“Queer black characters have been the sidekick for long enough,” Waithe said. “It’s time for us to finally take the lead.”
TBS announced Wednesday they’ve ordered a pilot from Master of None star Lena Waithe which follows the experiences of a young, queer black woman.
Twenties was described by TBS as a pilot about “Hattie and her two straight best friends, Marie and Nia, who spend most of their days talking shit and chasing their dreams.”
The show, which is based on Waithe’s YouTube series of the same name, was also previously developed as a pilot at BET in 2014.
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“I wrote Twenties back in 2009,” Waithe said in the TBS announcement. “I always wanted to tell a story where a queer black woman was the protagonist and I’m so grateful to TBS for giving me a platform to tell this story. Queer black characters have been the sidekick for long enough. It’s time for us to finally take the lead.”
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The news comes after a successful year for Waithe. Back in September, she became the first black woman to win an Emmy award for comedy writing.
Waithe won the award alongside Aziz Ansari for their work on the “Thanksgiving” episode of Master of None Season 2.
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And in January, The Chi, which was also created by Waithe, premiered on Showtime.
The drama series was recently renewed for a second season.
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