HBO has given a series order to A Black Lady Sketch Show, a half-hour sketch comedy starring and executive produced by Robin Thede (The Rundown with Robin Thede) and executive produced by Insecure‘s Issa Rae.
Created, written by and starring Thede, A Black Lady Sketch Show will be breaking new ground in sketch comedy TV. It will feature narrative sketches performed by a core cast of black women, including Thede, as well as celebrity guests. The show also will be written and directed by an array of black women.
Lauren Ashley Smith, who was head writer on Thede’s BET! late-night show The Rundown with Robin Thede, will serve in the same capacity on A Black Lady Sketch Show. She also will co-executive produce.
Thede executive produces with Rae via her Issa Rae Productions, Dave Becky and Jonathan Berry for 3 Arts Entertainment as well as Tony Hernandez and Brooke Posch for JAX Media, which produced The Rundown. Deniese Davis, Montrel McKay produce for Issa Rae Productions and John Skidmore produces for JAX Media.
The project falls under Rae’s overall deal with HBO.
Comedian and writer Thede created, executive produced and hosted The Rundown with Robin Thede, which aired on BET for one season. Prior, she was the head writer & a correspondent for The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore on Comedy Central and head writer for the 2016 White House Correspondents Dinner, making her the first African-American woman head writer in late night and for the WHCD. She has appeared in dozens of TV shows and movies, including Difficult People, Key & Peele, A Haunted House, Goodwin Games, among others. She is also currently developing an untitled comedy for ABC.
Rae has received a lead comedy actress Emmy nomination for her HBO series Insecure. Rae’s web series, The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, was the recipient of the Shorty Award for Best Web Show and her first book, a collection of essays, is a New York Times bestseller. Rae made her film debut in The Hate U Give, and will also star in Universal’s upcoming Little.
A longtime writer and producer, Smith has previously worked on comedy/variety programs, including Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen (Bravo), Fashion Queens (Bravo), and Best Week Ever (VH1).
Thede is repped by WME and Del Shaw Rae is represented by UTA, 3 Arts Entertainment and attorney John v. Meigs Jr.
Source: Deadline
