Carbon Costume

It’s the year 2000. In Hulu’s cringe comedy Pen15, Maya Ishii-Peters and Anna Kone are two best friends navigating the trials of seventh grade at the turn of the 21st century. At the core of the show’s hilarity are 30-year-old actresses Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle portraying fictionalized versions of their former selves while surrounded by a cast of actual 13-year-olds. Like most teens, Maya Ishii-Peters lacks self-awareness; but that’s what makes her perfectly endearing and oddly amusing. In the iconic garage scene of S1 E2, Maya dresses to impress in true Y2K fashion with layered choker necklaces, an embroidered tank, low-rise khakis, and a large plaid shirt (which most likely came from dad’s closet).

Yorick Brown (played by Ben Schnetzer) is the titular last man in the FX on Hulu series Y: The Last Man, based on the comics of the same name.  Yorick, an amateur escape artist, traverses the streets of New York with his pet capuchin monkey Ampersand after a global event wipes out every other man (and male animal) on the planet.  After he’s reunited with his mother Jennifer, Yorick is taken under the protection of Agent 355 as they seek to unravel the mystery of how Yorick and Ampersand survived.  Yorick wears a gas mask with a hooded raincoat to obscure his identity and carries his faithful companion Amp with him at all times in a plastic pet carrier.

In the FX on Hulu show Y:  The Last Man, based on the comics of the same name, Agent 355 (played by Ashley Romans) is a mysterious agent of the Culper Ring tasked with protecting Yorick Brown, the only known human survivor of a global event that wiped out every biologically male being on the planet.  We first meet Agent 355 as she foils a plot by extremists in the Midwest of the Untied States.  Shortly thereafter, she is reassigned to pose as a Secret Service Agent, only for the world to turn upside down her first day on the job.  Agent 355 wears different types of clothing depending on her needs, though her outfits are always practical and easy to move in and often include gloves so she doesn’t leave any incriminating fingerprints behind.

Napoleon Marconi (played by Michael Shannon) is the perpetually optimistic patriarch of the Marconi family in the Hulu limited series Nine Perfect Strangers.  The Marconis travel to Masha Dmitrichenko‘s Tranquillum House to work through shared grief, and Napoleon is ecstatic about the possibilities for healing, as well as the fact that Masha has offered them a discounted rate to attend her exclusive retreat.  Napoleon wears a variety of collared button downs and polo shirts with khaki shorts and sensible trousers throughout the show.  In the final episode, he dons a burgundy polo with green tactical pants while he and his family undergo a harrowing spiritual journey (and he sports a gnarly bloody nose).  In another memorable episode, Napoleon–unknowingly under the influence of hallucinogenics–successfully hunts Masha’s pet goat for food.

Tony “Smiley” Hogburn (played by Bobby Canavale) is a former NFL tight end and one of the guests at Tranquillum in Hulu’s Nine Perfect Strangers.  Tony is a bristly persona with an addiction to painkillers.  While his relationship with Frances Welty is rocky from the start, the two slowly start to confide in one another at Masha Dmitrichenko‘s retreat.  Tony definitely prioritizes comfort over fashion, opting for gym-ready clothes paired with a utilitarian bucket hat to keep the sun off his face.

Frances Welty (played by Melissa McCarthy) is a famous romance novelist and one of the Nine Perfect Strangers who attend Masha Dmitrichenko‘s expensive Tranquillum retreat.  Frances finds herself at Tranquillum after suffering several personal and professional embarrassments, and while initially quite closed off, she soon grows close with a few of the other attendees including Tony Hogburn.  Frances wears many glamorously bohemian outfits and jumpsuits, so opt for light, flowy fabrics and don’t be afraid to layer different pieces together to achieve her look.

Masha Dmitrichenko (played by Nicole Kidman) is the enigmatic creator of Tranquillum, an expensive wellness retreat that promises its guests powerful transformation, in the Hulu mini series Nine Perfect Strangers.  Masha, originally from Russia, immigrated to the United States where she became a powerful CEO.  However, after she is shot and clinically dead for several minutes, Masha’s outlook on life is totally altered and she sets out to help others achieve freedom from their grief and other emotional issues.  Masha is a tall, thin woman with long blonde hair.  She favors all white ensembles that highlight her ethereal persona and sports a large scar at the center of her chest, a reminder of her brush with death.

In the future, Susan is a man’s name and reality TV really could be the death of you. In season 3 of Future Man, Susan (played by Seth Rogan) is the producer of the Diecathlon show that Tiger, Wolf, and Josh are subjected to as punishment for their time travel crimes.  Susan’s position at the network is precarious at best, and when the trio manages to escape, he must track them down through infinite time and space to save his job and keep his family (an android wife and daughter he leases from the network and who can be stored as small silver cubes).  Susan has a bright red patch of hair and wears several suits throughout the series, including one with a peacock feather bow tie and glitter on the lapels.