Is the new Netflix crime drama ‘Average Joe’ based on a true story?
Netflix has now added the popular comedic crime series Average Joe to their platform, which initially aired on BET+ last year.
Robb Cullen created the show and follows a man named Joe, played by Deon Cole, who discovers that his father wasn’t as ordinary as he once thought. Viewers meet Joe at his father’s wake, who has died in a fire before the events shown in the series. Having assumed that his father was just an average truck driver, he gets a shock when Russian gangsters hound him for the money his father owes them.
Those watching quickly discover that Joe’s dad stole $10million and a Lamborghini from some scary mob members – and now the problem is our protagonist’s. Subsequently, Joe finds himself in all kinds of bizarre, terrifying, and hilarious situations as his life is flipped upside down.
It sounds so outrageous that surely the chances of such a story happening to anyone are slim? Yet, Cullen has actually revealed that the series is loosely based on something that happened to him after his own dad died.
So what’s the story?
Talking to Variety, he stated that his father was “a con man, as most record producers are.”
He added: “We moved a lot. We landed in New York, and my dad befriended a man — I’ll call him the Russian — and he was ‘muscle’ for a family. So, when my dad died not that long ago, I got a call from the Russian, who said, ‘I’d love to talk to you about your pop.’”
Cullen was told by the man, “You know, your dad took a lot from a lot of people,” before adding, “Just tell me where the fucking money is, Robb.”
While Cullen might not have ended up in the same situations as Joe, who works as a plumber and lives with his wife and child in the show, there are certainly various similarities running through their stories.
The show also stars Tammy Townsend as Joe’s wife, Angela, Malcolm Barrett as his best friend, Leon, and Cynthia Kaye McWilliams as Leon’s wife. There is a second season in the pipeline, with filming set to take place later this year. Thus, we can expect it to be released sometime in 2025.