Comedy Central unveiled its 2008-09 talent and development slate.
The first new show to get a series pickup is Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire, a medieval period comedy. Mandoon will debut on the network during the first quarter of 2009.
Comedy also gave pilot presentations to a number of shows:
• An untitled Snoop Dogg animated series that will feature Snoop as a 15-year-old growing up in Long Beach, Calif., in the 1980s;
• A sketch-comedy show from comedian Andy Richter;
• America’s Biggest Idiot, which will feature three contestants competing to see who can take the most punishment;
• David Alan Grier’s Chocolate News, which will feature the comedian’s take on urban pop-culture topics.
• Gay Robot, an animated series by Reno911’s Nick Swardson that follows the post-college life of a gay robot and his roommates. Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison Productions is producing the pilot;
• The Scariest Show on Television, which shows what would happen if you took comedy writers and put them in charge of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, creating comedy/horror stories;
• Search and Destroy, a real-life scavenger hunt through New York. Radio shock jocks Opie and Anthony will host; and
• Speed Freaks, about two small-town losers who have to run out of town after blowing up the local meth lab and catching the ire of the redneck mafia.
Also in development by the network:
• An untitled project by MadTV’s Bobby Lee, which will focus on his multicultural view of the world;
• Gypsy Cab, an animated series about the life of a gypsy cab driver. For each episode, a well-known comedian will voice one of his passengers.
• Michael and Michael Have Issues, from Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter, which features segments addressing issues the stars have with one another and the world at large; and
• Reality Bites, a spoof on all “reality” shows, featuring comedians trying to become “realer” than the others and become the biggest “reality” star.
And Comedy ordered three standup-comedy specials:
• Carlos Mencia: Performance Enhanced, a one-hour special premiering in May;
• John Oliver: Terrifying Times, from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart’s John Oliver, premiering in April; and
• An untitled Brian Regan special, premiering during the third quarter.
