Roderick Usher is the patriarch of the Usher family and CEO of Fortunato Pharmaceuticals. After acquiring Fortunato with the help of his twin sister, Madeline, the Usher family has found success and wealth at the cost of the greater good. An ambitious and driven man, Roderick expects the most out of his six children, giving them access to every resource imaginable — except his fatherly affection.

“Roderick Usher is a guy who has never had to pay for any trespass,” said Greenwood. “He’s moved forward in his life without impediment at the expense of everybody and everything around him, and he’s never paid for it in any way at all.”

Gerald’s Game, Doctor Sleep, Thirteen Days, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, Star Trek and Star Trek: Into Darkness, The Resident, and The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story

Verna is a shape-shifter whose origins can be traced back to a — let’s just say — very famous Poe character. Roderick and Madeline met this mysterious woman on a fateful night in their past. 

“Unfortunately, most people are made of who they are from the start, and so they rarely change their minds. But I think that the cool thing about Verna is that she always has some kind of –– if not faith, fascination –– in human beings,” said Gugino. “She is always waiting for the occasional one that will actually make a different decision.”

Gerald’s Game, The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, the first three Spy Kids films, Watchmen, and American Gangster

Incredibly intelligent, driven, and calculating, Madeline has always been the brains behind Fortunato. Whenever her brother falters, she’s always there to give him a push, making them a formidable duo. While she loves Roderick, her unrelenting drive and desire for success wouldn’t hold her back from stepping over him, if need be.
 

“I’ve played a lot of empowered women or women in power, but they’re still aware of certain kinds of rules and decorum. And Madeline really doesn’t give a fuck about it,” said McDonnell. “And I love that about her. She just does not care. So there’s freedom in her, along with all of the other things that attracted me to her.”

Battlestar Galactica, The Closer, Donnie Darko, Fargo, Veronica Mars, Independence Day, Passion Fish, and Dances with Wolves

The invincible lawyer for the Usher family and an enigma to those even closest to him, Pym is an unfailingly loyal employee and enforcer for the Ushers. He’s always willing to do whatever is asked of him, whether above or below board, no questions asked.
 

“[Pym’s] the investigative thread providing a lot of exposition for the audience wondering, ‘What’s going on? Who is this? Why is this happening?’ ” noted Hamill. “That’s my job, to figure out what’s going on.”

The Star Wars franchise, Batman: The Animated Series, Masters of the Universe: Revelation, The Sandman, Robot Chicken, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and the Justice League animated series.

Over 30 years ago, C. Auguste Dupin encountered the Ushers and it spurred a decades-long rivalry. Dupin is brilliant, decent, and determined to do what is right — which starts with taking down what he calls “The Usher Crime Family.”

“Charles Auguste Dupin is a simple man,” said Lumbly. “He believes in simple things like justice and love. He thinks that the nobler ideas that we carry about ourselves as human beings are worthy of defense. He believes in justice. He believes in love the hard way. Love that is not always soft and/or pretty, but that involves an opening of the heart, a love that involves a sacrifice, and that people need to be held accountable for what they do.”

Doctor Sleep, Alias, Cagney & Lacey, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Supergirl, M.A.N.T.I.S., Justice League and  Justice League Unlimited, and Escape from Alcatraz

As the eldest, Frederick Usher is the natural heir to his father’s company, but out of all of his siblings, he’s the least equipped to do so. While his neuroses make him an easy target for his siblings, Freddie’s fiery jealousy and compounding insecurity force him down a path that even those closest to Freddie are shocked to see.

Due to his longstanding working relationship with Flanagan, Thomas already knew he’d be playing the eldest Usher before he read the scripts.  “[Flanagan] basically nowadays says, ‘I have this character for you and what do you think, because if you don’t like this one, there’s one other,’ ” Thomas said. “So, you play this shell game with Mike where you say, ‘I think that guy sounds more interesting’ and then you see the scripts.” Thomas considered Freddie “a composite of Donald Trump Jr., Hunter Biden, and Fabio.”

The Midnight Club, Midnight Mass, The Haunting of Bly Manor, Doctor Sleep, The Haunting of Hill House, Gerald’s Game, Ouija: Origin of Evil and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

Secondary to Frederick, and far more prepared to be the heir of Fortunato, Tamerlane wants to step out of the patriarchal shadow she finds herself in. Knowing Fortunato will never be hers, Tamerlane carves a new path for herself in the health and wellness world, with her strategically picked fitness influencer husband, William “Bill T.” Wilson, by her side. But the façade of her marriage is beginning to show cracks…

“Tamerlane Usher considers herself a true Usher,” said Sloyan. “She is the daughter of both Roderick and Annabel Lee, his first wife. And I think she aspires so much to please her father and to make him proud. And that has distorted her ambition in a way that has caused her to lock out all other things from life. [There’s] a single-mindedness to her and she’s put so much pressure on herself and so much importance on her success that her anxiety level has just gone through the roof. She’s created this circumstance for herself [where] she’s not sleeping. She’s not doing anything. She's just completely focused on her one goal. And through that laser focus, she kind of loses the plot entirely — loses the point of everything.”

The Midnight Club, Midnight Mass, The Haunting of Hill House, Hush, Grey’s Anatomy, and Scandal

The eldest of the Usher “bastards,” Victorine has made helping people her life’s work, but like her siblings, the true source of her ambition is her desire for her father’s approval and affection. After Roderick shows interest in Victorine’s revolutionary new heart technology — still in its testing phase — Victorine bends the rules of clinical trials to start testing on human subjects.

“She wants to basically be the new Roderick,” said Miller. “She wants to be the CEO. She wants to run things.” 

Miller fell in love with the language that makes her character “ruthless with a heart.” And as she read the scripts, “the words felt good in my mouth — that’s always a good sign. Then when I spoke to [Flanagan] later, he was like, ‘Yeah, I wrote it for you.’ ”

The Haunting of Bly Manor, The Diplomat, Sex Education, Foundation, Free Rein, Years and Years, and Witless

Napoleon “Leo” Usher is a video game patron and the closest to a socialite the Usher siblings get. A “playboy” with a drug for every occasion, Leo welcomes the ability to numb the pain of his reality, but his drug use has started to become a problem for his boyfriend, Julius.

“Leo is one of the children from Roderick’s adventures that find out later in life that their father is Roderick Usher,” said Kohli. “Leo’s thing is indulgence and greed. And he tends to supplement his life with either. He treats people almost like drugs. So if he wants an upper or a downer, he uses people that way. And when they’re no longer of any use to him, he disposes of them.”
 

As far as the family business goes, Kohli said Leo “is probably the most detached from the family in the sense that he doesn’t necessarily participate in the race for Roderick’s love the same way the other siblings do. And that actually is reflected in how he probably has the best relationship with each sibling. Most of the siblings at some point come to him for something. That’s probably because he isn’t as much of a threat to them as the others are. He’s kind of the Kardashian of the family where when they need good PR or when they need someone to stand in front of a [Jimmy] Fallon or a [Jimmy] Kimmel, they send Leo to turn on the British charm and represent the family in that respect.”

The Midnight Club, Midnight Mass, The Haunting of Bly Manor, iZombie, Happy Anniversary, and Supergirl

Extremely cunning and biting, Camille L’Espanaye runs the PR for the family. She’s made her life’s work not only about spinning bad behavior into good press, but also collecting files filled with every dirty secret of those closest to her. For Camille, leverage is everything.

“Camille’s a stone-cold bitch. There is no stopping her,” said Siegel. “She loathes human emotion in any way, shape, or form and thinks weakness is probably the most embarrassing thing that could happen to a person.” 

Siegel took major inspiration for her character from Mirage in The Incredibles. “When I was a little girl, she was like my Jessica Rabbit. I thought she was the most beautiful woman I could imagine. And she’s the one that tricks Mr. Incredible into coming and being kidnapped. And once you’ve seen it, you can’t unsee it. So sorry to spoil all of your childhood dreams, but Camille is just Mirage.”

Midnight Mass, The Haunting of Bly Manor, The Haunting of Hill House, Gerald’s Game, Ouija: Origin of Evil, Hush, and Oculus.

Described by Frederick as “Gucci Caligula,” Perry is the youngest of the Usher children. Having only recently been thrust into the life of the ultra-rich, Perry’s goal is to make life one big party, and he’s hoping to use his family’s money to achieve just that.

When Sapkota first read the scripts for the series, he thought, “How am I going to play this character?” because Perry is so different from the actor himself. But that was part of the scary and exciting challenge for The Midnight Club alum in that he could play someone who “does whatever he wants, sort of balls to the wall.”

The Midnight Club

Morrie Usher is the devoted wife of Frederick and mother to Lenore. A former model and actor, Morrie left that life behind her for a loving marriage and motherhood. But a part of her longs to once again feel like the woman she was.

The Midnight Club, Midnight Mass, The Bletchley Circle: San Francisco, Mech-X4, Supergirl, A Babysitter’s Guide to Monster Hunting, and Prison Break

As Roderick says, Lenore is the “best of” the Ushers. The daughter of Frederick and Morella, Lenore is a kind and empathic young woman whose tendencies always lean toward making the conscientious choice, rather than the one that’s best for the family.

Doctor Sleep, Secrets of Sulphur Springs, Lego Star Wars Summer Vacation, and I Can I Will I Did

Roderick’s second wife, Juno, is a former junkie whose recent marriage to Roderick has left his family bewildered.

The Midnight Club, Creepshow, and The Dry

A dedicated, kind, and thoughtful husband to Tamerlane, Bill (or BillT as his fitness followers call him) is more than happy to team up with his wife on their newest wellness venture. With only love for Tammy, Bill is always willing to do what will make her happy, even if it goes against his own desires.

The Midnight Club, Midnight Mass, Narcos: Mexico, The Umbrella Academy, and Altered Carbon

Before he became the CEO of Fortunato, Gilford’s “Roddy” was a father and husband who recited poetry to his Annabel Lee.

The Midnight Club, Midnight Mass, Friday Night Lights, Criminal Minds: Evolution, Good Girls, and L.A.’s Finest 

Madeline Usher has always had the foresight to see the bigger picture — and to make her brother see it too.

Dare Me, The Goldfinch, Scream: The TV Series, Alpha House, and Royal Pains

The younger version of Auguste was an investigator who sought to find the truth — and the good in people.

iZombie, Reacher, The Fugitive, Breakout Kings, and American Gangster

The mother of Frederick and Tamerlane, Annabel Lee was Roderick’s only real love. Her warmth and trusting nature always helped her to find the best in Roderick… and her trust in her husband might have left her blind to the dangers encroaching her family.

The Midnight Club, The Haunting of Bly Manor, Doctor Sleep, The Haunting of Hill House, Oculus, and Absentia