Sacha Baron Cohen Returns to Television with New Showtime Comedy Series WHO IS AMERICA?

Today, Showtime announced a brand new satirical half-hour series from comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. Famous for creating a roster of iconic moments and incendiary characters, Baron Cohen returns to series television for the first time in more than a decade, writing and directing WHO IS AMERICA? In the works over the past year, the seven-episode series will explore the diverse individuals, from the infamous to the unknown across the political and cultural spectrum, who populate our unique nation. The first episode will debut on streaming, online and On Demand this Sunday, July 15 at midnight ET (9 p.m. PT July 14) and will premiere on air that same night at 10 p.m. ET/PT, with subsequent episodes airing on Sundays at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The announcement was made today by David Nevins, President and CEO of Showtime Networks Inc.

"Sacha is a comedic genius who shocks you with his audacity, bravery and inventiveness," Nevins said. "He is the premier provocateur of our time, but not for the sake of 'gotcha' moments. Behind the elaborate setup is a genuine quest for the truth about people, places and politics. Nobody knows how to cause a stir like Sacha Baron Cohen, and it's going to be fascinating to watch what happens when WHO IS AMERICA? is released on the world."

Two time BAFTA® and Golden Globe® winning, and Oscar® nominated actor, writer and comedian of television and film, Baron Cohen burst onto the comedy scene with Da Ali G Show, which received six Emmy® Award nominations and two BAFTA awards during its four-year run. He served as executive producer, writer and actor on the series. Baron Cohen's next project was Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, a feature film starring his second alter ego, Borat Sagdiyev, a Kazakhstani news reporter. He produced, wrote and starred in the film, which was a worldwide phenomenon opening No. 1 in 24 countries and garnered Baron Cohen a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical and an Academy Award® nomination for Adapted Screenplay. Other film credits include Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Alice Through the Looking Glass, Les Miserables, Bruno, Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Madagascar, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, Madagascar 3; Europe's Most Wanted, The Dictator, Hugo and Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.

WHO IS AMERICA? is created and executive produced by Baron Cohen and is also executive produced by Anthony Hines, Todd Schulman, Andrew Newman, Dan Mazer and Adam Lowitt.

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, and also offers Showtime ON DEMAND®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ ON DEMAND and FLIX ON DEMAND®, and the network's authentication service Showtime ANYTIME®. Showtime Digital Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of SNI, operates the stand-alone streaming service SHOWTIME®. Showtime is currently available to subscribers via cable, DBS and telco providers, and as a stand-alone streaming service through Apple®, Roku®, Amazon, Google, Xbox One, Samsung and LG Smart TVs. Consumers can also subscribe to Showtime via Hulu, Youtube TV, Sling TV, DIRECTV Now, Sony PlayStation™ Vue, Amazon Channels and FuboTV. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks™, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution, which offers Smithsonian Channel™, and offers Smithsonian Earth™ through SN Digital LLC. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a Pay-Per-View basis through Showtime PPV. For more information, go to www.SHO.com.

Photo Credit: Showtime

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