Comedy Central nabs Daria spin-off Jodie starring Tracee Ellis Ross

By Shannon Miller | June 18, 2020 | 11:23pm

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Comedy Central nabs Daria spin-off Jodie starring Tracee Ellis Ross

Photo: Rich Fury

MTV’s classic animated spin-off Daria was a near-spotless serving of sardonic observational humor with a killer, now-extinct soundtrack (damn you, costly licensing fees). Whip-smart and often mistakenly painted as unfeeling, Daria and Jane gave voices to a lot of young girls who didn’t quite fit in with their surroundings and, at times, were vilified for their intelligence. Still, the cult classic, which aired from 1997 to 2002, wasn’t perfect. Case in point: Jodie Landon—equally brilliant with a unique perspective—never got quite as much screen time as other tertiary characters and when she did, her input was mostly tied to her race. Granted, she dropped nothing but certified truth bombs about navigating predominately white spaces as a Black girl, but there was always a sense that this truly great figurehead had a lot more to offer.

So the news of Comedy Central picking up the Jodie-centered spin-off—courtesy of Deadline—is certainly worthy of some cautious optimism, as it will hopefully flesh her out a little more than the original MTV vehicle. Tracee Ellis Ross will serve as Jodie’s star and EP while Grace Edwards (Broad City, Insecure) will step in as head writer. The series will be paired with Comedy Central tentpole South Park. Set just after her college graduation, Jodie will follow its titular character as she enters the corporate world. Deadline further notes that the series “will satirize workplace culture, Gen Z struggles, the artifice of social media and more.” This will be Comedy Central’s first MTV Studios series as the cable network attempts to grow its slate of adult animation.