COMEDY CENTRAL HEADING BACK TO THE SOUTH SIDE WITH SEASON TWO ORDER OF HIT SCRIPTED SERIES
- South Side is Comedy Central’s Highest-Rated New Series with African American Viewers since Key & Peele
- South Side is the #1 New Cable Comedy of 2019 with African American M18-49
- Critically-Acclaimed Series Airs Wednesdays at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT on Comedy Central
NEW YORK, August 28, 2019 – Comedy Central today ordered a 10-episode second season of hit series South Side, the aspirational, scripted comedy set in and around the working class neighborhood of Englewood on the South Side of Chicago.
Season one of South Side, currently airing Wednesday nights at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT on Comedy Central, is garnering universal praise from critics and holds a 100% Certified Fresh rating from Rotten Tomatoes. Watch a preview of this week’s episode here.
[
Through the first five episodes of season one, South Side is averaging a 1.02 L+3 rating with African American P18-49 viewers, making it Comedy Central’s highest-rated new series in that demo since the Key & Peele launch in 2012. It’s also the #1 new original primetime cable comedy of the year in the demo and the #1 new cable comedy of 2019 with African American M18-49 (1.23 rating). Overall, South Side is averaging a .35 P18-49 L+3 rating, up +13% from the same time slot average in 2018.
“Our mission is to show the world the joy of Chicago,” said South Side executive producers Bashir Salahuddin, Diallo Riddle and Micahel Blieden. “Comedy Central has been a fantastic creative partner in this effort. They allow all the Chicagoans who make this show possible to create with zero compromises. We are blessed.”
“South Side is a truly unique and special show – one that is first and foremost incredibly funny, but also redefines perceptions of Chicago through storytelling and humor,” said Jonas Larsen and Sarah Babineau, Co-Heads of Original Content for Comedy Central. “Diallo, Bashir and Michael have created such an incredible comedic world with this show and we can’t wait to see what they have in store for season two.”
The show follows two friends who just graduated community college … so now they’re ready to take over the world! But until they do they’re stuck at Rent-T-Own, a retail-rental crossroads where the South Side’s vast ensemble of characters come together. Despite the obstacles of inner-city life, these friends and their co-workers all strive to achieve their entrepreneurial dreams. Brought to life by local Chicagoans, both in front of and behind the camera, this show gives viewers an authentic portrayal of what life on the South Side is all about. It’s evidence that what you see on the news is only a small piece of the city. South Side was created by Bashir Salahuddin (Glow), Diallo Riddle (Marlon) and Sultan Salahuddin. Bashir Salahuddin, Riddle, and Michael Blieden – all Late Night with Jimmy Fallon alumni – are executive producers. Kellyn Parker and Kelci Parker are executives in charge of the show for Comedy Central.
The #1 brand in comedy recorded a strong quarter of ratings growth for Q2 2019, driven by the brand’s core, young male demos. Among M18-34, ratings jumped +12%, Comedy Central’s biggest year-over-year growth in that demo since 2014. For P18-34, Comedy Central ratings increased +6%, the second straight quarter that the brand posted growth in the demo. It’s the first time since 2014 that the brand grew ratings year over year in consecutive quarters. Driven by strong growth from primetime originals and late-night flagship The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Comedy Central also recorded its best quarter ever with 1.7 billion social streams, up +30% versus the same quarter last year.
In addition to ratings success, Comedy Central receives critical acclaim from its premium scripted series, late night programming, animated series, sketch-comedy series and docu-series, including South Park, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Lights Out with David Spade, South Side, Broad City, Drunk History, The Other Two, Corporate, Alternatino with Arturo Castro, The New Negroes with Baron Vaughn and Open Mike Eagle, Tosh.0 and The Jim Jefferies Show, among others. Looking ahead, Comedy Central has a stacked slate that will feature new and returning series including scripted comedies Awkwafina and Robbie, along with interview-based series from Anthony Jeselnik and Phoebe Robinson. Additionally, Comedy Central holds talent deals with Trevor Noah, Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer, Jim Jefferies, Roy Wood Jr., Chris Distefano, Bill Burr and Al Madrigal, and Anthony Jeselnik.
Comedy Central gives audiences access to a world of super funny, personally relatable, culturally relevant, and provocative comedy that tells the funny truths of life, every day and everywhere. From award-winning late-night, scripted and animated series to stand-up specials, short-form and sketch, Comedy Central has it all. A subsidiary of Viacom, Comedy Central is available to more than 300 million households in over 150 countries across the globe.
