Entertainment · TV & Streaming · 2 hrs ago
Poorna Jagannathan joins Hulu pilot ‘Young Americans’ as a series regular
Poorna Jagannathan has joined Hulu’s Young Americans pilot as a series regular, playing Senator Maya Washburn.
The drama is set at Capitol Crest Academy in Washington, D.C., where the children of the country’s elite attend school.
A romance between students from rival political families is central to the story.
Jagannathan’s character was once a close friend and political ally of the President, played by Scott Foley.
Maya is now a controversial senator whose son, played by Sam Rechner, falls in love with the President’s daughter, played by Billie Boullet.
Natalia Leite will direct the pilot, reuniting with the show’s executive producer Bruce Miller, who created The Handmaid’s Tale.
The project is a pilot, and the sources do not say whether Hulu has ordered a full series.
The pilot’s studio is 20th Television.
Poorna Jagannathan has been cast as a series regular in Hulu’s Young Americans pilot.
She will play Maya Washburn, a controversial senator and former friend and political ally of the President.
The pilot follows the children of the nation’s elite at Capitol Crest Academy in Washington, D.C., where their dramas reflect their parents’ political conflicts.
Natalia Leite has been tapped to direct the pilot.
The cast previously announced includes Scott Foley, Billie Boullet, Sam Rechner, Mia Isaac, Oscar Winter and Lauren Mei.
- Who
- Poorna Jagannathan has joined the pilot as a series regular.
- What
- She will play Maya Washburn in Hulu’s Young Americans pilot.
- When
- The casting was reported on October 30, 2026.
- Where
- The story is set at Capitol Crest Academy in Washington, D.C.
- Why
- The sources do not state a reason for the casting.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
This story does not have a timeline yet.
- Role
- Series regular as Maya Washburn
- Project
- Hulu’s Young Americans pilot
- Director
- Natalia Leite
- Setting
- Capitol Crest Academy, Washington, D.C.