Entertainment
The 'Tuca & Bertie' Guest Stars Might Be The Best Thing About Birdtown
Netflix's Tuca & Bertie will certainly feel familiar to BoJack Horseman fans — and that's for good reason since it was created by BoJack's production designer Lisa Hanawalt. But it might sound a bit familiar too, thanks to the Tuca & Bertie guest stars. The show already has a great leading cast with Tiffany Haddish as Tuca and Ali Wong as Bertie, two bird BFFs in their 30s living in the animated world of Birdtown. Wong has popped up on BoJack before in the "Escape from L.A." episode from Season 2, and some of the other characters who hang out with this toucan and songbird have been on Hanawalt's other show as well.
So even though you shouldn't go into Tuca & Bertie expecting it to be like the Raphael Bob-Waksberg, the shared look and the shared cast will inevitably delight BoJack fans. (And new Hanawalt fans as well.)
Since her breakout role in Girls Trip, Haddish has been in demand and 2019 marked her entering the world of animation with Queen Watevra Wa'Nabi in The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, an episode of Bob's Burgers, and The Secret Life of Pets 2 in June. Wong will have her own Netflix movie soon enough with Always Be My Maybe out on May 31 and she's done voiceover work throughout her career in movies like The Angry Birds Movie, The Lego Ninjago Movie, and Ralph Breaks the Internet. They're also joined by Bertie's boyfriend Speckles, voiced by Steven Yeun of The Walking Dead, Sorry To Bother You, and Burning.
With this core cast, guest stars are just the icing on top of the bird cage. But there are other characters who live in Birdtown with the Tuca & Bertie Twitter page highlighting the birdwomen's plant neighbor Draca, penguin baker Pastry Pete, and neighbor Dapper Dog. So here's who else you can expect to hear spreading their wings when Tuca & Bertie premieres on Friday, May 3.
Nicole Byer
Comedian Nicole Byer already has one show on Netflix since she hosts the baking competition Nailed It! Plus, she's one of the guest stars who also contributed her voice to BoJack Horseman for a couple of episodes. So the Loosely Exactly Nicole star has got the perfect résumé to join Tuca & Bertie.
John Early
Like Byer, John Early is no stranger to Netflix. He was one of the "characters" on Netflix Presents: The Characters and he joined the cast of Wet Hot American Summer for the series version. And with his brand of comedy, which he's highlighted on Search Party, he should fit right in with this wacky animated series.
Jermaine Fowler
Jermaine Fowler starred in the short-lived series Superior Donuts, but hopefully his time with Tuca & Bertie will last longer. Viewers might also recognize him as a telemarketer from Sorry To Bother You, where he worked with Yeun; the announcer of the 2017 Emmy Awards.; and Pete Repeat in BoJack.
Richard E. Grant
Get ready for some added British flavor courtesy of Richard E. Grant. He was up for an Academy Award in 2019 for his role in Can You Ever Forgive Me? but he has been on Netflix too. Although he was almost unrecognizable, he played The Man with a Beard in the final season of A Series of Unfortunate Events.
Tig Notaro
Tig Notaro's humor is often blended with her real-life, like in her Netflix movie Tig, Showtime documentary Knock Knock, It's Tig Notaro, and Amazon series One Mississippi. But she's giving herself over to the world of Birdtown for Tuca & Bertie.
Amber Ruffin
The Late Night with Seth Meyers writer has been popping up more onscreen in recent years, like on Meyers' late-night show, Detroiters, and Drunk History. So while you won't see her face on this animated series, it will add to her acting credits.
Tessa Thompson
Another Sorry To Bother You and BoJack alum in the cast is none other than Tessa Thompson. She has been pretty much everywhere since 2017 — with Westworld, Avengers: Endgame, and the upcoming Men in Black: International just to name a few — and she shows no signs of slowing down.
Jane Lynch
The inimitable Jane Lynch (Glee, Ralph Breaks The Internet) shows up as Bertie's former swim coach who helps her work through some childhood trauma in the final episodes.
Reggie Watts
The man behind the music of shows like The Late Late Show with James Corden, Comedy Bang! Bang!, and Key & Peele might be singing some bird songs with Tuca and Bertie for his appearance.
Just like with BoJack Horseman, fans should expect more amazing guest stars if there are more seasons of Tuca & Bertie. But for now, this lineup should have viewers cawing in approval.
