Hulu has ordered the comedy pilot “Bammas” written by and starring Opeyemi Olagbaju and Biniam Bizuneh, Variety has learned.
The show follows a pair of young Ethiopian- and Nigerian-American best friends as they struggle to overcome their loser reputations in a magical realist version of Washington DC.
Olagbaju and Bizuneh serve as executive producers in addition to starring and writing. Danny Chun (“The Office” “The Simpsons”), who mentored the pair at the Sundance Lab in 2019, will serve as showrunner and executive producer. Jonathan Krisel will direct and executive produce. Ramy Youssef will executive produce under his Cairo Cowboy banner with Andy Campagna overseeing for the company. ABC Signature is the studio.
Bizuneh is Ethiopian-American and has written for shows like “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” “Dave,” and “Resident Alien.” He is also a stand up comedian, having performed as part of Comedy Central’s “Stand Up Featuring” as well as starring in and writing several Comedy Central productions, including the digital series “How to be Broke.”
He is repped by UTA and Ginsburg Daniels Kallis LLP.
Olagbaju is Nigerian-American and also a TV writer and stand up comedian. His credits include “Unrelated,” “I Love You America With Sarah Silverman,” “Betty,” and “Close Enough.” He has performed stand up on Comedy Central, the Just For Laughs New Faces showcase in 2019, and SF Sketchfest.
He is repped by UTA, El Centro, and Schreck Rose.
The pilot marks the second project announced for Youssef in as many weeks. Variety exclusively reported that Youssef recently signed a first-look deal at Amazon, under which he received a two-season order for a new animated comedy series. The show follows a Muslim-American family in the early 2000s.