HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show is poised to cement its legacy as an essential entry into the pantheons of both comedy and Black culture, even improving upon Key & Peele in one important way. Much like its spiritual predecessor, Key & Peele, ABLSS combines absurdist humor with experiences unique to the Black community. As A Black Sketch Show enters season 3, the show remains a trailblazer as a showcase for Black women in sketch comedy. The brainchild of Robin Thede, who cut her teeth as the head writer for The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore and the host of her own BET late-night show, ABLSS was created to fill an emptiness that Thede perceived: representation of Black women in sketch comedy.
While traditional The Chappelle Show, and Key & Peele. However, these shows were created by Black men, so the content mostly centered around their experiences and didn’t actively promote Black women’s presence. Though women like Issa Rae and the 2 Dope Queens made noteworthy contributions to the comedy scene in the past decade, their work didn’t fall into the traditional sketch experience. So, Thede—along with fellow comedians Quinta Brunson, Ashley Nicole Black, and Gabrielle Dennis—created A Black Lady Sketch Show to bridge that gap.
At first glance, A Black Lady Sketch Show appears to be a woman’s take on Comedy Central’s sketch show Key & Peele, created by comedy duo Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele. Each show has a primarily Black cast, sketches range from the culturally poignant to the truly bizarre, and the unifying thread is Black culture. However, ABLSS sets itself apart because it prioritizes the dual identities of being Black and a woman, rather than simply focusing on Blackness, as K&P sketches often do. Moreover, while the latter often includes overtly politicized content, the former allows the inherently political nature of Blackness to speak for itself.
That’s not to say A Black Lady Sketch Show never gets political. It simply infuses its characters with identities that just so happen to feature political foundations. This highlights the key difference between this show and Key & Peele: more subtle acknowledgment. Where K&P has a sketch about Black Republicans actively trying to prevent Black Democrats from voting, ABLSS has Dr. Haddassah Olayinka Ali-Youngman, Pre-PhD—a “hertep” who gives (unwelcome) speeches about women prioritizing the family unit and treating their husbands as kings or even gods. While the hotep subculture is itself political, Dr. Haddassah’s presence in the show is ultimately one of a self-righteous blowhard who’s more interested in hearing herself speak than effecting any real change.
From the Dr. Haddassah entries to sketches about an all-Black women gang that’s run like a progressive corporation, A Black Lady Sketch Show doesn’t need to feature an overtly political scenario to make a statement. Thede and co. treat the show as a way to explore Black culture through the lens of women’s multifaceted perspectives, which sometimes includes a lean into the political sphere. This subtle approach is helped by the fact that the show’s primary cast contains at least four women at a time, whereas Key & Peele always focuses on one or both hosts—sometimes multiple versions of them, like in the "East/West College Bowl" sketches. By highlighting the talents of multiple main actors, ABLSS can engage in politics and activism from many angles.
A Black Lady Sketch Show offers a more diverse experience of Blackness than Key & Peele ever could. The show trusts its audience to understand how politics is woven into the Black experience without forcing it into the spotlight. By allowing the Black woman to shine, A Black Lady Sketch Show brings a fresh, long-overdue makeover to sketch comedy. With any luck, season 3 will continue that trend.
Check out our interview with creator Robin Thede here!