Thursday, August 29, 2019
Comedy Central Goes Back to the South Side; HBO Orders More Black Lady Sketch Show

Comedy Central ordered a 10-episode second season of hit series South Side, the aspirational, scripted comedy set in and around the working class neighborhood of Englewood on the South Side of Chicago. Season one of South Side, currently airing Wednesday nights at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT on Comedy Central, is garnering universal praise from critics and holds a 100% Certified Fresh rating from Rotten Tomatoes. Watch a preview of this week's episode here. Through the first five episodes of season one, South Side is averaging a 1.02 L+3 rating with African American P18-49 viewers, making it Comedy Central's highest-rated new series in that demo since the Key & Peele launch in 2012. It's also the #1 new original primetime cable comedy of the year in the demo and the #1 new cable comedy of 2019 with African American M18-49 (1.23 rating). Overall, South Side is averaging a 0.35 P18-49 L+3 rating, up +13% from the same time slot average in 2018.
The show follows two friends who just graduated community college ... so now they're ready to take over the world! But until they do they're stuck at Rent-T-Own, a retail-rental crossroads where the South Side's vast ensemble of characters come together. Despite the obstacles of inner-city life, these friends and their co-workers all strive to achieve their entrepreneurial dreams. Brought to life by local Chicagoans, both in front of and behind the camera, this show gives viewers an authentic portrayal of what life on the South Side is all about. It's evidence that what you see on the news is only a small piece of the city. South Side was created by Bashir Salahuddin (Glow), Diallo Riddle (Marlon) and Sultan Salahuddin. Bashir Salahuddin, Riddle, and Michael Blieden - all Late Night with Jimmy Fallon alumni - are executive producers. Kellyn Parker and Kelci Parker are executives in charge of the show for Comedy Central.
HBO has renewed the sketch comedy series A Black Lady Sketch Show for a second season. A Black Lady Sketch Show, which debuted August 2, is a narrative series set in a limitless magical reality full of dynamic, hilarious characters and celebrity guests. The show presents sketches performed by a core cast of black women, including creator Robin Thede, Ashley Nicole Black, Gabrielle Dennis and Quinta Brunson. Thede executive produces, writes and stars and Issa Rae (Emmy(R) and Golden Globe nominee for HBO's Insecure) executive produces.
Laugh-out-loud funny and not afraid to be controversial, A Black Lady Sketch Show touches on such culturally relevant themes as social norms, anxiety, religion, sex, dating and relationships. Each episode consists of five to six sketches, showcasing the comedic talents of Robin, Quinta, Ashley and Gabrielle portraying an array of dynamic and varied characters, as well as hyper versions of themselves in interstitials featuring four friends stuck in a house during an end-of-the-world event. Unprecedented in sketch comedy TV history, the show is created by, written by, directed by and starring an array of black women.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Thursday, September 11
Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "Some New York Nonsense" (CBS, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Georgie struggles to balance life, work and family; Mandy worries for Georgie’s wellbeing; and Missy (Raegan Revord) gets into trouble at school.
Ghosts - "I Know What You Did Thirty-Seven Summers Ago" (CBS, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Sam and Jay host a fundraiser for the mayor to earn a favor for Jay’s restaurant, they learn of his bizarre connection to one of Woodstone’s ghosts. Odessa Adlon returns as Stephanie, the ghost who died on her prom night.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of September 8)
Thursday, September 11
- America Ferrera (Superstore) - Catch America on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. She also talks about The Bus on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am and chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Melissa Rauch (Night Court/The Big Bang Theory), Jessica St. Clair (Avenue 5/Playing House/Best Friends Forever/In the Motherhood) and Nico Santos (Superstore) - Melissa, Jessica and Nico are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Rainn Wilson (The Office) - Rainn appears on Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
- Meagan Good (Cousin Skeeter/Raising Dad) - Meagan and Jonathan Majors talk about their much-talked-about romance, wedding, and the story behind their new fitness brand on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
- Zosia Mamet (Laid/Girls) - Zosia talks about Does This Make Me Funny? on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
- Karen Pittman (And Just Like That...) - Karen talks about The Morning Show on CBS Mornings Plus in the 9am hour.
- Patti LaBelle (Out All Night) - Patti talks about The Queens Tour on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
- Dylan Sprouse (The Suite Life on Deck/The Suite Life of Zack & Cody/Grace Under Fire) - Dylan discusses his film Under Fire on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
05/13 - The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered)
06/06 - Shoresy - Season 2
06/17 - Looney Tunes - Collector's Vault - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
08/26 - The Huckleberry Hound Show - The Complete Original Series (Blu-ray)
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