‘Comedy InvAsian' Preps Season 3 As Co-Creator Quentin Lee Gears Up For France-Canada Lab At Series Mania
The director-producer's Margin Films has again teamed with Comedy InvAsian co-creator and showrunner Koji Steven Sakai from Little Nalu Pictures and exec producer Victor Elizade from Viva Pictures on the show, which spotlights AAPI comedians doing 30-minute sets in each episode. Lee is the director.
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The show is produced by Little Nalu Pictures and distributed by Viva Pictures Distribution. It was the TV debut of AAPI comedians such as Atsuko Okatsuka, Joey Guila, Robin Tran and Jiaoying Summers.
Seasons 1 and 2 premiered on Hulu as an exclusive in 2018, and both are now streaming on Peacock, Tubi and Prime Video. Season 3 is set for principal photography in July.
'With Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) a hot-button in the national discussion, it's even more important that shows like Comedy InvAsian III exist, said Sakai. 'Asian American diversity in television broadens narratives, enriches our culture, and inspires future generations to embrace their heritage.'
'We're incredibly proud to help bring this next wave of talented comedians to a global stage,' added Elizade, President of Viva Pictures. 'Comedy has the unique power to connect us through shared laughter, while also spotlighting personal experiences that are as diverse as they are universally relatable. There's nothing better than comedy that cracks you up and opens your eyes – and Comedy InvAsian III does both.'
Elizalde also produces Entre Nos, the LatinX stand-up comedy show that runs on HBO.
'I'm thrilled to be working with the original gangstas who started the Comedy InvAsian party and having some fun together,' said Lee, who co-created Comedy InvAsian and spinoff series Comedy Invasion, which won the 2024 Canadian Screen Award for Best Comedy Special.
This comes as Lee pitches Morning, Paris! at the Canada-France Series Lab at Series Mania in Lille, France today. The initiative is a joint venture between Series Mania, Telefilm Canada and the CNC.
Lee's show follows Chanel Lee, a 29-year-old aspiring fashion designer from Vancouver, who flies to Paris with Tristan Nahanee, a security guard with an enigmatic past, without informing her boss, Benoit Petit. The unlikely duo, who producers say embody 'a comical reinvention of The Odd Couple' as they 'navigate the chaos of crashing Paris Fashion Week as Chanel experiences the city's magic for the first time.'
'At its heart, Morning, Paris! is a story about a cross-cultural fashion enthusiast and underdog, driven by passion and ambition, striving to break into the exclusive Parisian fashion world,' said Lee.
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