Everyone Will Be Laughing at 'A Black Lady Sketch Show' This Summer

Photo credit: HBO
Photo credit: HBO

From Oprah Magazine

  • A Black Lady Sketch Show is set to premiere on HBO on August 2 at 11 p.m. ET.

  • The show—created, written by, and starring Robin Thede—features comedic sketches performed by a regular cast of Black female comedians and celebrity guests. Oh, and Issa Rae is an executive producer and co-star.

  • Here's what we know about the upcoming six-episode series.


To be honest, we rejoiced when Robin Thede and Issa Rae announced their new series for HBO, A Black Lady Sketch Show. The show has been described as "a limitless magical reality" that features a cast and crew of prominent Black female comedians plus celebrity guests such as Lena Waithe and David Alan Grier.

Thede, of course, is no stranger to comedy or running her own show—she was the first Black female head writer for a late-night talk show on The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore, and she hosted The Rundown with Robin Thede on BET from 2017 to 2018. And yes—it's A Black Lady Sketch Show, and not The Black Lady Sketch Show. Thede will be the first to remind you, explaining why the slight tweak makes a difference: “We want to be one of many. This opens the door for many more to come.”

Here's everything we know about the show so far.


When does A Black Lady Sketch Show premiere?

A Black Lady Sketch Show will debut on HBO on Friday, August 2 at 11 p.m. ET.

Photo credit: HBO
Photo credit: HBO

Is there a trailer?

Yes! The trailer shows the entire cast, as well as a snapshot into what topics the show will delve into. It includes a hilarious (and disastrous) hike, Angela Bassett saying it's okay to be an "okay b**ch," and what appears to be a Temptations parody.


Who are some of the guest stars?

The trailer shows that there are a ton: Laverne Cox, Tia Mowry, Aja Naomi King, Lena Waithe, Patti LaBelle, Amber Riley, Yvonne Orji, Loretta Devine, Gina Torres, David Alan Grier, Lil Rel Howery, Jermaine Fowler, Deon Cole, Marsai Martin, Khandi Alexander, Natasha Rothwell, Larry Wilmore, Yvette Nicole Brown, and Kelly Rowland.


Who's in the cast of A Black Lady Sketch Show?

Photo credit: HBO
Photo credit: HBO

The cast of the show features some of the biggest names in comedy right now. Emmy Award-winner Ashley Nicole Black (Full Frontal with Samantha Bee)—who made headlines this year after asking (and receiving) love advice from presidential candidate Senator Elizabeth Warren— is in it, plus Gabrielle Dennis (The Bobby Brown Story, Luke Cage). In addition, the cast features Quinta Brunson, the content creator, comedian, and star of the YouTube Red sitcom Broke.


Who helped piece the show together?

Not only are some of the biggest names in comedy involved in front of the camera, but A Black Lady Sketch Show boasts a writers' room made up of entirely Black female comedians. The roster includes Lauren Ashley Smith (The Rundown), Akilah Green (A Legendary Christmas with John and Chrissy, Chelsea), Brittani Nichols (Take My Wife, Drop the Mic, Strangers), Amber Ruffin (Late Night with Seth Meyers), Rae Sanni (Rel, The Good Place), and Holly Walker (The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore). Dime Davis (The Chi) directed all six episodes.


How can I watch A Black Lady Sketch Show?

The best way is to tune in at 11 p.m. ET on Fridays on HBO starting August 2. If you don't have a TV or cable, head to HBO.com to watch, or download HBO GO and HBO Now.

Don't have HBO? Streaming services are the way around that.

Hulu viewers, for example, can add HBO to their streaming plan for $14.99 per month, and that lets you watch on your iPhone, Android, Roku, Fire TV and Fire Stick, Apple TV, or Chromecast. If Amazon is more your gig, Amazon Prime Video has access to certain HBO shows.


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