Issa Rae sets HBO return with comedy about best friends chasing success in Las Vegas

The “Insecure” creator reunites with Prentice Penny for a pilot set against the competitive world of professional boxing.

Issa Rae is returning to HBO with a new half-hour comedy pilot centered on male friendship, ambition and the high-pressure world of professional boxing in Las Vegas. The project reunites Rae with “Insecure” collaborator Prentice Penny and follows a barber and aspiring sports manager navigating his friendship with a rising boxer.

The new project, currently titled ‘Untitled Male Friendship Show’, puts friendship at the center of a story set against the backdrop of professional boxing. According to Deadline, the comedy follows Menzel, a 30-year-old barber and aspiring sports manager whose relationship with his best friend, JB, becomes increasingly complicated as the young boxer pursues success in Las Vegas.

Menzel is described not only as JB’s friend but also as his “professional best friend,” placing him close to the opportunities and pressures that come with JB’s career. The story is expected to explore ambition, insecurity and the complicated dynamics when friends grow in different directions. Rae will write and executive produce the pilot, while Prentice Penny will serve as showrunner, executive producer and director. Penny previously worked closely with Rae on “Insecure,” HBO’s acclaimed comedy that ran for five seasons and explored friendship, relationships, identity and career.

The new project continues Rae’s long relationship with HBO. Following “Insecure,” she executive produced “A Black Lady Sketch Show” and created “Rap Sh!t.” The boxing comedy also represents a different perspective for Rae. Rather than focusing on female friendship, the new series will explore the bonds, pressures and vulnerabilities within a male friendship while placing its characters in the competitive world of professional sports.

The project is being produced through Rae’s Hoorae banner, with Jax Clark executive producing. The pilot comes several months after Rae signed a three-year first-look film and television production deal with Paramount. Although she previously had an overall deal with HBO, the new comedy is understood to predate her Paramount agreement. At this stage, HBO has ordered only a pilot.