Comedy Central has given a series order to Daria spinoff Jodie two years after the project hit development, it was announced Thursday. The series has already been earmarked for a pairing with South Park.
From Grace Edwards (Insecure), Jodie follows Jodie Landon (Tracee Ellis Ross), a supporting character from the original Daria series who was a friend of the Lawndale High outsider. The series will focus on Jodie graduating from college and heading out into the world, touching on the trials and tribulations of a first job, Gen Z struggles, the artifice of social media, empowerment, privilege, and personal and professional issues young Black women face today.
Beginning its life as a spinoff of Beavis & Butt-Head, Daria had an acclaimed 1997 – 2002 run on MTV, drawing raves for its social satire, feminist viewpoint, and subversive, sardonic lead character.
The acquisition of Jodie comes as Comedy Central is doubling down on adult animated content, with the network hoping to build a scripted slate around South Park. Per a recent New York Times report, live-action scripted originals are an endangered species on Comedy Central after the network laid off the majority of its senior programming team. Sketch series Alternatino with Arturo Castro has already been cancelled and moved to Quibi, while Rory Scovel comedy Robbie was burned off on YouTube in the middle of the pandemic.
The Comedy Central scripted slate currently includes Awkwafina is Nora from Queens, South Side, and The Other Two.
