Avenue 5 Cast Members

Armando Iannucci, best known for creating the highly satirical political comedy Veep, debuted HBO sci-fi comedy Avenue 5 in 2020. This show follows a group of passengers trapped on an abandoned space cruise ship.

Hugh Laurie plays Captain Ryan Clark of JuddSpace luxury space cruiser. Josh Gad plays Herman Judd, the megalomaniacal owner. Zach Woods portrays Matt Spencer (head of customer relations on board). Rebecca Front stars as passenger Karen Kelly.

Hugh Laurie

Hugh Laurie is best known for playing an arrogant doctor on the American series House, but he is an immensely talented actor with other credits that include Armando Iannucci’s Veep and Catch 22. A multi-Emmy winner, Hugh now stars in an offbeat space-set HBO comedy called Avenue 5. Set 40 years in the future, and this show follows a luxury interplanetary cruise ship as it gets diverted off course by forces beyond our planet’s control.

Zach Woods plays Matt Spencer, Rebecca Front is Karen Kelly, and Lenora Crichlow is Billie McEvoy – two passengers on board Avenue 5. Nikki Amuka-Bird portrays Rav Mulcair, a strong-willed mission control engineer; she has appeared in various films such as Luther and Jupiter Ascending.

The first season of The Last Ship featured chaos, in-fighting, and rioting aboard its spaceship, while its second season should continue this trend. Himesh Patel returns as Jordan Hatwal – an established stand-up comedian who made waves in British theatre before landing roles such as The Night Manager and Millions on film.

Josh Gad

Hugo Laurie returns as Captain Ryan Clark of a space-faring cruise ship helmed by Hugo Laurie to lead passengers in an eight-year voyage home safely from space. When an unexpected technical malfunction leads to panic among his passengers, all sorts of havoc ensues, and chaos reigns supreme. But this motley crew will do everything in their power to return safely home as quickly as possible.

As well as Laurie, Avenue 5 features Zach Woods from Silicon Valley; Rebecca Front (Nicola Murray in The Thick Of It); Suzy Nakamura (Dr. Ken); Lenora Crichlow (Doug from The Office and Love Lies and Records; Nikki Amuka-Bird (Hard Sun); Himesh Patel (Station Eleven); along with Armando Iannucci – who writes each episode – as story credit on each episode as well as Kevin Loader, Simon Blackwell Tony Roche and Will Smith acting as executive producers on Avenue 5.

HBO comedy Desperate Housewives debuted in January 2020 and was renewed soon after that. Filming had to stop due to the COVID-19 pandemic; however, filming will resume for its second season later this year. Laurie recently joined Apple TV+’s Tehran as well as Netflix’s All the Light We Cannot See series as a cast member.

Zach Woods

Zach Woods is best known for his portrayal of Gabe Lewis on NBC’s award-winning sitcom The Office, but he also regularly appears on HBO series such as Veep, Playing House, and Silicon Valley, as well as movies like The Post and Angry Birds Movie. Most recently, he signed with boutique production company Imposter Productions as North American representation.

Avenue 5 is set 40 years into the future and follows a luxury space cruise ship’s captain and crew as they navigate disgruntled passengers and unexpected events on their journey home to Earth. Created and executive-produced by Armando Iannucci, it premiered in 2020.

Avenue 5 Season Two premieres in October 2017 after filming wrapped. Hugh Laurie stars as ship captain alongside Rebecca Front, Josh Gad, Suzy Nakamura, Lenora Crichlow, Nikki Amuka-Bird, and Ethan Phillips – most often passengers!

As the crew prepares to evacuate their ship, Judd instructs the AI to divide the vessel in half; those ranking in the top half are then moved forward while those in the bottom half move back where missiles cannot reach them. Rav, Iris, Billie, Matt, Doug, and Mia’s baby move into the front half while Clark Spike Karen Basic are sent to the back.

Rebecca Front

Front is a BAFTA award-winning English comedy actress best known for her roles on The Thick of It, On the Hour, and Knowing Me, Knowing You… with Alan Partridge, as well as the BBC series Outnumbered. In addition to acting, she has written two television series for Sky Atlantic.

Avenue 5 returns for its second season and continues the story of a luxury space cruise ship’s crew as they deal with disgruntled passengers and logistical obstacles in order to return home after two and a half years, following up from its first-season cliffhanger ending. Now facing an imminent lithium shortage crisis, their goal must be finding a solution back home on Earth.

Hugh Laurie stars as Ryan Clark, captain of a luxury spaceship that is filled with self-centered passengers. Josh Gad plays Herman Judd – the eccentric owner of Avenue 5, while Zach Woods portrays Matt Spencer – head of customer relations. Lenora Crichlow and Nikki Amuka-Bird round out the cast.

Suzy Nakamura

Suzy Nakamura has long been a familiar face on television screens thanks to her roles on Curb Your Enthusiasm and the British television series Being Human. Additionally, her short-lived sitcom A to Z made Black Mirror fans take note, and her portrayal of passenger Iris on Avenue 5 brought an extra sense of warmth and empathy into the storyline.

Josh Gad is best known as Olaf from Frozen and featured in Disney films Beauty and the Beast and Murder on the Orient Express; in Avenue 5, his character adds over-the-top comedy. Born and raised in Florida, Josh brings over thirty years of experience to his performance as billionaire owner Herman Judd.

Lenora Crichlow plays Billie McEvoy, one of the crew aboard a space cruise ship. Crichlow has appeared in multiple films and TV shows, such as the 2005 UK drama Sugar Rush and the British sci-fi show Being Human. Her character brings both empathy and humor – making for an excellent fit as Billie.

Nikki Amuka-Bird

Nikki Amuka-Bird is one of the most talented actresses currently working in television. Nominated for a BAFTA, she boasts an extensive stage and TV resume, including roles on Sugar Rush and NW from BBC dramas, as well as appearances in Holby City medical drama series.

Amuka-Bird stars as Rav Mulcair in Avenue 5. Her character is intelligent and unassuming but frustrated by a lack of power – adding depth and dimension to the show with every performance that portrays her both strong and vulnerable qualities.

Zach Woods plays Matt Spencer, the ship’s customer relations manager. A veteran of the comedy world with appearances on both TV and film, including roles in The Office and Silicon Valley. Zach brings his signature dry delivery, which adds humor and depth to Matt Spencer.

Lenora Crichlow plays Billie McEvoy, an engineer aboard Avenue 5. Her other television and film credits include Burton and Taylor, Back in the Game, Black Mirror, as well as Troika and NB Management repping her. Andy Buckley as Frank Kelly; Daisy May Cooper as Sarah/Zarah; Himesh Patel as Jordan Hatwal (“Funniest Man in the Universe”); Armando Iannucci created and executive produced the Avenue 5 series.

Lenora Crichlow

Armando Iannucci (Veep, The Thick of It) directed Avenue 5 season 2, featuring an interstellar cruise ship owned by billionaire Herman Judd and marred by technical mishaps and passenger unrest, becomes stranded years away from Earth due to technological accidents and passenger unrest. Hugh Laurie plays exhausted Captain Ryan Clark, while Josh Gad portrays shortsighted billionaire Herman Judd. To keep order aboard this vessel are Zach Woods as Matt Spencer’s head of customer relations, Matt Spencer as a nominal authority figure, and Lenora Crichlow as engineer Billie McEvoy strives hard to control chaos on board this massive spacecraft.

Crichlow, 35, began her acting career at 12 when she joined London’s Young Blood Theatre Company. Since then, she has taken part in many TV and film projects, such as guest-starring on Being Human as well as several episodes of Black Mirror.

Crichlow plays the part of Cindi on Avenue 5, and this role requires her to execute many complex walking scenes with other characters, which require precise timing. As more complex the dialogue becomes, these walking scenes become more complicated for Crichlow. She admits she worries if any lines slip while moving that, the location may need to start over, yet her castmates always offer support if she misses one while moving – these “walk and talk” settings are complicated because hitting precise marks while characters move around is necessary in order to pull them off successfully.