Comedy Central Picks Up Robbie from Rory Scovel, Awkwafina

Comedy Central has given series orders to two new half-hour scripted comedies: Robbie, from star, co-writer and executive producer Rory Scovel (I Feel Pretty), and Awkwafina, from its eponymous writer, actor and rapper.

The network ordered eight episodes of Robbie, which follows a small-town youth league basketball coach (Scovel) living in his father’s shadow, until he realizes that he has a son of his own who can lead him to greatness. Robbie is written by Scovel and Anthony King (Broad City, Silicon Valley), and also stars Beau Bridges as Robbie’s father, along with former SNL cast member Sasheer Zamata and Mary Holland. Scovell, King and Scott Moran serve as executive producers, along with Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Betsy Koch and Owen Burke for Gary Sanchez Productions.

Paste spoke with multi-hyphenate Scovel before the release of his 2017 Netflix stand-up special, Rory Scovel Tries Stand-Up for the First Time, which later that year also landed on Paste list of the 25 best stand-up specials of 2017.

Comedy Central also gave a 10-episode order to Awkwafina, starring the Ocean’s 8 and Crazy Rich Asians breakout as a twenty-something living in Queens, striving for a larger-than-life existence while living with her father and grandmother. Awkwafina, Karey Dornetto (SMILF, Portlandia) and Teresa Hsiao (Family Guy, American Dad) co-wrote the pilot, which was directed by Lucia Aniello (Broad City, Rough Night). SNL writer Bowen Yang also stars as Awkwafina’s more successful cousin, while BD Wong stars as her father and Lori Tan Chinn her grandmother.

In April 2017, before Awkwafina’s star-making role in Ocean’s 8 earlier this year, the quadruple-threat took an afternoon to document a day in her life with Paste photographer Cortney Armitage. Check it out here.