Chris Powell grew up in Brightmoor.
Chris Powell (Twitter photo)
Update, Tuesday 8:30 p.m.: "I can deal with national scrutiny about Detroit and will continue to fight against it and rep to the best of my ability," MSU graduate Chris Powell says in a response (below) to our Facebook post about a proposed cable TV comedy he's helping develop for TBS.
Original article, Tuesday afternoon:
We're usually glad to see the D get more attention, though a potential sitcom makes us uneasy.
The TBS cable channel is developing a half-hour show called "The D" and featuring a puppet described as "an inner-city version of Elmo" by Nellie Andreeva of Deadline Hollywood.
It's created by standup comedian Chris Powell, a Detroit native who also goes by "Comedian CP", and Chip Hall, an alum of "King of The Hill."
Andreeva writes:
The D follows 25-year-old CP and his best friend Reggie Bo -- who is essentially an inner-city version of Elmo -- as CP fights to earn the respect of his legendary gangster father while at the same time surviving in America's most dangerous city.
Powell also is involved with an animated development project at the FX channel called "Brightmoor," which Andreeva describes in an earlier article as "South Park set in inner-city Detroit." Sean Combs is the executive producer.
"Although it still faces the hurdle of winning a spot on FX's schedule, 'Brightmoor' is nonetheless a dream long in the making for Powell, who's a co-creator, co-writer and producer," Julie Hinds reported in the Free Press last April.
"The D" offbeat show isn't the only new Detroit comedy.
Comedy Central has ordered 10 episodes of a pilot, 'Detroiters,' which follows two small-time Detroit ad men who aspire to help turn their hometown back into the glittering jewel of the Midwest that it once was, according to Deadline Hollywood.
The show is executive produced by Jason Sudeikis, who had a long run on "Saturday Night Live."
-- Alan Stamm
" I cannot tolerate disrespect in my own city."
Response from Chris Powell
The co-creator of "The D" comments on our Facebook page, where we link to this coverage summary and say: "How is this a comedy . . . and how many clichés can we expect?"
His post is shared without editing, beyond paragraph breaks:
Hey Deadline Detroit please make sure you mention that me being from Detroit (Brightmoor to be exact)…setting academic records in DPS since 6th grade…who went on to Graduate from MSU where I became the president of 4 organizations including My Fraternity Kappa Alpha Psi…worked for one of, if not the biggest multi cultural advertising agencies in the World (which happens to be Detroit Based) and then went on to become one of the most sought after underground comedians in the country faster than most people can finish undergrad.
Nothing about me is Cliche. I can deal with national scrutiny about Detroit and will continue to fight against it and rep to the best of my ability. But I cannot tolerate disrespect in my own city. You could've easily reached out to me for a statement but I see what kind of media outlet you are.
Hope this doesn't reflect how Deadline.com and or Detroit as a whole feels about the project.
