In an unprecedented move, Comedy Central has announced that it will binge-release the first season of its upcoming series Robbie from stand-up comedian Rory Scovel.
According to the network, the season premiere of the scripted comedy show will air on Comedy Central at its scheduled time after The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. But after that, the entire first season will be available on Comedy Central’s website, YouTube channel, and streaming apps, which is a first for the comedy network.
Here’s the official synopsis:
Robbie is a half-hour scripted series starring Rory Scovel (I Feel Pretty, Rory Scovel Tries Stand Up For The First Time). Rory plays a small town youth league basketball coach living in his father’s shadow, until he realizes he has a son of his own who can lead him to greatness. Robbie is written by Rory Scovel and Anthony King (Broad City, Silicon Valley). Co-starring with Rory are Beau Bridges, who plays his father, Sasheer Zamata and Mary Holland. Scovel, King, and Scott Moran are executive producers. Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Betsy Koch and Owen Burke are executive producers for Gary Sanchez Productions.
The binge-release is a bold strategy for Comedy Central during a time when a cloud of uncertainty hangs over the future of TV productions. While showrunners are contemplating everything from trick camera angles to sequestering cast and crews in “drama camp”-type productions, the trend is to ration episodes for broadcast, not drop them all at once. But with most Americans trapped at home, you can’t go wrong with delivering them a steady stream of entertainment that could easily turn them into loyal viewers.
Just as movie studios are pivoting to a new normal in these pandemic days, who’s to say television can’t experience its own paradigm shift as the world navigates the days ahead.
