Stephen Colbert landed a couple of new animated projects following his success with Stephen Colbert Presents Tooning Out the News. In a deal with Comedy Central, Colbert will executive produce an eight-episode series and an animated feature through CBS Studios according to Deadline. As expected of Colbert, both projects hinge on two points - comedy and politics.
The series, Fairview, comes in a weekly half-hour episode format with a focus on the small town of Fairview and how the big political issues of today affect its unruly, drunkard citizens. More specifically, it hones in on its mayor, a former party animal named Kelly Sampson who has to manage the town as the world changes around them. It's the brainchild of RJ Fried with Colbert executive producing alongside Chris Licht, Tim Luecke, Kim Gamble, Mike Leech, and Zach Smilovitz.
His other project, Washingtonia, is a feature that stars a political dynamo and his hapless staff as he gains more and more of the national spotlight. Luckily, or unluckily, for him, Washington D.C. is far more inept and he has to learn how to navigate political life in the capital. The same staff behind Fairview will also handle Washingtonia sans Gamble. The team behind both of the projects is the same responsible for the Emmy nominated Tooning Out the News and Our Cartoon President.
Colbert's been more involved with Comedy Central as of late, also acting as executive producer on the network's new talk show Tha God's Honest Truth with Charlamagne Tha God. With these new projects appearing on the network, it also marks a further expansion of CBS Studios into the realm of adult animation. Other recent projects include Star Trek: Prodigy, Star Trek: The Lower Decks, and The Harper House.
It's been a good run for Colbert as of late, as The Late Show recently received an Emmy for its election night special Stephen Colbert’s Election Night 2020: Democracy’s Last Stand Building Back America Great Again Better 2020. Here's hoping his latest projects live up to the praise of Tooning Out the News.