Judd is the middle Foxman brother, currently unemployed and living in a basement after catching his wife with his boss. He is sarcastic and guarded, using irony to mask his vulnerability and deep-seated fears of aging and loneliness. Despite his cynical exterior, he is a romantic who desperately wants to feel loved, often spinning elaborate fantasies about the women he passes on the street.

Paul is the eldest Foxman brother, born 16 months before Judd. He is athletic, headstrong, and currently runs the family's sporting goods business. A devastating rottweiler attack in his youth ended his college baseball scholarship, leaving him highly protective, occasionally arrogant, and desperate to maintain control over his life and family.

Phillip is the youngest Foxman sibling, nine years younger than Judd. He is handsome, charming, and effortlessly seductive, viewing life as an adventure while his siblings view him as a cheerful wastrel. He frequently dates beautiful women and quotes movies to deflect serious emotional conversations, though he is the most openly expressive of the brothers.

Wendy is the eldest Foxman child and the only sister. She is a frank, unsentimental woman who relates to her brothers through sharp insults and practical observations. She is a neglected housewife raising three young children while her husband prioritizes his finance career.

Hillary is the 63-year-old matriarch of the Foxman family. She is a clinical psychologist who authored a best-selling book on child-rearing. She enjoys being the center of attention, speaks frankly about human sexuality, and frequently embarrasses her repressed children with her absolute lack of boundaries and revealing clothing.

Jen is Judd's strikingly attractive estranged wife of nine years. She is highly concerned with appearances and societal expectations. After struggling with the grief of a stillborn child and feeling emotionally disconnected from Judd, she sought validation through an affair with his aggressively masculine boss.

Mort is the recently deceased patriarch of the family and founder of Foxman Sporting Goods. Originally an electrician, he patched together his home's faulty wiring himself, reflecting the patchy connections within his family. Though non-observant in life, his final request forces his fractured family to sit shiva together for seven days.

Alice is Paul's wife, who is actively and anxiously trying to get pregnant. She feels the heavy burden of her fertility struggles and often acts out of desperation to start a family. Before dating Paul, she was Judd's first girlfriend in high school.

Linda is the Foxmans' next-door neighbor and a widow. She is a steady, grounding presence who oversees the food and logistics during the shiva. She is the devoted primary caretaker for her adult son, carrying the weight of his restricted future while remaining a pillar of support for the Foxman family.

Horry is the Foxmans' neighbor who suffered a severe brain injury during a college bar fight. He is prone to seizures and unable to live independently. Despite his physical and mental limitations, he possesses a sharp awareness of the emotional currents around him and refuses to be treated with pity.

Tracy is Phillip's girlfriend and professional life coach. She is sophisticated, mature, and several years older than him. She hopes to guide Phillip out of his reckless habits and instills a sense of discipline in him, though the rest of the family highly doubts the relationship will last.

Penny is Judd's high school best friend and former crush. She is a 35-year-old single woman still living in Elmsbrook and working at the family store. She represents Judd's past, and they share an old college pact to marry if they both remain single at forty.

Wade is a shock-jock radio personality and Judd's former boss. He relies on an aggressively sexual, hyper-masculine persona for his show. His affair with Jen triggers the collapse of Judd's life and career, establishing him as the primary source of Judd's lingering rage.

Barry is Wendy's husband, who works in finance. He is continually distracted by his job, emotionally distant from his wife, and entirely dismissive of his three young children, leaving Wendy to manage the chaos of their family alone.

Boner is a childhood friend of Paul's who is now the local rabbi. He earned his nickname in youth by showing his friends his father's pornography, making his current spiritual authority a constant source of irony and amusement for the Foxman siblings.

Peter is an older shiva visitor whose lecherous behavior and lack of boundaries deeply annoy Judd. To Judd, he represents the terrifying prospect of growing old, desperate, and unloved.

Chelsea is one of Phillip's old girlfriends who resurfaces during the week of the shiva. She represents Phillip's ongoing struggle to break free from his reckless past and complicates his current relationship with Tracy.