Decades after its debut, Daria remains one of the most beloved examples of teen angst ever depicted on television — and it looks like the world of the series is about to reach a whole new generation. On Thursday, MTV Studios officially announced (via The Hollywood Reporter) that their Daria spinoff series, Jodie, has officially found a home at Comedy Central. The adult animated series will star Black-ish star Tracee Ellis Ross as the titular character, who was one of Daria’s friends at Lawndale High School. Jodie will follow Jodie Landon’s time graduating from college and entering a complicated world.
The series hopes to explore the trials and tribulations of a first job for a new generation and will satirize workplace culture, Gen Z struggles, the artifice of social media while also featuring themes of empowerment along gender and racial lines, explorations of privilege and a personal and professional issues young Black women face today.
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The series is created by Insecure‘s Grace Edwards, who also will serve as head writer. The episode count and release date are currently unknown.
“I am thrilled to bring this project to life with MTV, both as executive producer and by voicing Jodie’s character. Being able to give voice to fresh, feminist and unexplored stories of young women excites me,” Ellis Ross said when the series was first announced. ” We will feature a diverse cast, comprised mainly of unapologetically smart and ambitious young female characters who are vulnerable and flawed and interesting and funny….’Jodie’ will be the first adult animated show in almost 20 years that will star a black woman. It will be a smart, funny workplace comedy full of commentary about everything from gentrification to sex to tech to call-out culture.”
“Given the passion for these characters, there was only one person who could build upon the legacy to reimagine Jodie for a whole new generation, and that person is Tracee Ellis Ross,” MTV president Chris McCarthy added. “This marks another exciting step forward for MTV Studios as we build out a wide new slate based on the rich characters from the history in MTV Animation.”
The project was originally conceived as Daria and Jodie, and would have followed the two friends “as they deconstruct pop culture, social classes, gender, and race.” Jodie is currently the first in what MTV Studios hopes will become a “Daria universe”, with multiple TV series and films.
What do you think of Jodie landing at Comedy Central? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
