Lucy is a 26-year-old junior TV researcher who feels deeply frustrated with her living situation, romantic prospects, and stagnant career. Desperate for a better life, she uses a wishing machine to fast-forward 16 years. She wakes up as a 42-year-old executive with a beautiful home, a husband, and children. She is creative and driven but must manage a completely unfamiliar life while trying to catch up on the maturity she skipped. Her journey involves learning to appreciate the daily realities of adulthood.

Sam is Lucy's husband in the future timeline. He is a former musician who gave up writing original songs to score movies instead. Handsome, patient, and deeply devoted to his family, he takes on significant childcare responsibilities and tries to support Lucy through her sudden confusion. He represents the kind of stable, loving partner Lucy always desired.

Felix is Lucy and Sam's perceptive seven-year-old son. He quickly notices that the 42-year-old Lucy is acting strangely and suspects she is an imposter who replaced his real mother. He is creative, imaginative, and highly invested in his school projects. He becomes Lucy's unexpected ally in figuring out the wishing machine.

Amy is Lucy and Sam's toddler daughter in the future timeline. She is energetic and prone to typical toddler behaviors. Her presence presents an immediate parenting challenge to a completely unprepared Lucy.

Chloe is Lucy and Sam's daughter. She represents a significant piece of family history that heavily shapes Sam and Lucy's dynamic in the future timeline. Her birth significantly influences Sam's musical career and the family's traditions.

Zoya is one of Lucy's best friends and roommates in her mid-twenties. She is a former artist who traded her creative pursuits for a higher-paying, practical job so she can afford to travel and live comfortably. This pragmatic choice occasionally causes friction with the more creatively ambitious Lucy.

Faye is a grounded, wise member of Lucy's core friend group. She frequently provides perspective and emotional support when Lucy is struggling. In the future timeline, she is married to a woman named Alex and helps Lucy handle the overwhelming challenges of sudden motherhood.

Roisin is one of Lucy's best friends. She is part of the tight-knit quartet of women who support each other through their twenties and beyond. She experiences her own marital struggles later in life, proving to Lucy that no one's life is perfectly sorted.

Emily is one of Lucy's roommates in her twenties. She lives a chaotic lifestyle and frequently brings home guests like Ezekiel. In the future timeline, she transforms into a responsible working mother.

Julian is Lucy's male roommate in her twenties. His untidy habits and the constant presence of his girlfriend, Betty, add to Lucy's frustration with her living situation.

Betty is Julian's girlfriend who practically lives at the shared apartment. She contributes to the mess and crowding that frustrates Lucy and makes her desperate for her own home.

Ezekiel is Emily's guest at the apartment. He adds to the chaotic, crowded nature of Lucy's living situation in her mid-twenties.

Leonard is Lucy's upstairs neighbor in her twenties. He is an older, somewhat eccentric man who frequently ignores warnings about the building's leaky plumbing. He later bonds with Lucy and Felix over a shared appreciation for plants and adventures.

Melanie is Lucy's boss at the TV station in her twenties. She is a demanding, stylish professional who dismisses Lucy's creative input. She prefers to use her for menial runner tasks and advises her to keep her ambition in check.

Coleson is a young runner who struggles to learn the ropes at the TV station during Lucy's twenties. In the future timeline, he works for a rival production company, Ferret Productions, and directly competes against Lucy's team.

Dale is a man from a dating app who takes Lucy on a disastrous impromptu date. He proves to be a terrible kisser, and his inappropriate behavior prompts Lucy to flee into the rain.

The Old Woman is the mysterious operator of the shop housing the wishing machine. She recognizes Lucy's desperation and offers her coins. She warns Lucy that life is never completely sorted at any stage and that wishes carry significant consequences.

Margot is Lucy's mother. She is supportive and deeply invested in her daughter's well-being, frequently checking in on her career and personal life. In the future, she helps babysit and offers parenting advice.

Mr. Young is Lucy's father. He is a loving parent who enjoys traveling with his wife and chatting with his daughter about inconsequential things, providing Lucy with a sense of calm and grounding.

Maria is the housekeeper and nanny employed by Lucy and Sam in the future timeline. She assists with childcare and household duties. Her work makes the family's busy schedule manageable.

Dr. Shepperd is a medical professional who evaluates Lucy's sudden confusion in the future timeline. He officially diagnoses her with transient global amnesia, providing a medical explanation for her time-jump symptoms.

Michael is Lucy's coworker and eventual co-executive at Badger TV in the future timeline. He relies heavily on Lucy's expertise to run the production company and manage high-stakes pitches to major networks.

Trey is an employee at Badger TV. He is eager, seeks life advice from Lucy, and creates 3D renderings to help bring her television show ideas to life during critical pitch meetings.

Callum is a runner at Badger TV in the future timeline. Lucy initially uses him to secretly gather information about her own company. Her 26-year-old mindset leads to a briefly awkward moment between them.

Arcade Dave is an enthusiast of old arcade machines whom Felix and Lucy contact in their search for the wishing machine. He agrees to keep an eye out for the specific machine they need.

Mrs. Barclay is the head teacher at Felix's school. She interacts with Lucy during a particularly difficult morning, expressing concern when a series of mishaps occur involving Felix's lunch and Amy's illness.

Alex is Faye's wife in the future timeline. She shares a stable, loving relationship with Faye, contrasting with the struggles other characters face in their personal lives.