jess' apartment and finds her and Dan together, and stays there overnight. |||||||
| 9 | 9 | "breaking" | Brennan Shroff | Chris Case & Nastaran Dibai | July 25, 2021 (2021-07-25) | 0.055 |
| In the morning, Zayna is not found in the apartment where Jess lives, which is causing panic among Jess and Dan. Zayna is not present at school the same day either, causing more panic. Later, while Drew is with the principal of the high school where Jess and Dan work, and Zayna attends, Zayna comes into the principal's office claiming she just went to get breakfast and get her hair done. She then exposes Jess and Dan's relationship, and Jess is put on unpaid leave, while Drew has to report to the rubber room indefinitely. Since Zaya says she is unsafe, ACS investigates Drew to determine if he supplies a suitable living environment for Zayna, and when an investigator shows up, Drew shoots him. |||||||
| 10 | 10 | "peace" | Nefertite Nguvu | Chuck Hayward & Dan Perlman | August 1, 2021 (2021-08-01) | N/A |
| Zayna goes to Dami's house, who is letting her stay over until her parents get home from work. Dan tells Kevin to move out, and during this, Kareem comes over. Dan takes too many pills, subsequently overdosing and ending up in the hospital. ACS shows up to Dami's house asking if she knows anything about Zayna's whereabouts, and Dami's mother, Felicia, confronts the investigator, covering for Zayna. Dan leaves the hospital when he was not supposed to, and Zayna leaves Dami's house. A police officer shows up to Dan's apartment, and asks to come in to ask questions in connection to Drew shooting the ACS worker. Note: This episode ends on multiple cliffhangers |||||||

### Season 2 (2022)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | US viewers (millions) |
| 11 | 1 | "return" | Brandon Dermer | Dan Perlman | June 19, 2022 (2022-06-19) | 0.045 |
| Dan seeks to clear his reputation so he can be reinstated as a teacher, but Kevin has left town and is ignoring his calls; Drew struggles to get Zayna back in school. |||||||
| 12 | 2 | "obiageli" | Brandon Dermer | Kevin Iso | June 26, 2022 (2022-06-26) | 0.029 |
| Kevin returns home until the trouble in Flatbush dies down. |||||||
| 13 | 3 | "and to think i saw it on snyder ave" | Brandon Dermer | Kerry Coddett | July 3, 2022 (2022-07-03) | 0.042 |
| Drew gets frustrated as Zayna continues to flex her independence; Kevin returns to Flatbush to start his art fellowship; Dan gets acquainted with his NA group, then has a run-in with Drew that leads to unexpected consequences. |||||||
| 14 | 4 | "switzerland" | Meredith Dawson | Keith Heisler | July 10, 2022 (2022-07-10) | 0.060 |
| Zayna discovers the downside of living on her own and the responsibility that comes with it; Kevin and Dan's professional lives are put on hold when they attend the funeral of an old friend. |||||||
| 15 | 5 | "boomerang" | Dan Perlman | Keith Heisler | July 17, 2022 (2022-07-17) | 0.035 |
| Dan finally feels comfortable in NA, connecting with Sydney, until a surprise turns Dan's safe space upside-down; Kevin struggles to navigate the politics of his art fellowship; Drew's release from jail comes at a high price. |||||||
| 16 | 6 | "sandcastles" | Jordan Kim | Kerry Coddett | July 24, 2022 (2022-07-24) | 0.021 |
| Kevin is forced to confront Drew for the first time since returning to Flatbush; Zayna fears she may be losing her new boyfriend, Desmond; Dan and Sydney flirt with breaking the unwritten rule of NA. |||||||
| 17 | 7 | "scorpions and frogs" | Jordan Kim | Fran Richter | July 31, 2022 (2022-07-31) | 0.058 |
| Drew and Zayna try to repair their relationship after visiting her dad in jail; Kevin and Dan find themselves entangled in the mess that is Kareem and Maria's love life; Dan wrestles over whether to finally share his secret to Kevin. |||||||
| 18 | 8 | "hot potato" | John Lee | Nneka Samuel | August 7, 2022 (2022-08-07) | 0.045 |
| Zayna promises to help Amaya stay out of trouble. Dan attempts to control his Sex Ed class to pass his teacher evaluation. Drew finds his way into Kevin's art world once he decides to get out of the drug business once and for all. |||||||
| 19 | 9 | "boiling point" | John Lee | Dan Perlman & Saeed Crumpler | August 14, 2022 (2022-08-14) | 0.026 |
| Kevin's connection to Drew jeopardizes his art fellowship; family obligations put Desmond and Zayna's relationship to the test; Dan agrees to help Drew find legit employment, until revelations between Dan, Drew and Sydney change everything. |||||||
| 20 | 10 | "memento mori" | John Lee | Kevin Iso & Drew Dowdey | August 21, 2022 (2022-08-21) | 0.010 |
| Drew is determined to settle the score with Dan now that he knows the truth. Kevin finds out his fate with the art fellowship. Zayna's world is upended when her dad is unexpectedly released from prison. Season finale. |||||||

## Production
### Development

On October 12, 2020, Showtime ordered Flatbush Misdemeanors to series, with a ten episode, straight-to-series order. On August 24, 2021, Showtime renewed the series for a second season. On September 14, 2022, Showtime canceled the series after two seasons.

### Casting

On March 12, 2021, Kristin Dodson was cast as a series regular in the series. On March 25, 2021, Hassan Johnson joined the series.

## Release
### Broadcast

Flatbush Misdemeanors premiered on May 23, 2021, on Showtime. The first episode was made available online for free on YouTube, as well. The first episode of the second season premieres exclusively on Showtime on June 17, while the season debuts on television on June 19.

### International

The series premiered in the United Kingdom on August 12, 2021, on Sky UK.

## Reception

The show has received mostly positive reviews, with Robert Daniels of RogerEbert.com describing it as "a hilarious, unforced two-hander that feels totally fresh." The New York Times called Flatbush Misdemeanors "really funny." Flatbush has also been praised for its authentic portrayal of the neighborhood. Variety commended the "richly drawn world", while TV Guide described the show as "Old Brooklyn through and through, but still speaks for this generation" and "already one of the best shows of 2021". Upon the show's premiere in the UK, The Guardian commended the show as "fresh and thrilling."