Helen is a thirty-one-year-old best-selling young adult author who recently moved to Los Angeles to adapt her book series, The Ivy Papers, for television. She suffers from writer's block and social anxiety, preferring to mask her insecurities behind a harsh exterior. She carries heavy trauma from her younger sister's death thirteen years prior and feels intense pressure to meet her parents' expectations.

Grant is a successful Hollywood screenwriter who takes a lead position in the writers' room for The Ivy Papers. During high school, he was a popular student, but he now hides his anxiety and panic attacks behind a professional demeanor. He feels immense guilt over his involvement in the car accident that killed Helen's sister.

Michelle is Helen's younger sister who died by suicide after running into traffic. Her death fundamentally altered the lives of her family members and the driver involved. In life, she exhibited a rebellious streak that eventually gave way to silence and angry outbursts.

A Chinese immigrant living in New Jersey, she honors her deceased relatives at an ancestral shrine in her home. She places heavy cultural expectations on her surviving daughter, expressing strong desires for Helen to marry a Chinese American man.

Helen and Michelle's father, who immigrated to New Jersey and built a financially stable life. He shares his wife's ambitions for Helen's career but expresses his pride more directly when seeing her success in California.

The established Hollywood showrunner heading the new series. She possesses a formidable resume and commands respect in the writers' room. She notices the interpersonal friction on her team and pushes her writers to confront their emotional roadblocks.

A woman from Helen and Grant's high school graduating class who remains in their hometown. She maintains a casual, ongoing physical relationship with Grant, offering him comfort and familiarity tied to their shared past.

A writer on Suraya's staff who fully embraces the intimate atmosphere of the writers' room. She takes a particular interest in her coworkers' dating lives and eagerly questions Helen about her romantic prospects.

A colleague on the writing team for The Ivy Papers. He hosts a Christmas party at his home and possesses a keen eye for the underlying history between his colleagues.

A writer on Suraya's team. He helps break the ice during a remote mountain cabin trip by offering his coworkers cannabis edibles.

A fellow writer on the staff of The Ivy Papers. She frequently socializes with the other women on the team outside of working hours.

The casting director for The Ivy Papers. He schedules a date with Helen, prompting teasing from the rest of the writers' room.

Grant's warm and talkative mother. She lives in a cozy Victorian house in New Jersey but is currently preparing to move away to Ireland.

Helen's former high school boyfriend. He still resides in their hometown and is now a proud father.

A cardiologist and the son of friends of the Zhang family. Helen's parents constantly drop hints that he would make an ideal husband for her.

An old high school acquaintance of Helen and Grant. He hosts an annual holiday gathering for their former classmates.