Comedy, News, Television

Comedy from Zainab Johnson and Wanda Sykes in Development at ABC

Zainab Johnson: zainabjohnson.com

It looks like ABC is continuing its recent trend of pursuing inclusive, politically resonant comedies like “Black-ish” and “Fresh Off the Boat,” judging by its latest development deal. According to Shadow and Act, the network has put an untitled comedy series from Zainab Johnson (“Last Comic Standing,” “Private Practice”) and Wanda Sykes’ Push It Productions into development.

The show is based on a story from Johnson and comedian Tom Straw. Penned by Straw, “the project follows the life of a Muslim model as she approaches her 30th birthday, as her career faces a downturn, and she is forced to tackle problems she never had to deal with before, leading her to question the choices she’s making in her life. Realizing that she has to move back in with her family, she finds out that her siblings are also facing similar life-changing events.”

Straw and Sykes will executive produce the show along with Page Hurwitz, also of Push It Productions.

Considering the current political climate, it’s vital that Muslims, African-Americans, and women — all of whom are facing a rough four years — receive proper, multidimensional representation in pop culture. One of the best ways to combat ignorance and hate is to provide a creative outlet for those who are treated as the “other.” This upcoming series from Johnson and Sykes has the potential to make a huge difference to audiences around the U.S.

Johnson is a stand-up comedian. She won HBO’s American Black Film Festival Comedy Wings Competition in 2013, and was a semi-finalist on NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” in 2014. Her comedy album, “Model Citizen,” is available on iTunes.

In addition to this series, Sykes and Hurwitz’s Push It Productions has several other projects in the works, including “Face Value,” a BET comedy game show pilot, and “Talk Show: The Game Show” for TruTV, which will premiere this spring.


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