We need to talk about Detroiters.
The Comedy Central series was unceremoniously canceled in 2018 after two brilliant seasons, during which it owned the crown of funniest show on TV. Starring Sam Richardson (whose Richard Splett was the funniest character in Veep) and Tim Robinson (who has since gone on to make the funniest thing on Netflix, the sketch show I Think You Should Leave), Detroiters was primarily a vehicle for the goofball antics of Richardson and Robinson, who were born and raised there—but it also functioned as an affectionate, informed homage to its city.
Since you messed up by not watching Detroiters, here’s your mulligan: South Side, an absolutely hilarious new show that’s not just set in Chicago but honest-to-god filmed there, with local actors and crew. It’s a warm, loving window into a city that’s been demonized by our idiot president, and it provides the kind of insider perspective you can only get from actual Chicagoans. Luckily for us, these Chicagoans are funny as hell.
It’s a warm, loving window into a city that’s been demonized by our idiot president.
Written and created by Bashir Salahuddin and Diallo Riddle (who also appear in the show), South Side is a family affair, starring Salahuddin’s brother Sultan and another pair of brothers, Kareme and Quincy Young, as employees at appliance and furniture rental business Rent-T-Own. Much of their workday is spent repossessing defaulted items, which gives South Side an excuse to wander in and out of the lives of dozens of residents of the predominantly Black neighborhood of Englewood. The sheer number of characters resembles a late season of Parks and Recreation, with lots of one-liners and throwaway gags, but over the course of South Side’s 10 episodes, even the tiniest characters become clearly defined.
South Side barrages you with so many jokes, and in so short a time, that after a few minutes of watching you’ll feel drunk. It all comes at you so fast that I hope that whatever you use to watch TV has one of those 10-second rewind buttons—you’ll be mashing it repeatedly to catch every last laugh.
South Side premieres Wed July 24 on Comedy Central.
