Kevin Hart has now earned the rare distinction of scoring two Comedy Central series at the exact same time, with the network announcing a pair of Hart-centered shows on Thursday. Hart will star in an eight-episode series entitled Hart of the City and an untitled six-part stand-up docuseries for the network, Varietyreports. "We are everywhere viewers are," Michele Ganeless, the president of the only network you ever really need to watch, said in a statement. "We have more content on more screens than other competitors."
Kevin Hart Presents: Hart of the City will see the Central Intelligence star hanging out with local comedians in Atlanta, Birmingham, and other blossoming comedy scenes across the nation to give viewers a feel for each region's distinctive vibe. The other series, described by Variety as an episodic effort aimed at spotlighting a different up-and-coming comedian each week, remains untitled but sounds just as promising.
In addition to picking up a couple of Kevin Hart blockbusters, Comedy Central has also agreed to a new Jeff Ross series entitled Roast Battle. As the title astutely implies, two comics will face off in each round by succinctly roasting each other before those roasts are promptly judged by a celebrity panel. Though the news is somewhat buried in the announcement, Ross will also premiere a new special entitled Jeff Ross Roasts the Police. Unless that title is referencing Sting's untouchable band of musicians, the special should certainly prove to be an interesting slice of timely television.
The Comedy Central pick-ups arrive simultaneously with the announcement that Kevin Hart and Lionsgate are launching a new video-on-demand service called Laugh Out Loud, which presumably hopes to make viewers do exactly that. "Lionsgate has always been a great partner of mine, and I'm more than excited to take our business and creative relationship to new levels," Hart said in a press release. "I understand the direction in which the television business is headed, and I see this big new space toward which audiences are starting to gravitate."
