According to The Hollywood Reporter, in news that is decidedly not the worst, Orange Is The New Black’s Samira Wiley is heading to You’re The Worst’s third season in a major role. Wiley will recur as Gretchen’s (Aya Cash) therapist Justina, helping her recover from her recent depressive episode and dealing with her overall mental health. Justina will be a critical part of Gretchen’s life moving forward, but she won’t only exist in terms of Gretchen; she has some life problems of her own, like her unambitious boyfriend and her Foursquare obsession. Wiley, who quickly became a fan-favorite on Orange Is The New Black as the endearing and radiant Poussey, is perfect for the kind of dark comedy You’re The Worst embodies, and the addition of Justina continues the show’s excellent exploration and depiction of depression and mental health.
This marks a reunion between Wiley and You’re The Worst creator Stephen Falk, who previously wrote on OITNB and actually wrote Poussey’s backstory. “It feels a little full circle or serendipitous that it’s happening in this way,” Wiley says. “Samira is an incredibly talented, thoughtful and exciting actress,” Falk tells THR. “When I worked on Orange Is the New Black I got to write the episode with Poussey’s backstory, and we had such a good time that early on in writing this season of You’re the Worst I hit on the random thought of having Samira play Gretchen’s therapist.”
Wiley is set to appear in five episodes of the FXX comedy. She noted that Justina is entirely different from Poussey, and that that’s what she wanted in a new role:
Orange and Poussey have given me my life as an actor, and where I am in my career right now. But I am an actor at the end of the day, and I want to make sure I can show the world different parts of myself. Poussey is not all that I am and as an actor, I want to be able to play roles that are wildly different from the last role that I’ve played. In terms of roles that I’m seeking now and movies that I’m doing, that’s the goal. To do things that are on the other end of the spectrum from Poussey.
Season three of You’re The Worst premieres on August 31 at 10 p.m. on FXX.