Since Average Joe first premiered on BET+ back in the Summer of 2023, fans from around the globe have flocked to the dramatic black comedy . Fans eagerly uncover a tale of dangerous criminals, obfuscated secrets, and familial trauma. Centering on Deon Cole ‘s titular Joe Washington, Average Joe ‘s off-beat performances, gripping plot, and excellent writing earned critical acclaim. The series has even reached ‘certified fresh’ status with an 86 percent critic score on Rotten Tomatoes . It touts an impressive 92 percent audience score to match. For nearly a calendar year, fans have been on the edge of their seats about the first season’s ending. Eager viewers speculate if the season 1 finale would serve as the open-ended conclusion to the entire show. Others wonder if Average Joe would return for future installments.
Luckily, the series was renewed for a second season in June 2024. This allows fans a chance to see how loose threads left behind from Average Joe season 1 will wrap up. It’s been about a year since the first season ended, however. Therefor, some fans may need a brief refresher on the thrilling final moments of Average Joe ‘s tenth episode. Don’t worry — we’ve got you covered. The following recap and breakdown of the Average Joe season 1 finale.
Bookmark this page and return later if you aren’t caught up on the show. The following write-up will completely spoil the entire first season of Average Joe , and speculate on the future of the fan-favorite characters. Without any further spoiler warnings, let’s dive directly into the narrative. We’ll see what we can discover about the future of the growing franchise.
What Is Average Joe About?
The narrative of Average Joe centers on a simple plumber from Pittsburgh. The sudden loss of his father, who died under mysterious circumstances, turns Joe’s life upside-down. Managing grief and planning estate arrangements, Joe learns that there was more to his father than he ever expected. After a tense run-in with a ruthless Russian mobster named Nicolai, Joe comes to learn that his dearly departed dad had stolen over $10 million from a Russian crime syndicate shortly before his death — along with a decked-out Lamborghini, which is currently missing in action. This news sends Joe scrambling to find the money, while weighing out whether he should take the money and run, or use it to honor his father’s debts.
Throughout the course of the series, viewers meet a wide variety of supporting characters who round out the world of Average Joe . These characters include Joe’s friends, like local police officer Benjamin “Touch” Tuchawuski. There is also the morally upstanding Leon Montgomery, as well as Joe’s wife Angela and their teenage daughter Jennifer. Joe’s fight against the mobsters drags his friends and family into the chaos too. This accumulates in a tumultuous end for just about everyone in the show.
How Does Average Joe End?
In the end, Joe manages to get the money following a lengthy, bloody battle with a number of Russian thugs. Eventually, he and Nicolai come to blows, with Joe emerging victorious, stabbing the criminal conspirator in the eye. After Nicolai drops dead, Joe finally starts to feel like maybe his life can go back to normal… Until he returns home to see that his wife has taken their daughter and skipped town. To Angela’s credit, she put up with a lot of over-the-top insanity throughout the entire first season of Average Joe . In the end, she cannot bear to see her husband become a dangerous, violent man, corrupted by money.
One such friend includes Leon’s true crime-loving wife Cathy, who becomes obsessed with finding the money earlier in the series. By the end of the first season, Cathy has become a full on criminal. The change sees her slinging heroin stolen from the Russians while searching for Joe’s father’s stash. In the season finale, rival drug dealers shoot Cathy, which sends Leon over the edge. In an attempt to avenge his fallen wife, Leon goes after the dealers and kills an undercover cop, jeopardizing his entire future. The final moments of Average Joe ‘s first season see Joe facing the reality of losing his family, just as a mysterious individual knocks on his front door.
Could the individual at the door be Leon on the run from the police? More Russian gangsters? Some fans have even theorized that the knock could come from Joe’s still-living father. However, there’s not much context to confirm that theory at this time. In order to know for sure, we’ll just have to tune in to Average Joe season 2 when it eventually airs on BET+.
Who Does Donna Shoot?
As the main plot about Joe’s battle against the Russian mob plays out, fans are treated to a semi-related incident which centers on Joe’s cop buddy Touch. As we learn in the Average Joe season 1 finale, Touch is responsible indirectly for the death of two innocent young women. The incident leaves him mentally tortured, and thus unable to assist Joe with his conflict. After an evening of binge-drinking, Touch mistakenly left his service weapon out in an unsecured location. The gun is then discovered by a young girl named Donna, the daughter of Touch’s ex-girlfriend Tess. While fooling with the firearm, Donna accidentally discharges it, hitting and killing her mother immediately.
In an attempt to protect Donna and save himself from scrutiny, Touch stages the scene to look like a suicide. While this temporarily works out, the entire affair proves to be highly traumatic. Donna eventually kills herself due to the immense grief. For now, there’s no way for fans to know for sure what ripple effects these deaths will have on Touch. Suffice to say, he’s extremely distressed over the entire ordeal.
Is Average Joe Based On A True Story?
According to a video interview with Variety , Average Joe is based, very loosely, on a true tale. Series creator Robb Cullen has not revealed the specifics of which parts of the series are true to his life story. However, he explained that the skeletal structure of the show actually stems from a real situation with his own father. Per the interview, Cullen explained, “My dad was a con man… as most record producers are… We landed in New York and my dad befriended a man — I’ll call him the Russian — and he was ‘muscle’ for a family.”
Cullen went on to explain that shortly after his father died, the Russian reached out to him. He demanded a meeting to discuss some unfinished business he had with Cullen’s dad. According to the series creator and showrunner, the Russian leaned in to him while dining at a Bob’s Big Boy in Burbank, California, and demanded “You know, your dad took a lot from a lot of people before he died… Just tell me where the f***ing money is, Robb.”
Where Can You Watch Average Joe Today?
As of this writing, there is no confirmed release date for Average Joe season 2. Still, the first 10 episodes of the thrilling crime series are available to stream today via Netflix and Amazon Prime Video . Those interested in catching the second season should anticipate watching the episodes as they air weekly some time in 2025 via BET+. The season will likely make its way to the aforementioned streamers after it concludes.
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