HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show returns for its third season tonight, with the core cast of Ashley Nicole Black, Gabrielle Dennis and Skye Townsend holding down the fort alongside creator and costar Robin Thede. Known for her comedic political writing, such as on BET's The Rundown with Robin Thede and Comedy Central's The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore, Thede takes a less topical but no less relevant approach to the sketches on her program.
By merging her unique brand of absurdist humor with stories and experiences integral to the Black American community, Thede has crafted a series that can speak to everyone while also reflecting one group in particular. Not only has A Black Lady Sketch Show brought on a myriad of iconic guest stars to celebrate their legacy - season 3 has already announced Ava DuVernay, Raven-Symoné, Wanda Sykes and much more - but it has also helped up and coming Black comedians break out into stardom. Abbott Elementary's Quinta Brunson was one of the many highlights of season 1, after all.
Thede spoke to Screen Rant about the process by which she and the creative team decide what makes it into a sketch, shares how long she's been planning the interstitial story, and previews a few tweaks to the show for season 3.
Screen Rant: I have had a blast with A Black Lady Sketch Show, down to the opening credits. Every season, I'm excited for a new sketch and missing the previous sketch simultaneously. How easy or difficult is it for you to decide on the concept for the theme sequence each season?
Robin Thede: Easy is relative. I think it's easier for me than someone who doesn't write sketch comedy, but it's not easy. I think we always have different options, and there are certain things I want to do every season.
In season two, we wanted to pay homage to A Different World. We always pay homage to a black sitcom or show in some way differently each season. So, the first season, we did a sketch that was a reboot of 227. In season 2, the opening credits were a tribute to A Different Worlds. And in season 3, I can't say. But it's something different, and it's not the opening credits - I'm happy to say that.
I always weigh that very heavily. And when I'm thinking about the opening credits, the first season, I knew I wanted to do the puppets. The second season, I knew I wanted to do A Different World. And it's funny, because you're right: every time, people are like, "I love the new one, but I miss the old one." People get so attached. I'm like, "Just let it live. You can go watch that season; it is still there."
If we saw the puppets every season, people would be like, "God, they don't have anything new?" For me, that thing will live on forever. You can always watch HBO Max and go watch season 1, and you can see the puppets every day of your life. You can go watch A Different World, and this season, you can go watch our new open.
I think there's always something fun and different we want to do, and so we'll keep challenging ourselves. Because to me, the opening credits are a sketch,. They're a sketch in and of themselves, they just happen to have credits over them.
And I can say that they change every episode again this season, so people should definitely not skip them.
You confirmed that the interstitial storyline will be revealed this season. Without discussing the content, how early on did you have the story worked out and how intentional have the Easter eggs been throughout the previous seasons?
Robin Thede: From the first sketch. The first sketch was called "The Fog," and it was about women who were ash on a woman's arm. If you think about that, and the bottle of Palmer's cocoa butter, and then watch season 3? You may see similar themes.
It is intentional. It is absolutely intentional. Everything from the sketches and the Easter eggs in the sketches to the characters to the interstitials. The interstitials will explain more of how and why this cast of characters exist, what the end of the world is and how it happened and who and what. Because I want people to start to put those things together, and I want people to start to connect how the world is starting to fold in on itself. For larger reasons that I cannot get into until - HBO willing - future seasons, it's all intentional from day one.
And I didn't tell the team which finale we were going to do until right before we shot it. Everyone was like, "What is it gonna be?!" And what we left the writers' room with the finale do not end up being what's in the show. I always had a couple different versions of what it could be, and I pulled the trigger right before we shot it.
I saw Ashley Nicole Black tweet that the trailer was all adlibs. In a typical sketch, what would you say is the ratio of structure to what just came out of the genius of someone's mind?
Robin Thede: Yeah, it depends on the sketch.
The trailer's not all adlibs, but that whole run with Dr. Hadassah and Ashley's teacher character is completely adlibbed - about the lotion and all of that stuff. Then that whole run with the women from the Bible from the Last Supper sketch last year, that's completely improvised. And her as the security guard Fatima who comes back from season 1, that's improvised - actually, apparently, the trailer is all adlibs. There's one or two things that are written jokes.
But I think this season, more than any other, there are so many moments of improv that made it in because it's just so unpredictable and so fun. But that's not to take away from the writing. Our writers are obviously Emmy-nominated, stellar writers. I write a lot of the sketches, and the sketches on paper were already fantastic. The testament is to the writing, because we get to take what's already funny and amplify it.
I don't know what the ratio is, but I would say this season, you're definitely gonna see a ton of improv. But you know what? Our goal is that you don't know which is which. A lot of times people will try to guess, and they're wrong. They'll say, "That had to be improved," and I'm like, "Nope!" And then they'll say, "Okay, that was written," and I'm like, "Nope, totally improvised."
I think it's impressive both ways.
On that same note, I always have to sit through the actual credits, because I want to see the rest of the jokes. How do you decide what goes there instead of the actual sketch?
Robin Thede: Oh, it's painful. It's so hard. Basically, whatever doesn't fit with the story. Usually what's in the outtakes doesn't make sense with the story, or would have belabored the joke, or it's just an alternate joke for a joke that's already in there.
A lot of people will go, "You should have put that in the sketch," and I'm like, "Here's the thing..." The joke that was in the sketch is still great. It's just funny to you in the outtakes because you're seeing a bunch of them strung together. You're excited because you didn't see that one.
And I'm excited that we moved them. I thought it was a great idea to move the outtakes up to be side by side with the credits, because I think a lot of people didn't know that the outtakes were after the credits before. We didn't want people to miss them, so now they'll make sure not to skip to the next episode.
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A Black Lady Sketch Show season 3 premieres Friday, April 8 at 11 pm ET on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max.