Gina Yashere is getting a second full-time job on the new CBS comedy series Bob ♥ Abishola.
Yashere, who co-created the series with Chuck Lorre, Al Higgins and Eddie Gorodetsky, serves as a writer and producer on the show. She also had a scene-stealing guest-starring turn in the pilot as Kemi, Abishola’s (Folake Olowofoyeku) best friend. As a result, she has been promoted to a series regular on the show. She also will continue as a writer-producer.
Yashere joins an elite group of female writer-performers who star/co-star in the show they have created/co-created. It includes Girls‘ Lena Dunham, Fleabag’s Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Catastrophe‘s Sharon Horgan.
This marks the second promotion on the show for Yashere. The British comedian, daughter on Nigerian immigrants, was initially brought in by Lorre, Higgins and Gorodetsky as a consultant for the development of Bob ♥ Abishola but quickly impressed them and ended up co-creating the series with the sitcom veterans.
Being a co-creator did not hand Yashere the role of Kemi, which she wanted to play. Yashere had to audition for it. She landed the part, and her scenes on the bus with Olowofoyeku became a highlight of the pilot. (you can see some of them in the official Bon♥ Abishola trailer below, toward the end.)
Bob ♥ Abishola premieres 9/23 at 8:30 PM on CBS.
Source: Deadline
