Jodie Landon, the brilliant, bright African-American queen of Lawndale High is getting her own spotlight in a spin-off from the cult classic tv series Daria, with award-winning actress Tracee Ellis Ross set to be the voice and executive producer of the new MTV Studio show, Jodie.
We all know Daria’s crossed arms and glaring remarks. The wildly popular animated series was acclaimed for its feminist take on issues such as race, class and gender; expressed through the abrasively sarcastic protagonist as she navigates the inanity of high school with her dead-pan monotone and realism. Now her cool friend and fan favourite Jodie will take us to the workplace as she gets her first post-grad tech job, exploring the trials and tribulations of a Gen Z professional.
Tracee Ellis Ross stars in Jodie, the new spin-off from cult classic Daria that satirizes workplace culture, social media platforms and Gen Z struggles.
MTV remarks that the show will tackle “themes of empowerment across gender and racial lines, explorations of privilege… at its heart, Jodie will shine a light on the personal and professional issues all young people face in today’s complex, socially conscious world.”
And who better to give voice to this project than the #blackgirlmagic icon Tracee Ellis Ross.
“Being able to give voice to fresh, feminist and explored stories of young women excites me…we will feature a diverse cast, comprised mainly of unapologetically smart and ambitious young female characters who are vulnerable and flawed and interesting and funny,” says Ross in a statement as she expresses her enthusiasm for the project.
“It will be a smart, funny workplace comedy full of commentary about everything from gentrification to sex to tech to call-out culture.”
Working alongside her is Grace Nkenge Edwards (of Insecure), as creator and head writer of the new series.
And just as a very cool sidenote, Jodie will be the first animated sitcom in almost 20 years to star a black woman. And what’s just as exciting is that MTV Studios have also announced that Jodie is just the first of a string of projects to be created from the “Daria-verse”.
