Astronomy Club: The Sketch Show is an American sketch comedy television series created by the comedy troupe Astronomy Club, the Upright Citizens Brigade's first all black team. The show stars the team's eight members: Shawtane Bowen, Jonathan Braylock, Ray Cordova, James III, Caroline Martin, Jerah Milligan, Monique Moses and Keisha Zollar. The show features comedy sketches, intermixed with clips from a reality television show where the members live together in a house. The series premiered on December 6, 2019 on Netflix.[1][2] In June 2020, the series was canceled after one season.[3]
| Astronomy Club: The Sketch Show | |
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| Genre | Sketch comedy |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
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| Original release | |
| Network | Netflix |
| Release | December 6, 2019 |
Synopsis
editSketches in the show deal with a range of issues, with a focus on the black experience, race relations, and attitudes towards African-Americans in the media, and cinema in particular.
Structure
editEach episode starts with a cold-open, a sketch before the opening credits. Segments between the sketches depict a fake reality show wherein the Astronomy Club members live together in the Astronomy Clubhouse, playing heightened versions of themselves. The show includes Big Brother-style confessionals, where cast members talk to the camera.
Cast
edit- Shawtane Bowen[2]
- Jonathan Braylock[2]
- Ray Cordova[2]
- James III[2]
- Caroline Martin[2]
- Jerah Milligan[2]
- Monique Moses[2]
- Keisha Zollar[2]
Guest stars
edit- Drew Tarver
- Aisha Alfa
- Mike O'Gorman
- Ice Cube
- Jon Gabrus
- Busy Philipps
- Gillian Jacobs
Episodes
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Lamp Room" | Unknown | Unknown | December 6, 2019 | |
| 2 | "Ice Cube Day" | Unknown | Unknown | December 6, 2019 | |
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Guest starring: Drew Tarver, Aisha Alfa, Mike O'Gorman. | |||||
| 3 | "For the Culture" | Unknown | Unknown | December 6, 2019 | |
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Special guest star: Ice Cube. Guest starring: Jon Gabrus. | |||||
| 4 | "Murder Mystery" | Unknown | Unknown | December 6, 2019 | |
| 5 | "Birthday Party" | Unknown | Unknown | December 6, 2019 | |
| 6 | "Full House But Black" | Unknown | Unknown | December 6, 2019 | |
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Special guest stars: Busy Philipps, Gillian Jacobs. | |||||
Production
editThe show is produced under the banner of Khalabo Ink Society by producer Kenya Barris,[4] creator of Black-ish. Barris developed Astronomy Club as a part of a $100 million development deal with Netflix.[5]
According to an interview, the comedy troupe wanted the sketches to have a message, and "anytime one of [their] sketches tackles race, [they] have to make sure it says something."[6]
Cancellation
editOn June 3, 2020, Netflix canceled the series after one season.[3]
Critical reception
editThe show received positive critical reception and is rated 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.[7] Caroline Framke writing for Variety stated "This first episode sets the standard for “Astronomy Club” as clever, ambitious, and perhaps most importantly for a sketch show, both self-aware and completely ridiculous."[2]
References
edit- ^ "Group Homepage". Archived from the original on 2019-12-12. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Framke, Caroline (2019-12-06). "Netflix's 'Astronomy Club: The Sketch Show': TV Review". Variety. Archived from the original on 2019-12-31. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
- ^ a b White, Peter (June 3, 2020). "Netflix Cancels 'Astronomy Club: The Sketch Show' From Kenya Barris' Khalabo Ink Society". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
- ^ "Astronomy Club Sets Netflix Sketch Comedy Series With Kenya Barris Producing". Netflix. Archived from the original on 2020-04-08. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
- ^ "Kenya Barris Signs $100 Million Netflix Deal". 16 August 2018. Archived from the original on 2019-11-22. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
- ^ Berkowitz, Joe (2019-12-06). "Netflix's 'Astronomy Club' is an A+ sketch show skewering Hollywood's "C+" on race". Fast Company. Archived from the original on 2020-04-23. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
- ^ Astronomy Club: The Sketch Show, retrieved 2020-01-13