CAL "COOP" COOPER: About to turn 30; a little schlumpy, paunchy, balding. Raised Jewish by his adoptive parents. Aspires to be above average. He has grown up thinking he suffers from a rare disease for which he takes weekly shots concocted by his Uncle Jack. Conflict-averse, likes to please others. Starting to go through huge physical (i.e. hormonal) and emotional changes, and is freaked out about them.

LANA LINCOFF: 30ish; Cal’s childhood sweetheart. Down-to-earth, warm, positive; a home body. Lost her parents and little sister in a car accident. (Since Cal thinks he lost his birth parents in an accident too, this has been a powerful bond between them.) She attends self-help support groups and workshops, and is always up on the latest trend and the jargon.

LOIS LANAGAN: 30s; the only other survivor from Cal’s real home. Cool, incredibly smart, overly confident, a little distant, athletic, beautiful, full of British charm, sometimes awkwardly straightforward. Adopted and home-schooled by a Russian astrophysicist, who moved to Great Britain so as not to work on Russia’s nuclear arsenal.

LEXIE LUTERMAN: Cal’s best friend since elementary school. Still a big kid at heart and Sherwood’s own Mr. Wiseguy. Always coming up with harebrained schemes to make money; always has a wisecrack at a tense moment - the perfect personality for his sales job at the steel mill. Give him an Iron City beer, a hot dog, a hot date and a Pittsburgh Pirates game, and he’s in heaven. Seems a simple, heart-on-his-sleeve type, but harbors depths and deviousness.

MA COOPER: 60s. A conventional, working Jewish woman who took on an extraordinary responsibility in her early 30s by adopting Cal. Unwilling to accept her child could be a "freak," she prevailed upon her brother Jack to develop a serum to suppress Cal’s special abilities. Has a rather black-and-white set of standards. Domineering in a charming kind of way, expert in the art of applying guilt to gain her ends. But her love, for all its burrs, is unrelenting in its loyalty.

POP COOPER: 60s-70s. Kind-hearted, dedicated, a stroke victim with a gentle wisdom and humor that belies his modesty and simple life. Never quite been able to stand up to his wife, but always has loved and respected her devotedly. Conveys nuances and depth with extremely limited vocabulary. Dignified, and a little melancholy.

UNCLE JACK: 60s. Wild card, maverick, nomad, hold-out quasi-hippie-scientist with offbeat humor and lifestyle. A lavish (incessant) storyteller and generous soul with adventures in his past that only the worst Philistine wouldn’t find fascinating. Wears the "Uncle" tag proudly, and takes family responsibilities seriously. His love for his sister is bordered by resentment.

SHANNON: Late teens-20s. Sweet, responsible, sprightly and romantic; can wisecrack with the best of ‘em, and take a stand when pushed too far. A classic small-town girl, former cheerleader and prom queen. An oldest child who would go to the ends of the earth for her friends. Has an unfortunate habit of picking Mr. Wrong with almost every boyfriend.

MATSON: 30-50. A consummate actor and master of a variety of accents and disguises, he plays his "roles" with relish, preparing back-stories, gestures and wardrobes for each. Fearless, witty, dependable, committed to his causes.