Netflix’s animated seriesBig Mouthis known for telling stories of puberty with humor, heart, and absolutely no filter. Other shows may be fairly frank about periods, wet dreams, and masturbation; you will probably have a hard time finding any that actually personify penises, diaphragms, and pubes. With talent likeNick KrollandAndrew Goldbergbehind the camera — mining their real-life experiences as childhood friends for storyline inspiration — the producers have been able to castBig Mouth’s recurring characters with wildly talented and beloved performers. Which are the most memorable among this remarkably stacked cast? Let’s count them down!
20. Rosa Salazar
Though she’s best known for her mo-cap role inAlita: Battle Angeland Amazon’s rotoscopedUndone,Rosa Salazargot to take a break from being realistically animated to becartoonishlyanimated for her role as Ms. Benitez, patient teacher to Nick (Kroll) and Andrew (John Mulaney) at Bridgeton Middle School. The kids' Coach Steve (Kroll) develops a pretty serious crush on Ms. Benitez after she teaches him how to read, but she politely declines his proposal of marriage, gently steering him toward a partner who is a better match for him intellectually — which is to say, someone who is not bright. Ms. Benitez is mostly a straight woman, but Salazar imbues her with a serenity and stillness that stand out amid the show’s madcap energy.
19. Kristen Wiig
Kristen Wiigjoins theBig Mouthguest cast in the elite category of People Who Have Voiced Body Parts. (See also:Craig RobinsonandJack McBrayeras pubic hairs.) Jessi (Jessi Klein), encouraged by her Hormone Monstress Connie (Maya Rudolph), uses a mirror to get a good look at her vulva, and finds that it’s nothing to be scared of: in fact, it is very friendly and cheerful! In the just-dropped fourth season, Jessi and her vagina take their relationship to a new level when Jessi — who gets her period at camp, when she doesn’t want to miss out on time in the lake — moves on from pads and tries tampons for the first time.
18. Alia Shawkat
Nick’s old camp girlfriend Roland (Alia Shawkat) is an impossibly cool and disaffected Manhattan girl we first meet in Season 1. As suburban kids, Nick and Andrew are a little awed by everything they encounter on this visit to the city, but even a jaded New Yorker might be thrown by Roland’s exuberant friend Mint (Kroll) and his pet dolphoodle — half dolphin, half poodle. Roland returns to camp in Season 4 to intimidate Jessi with her studied confidence…and Jessi’s not the only one.
17. Zachary Quinto
Matthew (Andrew Rannells), who’s been established as gay since his character’s introduction, finally gets to pursue his own crush storyline with the introduction of Aiden (Zachary Quinto) in theBig MouthValentine’s Day special. By the current season, they have DTRed as boyfriends. Aiden and Matthew are keeping their physical relationship at an age-appropriate level, but Quinto — hilariously — apparently can’t help making his voice performance super-sexy even while playing a middle-schooler.
16. Julie Klausner
Cheryl Glouberman (Julie Klausner) is Andrew’s cousin from Florida. While marking time until she can properly launch her career as a competitive vaper — by the way,a real pursuitand not just a gag they made up for the show — Cheryl is apparently determined to drive Andrew insane with unfulfillable horniness. So much of what givesBig Mouthits power is in letting viewers feel less alone in even their weirdest impulses, and Cheryl’s periodic appearances on the show are pitched directly at everyone who ever experienced confusing feelings about their cute cousins.
15. Harvey Fierstein
Matthew hasn’t had a lot of access to other queer characters before he meets Jerome (Harvey Fierstein), an older gay man who lives at Guy Town, an apartment complex for single men owned by Guy Bilzerian (Jason Mantzoukas), Bridgeton’s foremost divorce lawyer/scumbag. Matthew dismisses him as a “sad old queen,” but Jerome gets him to consider where acting superior and bitchy all the time is going to get him in life. Fierstein is a legend, and while Jerome returns for a fantasy sequence in Season 4, I would like to see Matthew get a lot more mentoring from him.
14. Michaela Watkins
Anyone who’s recently gotten to knowMichaela Watkinsfrom her role as Type A pediatrician Delia inThe Unicornmay marvel at the difference in her take on Cantor Dina. Initially, Jessi’s very free-spirited and nurturing guide through her bat mitzvah preparations, Cantor Dina is also, eventually, revealed to be having an affair with Jessi’s mother, Shannon (Jessica Chaffin), which becomes a contributing factor in the end of Shannon’s marriage to Jessi’s father, Greg (Seth Morris). Jessi never really comes around on Cantor Dina, but Cantor Dina is so self-actualized that she never seems to notice or care.
13. Natasha Lyonne
It’s rare for a boy to findonepillow with which he wants to have a serious sexual relationship; Jay (Mantzoukas) has been lucky enough to find several! After learning that his first love, Pam (Kristen Bell), betrayed him and got pregnant with his brother’s…throw pillow (?), Jay moved on to couch cushions Brad (Gil Ozeri) and Suzette (Natasha Lyonne), through which process he also discovered his bisexuality. Lyonne’s haggard voice is perfect for a couch cushion who’s beenthrough it. And as a bonus, this season she also cameos as Nadia Vulvokov, her character fromRussian Doll!
12. Nathan Fillion
A girl like Missy (Jenny Slate, at the time) — a studious only child who considers her parents her best friends — is naturally going to have more mature taste in crush objects, which is why she has a poster ofNathan Fillionon her wall and dreams about him in costume as Mal fromFirefly. Fillion appears in several of Missy’s fantasy sequences, evincing an excellent sense of humor about himself and his place in pop culture.
11. Seth Rogen
While Andrew has always been Nick’s best friend at home, Seth (Seth Rogen) is his best friend at camp, which is a particular relief in Season 4, since Nick and Andrew closed out the Season 3 finale with a vicious fight. Unfortunately, Seth is a friendly goof at heart and hits it off with Andrew; before long, the two of them have inside jokes together that Nick is not a part of (largely because he is refusing to get into the group shower due to self-consciousness about his still-prepubescent body). Seth betrays his worst self on the last night of camp, but not with Andrew or Nick; we’ll get to it….
