This Fool Season 2 - Everything You Need To Know

With so many original shows and movies heading to the streaming realm these days, it feels like most are falling into the under-the-radar category. And as far as under-the-radar offerings go, "This Fool" is one that deserves to earn a spot in quite a few more. The slice-of-life comedy debuted to little fanfare on Hulu in the summer of 2022, but quickly became a low-key hit for the streamer, earning the adoration of critics and audiences alike.

The brainchild of rising stand-up comedy star Chris Estrada along with co-creators and directors Pat Bishop and Matt Ingebretson, the series follows the travails of Julio Lopez (Estrada), and his reformed gang-member cousin Luis (Frankie Quiniones) as they navigate the various, often hilarious, intricacies of their lives in Los Angeles. Though the series never quite reached smash-hit territory for Hulu, those that did tune in to stream it couldn't get enough of Estrada and company's heady mix of soulful, but slapsticky storytelling.

Those fans will be elated to know Hulu heard their cries to keep the "This Fool" train rolling, officially renewing the show late last year. Here's everything we know so far about Season 2 of "This Fool."

As reported by Variety, Hulu indeed made the Season 2 renewal of "This Fool" official in November of 2022. It's only fitting that Variety was among the first to break the renewal news as the entertainment outlet's critic Caroline Framke was an early champion of the series' unique approach to the well-covered "listless 30-something" genre of comedy.

That approach, of course, involves Chris Estrada and the "This Fool" creative team offering a deep dive into Latino culture in Southern California. The series' creative team will no doubt seek to dive deeper than ever into that cultural scene when "This Fool" returns for a second season of streaming fun. And if you're among the legion of fans eager to see where Julio's and Luis' stories go after the events of the Season 1 finale, you'll be happy to know Hulu has confirmed "This Fool" will indeed be back on July 28, 2023, with all 10 episodes dropping on the same day.

Given the series' ongoing tagline of following the perpetual "punk-a**-b***h with a heart of gold" Julio, you can expect his travails will only continue in the new season. They'll look dramatically different this go round too as the demise of the Hugs Not Thugs program in the Season 1 finale left him unemployed. That twist also threw a kink into Julio's relationship with Maggie, who broke things off with him after a tussle over their newly-rented apartment turned into a brutal state of the union on their relationship.

Thankfully, Julio finds respite with Luis, who has really started turning his life around after his time in the Hugs Not Thugs program. Luis agrees to let Julio move in with him, and that setup will no doubt be fruitful for serious comedy and drama in the new season. They'll reunite with Minister Payne, too, who, after dropping out of society to hang out in a trailer in the desert to clear his head, returns to Los Angeles to open a new anti-recidivist program out of the ashes of Hugs Not Thugs — a café called Mugs Not Thugs.

When "This Fool" does embark on its Season 2 journey, it will reportedly do so with the bulk of the primary cast fully on board. That naturally includes Season 1 stars Chris Estrada and Frankie Quiniones, who will headline Season 2 as Julio and Luis. Thankfully, they'll also be joined by Season 1 regular Michael Imperioli, who earned raves for his work as Julio's wily, but fully ordained Hugs Not Thugs cohort Minister Leonard Payne.  

As noted in the Season 2 First Look for "This Fool," those three actors are officially confirmed for Season 2 returns, as is Jamar Malachi Neighbors, who played Hugs Not Thugs' own Chef Percy Williams in Season 1. Though official announcements have yet to be made for much of the supporting cast, it's reasonable enough to assume that Season 1 regulars Julia Vera, Michelle Ortiz, and Laura Patalano will also be back in a similar capacity. And yes, we can also assume the new season will feature a similarly stacked run of special guest stars, potentially including spots from "This Fool" executive producers Fred Armisen and Jonathan Groff.  

On July 11, 2023, Hulu released the first trailer for Season 2 of its acclaimed single-camera comedy "This Fool." It appears that the new slate of episodes picks up not long after the personally catastrophic events that occurred at the end of Season 1. Minister Payne's felon rehabilitation bakery Hugs Not Thugs fell apart, leaving idealistic, hardworking Julio without a purpose or a job. He's enjoying "giving up" amidst a role reversal with his cousin, Luis, whom he counseled and acclimated to post-prison life in Season 1. Luis is now the driven, encouraging one, desperately trying to get Julio to get on with his life or get a job, like his in security — where his old problems with anger and aggression are beginning to resurface. The cousins are now roommates, along with Minister Payne, whose time spent in the desert listening for "frequencies" and shooting at things isn't a sustainable situation. All three guys, along with Chef Percy, look to be a big part of a Hugs Not Thugs successor: a coffeeshop run by parolees called Mugs Not Thugs.

That last bit might seem a little bit spoiler-y for some. And it admittedly is to those who've yet to log "This Fool" on their own personal radar. But there's a long, hilarious road to get to all those heartfelt Season 1 finale twists. And if you're curious about whether or not the Season 1 destination is worth the journey, you should know "This Fool" is currently boasting a 100% Fresh critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with audiences bestowing a 90% Fresh on the series themselves. So even if you do know a little about what fates await Julio, Luis, and the gang by season's end, the path there is still sure to pack plenty of surprises.

As a reminder, "This Fool" is a Hulu original production. That means you can check out all 10 episodes of the first season for yourself if you have a current Hulu subscription. And as Hulu and Disney+ are currently streaming bedfellows, you can watch Season 1 of "This Fool" on that platform as well.