Nerdist & Upright Citizens Brigade Developing Digital Comedy Series

Nerdist and the Upright Citizens Brigade have teamed on a new original comedy series for premiere on Legendary Digital Networks’ interactive streaming platform Alpha. The untitled hour-long show will air weekly with a 10-episode run for the first season.

Legendary Digital Networks

The project is designed to showcase undiscovered comedic talent and will feature content ranging from sketch to serialized narrative, with each episode consisting of different pieces of short-form entertainment. Founded by Amy Poehler, Matt Walsh, Matt Besser and Ian Roberts, the UCB will tap its network of writers, performers, and creators in New York and Los Angeles to create a wide variety of comedy content.

Don’t Think Productions, UCB’s TV production unit, is producing.

Prior to the partnership with UCB, Nerdist founded The Nerdist School comedy training program for future writers, performers, and producers through the teaching of improv and writing with a roster of talented instructors including Ptolemy Slocum (Westworld, Adam Ruins Everything), Rebekka Johnson (director of Paul F. Tompkins’ Speakeasy web series) and Monika Smith (Comedy Bang! Bang!, Starz’s Blunt Talks). Nerdist continues to feature breakout performers and original content through Nerdist’s channel on Alpha.

“At Nerdist we are committed to providing opportunities for comic talent, and no one does this better than UCB,” said Adam Rymer, President of Legendary Digital Networks. “Through this partnership, our audience can expect to see fresh, new comedic writers and performers deliver a wide scope of original content as we continue to deliver a high quality experience to Alpha members.”

“We love bringing cutting-edge comedy concepts to life and shining a spotlight on the incredible talent in the UCB community,” said Alex Sidtis, Managing Director of UCB. “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Nerdist to incubate new ideas and execute them on this exciting platform.”

Nerdist, founded by Chris Hardwick, is owned by Legendary Entertainment and is part of the Legendary Digital Networks, which also includes Geek & Sundry and Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls.