Michael Che Reveals Huge New Project Ahead of ‘SNL’ Tonight

Michael Che says he’s finished six episodes of his six-part untitled sketch show, which is coming to HBO Max. The comedian shared a picture to Instagram announcing the development saying, “6 episodes in your can!”

HBO Max announced the acquisition in July 2020 and while it’s still unnamed, the streamer shared that each episode of the show will follow a theme or incident, such as police brutality, unemployment, and falling in love, while using sketches and vignettes to depict what it feels like to experience this from a Black vantage point. The series will be “less about being right and more about being honest, even at the risk of being controversial.”

“I’m really excited to be working on this show with HBO Max” said Che at the time of the announcement, per Deadline. “It’s a project I’ve been thinking about for a while and we have a lot of sketches we want to shoot so please wear your masks so that we can go into production.” Lorne Michaels, Che, and Erin Doyle will executive produce. Michael’s Broadway Video is attached to the project as well as Universal Television.

“Michael brings a distinct comedic perspective as he illustrates the uncomfortable truths across multiple topics” said Suzanna Makkos, Executive Vice President of Original Comedy and Animation for HBO Max. “We look forward to sharing his unique vision and necessary point of view with our audiences.” Chief Content Officer HBO Max and President TNT, TBS, and TruTV, Kevin Reilly added, “Che is an amazing talent and comic voice and, of course, another opportunity to collaborate with Broadway Video and my friend Lorne is an added benefit.”

As of now, there’s no word on if Che will be taking a step back from Saturday Night Live to continue working on the series. Though, from the looks of things, it seems the comedian will continue juggling both jobs. It’s also unclear why the comedian and super-producer Michaels chose another home for the show instead of NBC’s Peacock streaming service. Che began working with Saturday Night Live as a writer in 2013. He eventually worked his way up to co-head writer and currently serves as the co-host of “Weekend Update” alongside fellow co-head writer Colin Jost.