It's hard to imagine Insecure without Issa's on-again, off-again relationship with potential soul mate Lawrence. Yet, according to star and co-creator Issa Rae, Lawrence (played by the oh-so-dashing Jay Ellis) was meant to have only a one-season story line.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Issa revealed that she "didn't know that he would last so long." So how did Lawrence come to be a major player on Insecure? Well, that's simple: It had everything to do with Jay's performance.
"Jay brought so much humanity [to Lawrence] and made him so endearing," she continued, "but also personable and relatable—where everyone knows a guy like that. Those were the stories that were interesting to write, specifically because there weren't a lot of examples on screen of just a regular Black dude who's not cool, not extraordinary. He's just a dude trying to figure it out, too."
As fans of the show well know, Lawrence started off as Issa's unmotivated boyfriend, who struggled to find his footing in the tech world. Yet, after a devastating split with his longtime love, Lawrence got his act together and went through one of our favorite TV glow-ups.
Though Issa initially had a one-season plan for Lawrence, she didn't share it with the cast. Case in point: Jay, who joined the co-creator for the EW interview, revealed that he didn't learn about his character's original fate until production for season three.
"If you asked me, I was Jon Snow," he shared. "I wasn't going nowhere. I truly was in my own bubble! Had I known that, I don't think I would have ever phoned it in—because that's just not who I am—but I'm sure I would have thought about every choice differently. I would have been thinking, 'Oh, how can I get them to keep me?' as opposed to just being in it every day. I'm grateful that they waited."
Unfortunately for fans of Insecure, the Lawrence switch-up was the only deviation from the plan, as Issa remained resolved in her decision to end Insecure after five seasons.
Showrunner Prentice Penny agreed, noting that the two always wanted Insecure to have 90 episodes. "I think we just felt that's the right amount of time to tell these characters' stories," he explained to the publication.
In January 2021, Issa formally announced that the next season would be Insecure's last, writing, "We couldn't have told a complete story without the tremendous support of our audience and the faith of HBO. See y'all soon!"
Be sure to catch Insecure's farewell season when it premieres Oct. 24 on HBO.