“A Black Lady Sketch Show” is coming back for more sketches crammed with craziness and special guests.
The series, created by Robin Thede, has been renewed for a second season on HBO with two episodes yet to air in its freshman outing.
“A Black Lady Sketch Show” features narrative sketches performed by a core cast of black women, namely Thede, Ashley Nicole Black, Gabrielle Dennis and Quinta Brunson, as well as an impressive lineup celebrity guests. Some of the starrier guests to appear on season 1 so far include Angela Bassett, Laverne Cox, Lena Waithe, and Larry Wilmore.
Each episode consists of five to six sketches, showcasing the comedic talents of the main cast and portraying an array of 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.
The show also hails from Isssa Rae, creator and star of the HBO comedy staple “Insecure,” who executive produces via Issa Rae Productions. Thede serves as writer and executive producer in addition to starring, while Lauren Ashley Smith serves as head writer and co-executive producer. Smith was previously the head writer on the BET series “The Rundown with Robin Thede.”
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Dave Becky and Jonathan Berry are also executive producers for 3 Arts Entertainment along with Tony Hernandez and Brooke Posch of JAX Media. Deniese Davis and Montrel McKay of Issa Rae Productions exec produce along with John Skidmore of JAX.
News of the renewal was announced by Amy Gravitt, executive vice president of HBO programming.
“It’s been thrilling to see the audience embrace the characters that Robin, Ashley, Gabrielle and Quinta have brought to life,” said Gravitt. “We had a blast making this groundbreaking sketch show with Robin, Dime and all of the writers and producers, and I can’t wait to see what next season holds.”
In her review of the first season, critic Mekeisha Madden Toby described the series as “funny, irreverent, subversive and self-aware,” adding that it is “rife with brilliant bits meant to be shared via social media.”
“The harnessed joy on ‘A Black Lady Sketch Show’ is dangerous because it burps in the face of any notion that black women comedians aren’t funny or polished. This show proves that these ladies are more than ready for the spotlight,” Toby wrote.
The show joins “Los Espookys” and “Euphoria” in the column of freshman shows coming back for a second outing at the premium cabler. Its renewal comes at a time when HBO’s lineup of content is in flux, as multiple series including “Game of Thrones,” “Veep” and soon “Silicon Valley” and “Ballers” will no longer be on the network.