Lamorne Morris stars in this series that centers around an artist who experiences the real truth about being Black in America.
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In recent years, the term WOKE has come to mean ‘being aware and knowing what’s going on in the community with specific ties to racism and social injustice.’ In Hulu’s new scripted comedy series ( aptly titled “WOKE“) San Francisco cartoonist, Keef Knight (played by Lamorne Morris) is on the verge of superstardom with his famous comic strip, Toast and Butter, when an incident with the police changes the trajectory of Keef’s career.
Morris [New Girl, Bloodshot] says taking on this project, based on the actual life of artist Keith Knight, was a dream come true for him.
Morris says, “After New Girl, I wanted to do something that meant more than jokes, something that would speak to people in whatever fashion that may be.”
Although filming wrapped before the recent protests over police brutality and the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, Woke is relevant.
“Unfortunately, this is a timely story, because racial injustice is always timely”, Morris says.
Despite the fact that there aren’t many protests depicted in the series, creator Keith Knight, showrunner Jay Dyer, and director Maurice Marable find a way to bring comedy to very serious issues. There’s an episode where Keef posts “Black People for Rent” signs all over the city and the mixed reactions are quite parallel to the divisive opinions of Americans.
The series can be compared to Ramy or Atlanta, but there’s an animation aspect that adds another layer to the plot. After Keef becomes “Woke,” he begins hallucinating inanimate objects talking to him about his blackness. These objects are voiced by an all-star cast, including JB Smoove, Cedric the Entertainer, Nicole Byer, Eddie Griffin and Sam Richardson and Tony Hale as Toast and Butter.
Blake Anderson and T Murph costar as Keef’s roommates and Sasheer Zamata from SNL plays a queer, progressive newspaper editor determined to keep Keef WOKE.
WOKE IS CURRENTLY STREAMING ALL EPISODES ON HULU!
