Teyonah Parris Leads Peacock's Before I Go
Parris and Danielle Brooks have been cast in the Peacock series based on Kennedy Ryan's novel.
Updated on Nov. 12, 2026 in Television
Teyonah Parris has been cast as the female lead in Peacock's Before I Go, with Danielle Brooks joining as a series regular. The series is based on the novel by Kennedy Ryan and is executive produced by John Legend and Debra Martin Chase.
Why it matters
The casting places two established Black actresses at the center of a streaming drama adapted from a bestselling novel. The project is written by Attica Locke and Tembi Locke, with Malcolm D. Lee co-writing the pilot.
The casting announcement is an official studio confirmation of lead roles rather than a performance or viewership metric. No premiere date, episode count or viewership projection has been disclosed for Before I Go.
The players
Teyonah Parris
Teyonah Parris is an actress best known for playing Monica Rambeau in Marvel Studios' WandaVision, and she has joined the cast of Gavin O'Connor's drama Running.
Danielle Brooks
Danielle Brooks is an actress who starred in the indie feature If I Go, Will They Miss Me? and is set to return to Off-Broadway next winter.
Peacock
Peacock is the streaming service from NBCUniversal that is distributing Before I Go.
Kennedy Ryan
Kennedy Ryan is a novelist whose book serves as the source material for Before I Go, and who co-created the series with Malcolm D. Lee.
The details
Parris will play Yasmen Wade, a restaurateur and mother, while Brooks plays Hendrix Barry, Yasmen's best friend and an entrepreneur. The story follows Yasmen and Josiah Wade's marriage, which ended in divorce and shared custody after a series of devastating losses.
Timeline
2026 Sundance Film Festival: Brooks's indie feature If I Go, Will They Miss Me? premieres.
Next winter: Brooks returns to Off-Broadway in the musical You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown.
Industry Dynamics
The project follows a pattern of streaming platforms turning bestselling commercial fiction into drama series, and it casts actresses with recent high-profile franchise and stage credits in the lead roles. Its writing team of Attica Locke and Tembi Locke places it within a growing group of series built around Black women's stories on streaming services.
Viewers will be able to watch Before I Go on Peacock once the series is released, though the source does not give a premiere date. The casting news itself does not change how or where audiences can access the show yet.
The takeaway
Streaming casting announcements often signal a series' creative direction well before release, so tracking official Peacock updates is the best way to follow Before I Go's progress. Readers interested in the source material can find Kennedy Ryan's novel as a starting point.
Further reading
Explore more Television coverage for the latest series casting and streaming news.
