A Black Lady Sketch Show returns for another season of exhilarating comedy


Robin Thede’s A Black Lady Sketch Show represents several firsts. The HBO series is the first sketch comedy show made by and starring Black women, who also make up the writer’s room and the directing roster. In 2020, A Black Lady Sketch Show became the first Black women-led sketch comedy series to be nominated for an Outstanding Variety Sketch Series Emmy, while season-one director Dime Davis made history as the first Black woman to be nominated for Outstanding Directing In A Variety Series (to say nothing of the ground Thede previously broke in her career). That discussion of impressive firsts should also include A Black Lady Sketch Show’s superb inaugural season. The series’ debut in 2019 was as assured as it gets, combining twisty storytelling and gut-busting premises with more than a hint of magical realism. Rarely has a show arrived so fully formed yet prone to experimentation; not just radiating potential, but delivering on it.
Season two of A Black Lady Sketch Show, which premieres April 23, has an air of reinvention, from the opening credits to new cast additions Laci Mosley (of Florida Girls and Scam Goddess) and Skye Townsend (8 Days A Week). Three new writers—Kindsey Young, Shenovia Large, and Kristin Layne Tucker—join Brittani Nichols, Rae Sanni and Holly Walker in the room led by Lauren Ashley Smith, which also includes cast members Thede, Ashley Nicole Black, and Gabrielle Dennis (scheduling issues prevented Quinta Brunson from returning this year). Lacey Duke (Insecure, Queen Sugar) and The Rundown With Robin Thede producer Brittany Scott Smith take over for Davis in helming the six new episodes. But the series retains the cohesion, rapid-fire energy, and mix of culturally specific and universal humor that made the first season uproarious and a joy to watch. All of the show’s strengths are on display in its second season: crack timing, excellent cast chemistry, surprises both whimsical and profound, and a knack for esoteric jokes (who knew the Eucharist could be so funny? Thede, Black, and Townsend, that’s who).