As part of a new deal between the two companies, HBO has obtained the rights for three comedy series from Comedy Central. Awkwafina is Nora from Queens, South Side, and The Other Two have been all been renewed for their second seasons on HBO Max, Vulture has reported.
The three series were originally made for Comedy Central, with The Other Two premiering in February 2019, South Side in August 2019, and Nora from Queens back in January of this year. The decision to shift the series from cable to streaming was made by new head of Comedy Central Chris McCarthy. As explained in an interview with Vulture, McCarthy has expanded the Comedy Central brand and production, with his overall goal being “to transform Comedy Central from a linear-focused cable network to a multi-platform content machine.” It no longer exclusively produces TV shows and films for the Comedy Central channel.
Rather, McCarthy described that pitches for Comedy Central can be sent to other services, with Comedy Central Productions acting as the studio. This is the case with these three shows. While premiering on the main channel, none of the three series were particularly huge hits in terms of ratings, despite positive critical reception. So, McCarthy made the decision to send them to HBO Max as exclusive content.
Nora from Queens stars Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asians) the titular Nora as she is forced to live on her own after living off her parents’ money for too long. South Side follows recent college graduates Simon (Sultan Salahuddin) and Kareem (Kareme Young) as they try their own various get-rich-quick schemes. Finally, The Other Two follows two 20 year-old siblings grapple with jealousy and inadequacy after their 13 year-old brother is launched into internet stardom.
South Side and The Other Two will be added in 2021, with Nora from Queens available on HBO Max now. It is unknown when the second series will premiere.