Champaign ILL

Last updated
Champaign ILL
ChampaignILL.png
Genre Comedy
Created by
Starring
Composers
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes10 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Daniel Libman
  • Matthew Libman
  • David Caspe
  • Jordan Cahan
  • Jamie Tarses
  • Sam Richardson
  • Adam Pally
Producers
  • Bob Wilson
  • Ian Durney
CinematographyJeffrey Waldron
Editors
  • Ryan Brown
  • Martin Wilson
  • Elizabeth Praino
Camera setup Single-camera
Running time25–32 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network YouTube Premium
ReleaseDecember 12, 2018 (2018-12-12)

Champaign ILL is an American comedy series, created by Jordan Cahan, David Caspe, Daniel Libman, and Matthew Libman, that premiered on December 12, 2018, on YouTube Premium. The series stars Adam Pally and Sam Richardson and is executive produced by Cahan, Caspe, the Libmans, and Jamie Tarses.

Contents

On April 10, 2019, YouTube Premium canceled the series. [1]

Premise

Champaign ILL is described as examining how "every rapper has a crew he can't live without...and vice versa" and exploring "how long the crew can survive without being in the limelight." [2]

Cast and characters

Main

Recurring

Guest

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
1"A Gangster Way To Start Your Day"Maurice MarableJordan Cahan, David Caspe, Daniel Libman, & Matthew LibmanDecember 12, 2018 (2018-12-12)
2"Loop De Loop Fastballs"Maurice MarableJordan Cahan, David Caspe, Daniel Libman, & Matthew LibmanDecember 12, 2018 (2018-12-12)
3"Wowee These Guys Are Good!"David KatzenbergDanielle UhlarikDecember 12, 2018 (2018-12-12)
4"Show Me That Lamb"David KatzenbergDominic DierkesDecember 12, 2018 (2018-12-12)
5"Supreme Brick" Eric Dean Seaton Yassir LesterDecember 12, 2018 (2018-12-12)
6"Not The PT Cruiser"Eric Dean SeatonJason Berger & Amina MunirDecember 12, 2018 (2018-12-12)
7"8.1 Milligrams Per Deciliter"Ryan McFaulDaniel Libman & Matthew LibmanDecember 12, 2018 (2018-12-12)
8"Cherry Vintage Rascal"Ryan McFaulMnelik BelilgneDecember 12, 2018 (2018-12-12)
9"Stewart Copeland, Andy Summers and Sting"Payman BenzEmily HersheyDecember 12, 2018 (2018-12-12)
10"I Wouldn’t Sh'ma Just Yet..."Payman BenzDanielle UhlarikDecember 12, 2018 (2018-12-12)

Production

Development

On April 30, 2018, it was announced that YouTube had given the production a series order for a first season consisting of ten episodes. Executive producers include David Caspe, Daniel Libman, Matthew Libman, Jordan Cahan, and Jamie Tarses. Caspe, the Libmans, and Cahan are also expected to write for the series. Maurice “Mo” Marable will direct the pilot and serve as co-executive producer. Ian Durney will serve as an associate producer. Production companies involved with the series include Sony Pictures Television. [2] [3] [4] [5] On November 8, 2018, it was announced that the series had been titled Champaign ILL and that it would premiere on December 12, 2018. [6]

Casting

Alongside the initial series announcement, it was confirmed that Adam Pally and Sam Richardson would star in the series and that Jay Pharoah had been cast in a key recurring role. [2] On June 14, 2018, it was announced that Keith David, Curtis Armstrong, Allyce Beasley, Danielle Schneider, Neil Casey, Sabrina Revelle, Rich Sommer, and Adriyan Rae had been cast in recurring roles and that Thomas Barbusca would make a guest appearance. [7]

Filming

Principal photography for the series took place in July 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia, with locations including Glenwood Park and the Second Mount Vernon Baptist Church. Additional filming occurred in cities near Atlanta, including Peachtree City and Kennesaw, where shooting transpired at the local Electric Cowboy nightclub. Production reportedly wrapped on July 24, 2018, in Peachtree City. [8] [9]

Release

On November 8, 2018, the first trailer for the series was released. [6]

Reception

In a positive review, Los Angeles Times ' Robert Lloyd praised the show's main performances and overall tone saying "Pally and Richardson team well and keep Ronnie and Alf sufficiently sympathetic even as they are continually trying — which is, after all, the response they have been formed to elicit (as the Three Stooges before them). It puts the show on that famous fine line between stupid and clever, a line it does manage to walk with fair coordination, working both sides to good effect." [10] In a similarly approving critique, Indiewire 's gave the series a "B" grade and praised the show's visual style and chemistry of the leads saying, "Best of all, the two have immediate chemistry. Champaign ILL is well edited with clever visual additions (like texting bubbles and expository inserts) that keep the momentum up, but much can be said for the two men's learned timing with each other." [11]

In a more negative evaluation, Decider's Joel Keller recommended that viewers skip the series saying, "Despite having some of our favorite funny people in it and writing it, Champaign ILL just feels like it's going to be one clunky joke after another about how these two douche nozzles can't manage in the real world." [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CollegeHumor</span> American Internet comedy company

CH Media, doing business as Dropout, is an Internet comedy company based in Los Angeles which produces content for release on its streaming service, Dropout, and on YouTube. It was originally founded as the CollegeHumor website, created by Josh Abramson and Ricky Van Veen in 1999, and was owned by InterActiveCorp (IAC) from 2006 until January 2020, when IAC withdrew funding and the website shut down. The current CEO of CH Media is Sam Reich, a veteran performer and former Chief Creative Officer of CollegeHumor, who purchased the company in 2020 from IAC. In September 2023, the company formally dropped the CollegeHumor branding in favor of its Dropout branding, which originated with its streaming service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allyce Beasley</span> American actress

Allyce Beasley is an American actress. She is best known for her role as rhyming, love-struck receptionist Agnes DiPesto in the television series Moonlighting. From 2001 to 2007, she was the announcer on Playhouse Disney, a morning lineup of programming for young children on Disney Channel. She appeared briefly as a guidance counselor in the comedy film Legally Blonde and played Coach's daughter, Lisa Pantusso, on Cheers. She also announced the safety video during The Simpsons Ride at Universal Studios Hollywood and Florida.

Danielle Caroline Schneider is an American actress, writer, and improvisational comedian from the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. She co-created and starred in the Hulu reality TV parody series The Hotwives and currently co-hosts the podcast Bitch Sesh.

Sara James Tarses was an American television producer and television studio executive. She was the president of ABC Entertainment from 1996 to 1999, the first woman and one of the youngest people to hold such a post in an American broadcast network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casey Wilson</span> American actress and comedian

Cathryn Rose "Casey" Wilson is an American actress, comedian, screenwriter, director, and podcaster. Originally known for her performances with the Upright Citizens Brigade comedy troupe in New York, Wilson's first major television appearances came during her two-season stint as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 2008 to 2009. Following SNL, she starred as Penny Hartz in the ABC comedy series Happy Endings for which she was twice nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, and has since starred in comedies such as Showtime's Black Monday, Apple TV's The Shrink Next Door, Hulu's The Hotwives and Marry Me on NBC.

John Gemberling is an American actor and comedian best known for roles as Bevers on the Comedy Central series Broad City, as Gil on the NBC sitcom Marry Me, and as John Hancock on the Fox sitcom Making History. He also portrayed Steve Bannon on Comedy Central's political satire late night series The President Show, and Griff in the second season of Mixed-ish.

<i>Happy Endings</i> (TV series) American sitcom

Happy Endings is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from April 13, 2011, to May 3, 2013. The single-camera ensemble comedy originally aired as a mid-season replacement with a one-hour premiere of two back-to-back episodes starting at 9:30 pm ET/PT. In the weeks that followed, the show continued to air back-to-back episodes that began airing at 10 pm ET/PT. The show was created by David Caspe, who along with Jonathan Groff served as the show's executive producers and showrunners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Pally</span> American comedian and actor

Adam Saul Pally is an American comedian and actor. He is best known for starring as Max Blum in the ABC comedy series Happy Endings and as Dr. Peter Prentice in The Mindy Project. He also starred in the FOX comedy Making History and was the executive producer of The President Show.

<i>Happy Endings</i> (season 1) Season of television series

The first season of Happy Endings, an American television series, premiered on April 13, 2011 and concluded on August 24 of the same year. ABC officially picked up the show on May 18, 2010, where it premiered on April as a mid-season replacement, with a one-hour premiere of two back-to-back episodes starting at 9:30 pm ET/PT. In the weeks that followed, the show continued to air back-to-back episodes that began airing at 10:00 pm ET/PT.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Caspe</span> Writer and producer

David Herbert Caspe is an American film and television writer. As a writer-producer, he is best known for his work in television as creator of sitcoms such as ABC's Happy Endings, the Showtime comedy Black Monday, and the NBC sitcoms Kenan and Marry Me. Other work includes writing the 2012 film That's My Boy and co-creating the YouTube Premium series Champaign ILL.

<i>A.C.O.D.</i> 2013 film by Stu Zicherman

A.C.O.D. is a 2013 American comedy film directed by Stu Zicherman, based on a script by Zicherman and Ben Karlin, and starring Adam Scott, Amy Poehler, Jessica Alba and Jane Lynch. The title of the film is an abbreviation for Adult Children of Divorce.

<i>Green Eggs and Ham</i> (TV series) American animated television series based on the Dr. Seuss book of the same name

Green Eggs and Ham, also known as Green Eggs and Ham: The Second Serving for its second and final season, is an American animated comedy adventure streaming television series based on the 1960 Dr. Seuss book of the same title and created by Netflix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Richardson (actor)</span> American actor, comedian, writer, and producer

Samuel Richardson is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He is best known for playing Richard Splett in the HBO political comedy series Veep (2012–19), co-creating and co-starring in the Comedy Central comedy series Detroiters (2017–18) alongside Tim Robinson, and for playing various characters in the Netflix sketch show I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson (2019–present), Aniq Adjaye in the Apple TV+ series The Afterparty (2022–23), and Norville "Shaggy" Rogers in the Max series Velma (2023–present). In 2022 and 2023, he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his performance as Edwin Akufo in Ted Lasso.

<i>Do You Want to See a Dead Body?</i> American surreal comedy web television series

Do You Want to See a Dead Body? is an American surreal comedy streaming television series created by Owen Burke and Rob Huebel that premiered on November 17, 2017, on YouTube Red.

<i>Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on Television</i> Television series

Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on Television is an action comedy series created by Rawson Marshall Thurber and starring Ryan Hansen that premiered on October 25, 2017, on YouTube Red. In July 2018, it was announced that the series had been renewed for a second season which premiered on January 30, 2019.

<i>Sideswiped</i> (TV series) American TV series or program

Sideswiped is an American comedy streaming television series created by Carly Craig and Daniel Reisinger that premiered on July 25, 2018 on YouTube Premium. The series stars Craig who executive produces alongside Reisinger, Robin Schiff, and Jeremy Garelick. Craig and Schiff also act as showrunners.

<i>Black Monday</i> (TV series) American historical dark comedy television series

Black Monday is an American historical dark comedy television series created by Jordan Cahan and David Caspe that premiered on January 20, 2019, on Showtime. The series stars Don Cheadle, Andrew Rannells, Regina Hall, Casey Wilson, and Paul Scheer, and follows the employees of second-tier Wall Street trading firm the Jammer Group during the year leading up to "Black Monday", the day when international stock markets crashed in 1987. In April 2019, the series was renewed for a second season that premiered on March 15, 2020. In October 2020, the series was renewed for a third season, which premiered on May 23, 2021. In January 2022, the series was cancelled after three seasons.

<i>Archibalds Next Big Thing</i> American animated television series

Archibald's Next Big Thing and Archibald's Next Big Thing Is Here! are American animated comedy television series created by Tony Hale for Netflix and Peacock. The plot revolves around Archibald Strutter, a positive chicken who often goes astray from home, but eventually always finds his way back home.

References

  1. Schneider, Michael (2019-04-10). "'Ryan Hansen,' 'Champaign ILL' Canceled as YouTube Prepares for New Originals Strategy (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2019-04-10.
  2. 1 2 3 Andreeva, Nellie (April 30, 2018). "YouTube Orders Comedy Series Starring Adam Pally & Sam Richardson & Featuring Jay Pharoah From 'Happy Endings' Team". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  3. Littleton, Cynthia (April 30, 2018). "YouTube Red Orders Adam Pally Comedy From 'Happy Endings' Producers". Variety . Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  4. Ausiello, Michael (April 30, 2018). "Adam Pally to Star in YouTube Red Comedy From Happy Endings Creator". TVLine . Archived from the original on April 30, 2018. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  5. Goldberg, Lesley (April 30, 2018). "Adam Pally Reteams With 'Happy Endings' Creator for YouTube Comedy Series". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  6. 1 2 Sippell, Margeaux (November 8, 2018). "TV Roundup: YouTube Premium Releases Trailer for Adam Pally, Sam Richardson's 'Champaign Ill' (Watch)". Variety. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  7. Petski, Denise (June 14, 2018). "YouTube Comedy Series Starring Adam Pally & Sam Richardson Sets Recurring Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  8. Walljasper, Matt (July 25, 2018). "What's filming in Atlanta now? Stranger Things, Superintelligence, The Mule, plus our Comic-Con roundup". Atlanta Magazine . Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  9. "What's filming around Atlanta this week as we move into August!". WXIA-TV . July 30, 2018. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  10. Lloyd, Robert (December 12, 2018). "Review: YouTube Premium's 'Champaign ILL' mines buddies' downward mobility for laughs". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  11. Travers, Ben (December 13, 2018). "'Champaign ILL' Review: Adam Pally and Sam Richardson Pop in Sharp YouTube Comedy". IndieWire . Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  12. Keller, Joel (December 12, 2018). "Stream It Or Skip It: 'Champaign Ill' On YouTube Premium, Where Two Buddies Start Over After Their Famous Friend Dies". Decider. Retrieved December 14, 2018.