What You Need To Know About "Jodie," The "Daria" Spinoff

I need to know when Jodie Landon will be back in our lives!

So far, the details about Jodie, the Daria spinoff first announced in 2018, are pretty sparse, but updates have slowly been trickling in — here's what we do know about the series so far:

For starters, it’s no longer a series.

MTV

In mid-May, Variety reported that instead of a show, Jodie will be an animated film.

What's it about?

MTV

MTV's original article about the spinoff said the Daria franchise would be "reinvented through the eyes of the beloved heroine and one of her closest friends, Jodie Landon."

About a year later, though, it was confirmed that Jodie will be the central character. (As of now there hasn't been anything concrete on how big a role Daria will actually play in the series, if at all.)

According to a 2020 press release from Comedy Central, the spinoff will pick up with Jodie graduating from college and "will satirize workplace culture, Gen Z struggles, the artifice of social media, and more."

Through "themes of empowerment along gender and racial lines, explorations of privilege, and a wicked sense of humor, Jodie will shine a light on the personal and professional issues young Black women face today.”

Grace Edwards @gracyact

The secret is out! So excited to be working with the brilliant @TraceeEllisRoss and bringing Jodie’s story to life https://t.co/evA0jUfjyZ

08:05 PM - 13 Jun 2019

MTV,  Image Press Agency/Alamy Live News / Via Twitter: @gracyact

Showrunner Grace Edwards told Huffington Post in December: "We’re gonna see Jodie Landon, who used to be the perfect Black teen, come to a whole other environment and realize that she was the big fish in the small pond. And now she’s a small fish in the ocean. It’s about her just growing into being an adult in a different environment than Lawndale where we get to see the 360 degree, full, three-dimensional character."

Daria fans might remember that in Is It College Yet?, which served as a sort of extended series finale, Jodie was wrestling with the decision to go to Crestmore University (likely a stand-in for Harvard or Yale) or Turner College (presumably a stand-in for Howard University or another HBCU). She ended up choosing Turner (after a little well-intended meddling from her boyfriend Mack that worked out for the best), so it makes sense that she might end up facing a bit of an identity crisis after all those years as a "big fish," as Edwards put it.

According to Variety’s recent report, Jodie will be facing this identity crisis in a big city, as an intern at a major tech company called Firstfinity.

Who's involved?

Michael Tran / AFP via Getty Images

If Edwards' name sounds familiar, it's because she's worked as a producer and writer for Insecure and Inside Amy Schumer, and as a story editor for Dollface and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

While Jessica Cydnee Jackson voiced the character during Daria's original run, in the spinoff, Jodie will be voiced by Girlfriends and Black-ish star Tracee Ellis Ross (who will also serve as executive producer). Ross told Vanity Fair: 

"I was in before we even sat down. They felt that I would be the right voice to bring Jodie to life, and I was like, whaaaaaaat? It was the perfect mash-up of all of the things that I want represented in the world."

Are any other Lawndale High alums making an appearance?

MTV

We will see the return of the Mack, Jodie’s boyfriend from Daria. He’ll be voiced by The Good Place and Love Life star William Jackson Harper. Former Lawndale High cheerleader Brittany will also be back, as an influencer at Firstfinity. I personally can’t wait to see if Arden Myrin of Insatiable and Shameless can nail Brittany’s signature squeak (or if her high school beau Kevin will make an appearance).

What about newcomers?

Dave Benett / Getty Images, Dominik Bindl / Getty Images

Better Things star and comedian Pamela Adlon will voice Jocelyn Light, Firstfinity’s VP of Internet Affairs and a hero of Jodie’s, while Dermot Mulroney of My Best Friend’s Wedding and The Family Stone fame will voice the company’s CEO.

Jodie won’t be Firstfinity’s only intern — she’ll be joined by Sandeep (Kal Penn, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle), Ryan (Cole Escola, Search Party), Greta (Zosia Mamet, Girls), and Nia (Helene Yorke, The Other Two). Wrangling them will be Barry the internship coordinator (Alex Moffat, Saturday Night Live) and Raymond the supervisor (Kofi Siriboe, Queen Sugar).

Rounding out the crew are Cas (Dulcé Sloan, The Great North), Jodie’s college BFF and post-college roommate, and Tiffany (Jojo T. Gibbs, Fresh), a neighbor and Cas’s ex.

What about Daria?

MTV

Even with the recent casting update and reveal that both Mack and Brittany will return, there's been no mention of whether Tracy Grandstaff, who originally voiced the character, will be involved. Ross did tell Vanity Fair that "we have definitely discussed the idea of Daria making her way through."

Of course, it's possible they'll recast Daria, as they did with Jodie, Mack, and Brittany (though it's hard to imagine anyone but Grandstaff in the role, since Daria's voice is such a big part of her character).

When will it be released?

MTV

No official release date has been announced, though the Huffington Post interview with Grace Edwards said we can expect a 2022 premiere. There’s no word on whether this is still the case, now that it’s a movie instead of show, but it would make sense, since this year is the 25th anniversary of Daria.

Where will I be able to watch it?

MTV

Though Daria was an MTV show, and MTV Studios is producing Jodie, it was originally announced that the spinoff would air on Comedy Central. According to the Variety report, however, “It is still being determined which platform/network within the Paramount ecosystem on which the film will launch.”

It might be the first of multiple Daria spinoffs.

MTV

According to Vanity Fair, MTV President and CEO Chris McCarthy envisions Jodie as the "first foray into a Daria Universe."

Maybe we'll finally get that Mystik Spiral spinoff that was in the works...

Are you excited for Jodie? Let us know in the comments!