Robin Thede’s Comedy: Achieving Laughter, Longevity, and Legacy

In NYC (AP), Robin Thede found out success in television is measured with how long it lasts.

The creator of “A Black Lady Sketch Show” said that he is so happy that people want to watch their show for six episodes, because there are so many other options on television nowadays. Having a season four is really special and shows how much it is appreciated. He says that even though his shows are awesome, some don’t always get to last as long as this one has.

HBO’s most watched sketch comedy show has returned this week and it is bigger than ever. DaMya Gurley, Tamara Jade and Angel Laketa Moore have been included in the cast alongside Thede, Gabrielle Dennis and Skye Townsend who are already a part of the show.

Thede explained that her original plan was to create more Black female voices for the show which have now become a much bigger part of it than what she had originally envisioned.

Thede is very thankful for the interest in her sketch series which is made by Black women and mostly enjoyed by them too. She was not surprised though as she did not hear people telling her that her project would be a failure. She also has lots of support from other female people of colour who work on all different parts of the show.

Thede and her colleague Issa Rae were really excited about something they were working on. They wanted it to be perfect. Thede said that the idea was so great that people couldn’t help but support them. She thought it would be a great thing for everyone to experience.

This season is different from the past ones because it’s more light-hearted and fun. Famous celebrities like Tracee Ellis Ross, Colman Domingo and Jay Ellis will be appearing on the show, plus some familiar faces like Yvette Nicole Brown and Jackée Harry might make a comeback too. Kym Whitley will also join in on the fun!

The person who is part of Second City said that the award-nominated actress Angela Bassett showed people that the show was fun and secure for all performers. They don’t need auditions to cast guest stars, but they usually ask her friends or contacts in the entertainment industry – which makes it easy to choose actors.

The writers room is a group composed of all Black women that agree to come up with lots of ideas each season to create the show, which ends up being around 30. People don’t stay there forever but they do use this as a stepping stone to start their future projects. This is how Thede, who’s in charge, keeps the show funny and entertaining!

Two Emmy awards have been won by the show ‘A Black Lady Sketch Show’. The first award was for outstanding directing in a variety series and the second one was for picture editing. Actors from the show, such as Emmy winner Quinta Brunson and Ashley Nicole Black who won an Emmy for Ted Lasso, have done an amazing job.

Robin Thede is from Iowa and has a bachelor’s in broadcast journalism from Northwestern. She became the head writer for “The Queen Latifah Show” as well as hosting her own program, “The Rundown With Robin Thede” on BET. Also, she was the first black woman to be a head writer of any late-night talk show. In addition, she writes awards shows and works together with popular comedians like Chris Rock, Kevin Hart and Mike Epps.

When she was a kid, it was really hard for Black women to be sketch comics. Whoopi Goldberg, who Thede looks up to, has inspired her by showing what can be achieved. She was so moved by this that she tearfully thanked Whoopi on the talk show ‘The View’.

Thede was really inspired by the funny woman Kim Wayans from “In Living Color”, an iconic TV sketch show with a mostly Black cast. She said that this show was extremely important for her, and she felt honored when Kim said that “A Black Lady Sketch Show” is creating a path similar to what the well-known Wayans did years ago.

She said to me that she was proud of what I was doing. That meant a lot to me since it felt like my heroes and role models were giving me their approval. My wish is simple: one day, nobody will have to go on a TV show like ‘The View’ and cry while saying thank you. Instead they’ll think ‘There are so many black women who made this possible, why can’t I do it too?’

Robin Thede is working on a new HBO comedy show called “Disengagement” about a Black family living in the Midwest. She is also part of the upcoming holiday movie Eddie Murphy stars in, called “Candy Cane Lane”. Robin Thede’s primary goal is to make sure that her current show, “A Black Lady Sketch Show”, will help people who follow her break into Hollywood.

The creator of ‘A Black Lady Sketch Show’, Robin Thede, said that the show is amazing because it has allowed many black women and other women of color to receive Emmy nominations and awards. She wants them (the younger generation) to build on what she created and carry this legacy forward. Even when she’s old and grey, she hopes for them to hire her as well!

Follow journalist Gary Gerard Hamilton on social media by looking him up @GaryGHamilton.