Comedy Central just added two new half-hour series to its slate, and both of them sound very promising.
First up is a ten-episode order to a series from rapper, comedian, and Crazy Rich Asians star Awkwafina titled — wait for it — Awkwafina. The half-hour series centers on Awkwafina as “a twenty-something living in Queens, striving for a larger than life existence while living with her father and grandmother.†Awkwafina wrote the pilot alongside Karey Dornetto (SMILF, Portlandia) and Teresa Hsiao (Family Guy, American Dad), with Lucia Aniello (Broad City, Rough Night) directing. In addition to Awkwafina, the show features B.D. Wong as her father, Lori Tan Chinn as her grandmother, and SNL writer Bowen Yang as her “more successful cousin.â€
“I’ve been watching Comedy Central since I was old enough to hold a remote, and so many of their shows have defined who I am today,†said Awkwafina on the project. “I am so honored to be given their platform to tell the story of an Asian American girl against the backdrop of the city I was raised.â€
The second new series comes from comedian Rory Scovel. Titled Robbie, the series stars Scovel alongside Beau Bridges, SNL alum Sasheer Zamata, and Mary Holland. It follows “a small town youth league basketball coach living in his father’s shadow, until he realizes he has a son of his own who can lead him to greatness.†Scovel wrote the series with Anthony King (Search Party, Silicon Valley), and Will Ferrell and Adam McKay are among the executive producers. Scovel’s most recent stand-up special, Rory Scovel Tries Stand-up for the First Time, debuted on Netflix last year.
“I can’t wait to get started. I think our cast and entire production team is insanely talented,†said Scovel on the news. “It’s exciting to work with Comedy Central and it’s especially awesome because they said they would never cancel us.â€
Both Awkwafina and Scovel’s series were originally put into development back in April.