Culture

Lena Waithe and Kid Fury producing black gay comedy for HBO

Aug 01 2018
Written by Nick Duffy

Image: Jason Kempin/Getty

Lena Waithe is producing a comedy series for HBO.

Variety reports that the Master of None star and The Chi creator is signed on to exec produce the sitcom from YouTube comic Kid Fury.

The show, described as a surreal dark comedy, will follow Greg, a “20-something sarcastic gay black man navigating adulthood and responsibility in New York City while struggling to wrap his head around his undiagnosed clinical depression.”

Kid Fury will write and serve as co-exec producer alongside Waithe on the show, currently in development at HBO.

Lena Waithe (Emma McIntyre/Getty for MTV)

Lena Waithe – who picked up an Emmy Award for her LGBT-themed writing work on Master of None, is much in demand recently.

Amazon also announced on July 28 that it had signedup the star to executive produce new horror anthology series THEM.

In a statement, Waithe said of THEM: “Little Marvin’s script stayed with me for weeks after I read it.

“He’s written something that’s provocative and terrifying. The first season will speak to how frightening it was to be black in 1953.

“It will also remind us that being black in 2018 is just as horrifying. This anthology series will examine the cultural divides among all of us and explore us vs THEM in a way we’ve never seen before.”

TBS also ordered a pilot of comedy series Twenties from Waithe earlier this year.

Lena Waithe (Rich Fury/Getty Images)

As if all those projects weren’t enough, Waithe has also signed a deal with cable network Showtime.

The first-look deal will give Showtime rights to future shows produced by Waithe, working with her on multiple comedy and drama projects.

Gary Levine, President of Programming at Showtime Networks, said: “We fell in love with Lena’s voice when we ordered her pilot for THE CHI three years ago, and we have watched in awe at her powerful impact on our industry and our culture.

“Lena is a creative force of nature and we are delighted that the force will be with us as she makes SHOWTIME her creative home.”

Lena Waithe (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty)

Waithe said: “I have been a fan of SHOWTIME for as long as I can remember.

“They make shows that most networks wouldn’t touch and they’ve never been afraid of taking risks. I look forward to introducing my showtime family to fresh and exciting new voices.

“I want to make content that will challenge audiences and take them places they never thought TV could go. It’s going to be a fun ride.”