Dime Davis is the first Black woman to be nominated for Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series. The director received the honor for her work on A Black Lady Sketch Show.
The category was previously called Outstanding Directing for a Variety or Music Program. Debbie Allen was nominated for this category in 1989 for ABC’s The Debbie Allen Special. Davis is the first Black woman in the category to be recognized for directing a series and not special programming.
A Black Lady Sketch Show was created by Robin Thede. She co-executive produces the show with Issa Rae. The show has allowed Black women who are often relegated as sidekicks and stereotypes to center themselves in the modern comedy landscape. Instead of being the butt of the joke, they get to be the author.
According to Deadline, Thede said “It’s insane, it’s really fun, my phone is making a lot of noise and emails are going crazy, it’s great.”
“Three nominations for a show that aired a year ago and only had six episodes is massive,” she said. “She’s such a visionary,” Thede added about Davis.
“She’s known for directing some shows on BET, which is great, but honestly, whenever there’s a show on BET, some people think it’s just BET and they don’t think of it as on the same level as HBO, but Dime’s vision and creativity is great on any platform. I’m so happy that she’s getting this level of recognition.”
Angela Bassett was nominated for Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series for her appearance on the show. A Black Lady Sketch Show also received a nod for Outstanding Variety Sketch Series.
“Angela Bassett was a huge get for us, so the fact that she even did the show, she was so kind,” said Thede.
A Black Lady Sketch Show was renewed for a second season at HBO.