It’s got to be a huge advantage if Amy Schumer is the opening act for your upfronts:
And we’re off! #CCUpfront pic.twitter.com/8KcbHCkVoc
— Walter Levitt (@MediaMktgGuy) March 31, 2016
It’s also hard to believe that Comedy Central had anything else to talk about after making two lengthy announcements on both Tuesday and Wednesday, but the network sure did, with five series pick-ups, 10 new specials and 11 pilot orders.
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Among those series are two new stand-up series produced by Kevin Hart’s Hartbeat Productions. On Thursday, Hart also announced that his Hartbeat Digital is partnering with Lionsgate on a new comedy SVOD service, Laugh Out Loud, to launch this fall.
Hart’s first series is Kevin Hart Presents: Hart of the City, an eight-episode series that follows Hart as he travels to different cities to explore the local comedy scenes in Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Birmingham, Miami and Sacramento. He’s also bringing a six half-hours of a stand-up series to the network, in which Hart will spotlight one up-and-coming comedian per episode.
Jeff Ross is doubling down on roasting things, with Comedy Central picking up Jeff Ross Presents: Roast Battle (kind of like Spike’s Lip Sync Battle, only with roasting, duh) and Ross doing a tricky sounding one-off special, Jeff Ross Roasts the Police, which gives equal time to the law after his earlier successful special, Jeff Ross Roasts Criminals.
The network also has one-hour stand-up specials in the works from Kurt Braunohler, Deon Cole, Pete Davidson, Joe DeRosa, Trevor Moore, Big Jay Oakerson, Dan Soder and “The Goddamn Comedy Jam.” It’s also signed talent development deals with Daily Show correspondents Jessica Williams and Jordan Klepper. Williams is co-writing, producing and starring in a half-hour scripted pilot, while Klepper is producing and starring in a late-night talk-show presentation.
The network has signed a production deal with Schumer, with the Untitled Kyle Dunnigan Project in the works. Dunnigan is a writer on Inside Amy Schumer, with Schumer on board to executive produce.
The network also has production deals in place with a long list of talent, including Chris Hardwick, Channing Tatum, Olivia Wilde, Jack Black, Eva Longoria, Ed Helms, Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone, Abominable Pictures, Above Average, Funny Or Die, Gloria Sanchez Productions, and Serious Business, among others.
[Image courtesy of Variety]
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