YouTube has given a straight-to-series order for “Weird City,” a science-fiction anthology series from Jordan Peele and ‘Key & Peele’ writer Charlie Sanders.
“Weird City” is a half-hour comedic anthology set in the not-too-distant future metropolis of Weird. Each episode is an exploration of issues that pertain to present-day life, stories that could only be told now through the prism of sci-fi and comedy.
The six-episode series will air on YouTube Premium (the rebranded name from YouTube Red) in 2019. Jose Molina, whose TV credits include “The Tick,” “Agent Carter” and “Sleepy Hollow,” will serve as showrunner. Adam Bernstein will direct for the first two episodes.
“We are thrilled to be in business with Jordan, Charlie and Jose, who have brilliantly created a highly entertaining satire that will be a timely send up of modern society,” said Susanne Daniels, YouTube’s global head of original content. “We are excited to partner with Sonar Entertainment and all of the innovative storytellers behind ‘Weird City’ to push boundaries and redefine what a comedy series can be.”
“Weird City” is written by Peele and Sanders and produced Peele’s MonkeyPaw Productions, Sonar Entertainment, Mosaic and Raskal Productions. Peele, Sanders and Bernstein will serve as executive producers along with Win Rosenfeld,who will executive produce through Monkeypaw, Tom Lesinski and Jenna Santoianni through Sonar Entertainment, Sam Hansen through Mosaic and Keith Raskin and Linda Morel through Raskal Productions.
“Writer/creator Charlie Sanders and I collaborated on some ‘Key & Peele’ sketches that took on everything from the ‘Black Republicans’ to ‘Continental Breakfasts’ to ‘Family Matters’,” said Peele. “Now, with YouTube we present a series of comedy driven twisted-ass science fiction stories that take place in a world close to ours but just a little bit off.”
On Monday, YouTube picked up the Kirsten Dunst-led dark comedy “On Becoming a God in Central Florida,” that will be executive produced by George Clooney’s Smokehouse Productions.