Josh Segarra, the versatile actor celebrated for his memorable performances in Arrow, Abbott Elementary, and The Other Two, is currently breathing life into one of Fox's most intriguing new characters: Sheriff Mark Mylow in the dramedy series Best Medicine. On the surface, Mark presents as a quintessential small-town lawman—affable, slightly goofy, and perpetually clad in khaki. Yet Segarra is quick to caution viewers against accepting this cheerful facade at face value. Beneath the easygoing smile and seemingly simple humor lies a profoundly complex individual wrestling with heartbreak, loneliness, and an intense desire for genuine connection.
The genius of Segarra's portrayal lies in his ability to make Mark's apparent simplicity feel utterly authentic while subtly hinting at the deeper currents running beneath. The sheriff's goofy demeanor isn't merely a character trait—it's a carefully constructed defense mechanism designed to navigate the treacherous waters of personal trauma. Every joke and every moment of apparent cluelessness serves as armor against a pain Mark has yet to fully process. This becomes particularly evident when examining the character's motivations throughout the season's unfolding narrative.
According to Segarra, Mark's decision-making process is driven less by intellectual limitations and more by an overwhelming need for acceptance and companionship. The actor explains that when Mark reaches out to Dr. Martin Best, played by Josh Charles, he's not simply being friendly—he's actively seeking a lifeline. "He just really wants to be liked by this person. He just really wants to be welcomed in by Doc," Segarra notes, emphasizing the vulnerability underlying this outreach. The timing is crucial: Mark is freshly single, devastated by his broken engagement to Louisa, and despite knowing every resident in Port Wenn, he feels paradoxically exposed and isolated.
This sense of isolation is amplified by the small-town dynamics where everyone knows everyone else's business. Mark's public breakup has left him feeling like he's living in a fishbowl, where his personal pain is communal property. Into this vulnerable moment steps Martin, a newcomer who represents a clean slate—a potential friend who doesn't yet know the full extent of Mark's baggage. The sheriff's eagerness to connect with the doctor stems from this desire to forge a relationship untainted by the town's collective knowledge of his failed romance.
The breakup with Louisa forms the emotional cornerstone of Mark's arc throughout Best Medicine's first season. Segarra delivers a stark assessment of his character's emotional state: "When you meet Mark, he's 0% over her." This unvarnished truth establishes the foundation for a season-long exploration of grief, denial, and slow healing. The actor promises that audiences will witness Mark traversing the stages of grief, each episode peeling back another layer of his coping mechanisms to reveal the raw emotion underneath.
A particularly telling moment occurs in Episode 5, following a karaoke duet of Smokey Robinson's "Cruisin'" that Mark performs with Louisa. What begins as a nostalgic trip down memory lane quickly devolves into emotional chaos when Louisa discovers Mark having a crisis in the Salty Breeze kitchen afterward. In this vulnerable scene, Mark admits his confusion about why their engagement dissolved, pointing to their shared interests—from Turkey Taco Tuesday rituals to their mutual love for Pretty Little Liars—as evidence that they should have worked. The karaoke performance becomes a metaphor for Mark's entire approach to the breakup: a temporary harmony that cannot mask the underlying discord.
Segarra finds fascinating parallels between Mark and his previous role as Lance in The Other Two, a footwear designer turned nurse who similarly defied initial impressions of simplicity. The actor has developed a genuine appreciation for characters that challenge stereotypes about intelligence and emotional depth. "I always have a lot of fun taking characters that might be seen as some form of dim," Segarra reflects. "I can look back now and say that I just have a lot of fun in those characters, and they bring some levity into my life." This perspective allows him to approach Mark with nuance, ensuring that even the character's most seemingly foolish moments are grounded in authentic human emotion.
However, Segarra issues a clear warning to viewers: when Mark's characteristic smile fades, pay attention. These moments of seriousness are rare but revelatory, offering glimpses into the sheriff's true emotional landscape. The actor collaborates closely with showrunner Liz Tuccillo to ensure that even when scripts present Mark as particularly clueless—what Segarra describes as being "lost in the sauce"—there's a logical emotional underpinning. This collaborative process involves Segarra approaching Tuccillo with questions like, "All right... how come he doesn't know this?" The answers inevitably lead back to Mark's emotional state rather than any genuine lack of intelligence.
The most significant challenge Mark will face this season is the revelation of a growing connection between Martin and Louisa. For Segarra, this storyline provided some of his most rewarding material. "That was some of the most fun I had this season, was playing the heartbreak of it all," he admits. The actor approached this betrayal with a painter's mindset, asking himself, "how many different colors can one show how hurt they are?" His goal was to create a kaleidoscope of emotional responses that would feel authentic to someone experiencing a dual betrayal from both his ex-fiancée and his new friend.
The discovery will devastate Mark precisely because he's invested so heavily in both relationships. He's poured his need for connection into his friendship with Martin while simultaneously harboring hope for reconciliation with Louisa. The convergence of these two emotional investments creates a perfect storm of betrayal that threatens to completely dismantle Mark's carefully maintained composure. This moment will force the sheriff to confront his grief directly rather than continuing to mask it with humor and forced positivity.
What makes Mark's journey so compelling is its universal resonance. Anyone who has experienced heartbreak while maintaining professional responsibilities and social connections will recognize themselves in the sheriff's struggle. His story serves as a poignant reminder that healing rarely follows a linear path and that the people who appear most cheerful are often battling the deepest internal storms. The stages of grief will manifest not in textbook order but in messy, unpredictable ways that mirror real human experience.
Segarra's enthusiasm for the role suggests that Sheriff Mark Mylow will evolve from what could have been a one-dimensional comic figure into one of the series' most emotionally rich characters. As the love triangle intensifies and long-buried feelings surface, Mark's resilience—and his signature smile—will face their ultimate test. The actor's commitment to portraying the full spectrum of human emotion, from goofy charm to profound heartbreak, ensures that audiences will remain deeply invested in the sheriff's journey toward healing and self-discovery.
With each passing episode, Best Medicine continues to peel back the layers of its characters, revealing that in Port Wenn, nothing is quite as simple as it seems. For Sheriff Mark Mylow, the path forward involves learning that true strength isn't found in maintaining a brave face but in allowing himself to fully feel and process his pain. Segarra's performance promises to guide viewers through this transformation with authenticity, humor, and heart, making Mark's story one of the most anticipated arcs of the season.