Season 2 of Fairfax is finally on Prime Video, and it’s the hottest drop on the block. Dale (Skyler Gisondo), Derica (Kiersey Clemons), Benny (Peter S. Kim) and Truman (Jaboukie Young-White), a.k.a. the gang gang, are back for more Fairfax Ave-filled shenanigans.
From a full-on brand war and flea market escapades to falling in love with AI girlfriends and school dances, Fairfax playfully and lovingly satirizes our collective obsession with status and fleeting trends while showcasing the trials and triumphs of adolescence in LA.
I had the privilege of chatting with Fairfax creators and executive producers Aaron Buchsbaum, Matt Hausfater and Teddy Riley about what fans can expect for Season 2, hidden LA gems and finding community.
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This interview is condensed for length and clarity.
Melody McCune: What inspired you to create Fairfax?
Matt Hausfater: I think growing up in Los Angeles and having a wonderful and diverse group of friends inspired the show. I can’t take full credit for it. Our producers at Serious Business called and said, “Hey, we would love to try and figure out a show in the world of Fairfax.”
I called Teddy, and Teddy called Aaron, and the three of us put our heads together. We came up with a fun show inspired by us growing up in Los Angeles and our parents dropping us off with 10 bucks on Melrose and Fairfax when we were teenagers saying, “Have at it.”
We also wanted to tell an authentic story about what it felt like to be in middle school, but adding 2022, wherein you have to know who you are and what your brand is at 13. It felt like an inherently funny way to start a show.
MM: What role has Fairfax Ave played in your lives, and why did you spotlight the community this way?
Teddy Riley: It was our stomping grounds. Wherever you’re from, there was probably a place where you hung out with your friends, and your parents dropped you off and said, “I’ll pick you up in five hours.”
For us, that was Fairfax. Whether going to the flea market or eating at Canter’s Deli late at night after a party, we always ended up back on the block somehow. It felt like its own world to us. There are Hasidic Jews and people with face tattoos walking around. It’s this melting pot of LA that felt unique and a part of LA that hadn’t been explored yet on TV.
Aaron Buchsbaum: We also saw the block transform over the years. Starting from this block with Judaica and kosher delis, I bought my tallits for my Bar Mitzvah on Fairfax. Seeing it go from that to this hub of streetwear and everything cool was a wild transformation and an interesting melting pot that felt rich for story and character.
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MM: How does the animation style for Fairfax lend itself to the story?
MH: Well, there are two artists; they’re brothers. They go by Somehoodlum. They had an incredible, hilarious, satirical, animated Instagram that we immediately knew could pair with this world because they were already a part of it.
They were skewering, commenting and drawing things such as Drake and Migos and whatever was in the cultural zeitgeist that week. They were poking fun at it with this wonderful, bright, fun, neon-type hue. When we wanted to create the show, we thought, who better than these kids that are already authentic and a part of this world to help us authenticate even further?
TR: Their characters are vibrant. The Fairfax blue is something we felt is iconic and representative of LA. We wanted it to feel like a West Coast show and to have that bright, poppy feel that being in LA gives you if you’re an out-of-towner like Dale.
MM: Describe Season 2 using three words.
MH: Must get renewed.
AB: I’d say “romantic” and “juicy,” pun intended because we incorporated Welch’s. And “war” because the brand war is a focal point of our story.
MM: What hidden LA gems can viewers expect for Season 2?
TR: The gang goes to the flea market. That is maybe not so hidden, but it’s a gem. Other than that, many of the places they go aren’t actual places in LA, but we’ll give it our spin. There’s a storyline where Truman gets a job working at a Dan Tana’s, Musso and Frank’s type of spot called Don Pardo’s.
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MM: What kind of shenanigans will the gang gang get into this season?
AB: One member may or may not turn into a werewolf.
MH: AI girlfriends, school dances —
AB: Guy Fieri!
TR: A friend versus friend showdown, a brand versus brand showdown and a musical sequence inspired by The Lion King.
MM: The show explores this hunger for being part of a community — a universally relatable thing. How does this season expand on that?
MH: I know this is going to date me, but when you’re younger, it’s like, are you a Mac or a PC? Do you like The Rolling Stones or The Beatles? Do you rollerblade or skateboard?
That’s so ’90s, but when you’re 13, there’s no gray. It’s black or white. You are dug into your beliefs, likes and things you don’t like. We thought, wouldn’t it be hilarious if these superficial things could tear apart a friend group and what it would do to them.
MM: Do you have a favorite scene from Season 2?
AB: We have a Breakfast Club-inspired dance number in our fifth episode that I think is a very 2022 contemporary take on it. It plays to various emotions and feelings while being funny and explores characters we haven’t had a chance to explore. I would say that’s one of my favorites.
MH: My favorite moment is in the penultimate episode, where we are testing the strengths of the gang gang. Even though the show’s animated, we can go toe-to-toe performance-wise with Ozark and Severance.
TR: There’s an episode where Principal Weston (Colton Dunn) dies or does he? The things Dale gets into in that episode, having to keep this secret and knowing how Skyler would perform, was so much fun. We could have written a two-hour version of that episode.
Keep up with all things Fairfax on Twitter (@fairfaxonprime) and Instagram (@fairfaxonprime). Stream Seasons 1 and 2 of the series on Prime Video.
https://www.geekgirlauthority.com/felicia-d-henderson-first-kill-interview-netflix/
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What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet.
Bylines in: Tell-Tale TV, Culturess, Sideshow Collectibles, and inkMend on Medium.
Critic: Rotten Tomatoes, CherryPicks, and the Hollywood Creative Alliance.
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