Ruffin and Wilmore.
Photo illustration: Vulture and Getty Images
NBC’s new streaming service, Peacock, turns to two comedians with a lot of late night experience to launch their own block of late night programming. In a press release, Peacock announced today that “a new weekly news block for late nights” will launch in September with shows hosted by Late Night With Seth Meyers author Amber Ruffin and former Nightly Show host Larry Wilmore.
Ruffin’s Peacock Series, The Amber Ruffin Show, was first announced in September 2019. According to the release, the weekly series’ Amber’s signature will cleverly and succinctly take over the news of the week. No matter what happens in the world, Amber will respond to it with a charming mix of seriousness, nonsense and evening gowns. The Amber Ruffin Show is an actual show of the late night with just the good parts – the comedy. Ruffin’s “Jokes Seth Can’t Tell” collaborators Seth Meyers and Jenny Hagel serve as executive producers alongside Late Night producer Mike Shoemaker. “Having a late night show at Peacock is so exciting!” Ruffin said in the release. “We can not wait to write sketches, songs and jokes about this terrible time we are calling now!”
Wilmore, who hosts The Nightly Show With Larry Wilmore on Comedy Central from 2015 to 2016 and more recently served as a writer on Uncertain, will join Ruffin on Peacock’s late night block. In his show, currently named Untitled Larry Wilmore Show, Wilmore “will have real conversations with high profile people from all different backgrounds including sports, politics and entertainment. Each episode will not only cover the elections, but will also participate in the important talks of the week. It will be funny, sometimes serious, potentially awkward and downright honest. Wilmore will perform the show alongside Jo Miller, Tony Hernandez, Brooke Posch, David Miner, and Michael Rotenberg. “I’m honored to have the opportunity to not only be back on television, but to work with the great team at Peacock,” Wilmore said in the release. “Apparently there is a lot going on in the world right now and a quick election story is happening, so I’m glad I have a place in the conversation.”
Peacock has ordered nine episodes of Ruffin’s show and 11 episodes of Wilmore’s show. Both series will debut on the streaming service in late September; an exact premiere date has not yet been announced.
