Amazon Studios and A24 Team Up For Overdubbed Cold War Comedy Series Comrade Detective

While most of us may not be intimately familiar with Romanian cop shows of the 1980s, Amazon Studios and A24 are teaming up to bring us up to speed on the exceptionally niche genre. Comrade Detective presents itself as a “long-lost” relic of the 1980s Cold War hysteria. The conceit is that the Romanian government created a “sleek and gritty police show” about two detectives investigating a fellow officer’s murder, only to begin “unraveling a subversive plot to destroy their country that is fueled by—what else—but the greatest enemy: Capitalism.” The show was presumably forgotten after the fall of the Berlin Wall, but it has since been “rediscovered” and overdubbed into English by Channing Tatum and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

It’s a brilliant concept, and one that immediately calls to mind Most Extreme Elimination Challenge, Kung Pow: Enter The Fist and other overdubbed comedies. Most of the marketing materials being released for Comrade Detective continue the hilarious narrative that this was once a famous show. An A24 press release reads: “As passionate fans of cinema and television, we have long heard about this genre defining show and are thrilled to work with Free Association and Amazon to bring it to audiences”

In addition to Tatum and Gordon-Levitt, the extensive and talented roster of dubbing talent includes Jenny Slate (Obvious Child), Chloë Sevigny (Bloodline), Jake Johnson (New Girl), Jason Mantzoukas (The House), Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation), Fred Armisen (Documentary Now!), Kim Basinger (LA Confidential), Mahershala Ali (Moonlight), Tracey Letts (The Lovers), Bobby Cannavale (Boardwalk Empire), Richard Jenkins (The Visitor), Debra Winger (The Lovers), Mark Duplass (Safety Not Guaranteed), Katie Aselton Duplass (Legion), Jerrod Carmichael (The Carmichael Show), Bo Burnham (The Big Sick) and John Early (Search Party).

The 30-minute comedy series debuts Aug. 4 on Amazon Prime Video. Stay tuned for more info.