Onyx Picks Up Gabourey Sidibe Comedy Pilot, Docuseries About Black Twitter

Lynette Rice
·2 min read
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Onyx has ordered a scripted comedy from 20th Television featuring Gabourey Sidibe and has made straight to series order on a docuseries about Black Twitter.

The pilot 1266 follows Gabby Brixton (Sidibe), who’s living with her mom and making half-hearted attempts to become a singer/model and overnight millionaire. When she’s fired from her job, she stumbles upon the gig of a lifetime ― phone sex. What initially seems like a quick way to make money turns into a life-changing experience when she meets the women who become her chosen family and learns how powerful, profitable and prolific her voice can be.

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The series is inspired by the true-life story of Sidibe, who is executive producing with Thembi Banks (Only Murders in the Building), Steven Canals (Pose), and Julie Bean (grown-ish), with Jill Kaplan to serve as a non-writing executive producer. Banks and Bean will be co-showrunners. Banks is writing the teleplay and directing the pilot.

The three-part docuseries Black Twitter (working title) is from A Penny for Your Thoughts, Wired Studios and Culture House. IBased on Jason Parham’s story in Wired, the doc will chart the rise, the movements, the voices and the memes that made Black Twitter an influential and dominant force in nearly every aspect of American political and cultural life.

Prentice Penny is directing the series, marking the first project with Onyx Collective via his overall deal under the banner of his company, A Penny for Your Thoughts. EPS are Penny, Chris Pollack, Alex Soler, Sarah Amos, Helen Estabrook, Agnes Chu, Andrew Whitney, Raeshem Nijhon, Carri Twigg, Nicole Galovski, and Joie Jacoby, who will also serve as showrunner. Jason Parham is a producer.

If picked up to series, 1266 — along with Black Twitter — are expected to stream on Hulu.

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