Comedy Central's CC Studios Announces New and Returning Series

Babysitter to a billionaire, scamming brothers and storytelling comedians: these are just a few of the concepts featured in the new development slate from Comedy Central's CC:Studios, as announced today by Allison Kingsley, Vice President of Digital Development, Comedy Central. The #1 brand in comedy's in-house multiplatform studio has also renewed three series from its launch slate: "This is Not Happening," "Bro-Dependent" and "The Walsh Brothers' Great & Secret Comedy Show."

Said Kingsley: "This slate represents an evolution of Comedy Central's development process; collaborating across departments as we work with an incredible roster of talented comedians to create shareable content."

Projects in development range from sketch/variety to animated to scripted narrative and feature a combination of top comedic and up-and-coming talent including Kurt Braunohler, Dan St. Germain, Jillian Bell, Charlotte Newhouse and Ari Shaffir. The slate also features series from talent who have inked multiplatform deals with Comedy Central, including Jon Gabrus and Justin Tyler.

CC:STUDIOS DEVELOPMENT SLATE

Series Greenlights:

· "Biatches" (Working Title) Dana Min Goodman and Julia Wolov (writers on "Punk'd" and "Good Vibes") wrote and star in this animated series about bad girls kicked out of middle school and forced to attend the Special Education Students program - but they're not going to let that stop them from wreaking their raunchy brand of havoc.

· "Idiotsitter" Charlotte Newhouse and Jillian Bell ("Workaholics") created and star in a show about a straight-and-narrow young woman (Newhouse) who is hired to babysit a mega-rich womanchild (Bell) who has been left alone in her daddy's mansion under house arrest.

· "The Midnight Beast" Ashley Horne, Dru Wakely & Stefan Abingdon are hip-hop comedy group The Midnight Beast. Already blowing up in the UK and on Youtube for their parody music videos, the guys are ready to leap across the pond and partner with CC:Studios.

· "Pixelheads" CC:Studios has partnered with GameTrailers to produce and distribute a video game focused animated sketch series. Segments feature Steve Agee, Rich Fulcher, Jordan Morris, Ron Funches, Brent Morin, Peter Giles, Andrew Bachelor, H. Michael Croner and Matt Cook.

· "Strong Island" Creators and co-stars Jon Gabrus and Justin Tyler portray two brothers living at home with their mom on Long Island. This series is part of a multiplatform deal Gabrus and Tyler inked with Comedy Central. Cast also includes Artemis Pebdani ("It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia") and Kevin "Dot Com" Brown ("30 Rock").

· "Untitled Kurt Braunohler" The Untitled Kurt Braunohler Project is a multi-format interview show where each guest is interviewed gonzo style in unexpected locations.

Series Renewals:

· "Bro-Dependent" - Season 2 H. Michael Croner and Greg Worswick of the renowned Groundlings comedy troupe play Zack and Anderson - best friends who are equal parts douchebag, idiot and hopeless bromantic.

· "This Is Not Happening" - Season 2 A long-form storytelling show hosted by Ari Shaffir, in which his comedian friends tell hilarious and true stories around a given theme. "This Is Not Happening" will also be distributed as audio episodes on Comedy Central Radio by Sirius XM, and will include exclusive interviews with talent.

· "The Walsh Brothers' Great & Secret Comedy Show" - Season 2 Professional goofballs Chris and Dave Walsh are at it again with their guerilla-style comedy show for season two. Innocent residents of Southern California will join them on their whimsical adventures, whether they want to or not.

CC:Studios is Comedy Central's in-house creative initiative for the development of original digital comedy. The newest addition to the Comedy Central family, CC:Studios attracts the best comics and comedy writers in the business, giving them an opportunity to create hilarious content that is native to digital screens. Working with CC:Studios, talent has access to Comedy Central's extensive distribution channels including on-air, Comedy Central Records, CC Mobile Apps, Comedy Central Home Entertainment, Comedy Central Radio, VOD as well Comedy Central Certified comedy clubs.

Available on-air, online and on-the-go, Comedy Central (www.cc.com) is the #1 brand in comedy and is owned by, and is a registered trademark of, Comedy Partners, a wholly-owned unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA and VIAB).

Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB) is home to the world's premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms in over 160 countries and territories. With media networks reaching approximately 700 million global subscribers, Viacom's leading brands include MTV, VH1, CMT, Logo, BET, CENTRIC, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., TeenNick, Nicktoons, Nick at Nite, Comedy Central, TV Land, Spike, Tr3s, Paramount Channel and VIVA. Paramount Pictures, America's oldest film studio and creator of many of the most beloved motion pictures, continues today as a major global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment. Viacom operates a large portfolio of branded digital media experiences, including many of the world's most popular properties for entertainment, community and casual online gaming. For more information about Viacom and its businesses, visit www.viacom.com. Keep up with Viacom news by following Viacom's blog at blog.viacom.com and Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/Viacom.

To post a comment, you must register and login.