Risky Business (series) (Johnsonverse)

Risky Business is an American adult animated mockumentary comedy drama television series created by Jenny Smith. It stars the voices of Keith Scott, Anairis Quiñones, Arif Zahir, Kevin Afghani, Suzie Yeung, Ian Cardoni, and Mark DeCarlo. The series revolves around the production of a fictional, long-running game show named Risky Business.
== Plot ==
Risky Business follows production on the titular quiz show, which has been ongoing since 1992. After the retirement of longtime showrunner Walt McMasters in 2023, Australian television producer and soccer podcaster Milton Stevens has been selected by production company St. James Television to take over the reins. However, his clear lack of respect for the show (despite his claims to the contrary) and obsession with leaving his mark on it threatens his relationship with the tight-knit veteran staff members and the show's devoted fanbase.
== Characters ==
=== Main ===
* Milton Stevens (Keith Scott) is the executive producer of Risky Business since 2023, taking over from retiring longtime showrunner Walt McMasters. A native of Australia, Milton is a veteran in television with more than 30 years of experience; despite this, he has a poor track record of running game shows, and his massive ego and tendency to throw in gimmicks (such as a mass increase in tournaments to the point where they begin to outnumber regular play, as well as inviting celebrities to the Tournament of Champions and adding a bonus for running a category) to a series that historically hadn't relied on them leads to his more experienced staff having a very low opinion on him. Milton claims to harbor a deep respect for the series, but often fails to back up his claims; he admits privately that he does not actually care about the show or its fanbase, nor did he watch any episodes before he was hired. In fact, he only wanted the fame and notoriety that came with the job. He co-hosts a soccer podcast, Talking Footy, and a behind-the-scenes podcast, Talking Risky.
* Anna Fernandez (Anairis Quiñones) is the co-executive producer of Risky Business since 2005, and a co-host on Talking Risky. Behind the scenes, she has a low opinion of Milton and tries to keep him in check.
* Bobby Prescott (Arif Zahir) is the director of Risky Business since 2000. He tries to be friendly with Milton.
* Rocky Fabiano (Kevin Afghani) is one of two head writers for Risky Business, a role he has held since 2009.
* Tori Pham (Suzie Yeung) is the other head writer for Risky Business, a role she has held since 2006.
* Roy Reid (Ian Cardoni) is the series' longtime announcer since its beginning in 1992.
* Pat Grissom (Mark DeCarlo) is the host of Risky Business since its beginning in 1992. Like many staff members, he frequently butts heads with Milton behind the scenes.
=== Recurring ===
* Walt McMasters (Alan Oppenheimer) is the former showrunner of Risky Business from 1996 until retiring in 2023.
* Tami Lyn Arnett (Candi Milo) is the head of St. James Television, the company that produces Risky Business. Like Milton, Tami has a lack of respect for the show; she only hired him so St. James could implement its desired changes through Milton.
* Tommy Hemion (Alejandro Saab) is the owner of RiskyBusinessAnalysis.com, a website dedicated to providing stats and news on the show, and a moderator on the show's subreddit, r/RiskyBusiness. He is a prominent supporter of Milton, often defending him (despite his poor decisions) while frequently criticizing Walt for "thumbing his nose at (the fans)".
=== Guest characters ===
* Cal Dupree (Frank Welker) is a former producer who showed Milton the ropes of running game shows in the 1990s. He was unable to tell Milton "no" when the latter proposed gimmicks for game shows he produced, something Cal regrets.
* Michael Spencer (Aaron Paul) is a sports gambler who was a 47-day champion in 2021. He is based on former Jeopardy! champion James Holzhauer.
Category:Johnsonverse