Peacock's Girls5eva is an exclusive musical comedy about a former girl band from the ‘90s getting back together in their middle-aged years. The show has been well-received a big reason for that is the cast, which was an interesting mix of musical stars and comedic actors.
Girls5eva, the group, included a top pop music star, a Broadway star, and two comedy actors from sitcoms and Saturday Night Live. The supporting cast featured Broadway performers that fans likely recognized but might struggle to figure out where they know them from.
Sara Bareilles - Jesus Christ Superstar Live In Concert
Girls5eva featured two real-life musicians and two comedian actresses playing the lead roles. Sara Bareilles played Dawn, the “chill” member of the group. Bareilles is a Grammy-winning singer-songwriter whose 2010 album Kaleidoscope Hart hit number one on the charts.
From 2018 to 2020, she gained critical acclaim for her role in the Broadway musical Waitress. She has the least acting experience of the cast, although she starred as Mary Magdalene in the 2018 NBC special, Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert.
Busy Phillips - Freaks and Geeks
Busy Phillips might be the most familiar face of the cast. In the series, Phillips stars as Summer, the “hot one” of the group. Phillips has been acting since the '90s and enjoyed her breakout role in the Judd Apatow series Freaks and Geeks.
Phillips starred as Kim Kelly, one of the freaks in the series. She was the girlfriend of James Franco’s Daniel Desario and eventual best friend of Linda Cardellini’s Lindsay Weir.
Busy Phillips - Dawson’s Creek
One year after Freaks and Geeks went off the air, a much more successful series launched called Dawson’s Creek. While not one of the key cast members on the show, Phillips was a recurring cast member as Audrey Liddell, a good friend of Katie Holmes’ Joey Porter.
Phillips played the 18-year-old daughter of a former actress who becomes friends with the entire gang. She starred in 38 episodes of the hit series.
Busy Philipps - Cougar Town
Younger fans likely remember Busy Phillips from a more recent show. In 2009, former Friends star Courtney Cox starred in a new ABC series titled Cougar Town. The show casts Cox as a 40-something woman named Jules who finds herself divorced and trying to figure out the next steps in her life.
Busy Phillips appeared as Laurie Keller in Cougar Town, one of Jules’ friends. She ended up as the highlight of the series through its six season run, appearing in every episode.
Paula Pell - Mapleworth Murders
Paula Pell stars as Gloria, the “always working” member of Girls5eva and the one who looks least like a traditional pop music star. Pell was a writer on Saturday Night Live for 18 years. She moved on to have smaller roles in shows like Parks and Recreation and 30 Rock thanks to her Saturday Night Live connections.
However, Pell’s best role came in her own series for the short-lived Quibi. She starred as the lead in the mystery-comedy titled Mapleworth Murders.
Renée Elise Goldsberry - The House With A Clock In Its Walls
The final fourth member of the lead cast of Girls5eva is Renée Elise Goldsberry. She plays Wickie, the “fierce member” of the group. She pretends to have a glamourous life but barely makes ends meet.
Movie fans saw her on the big screen in the 2018 Eli Roth film, The House with a Clock in Its Walls. In that film, she played the evil witch married to the villain — Isaac Izard (Kyle MacLachlan).
Renée Elise Goldsberry - Ally McBeal
Renée Elise Goldsberry is not only a successful actress, but she is also a strong musical star. From 2015 to 2016, she starred in the Broadway musical Hamilton as Angelica Schuyler, Alexander Hamilton’s sister-in-law, winning a Tony for her performance. However, she also had a long-running role in a very popular television series.
Calista Flockhart led the hit Fox legal series Ally McBeal. In the series, Ally visited a bar where Vonda Shepard performed. While Shepard starred as herself for all five seasons, Goldsberry appeared as one of her backup singers. She showed up in 43 episodes in this role.
Ashley Park - Emily in Paris
Ashley Park starred as Ashley, the fifth member of Girls5eva. She was the “fun one” and the glue of the band, so when she died, the band couldn’t continue. Park starred as Ashley, who passed away years before the band reformed.
Most recently, Park appeared in the Netflix series Emily in Paris. In that show, she played Mindy Chen, the nanny and first friend that Emily made when she went to Paris. Park starred in all 10 first-season episodes.
Dean Winters - Oz
Dean Winters works in Girls5eva as Nick. He is Dawn’s (Sara Bareilles) brother in the series and a wealthy entrepreneur who owns 10 businesses, including the restaurant where his sister works.
Anyone who watches television recognizes Winters from his role in commercials for Allstate Insurance as “Mayhem,” who gets involved in various accidents. HBO fans know him as well, as he co-starred in the prison series Oz as Ryan O’Reilly, one of the key prisoners on the show.
Jonathan Hadary - Veep
Jonathan Hadary starred in Girls5eva as Larry Plumb. He is the former manager of the girl band and is a sleazy owner of Plumb Management and Junk Removal. Hadary made his name on the stage, with several major theatre credits to his name.
However, TV fans also recognize him for his role on the HBO series Veep. He starred as Jewish private prison magnate Sherman Tanz, showing up in the sixth and seventh season of the series.