Release
SHOWTIME PICKS UP NEW COMEDY WHITE FAMOUS
Half-Hour Series Starring Jay Pharaoh,
Based On Jamie Foxx’s Experiences Coming Up In The Business
LOS ANGELES – January 9, 2017 – SHOWTIME has announced the pick-up of the new half-hour comedy series WHITE FAMOUS led by actor and comedian Jay Pharoah (Saturday Night Live). The project is a collaboration between writer and showrunner Tom Kapinos (CALIFORNICATION) and Academy Award® winner Jamie Foxx, based on Foxx’s personal experiences coming up in the business. Tim Story, the prolific director who helmed the movie franchises Barbershop, Fantastic Four, Ride Along and Think Like A Man, will executive produce and direct the pilot. The announcement was made today by David Nevins, President and CEO, Showtime Networks Inc., at the 2017 Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour.
A co-production of Lionsgate Television and SHOWTIME, WHITE FAMOUS will focus on a talented, young African-American comedian, Floyd Mooney (Pharoah), whose star is rising, forcing him to navigate the treacherous waters of maintaining his credibility as he begins to cross-over toward becoming “white famous.” The series will be written and executive produced by Kapinos, and executive produced by Foxx, who will guest star in a recurring role. Megalyn Echikunwoke (CSI: Miami, HOUSE OF LIES) plays Floyd’s ex-girlfriend “Sadie,” the love of his life and the mother of his son. Utkarsh Ambudkar (The Mindy Project) plays “Malcolm,” Floyd's frustrated agent who wants his client to do whatever it takes to make it big. Jacob Ming-Trent (Feed the Beast) and Lonnie Chavis (This is Us) also star. Stephen Tobolowsky (The Goldbergs) guest stars in the series’ pilot.
Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, and also offers SHOWTIME ON DEMAND®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ ON DEMAND and FLIX ON DEMAND®, and the network's authentication service SHOWTIME ANYTIME®. Showtime Digital Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of SNI, operates the stand-alone streaming service SHOWTIME®. SHOWTIME is currently available to subscribers via cable, DBS and telco providers, and as a stand-alone streaming service through Apple®, Roku®, Amazon and Google. Consumers can also subscribe to SHOWTIME via Hulu, Sony PlayStation® Vue and Amazon Channels. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks™, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution, which offers Smithsonian Channel™, and offers Smithsonian Earth™ through SN Digital LLC. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV. For more information, go to www.SHO.com.
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Contact:
Morgan Fouch
310-234-5219
