#The rat pack hbo series#

That dovetailed into, вЂњWell, how have we been seen on screen before?вЂќ вЂњWhat did we see on HBO?вЂќ вЂњEntourage.вЂќ And вЂњEntourageвЂ™sвЂќ L.A. In the same way that Spike or Woody Allen or Scorsese use New York as a character - and one that shapes who the characters - we wanted to do that for L.A.

#The rat pack hbo series#

Issa Rae, creator and star of the HBO comedy series вЂњInsecure,вЂќ rides through Inglewood and other areas in South Los Angeles featured in the show. Because we donвЂ™t see a lot of ways, as people of color in this country, that things are possible. But also what I would want is for somebody else now - whether theyвЂ™re in high school, college, elementary school or an adult - to see me and that show, and go: ThatвЂ™s either a voice I know or to say, вЂњThey just told their authentic voice, let me tell my authentic voice, because itвЂ™s possible.вЂќ I hope that it shows people like me that what you want to do is also possible. I hope that people will talk about our show as being in the same pantheon like вЂњThe Cosby ShowвЂќ or вЂњA Different WorldвЂќ or вЂњMartin,вЂќ shows that are super pinnacle about our culture that people hold up as, like, that level - to even be in that conversation is super inspiring and humbling. What I want the showвЂ™s legacy to be is tied to my hopes for my own personal legacy.

But for Penny, who first felt seen watching вЂњThe Cosby Show,вЂќ he hopes вЂњInsecureвЂќ has left a legacy behind that instills the notion of possibility. Penny is already mapping his career beyond вЂњInsecureвЂќ - he recently signed an overall deal with DisneyвЂ™s Onyx Collective, which focuses on content by creators of color and underrepresented voices as part of the deal, Penny will produce, write and direct new projects through his A Penny for Your Thoughts Entertainment banner across Disney platforms. In the showвЂ™s fourth season, their friendship was tested, with the two seemingly drifting apart as they each contend with new phases in their lives. The friendship between Issa Dee and Molly Carter, played by Rae and Yvonne Orji, has been the linchpin in вЂњInsecureвЂ™sвЂќ exploration of adulthood. вЂњAt a certain point, youвЂ™re like, вЂGirl, come on.вЂ™ I just think that the DNA of this show holds a certain amount of things that it can carry, and it shouldnвЂ™t carry more than that.вЂќДЇrom his home office in Los Angeles, where a collage of Rat Pack images line his wall, the 46-year-old producer spoke over Zoom about вЂњInsecureвЂ™sвЂќ legacy, dealing with awards вЂњbull-,вЂќ and the Issa and Molly conundrum. вЂњI donвЂ™t know if you can watch eight seasons of Issa, like, falling down and walking into walls and sh- like that, not getting her life together,вЂќ Penny says. (More on that later.) But nostalgia hasnвЂ™t changed PennyвЂ™s mind about the decision to end the show now. ItвЂ™s in keeping with the show, which opens its final season with Issa and Molly, besties in a slump, attending their 10-year college reunion at Stanford University and trying to find their way back to each other over a weekend of reminiscing. Over the summer, as production wound down, Penny posted throwback images from the showвЂ™s beginnings on his Instagram account - old headshots of the cast, an image capturing the first shot outside the Dunes apartment complex. He has spent much of this final stretch looking back. He wanted to take the lessons he learned from the UPN-turned-CW sitcom вЂњGirlfriends,вЂќ where he got his start, and pass them on. He wrote a letter to Rae, who also grew up in L.A.вЂ™s Windsor Hills neighborhood, after reading the pilot. Penny has been a guiding force of that vision from the start.

Now, as the series begins its final 10-episode arc on Sunday, it carries a notable legacy: The first premium cable scripted series created by and starring a Black woman, вЂњInsecureвЂќ has been revolutionary in the way it depicts a slice of Black life that mirrors the humanity, complexity, sexiness and, yes, awkwardness thatвЂ™s afforded to shows centered on youthful white casts. After making its debut in September 2016, вЂњInsecureвЂќ transformed creator and star Issa Rae from a YouTube sensation, known for her web series вЂњThe Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl,вЂќ into an in-demand A-lister.