Robin Thede is developing a new comedy series at HBO.
The half-hour project is titled Disengagement, centers on the prestigious Cole family after a very public and embarrassing business implosion shattered their perfect Midwest image. The logline for the project states: “And it was just an image, because, behind closed doors, even their dysfunction has dysfunction, proving family is the ultimate pyramid scheme.”
According to the Hollywood Reporter, this announcement comes just under a year after Thede signed a three-year overall deal in May 2022 to develop projects for HBO, HBO Max, and Warner Bros. Television. She will serve as writer and executive producer of the series; with Meghan Cheek set to produce through Thede’s production company, For Better or Words, Inc.
Thede will star alongside Eddie Murphy and Tracee Ellis Ross in Amazon Studios’ upcoming feature Candy Cane Lane, and is the creator, showrunner, executive producer, writer, and star of HBO’s sketch comedy series, A Black Lady Sketch Show,. Her acclaimed show is the first sketch comedy series to be written by, directed by, and starring Black women. The show has earned eight Emmy nominations, winning one, with its fourth season set to debut April 14.
The Iowa native got her start in the entertainment industry by writing for several network programs, eventually becoming the creator, executive producer, showrunner, writer, and star of the BET late-night talk show The Rundownwith Robin Thede. She also was the head writer and correspondent for Comedy Central’s The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore, becoming the first Black woman ever to serve as head writer of a late night series.