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Issa Rae Shares Update on HBO Return: Network Keeps Rejecting Her Title Ideas! (Exclusive)
The Insecure creator recently opened up about her upcoming half-hour comedy during Variety's Power of Women event, where she was honored with the Entertainment Entrepreneur Award. Rae revealed that the new series is moving forward while joking that HBO has rejected several of her ideas for what to call it.
The project is currently known publicly as the Untitled Male Friendship Show, and it takes Rae back to HBO for a comedy centered on friendship, ambition and professional boxing.
A Comedy About Male Friendship and Boxing
The series is set in the world of professional boxing in Las Vegas and follows two best friends whose relationship is tested as they chase success.
At the center of the story is Menzel, a 30-year-old barber and aspiring sports manager who also considers himself the professional best friend of JB, an up-and-coming boxer.
Together, they navigate ambition, insecurity, loneliness and the complicated reality of success in the high-pressure boxing world.
Rae wrote and executive produces the project, while her longtime Insecure collaborator Prentice Penny is attached as showrunner, executive producer and director of the pilot.
Why HBO Keeps Saying No to Her Titles
Rae isn't taking the rejected titles personally.
During her recent conversation with Entertainment Tonight, she joked about the network turning down some of her suggestions and admitted she may need to come up with something stronger.
“I’ve got to come better,” Rae said, according to reporting on the interview. She also joked that because she's writing a show centered on men, she has to listen to the men when it comes to finding the right title.
For now, the lengthy working title remains a placeholder while the project moves through development and casting.
A Different Year for Issa Rae
Rae also explained that she intentionally stepped back from being in the spotlight this year.
After years of juggling acting, producing, writing and running her media company, she said she wanted to create some space for herself rather than constantly being visible.
That doesn't mean she has slowed down creatively.
In addition to the HBO project, Rae signed a three-year first-look film and television production deal with Paramount earlier this year, expanding the work she does behind the scenes as a producer and creator.
Reuniting With the Insecure Team
The new comedy also brings Rae back together with Penny, who worked alongside her throughout Insecure.
That HBO series ran for five seasons from 2016 to 2021 and became the project most closely associated with Rae's television career. The new boxing comedy gives the pair a chance to collaborate again while moving into an entirely different setting.
This time, instead of following Issa Dee's life in Los Angeles, Rae is exploring male friendship and the pressures of chasing success in Las Vegas.
What's Next for the New Series?
The project was initially announced as a pilot, with Rae attached as creator, writer and executive producer. More recently, Rae has indicated that the show has a premiere date, although HBO has not yet publicly announced the title or released a full official series schedule.
For fans who have been waiting for Rae's next major HBO comedy, the return is already taking shape.
There is just one small problem left to solve:
What is she going to call it?
Source: Entertainment Tonight
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