Emily is a 36-year-old former assistant at Runway magazine who now works as a high-profile image consultant in Los Angeles. She works tirelessly to maintain her career against younger competitors while her husband, Miles, frequently travels for business. Sarcastic, quick-witted, and highly resistant to suburban norms, she relocates to the East Coast after a job falls through and seeks temporary refuge with her childhood friend in Connecticut.

Miriam is a former high-powered, Harvard-educated lawyer who recently relocated from New York City to the affluent suburb of Greenwich, Connecticut. She lives with her husband, Paul, and their three young children. While she tries to embrace the extra space and slower pace of the suburbs, she secretly misses her intense city career and battles deep insecurities regarding her changing body and her marriage.

Karolina is a 36-year-old former Victoria’s Secret and L’Oréal model married to Senator Graham Hartwell. She gave up her international modeling career to support her husband's political ambitions and act as a mother to her stepson, Harry. Following a sudden and highly publicized arrest for a DUI, she finds herself isolated from her usual social circles, barred from her home, and seeking emotional rescue from her old acquaintances.

Graham is a powerful and highly ambitious United States senator with his sights set on top-tier political office. He is meticulously concerned with his public image and swift to distance himself from Karolina when scandal hits. Rather than supporting his wife, he leverages the press to his advantage and uses her arrest as an excuse to enact sudden, devastating changes in their marriage.

Paul is Miriam's husband and the father of their three young children. He spends significant time at work or at the gym, presenting a picture of suburban fitness and success. His emotional distance and declining physical intimacy with his wife spark Miriam's fears regarding his fidelity and their future in Greenwich.

Miles is Emily's husband, a successful professional who frequently travels for business, particularly to Hong Kong. He shares a home with Emily in Los Angeles but is often physically absent, creating a sense of distance in their marriage despite their underlying affection for one another.

Harry is Graham's 12-year-old son from a previous marriage. His biological mother died when he was an infant, and Karolina has raised him since he was two. He shares a deep, familial bond with Karolina, acting as the primary motivation for her actions during the scandal.

Miranda is the formidable former boss of Emily and Andy at Runway magazine in New York. She remains an imposing, highly influential figure in the fashion industry, offering Emily a chance to return to her old life running the Met Ball.

Alistair is a divorced resident of Greenwich who strikes up a flirtatious conversation with Emily. Attractive and charming, he provides Emily with a temporary source of validation and attention during a period of professional and marital uncertainty.

Ashley is one of Miriam's friends in the Greenwich suburban circle. She follows celebrity gossip closely, is married to Eric, and actively participates in the local culture of lavish parties, self-scrutiny, and neighborhood rumors.

Regan is the daughter of a former United States president and is described as Ivy League political royalty. She represents the ultimate political asset for an ambitious senator like Graham, taking Karolina's place in his public life.

Trip is a lawyer and a close associate of Graham. He acts as the intermediary during Karolina's arrest and subsequent legal troubles, handling the immediate fallout of the scandal before she fires him.

Eric is Ashley's husband, a wealthy Greenwich resident who participates in the town's culture of excess. His suspicious behavior at parties and private gatherings causes distress for his wife.

Rizzo is a massively popular, Justin Bieber-level pop star who causes a media crisis by wearing a Nazi uniform to a party. He is arrogant, flippant about his public image, and entirely uninterested in apologizing for his offensive behavior.

Helene is Rizzo's frantic manager, desperate to clean up her client's disastrous image in the press. She initially hires Emily for the job but quickly replaces her with a younger competitor.

Olivia is a younger, highly successful image consultant who frequently poaches Emily's high-profile Hollywood clients. She represents the new generation of Hollywood fixers, adding to Emily's career anxieties.

Andy is Emily's former colleague from their early days at Runway magazine. Now busy with her own established life and career, she no longer has the time or inclination to entertain Emily's grievances about their old boss.

Agata is Karolina's aunt, who primarily raised her while Karolina's mother worked long hours as a live-in nanny. She offers Karolina emotional support from afar and reminds her of her inner strength during her lowest moments.

Elaine is Graham's mother and Harry's grandmother. Her home becomes the immediate physical refuge for Graham and Harry, providing a secure location away from Karolina and the press.

Benjamin is one of Miriam and Paul Kagan's three young children. He lives with his family in Greenwich and participates in the local suburban lifestyle alongside his siblings.

Matthew is another of Miriam and Paul Kagan's young sons, adjusting to the family's recent move from New York City to the affluent suburbs of Connecticut.

Maisie is Miriam and Paul Kagan's young daughter. She partakes in the local Greenwich lifestyle, occasionally visiting New York City under the supervision of family friends.