One of the freshest, most consistently entertaining original comedy series in recent memory has arrived—so of course it’s not American-made (and it’s not animated either!). While there have been a few decent new entries into the comedy genre stateside, most of them suffer from the same recurring problem: the need to appeal to the wide range of demographics and comedic tastes across the country at once, if they want to survive. Few can do this successfully, which is why it’s an outright miracle that a network sitcom like Abbott Elementary has become a hit. It’s also why It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia just wrapped Season 89: Too often, American execs are happy to let things spin until the wheels fall off, instead of giving a fair shake to new voices.
Dreaming Whilst Black, which premieres Sept. 8 on Showtime, is far and away the best new comedy of 2023. The show is a British import, having aired on BBC Three earlier this summer to raves. It’s not hard to see why, either: Dreaming Whilst Black livens up a fairly standard outline for a comedy series with an ensemble of outstanding performances, biting social satire, and a keen sense of its own identity that makes for one of the most rewarding watches of the year.
Kwabena (Adjani Salmon) is the dreamer in question, longing for a life on film sets instead of his day job in recruitment at a temp agency. He envisions himself finally breaking into the industry, hobnobbing with fellow artists, and eventually directing his passion project, Jamaica Road, a film inspired by his grandparents’ love story. These aspirations are mired by his dead-end occupation, which has kept Kwabena stagnant but comfortable. Well, at least as comfortable as you can be while wading through a deluge of office micro- and macroaggressions every single day.
