Entertainment
A Black Lady Sketch Show comes to HBO on Aug. 2 and the new comedy series looks nothing short of legendary. As the title suggests, the show was cast, written, and directed by black women. And after the hype generated from the Season 1 trailer, which made its debut in early July, it's almost impossible not to get excited and fall in love with the brilliantly funny women of the Black Lady Sketch Show cast, which includes Robin Thede, Ashley Nicole Black, Quinta Brunson, and Gabrielle Dennis.
In an interview with Salon, Thede, who is the creator, co-executive producer, and star of A Black Lady Sketch Show, gushed about her core cast while revealing the importance of the show being backed by a team of black women. Thede said:
This cast is so talented and so amazing and everyone's playing dozens of characters. And I think being able to see black women who are written for by black women who are directed by black women who are black women starring in roles as black women, that will read as more authentic. And it allows us to explore the boundaries of comedy or the limitlessness of this genre.
That said, when speaking with CBS News, Thede also let fans know A Black Lady Sketch Show will also be relatable to a wide net of people.
"The show is specifically cast, but universally funny," she said. "You're going to get specific things that for sure came out of the writers' room, or that the cast added on when they were performing, but then you're also going to get universally funny jokes."
So who is leading the Black Lady Sketch Show cast? It's time to meet the actors behind your new favorite show — and maybe even see a familiar face.
Robin Thede
As mentioned earlier, Thede is not only the show's creator and co-executive producer, but also one of the leads. The actress and writer has been in the entertainment business for a long time, and she has already made history prior to her new HBO series. Previously, Thede hosted BET's The Rundown With Robin Thede, making her the first and only black woman to host a late-night show. According to Thede's IMDb profile, she also served as the head writer for The Queen Latifah Show and The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore.
Ashley Nicole Black
Black's IMDb profile may only go back as far as 2014, but the actress and writer still has an impressive resume. The UC Santa Cruz graduate got her start with The Second City. Then in 2016, she became a writer and corespondent for the Emmy Award-winning Full Frontal with Samantha Bee. She has also appeared in Comedy Central's Drunk History series and 2014's An American Education.
Quinta Brunson
If you're deep into the YouTube scene, you've probably seen Brunson before. The former BuzzFeed standout has been involved in numerous viral projects, including the Instagram series The Girl Who's Never Been on a Nice Date, YouTube Red's Broke, and Facebook Watch's Quinta vs. Everything. According to Brunson's IMDb profile, the actress has also made appearances in New Girl, iZombie, and Adult Swim's animated series Lazor Wulf.
Gabrielle Dennis
Per Dennis' IMDb page, the actress has been in the business since 1990. So chances are, you've seen her before. She previously played Denise Roy in Blue Mountain State, Janay in The Game, and Pippy Rosewood in Rosewood. And more recently, the actress has starred in hit shows like Luke Cage as Tilda Johnson and Candice in Insecure. Fans may also recognize her for her portrayal of Whitney Houston in The Bobby Brown Story.
If the phenomenal cast of A Black Lady Sketch Show doesn't excite you, I don't know what will. And hopefully, the new HBO series inspires a comedy revolution and TV gets more projects headlined by black women in the future. In the interview with CBS News, Thede pointed out that A Black Lady Sketch Show will be the first of many.
"Originally I was calling it 'The Black Lady Sketch Show,' and [Insecure creator Issa Rae], being as smart as she is, was like, 'No, because then it feels so finite, like it's the only one,'" Thede said. "I was like, oh, we should call it 'A Black Lady Sketch Show,' so then it's just one of many, ideally."
A Black Lady Sketch Show premieres Aug. 2 on HBO.
