One night after dropping by the Open Late panel, Lil Rel Howery's Fox sitcom Rel has dropped early. Initially set to premiere on Sunday after NFL On Fox, Fox decided to drop the entire pilot for Rel on YouTube earlier tonight.
Most mainstream audiences caught wind of Howery's work via Jordan Peele's Get Out, where Howery portrayed everyone's favorite TSA agent. He's also had a stint in season two of Insecure, as well as playing Jerrod Carmichael's brother on the NBC sitcom The Carmichael Show. Carmichael is also executive producing Rel, which is loosely inspired by Howery's life as a man who's separated from the mother of his children, trying to find the balance between being a long-distance father and still maintain a career.
Rel stars Howery playing the title character, but also features legendary comedian Sinbad as his father, as well as Jessica Moore, who you may know better as "Jess Hilarious." Rounding out the core cast is Jordan L. Jones, who plays Rel's younger brother, Nat.
The first episode is a great introduction to the series, showcasing Rel dealing with the struggle of a separation from his wife and children, as well as his dynamic with his family and friends. There are some laugh-out-loud hilarious moments (including a whole roast session), with the pilot showing a lot of promise for this series.
Stream Rel's first episode in few up above, and be sure to catch it both on Sunday, September 9 on Fox. It's said that the series will air regularly at 9:30 PM on Sundays, after Family Guy, starting September 30.
