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Looking for some quality comedy entertainment to check out?
Who better to turn to for under-the-radar recommendations than comedians?
Among the many fallen brothers of theGreat 202223 Content Purge,South Sidewill be fondly missed.
Many shows have been canceled or scraped from the internet, but none had such a refillable premise.
ButSouth Sideintentionally opened up its world quickly and confidently.
It was like ifThe WirewereThe Simpsons.
Weve always wanted to take Chicago and turn it kinda into Springfield fromThe Simpsons,Bashir Salahuddin saidin 2019.
We have 150 speaking parts.
And because the show started that big, it had limitless places to go.
Its what makes the shows cancellation so frustrating.
Writer Brittani Nichols was annoyed that people only celebratedSouth Sideafter it was dead.
It felt like not a lot of people were watching.
People that I know werent bringing it up to me, she said.
But then when it got canceled, everyone was up in arms.
Where was everybody talking about it before?
What did you like most aboutSouth Side?Im from Chicago.
It was so specific in its references and its tone and its structure.
Its super-frenetic in a way that I really enjoyed.
Is that true?Yeah, it is.
It tells you a lot.
I think its partially because Chicago is so segregated and also so interestingly laid out.
Im like, Oh, theyre here.
You just have to go one block that way and youll see.
South Sidewas so intentional in its world-building.
Its the last way I want something marketed to me.
A lot of times, people make it seem like this thing is Important with a capitalI.
We as an audience dont get to decide whats important.
Thats something that I appreciated about the show: It was never trying to prove its own importance.
It just was a good show.
The show is all about building the ensemble.
So whos your favorite side character?Adam.
Just because Im Black and went to Yale, and he had that bookI Was Black at Yale.
I felt very personally attacked, but also it was fun.
South Sideis known for casting friends and family in a lot of roles.
What do you think that brings to a show?I love that.
I want to work with my friends as much as possible.
Everything Ive made on my own has been very heavily populated by my friends.
Its advantageous because you know what makes your friends funny in a way that they may not even know.
You know friends strengths.
Its a super-enriching experience when youre doing it with people that you really care about.
The show also uses a lot of people who are first-time actors, as doesAbbottwith the child actors.
Is writing for them different than writing for more seasoned performers?For sure.
I think were helped a lot by the fact that we want them to sound like kids.
I know a lot of the things that Ive written into the show have been sort of therapeutic.
Like, theres a scene where Barbara apologizes to a kid.
The emotion that he was able to pull out in that moment was super-touching.
In real life, it is rare for adults to apologize to children.
Its the ways where it feels sneaky that Im most proud of.
I mean, a teacher apologizing to a child is very anti-hierarchical.Yeah, yeah.
I sometimes get frustrated with the idea that politics of theory gets in the way of jokes or storytelling.
Like what you just said: crowdfunding to pay for cops.
Thats an example of how you cant be beholden to what youshoulddo.
So to do that is brave.
Its like,Yeah, we already know the bad stuff.
Were not here to teach you that lesson.
Stop being a fucking dork and just enjoy the show.
If you knew how many of our elected officials worked on cruise boats, youd really be questioning things.
Vulture highlightedthe resurgence of the working-classcomedy,South SideandAbbott Elementaryamong them, last year.
]Sorry, I feel like I interrupted.
That was a good interruption.
Having money is one of my greatest fears.
I think its just talking about it, honestly.
I force us to talk about money in our room a lot.
If youre doing things to stay in touch with reality, I dont think its that hard.
To that end, what hasAbbott Elementarys reception been like for you?
No, Ive been doing this quite a while people just havent paid attention to previous things Ive done.
Do you also watchShermans Showcase?I did, yes.
I think its cool.
A lot of the time, especially with comedians, people take a stab at box you in.
They have two vastly different shows in close proximity to each other.
Its helpful for everyone whos trying to show the depth that is possible in the comedy sphere.
If you were to create a completely different show with a different tone yourShermans Showcase what would it be?
Are you pitching it already?Im pitching right now.
Now Im just getting bummed out about L.A. politics.Thats what Im good for.
If you want to be sad, call me.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
