Stand-up and Daily Show correspondent Roy Wood Jr. has some new projects in the works at Comedy Central. The network announced today that it’s signed a first-look deal with Wood, and it has several projects on the way, including a pilot, another stand-up special, and a digital series.
Wood’s pilot, titled Jefferson County Probation, was first announced in February 2018 (previously titled Re-Established) and is based on Wood’s early life. Trevor Noah and The Boondocks creator Aaron McGruder executive produce the pilot alongside Wood, who will star as a probation officer “willing to bend the rules to help the clients he monitors much to the chagrin of his partner and everyone else in his life.†Filming begins in Wood’s hometown of Birmingham next month, and Millicent Shelton (Black-ish, Insecure) will direct.
In addition to the pilot, Comedy Central will air a third one-hour stand-up special from Wood, though a premiere date has not yet been announced. Wood’s most recent special, No One Loves You, aired back in January. He’ll also write and star in a digital series for Comedy Central called The Night Pigeon, where he’ll play “a black superhero with minimal powers fighting the biggest villains in his community: the Gentrifiers.â€
“It’s my pleasure to partner with a network that understands an artist’s need to take the creative road less traveled to mine humor from complicated social prisms such as jail reform and gentrification. Humor that also explores the human condition is the most meaningful, but can sometimes be the most challenging,†Wood said on the news. “The Daily Show has answered that call numerous times, and I am excited to tell new stories with Mr. McGruder who is no stranger to these waters. Excited to tell these stories in a new place (Birmingham) and even more excited to go on this journey with an African-American woman director at the helm. Comedy Central has proven to me to be the right place to take on this challenge. Also, my mom has a long list of chores for me to do. So it’ll be kinda cool to shoot at home.â€