Sketch comedies and animation are front and center in Comedy Central’s new development slate unveiled last week.
The five new pilots the network has green lit for production are: Night Writer, from former Saturday Night Live headwriter T. Sean Shannon, which features live-action sketches and voice-over stills centering on a show writer in the midst of penning the project with events occurring in real-time; Held Up, a half-hour show in which a bored bank teller is held hostage by two teams of crazy robbers; an as-yet-untitled animated project starring Larry the Cable Guy, as a misguided but well-intentioned cable-TV-station co-owner; Root of All Evil, in which two people or topics are debated in a courtroom setting presided over by Lewis Black (The Daily Show with Jon Stewart); and Michael Ian Black Doesn’t Understand, a sketch show that will feature commentary and studio pieces around a “hot-button” topic of the week.
Comedy Central officials have also afforded presentation deals to a trio of urban/ethnic projects: David Allen Grier’s Chocolate News, a fictional magazine show that covers urban pop-culture topics; The JoKoy Project, animated, sketch and stand-up from a racially diverse ensemble cast; and The Watch List, a sketch/variety show shining the spotlight on some of the funniest up-and-coming Middle Eastern-American comedians.
“We’ve secured a strong, versatile slate of new projects that we feel will resonate with our core viewers,” executive vice president of original programming and development Lauren Corrao said in a statement. “We’ve been on a great run and are looking to continue our success with more original, creative and provocative programming in the coming year.”
