Recently released from their Saturday Night Live commitments, comedians Taran Killam and Jay Pharoah didn’t take long to land new shows. Showtime has cast Taran Killam in the lead role in the comedy anthology pilot Mating (the working title) and Jay Pharoah in the lead of the half-hour comedy White Famous. Mating‘s pilot is written by Stu Zicherman (The Affair, The Americans) and executive produced by Zicherman, Jason Katims (Friday Nights Light), and Michelle Lee. White Famous comes from executive producers Jamie Foxx and Californication‘s Tom Kapinos, with Tim Story (Barbershop, Ride Along) directing, executive producing, and on board to direct the pilot. Showtime confirmed Oscar-winner Foxx will guest star in a recurring role.
The White Famous Plot: The project will focus on a talented, young African-American comedian, Floyd Mooney (Pharoah), whose star is rising, forcing him to navigate the treacherous waters of maintaining his credibility as he begins to cross-over towards becoming “white famous.”
The Mating Plot: The comedy anthology pilot will center on a recently divorced guy who married young and now finds himself completely unprepared for the brave new, frank and fluid world of dating and hooking up. The project, produced by SHOWTIME, Universal TV and True Jack Productions, is an “annual anthology” as each season will focus on a different protagonist’s journey through modern dating and relationships.
In addition to SNL, Killam’s television credits include New Girl, How I Met Your Mother, Community, Drunk History, Comedy Bang Bang, MADtv and Scrubs. Pharoah’s film resume includes Ride Along, Get a Job, Intramural, Lola Versus, and Top Five.
