Sherman's Showcase

Sherman's Showcase
Genre
Created by
Directed byMatt Piedmont
Starring
  • Bashir Salahuddin
  • Diallo Riddle
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes14 (plus 60-minute special)
Production
Executive producers
  • John Legend
  • Bashir Salahuddin
  • Diallo Riddle
  • Mike Jackson
  • Ty Stiklorious
  • Frank Scherma
  • Jim Bouvet
  • Pete Aronson
Production locationGlendale, California
Running time22 minutes
Production companies
  • The Riddle Entertainment Group
  • Emerald Street
  • Get Lifted Film Co.
  • RadicalMedia
Original release
NetworkIFC
ReleaseJuly 31, 2019 (2019-07-31) –
November 23, 2022 (2022-11-23)

Sherman's Showcase is an American comedy television series created by Bashir Salahuddin and Diallo Riddle. The series premiered on July 31, 2019, on IFC.[1] An hour long "Black History Month Spectacular" aired on June 19, 2020, and that same month a six-episode second season was confirmed, set to air on both IFC and AMC+ in 2022.[2]

Premise

Sherman's Showcase is inspired by variety shows including Soul Train, American Bandstand, The Midnight Special, and In Living Color with each episode hosted by Sherman McDaniel as he takes viewers through time via music and comedy drawn from the forty-year library of a legendary (but fictitious) musical variety show.[3] To do this, the series uses the plot device of presenting a series of paid programs involving the sale of a mostly-complete 23-disc set of 47 seasons of Sherman's Showcase, which are introduced by various celebrity hosts.

Cast

Cameos

Episodes

Season 1 (2019)

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date [4]US viewers
(millions)
1"Meet Sherman"Matt PiedmontBashir Salahuddin & Diallo RiddleJuly 31, 2019 (2019-07-31)0.105[5]
2"The Showcase Dancers"Matt PiedmontUnknownJuly 31, 2019 (2019-07-31)0.037[5]
3"Behind the Charade"Matt PiedmontUnknownAugust 7, 2019 (2019-08-07)0.149[6]
4"Enemies"Matt PiedmontUnknownAugust 14, 2019 (2019-08-14)0.140[7]
5"The Ladies of the Showcase"Matt PiedmontUnknownAugust 21, 2019 (2019-08-21)N/A
6"July 8, 1995"Matt PiedmontUnknownAugust 28, 2019 (2019-08-28)0.112[8]
7"White Music"Matt PiedmontUnknownSeptember 4, 2019 (2019-09-04)N/A
8"Ray J's Showcase"Matt PiedmontUnknownSeptember 11, 2019 (2019-09-11)N/A

Special

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release dateUS viewers
(millions)
1"Black History Month Spectacular"Matt PiedmontBashir Salahuddin, Diallo Riddle, Emily Goldwyn, Rodney Carter, Rob Haze, Will Miles & Zuri SalahuddinJune 19, 2020 (2020-06-19)0.166[9]
An hour-long look into black icons of past and present, as part of Black History Month (in June).

Season 2 (2022)

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date [4]US viewers
(millions)
1"Fashion!"Matt PiedmontUnknownOctober 26, 2022 (2022-10-26)N/A
Sherman hosts a fashion show but, backstage, it's chaos; Mary J Blige leads a group of singers on an "Ocean's Eleven" mission; how Sherman influenced film director Wes Anderson.
2"The Sherman's Showcase Awards: Missing at Sea"Matt PiedmontUnknownOctober 26, 2022 (2022-10-26)N/A
Recovered black box footage of The 2019 Sherman Showcase Awards, hosted on a boat that went missing.
3"Sherman From Africa: Live from Lagos"Matt PiedmontUnknownNovember 2, 2022 (2022-11-02)N/A
Sherman does a show live from Africa; Sherman becomes a wedding planner, hosts a "Real Housewives" show, makes a movie about soccer and does his own version of Beyonce's "Black is King"; includes part of his failed show Live In Vietnam.
4"Sherman's 12th Anniversary"Matt PiedmontUnknownNovember 9, 2022 (2022-11-09)N/A
Sherman wants a big anniversary special like "MOTOWN 25"; Sherman looks back on his greatest accomplishments, like his cartoon that competed with "Fat Albert", the time he was almost in a James Bond movie and more.
5"ShermaSnatch"UnknownUnknownNovember 16, 2022 (2022-11-16)N/A
6"Murder at the Shrind"UnknownUnknownNovember 23, 2022 (2022-11-23)N/A

Production

Development

On July 29, 2017, it was announced that IFC had given the production an episodic script order. The series was created by Bashir Salahuddin and Diallo Riddle who were also expected to write and executive produce the potential series.[10]

On May 3, 2018, it was announced that IFC had given the production a series order for a first season consisting of eight episodes. In addition to the previously announced creative team, it was announced that John Legend would serve as an executive producer. Production companies involved with the series include Get Lifted Film Co. and RadicalMedia.[3][11]

On April 8, 2019, it was announced that the series would premiere on July 31, 2019.[1]

Casting

Alongside the series order announcement, it was confirmed that Bashir Salahuddin would star as the host of the fictional variety series.[3]

Reception

On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 100% with an average rating of 8.58/10, based on 21 reviews. The site's critics consensus reads: "Bold, brisk, and beautiful, Sherman's Showcase is a delightful and stylish sketch show that moves to its own groove and invites everyone to laugh along."[12] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the series a score of 76 out of 100 based on 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[13]

References

  1. ^ a b "AMC Networks Announces Summer 2019 Premiere Dates for New and Returning Original Series". The Futon Critic. April 8, 2019.
  2. ^ Peter White (June 17, 2020). "'Sherman's Showcase' Renewed For Season 2 At IFC, Will Simulcast On AMC In 2021". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c Petski, Denise (May 3, 2018). "John Legend-Produced Variety Show From 'Late Night' Duo Gets IFC Series Order". Deadline. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  4. ^ a b "Sherman's Showcase – Listings". The Futon Critic. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  5. ^ a b "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 7.31.2019". Showbuzz Daily. 2019-08-01. Archived from the original on 2019-08-01. Retrieved 2019-08-19.
  6. ^ "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 8.7.2019". Showbuzz Daily. 2019-08-08. Archived from the original on 2019-08-08. Retrieved 2019-08-19.
  7. ^ "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 8.14.2019". Showbuzz Daily. 2019-08-15. Archived from the original on 2019-08-15. Retrieved 2019-08-19.
  8. ^ "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 8.28.2019". Showbuzz Daily. 2019-08-29. Archived from the original on 2019-08-29. Retrieved 2019-09-07.
  9. ^ "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Friday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 6.19.2020". Showbuzz Daily. 2020-06-22. Archived from the original on 2020-06-23. Retrieved 2020-06-26.
  10. ^ Pedersen, Erik (July 29, 2017). "IFC Sets 2018 Slate With 11 Comedy Projects Including 'How To Rig An Election' & Oliver Platt-Produced 'NGO' – TCA". Deadline. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  11. ^ Littleton, Cynthia (May 3, 2018). "IFC Orders Sketch Comedy Series 'Sherman's Showcase'". Variety. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  12. ^ "Sherman's Showcase: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  13. ^ "Sherman's Showcase: Season 1". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved January 24, 2020.