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Exclusive: Hulu is continuing to double down on laughs with its latest stand-up series Lol Live.

Lol Live, which will feature ten, 30-minute sets from a range of comics, comes from Kevin Hart’s Hartbeat and premieres on June 6.

Comedians featured include SNL’s Devon Walker, Chico Bean, Brandi Denise, Chinedu Unaka, Daphnique Springs, Justin Silva, Lea’h Sampson, Malik B, Sydnee Washington, and the late Ken Flores.

Flores’s performance marks the first longform special ever taped by the comedian and was filmed shortly before he died in January at the age of 28.

The streamer will roll out two new specials each month; Flores and Springs will kick off the run, followed by Bean and Unaka on July 11, Walker and Washington on August 15, Denise and Malik B on September 5, and Silva and Sampson on October 3.

The sets were filmed last summer during Hartbeat Weekend at Resorts World Las Vegas.

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BET+ has set premiere dates for its fall slate of films and new and returning TV series.

First on the list is “Love & Murder: Atlanta Playboy,” a film series starring Taye Diggs. Part 1 debuts on Sept. 21 while Part 2 will arrive on the streamer a week later, on Sept. 28. The films follow an investigation into the murder of Lance (Diggs), a successful Atlanta businessman known both for revolutionizing the city’s 911 system and for being a womanizer. The cast also includes Keesha Sharp, Ciera Payton, Apryl Jones, Ernestine Johnson, Nicole Lyn, Robert Brown, Tye White, Anton Peeples, Yung Joc, Karlie Redd and Yandy Smith. Jaira Thomas directs scripts from Gregory R. Anderson. Mona Scott-Young and Eric Tomosunas executive produce, with co-executive producers including Lorisa Bates, Marvin Neil, Stephanie R. Gayle, Abbey MacDonald and Nick Roses and producers including Ron Robinson, Jimmy Watson, Ron Stodghill, Keith Neal, Brian Rikuda and Devin Griffin.

Exclusive: Tobias Truvillion (The Best Man: The Final Chapters), Leon (City on a Hill) and Jessica “Jess Hilarious” Moore (Hip Hop Family Christmas) are among the new additions to First Lady of Bmf: The Tonesa Welch Story, a new biopic starring Michelle Mitchenor (First Wives Club), which is set to debut on BET+ later this year.

The film currently in production in the Washington, D.C. area, which Vivica A. Fox (Holiday Hideaway) is directing, follows Tonesa (Mitchenor), a young woman raised in 1980s Detroit, who becomes seduced by the limelight and adventure of being in the drug game. She soon meets Harry (Truvillion), an older, sophisticated head of a drug organization who gives her a taste of the good life. Bothered by Tonesa’s ambition, Harry controls her through violence. But when the cycle of prosperity and abuse is about to break her spirit, Harry gets locked up...

Exclusive: This Joka, a stand-up comedy series exec produced by Will Smith, will not be returning for a second season on Roku.

The streaming service launched the series, which came via its acquisition of short-form service Quibi, in March.

The series features a raft of stand ups including Punkie Johnson and Chris Estrada.

Deadline understands that the decision had nothing to do with the Oscars incident, where Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock on stage, but a somewhat unusual issue with timing.

Roku is believed to never really have had the option to renew the series, which is produced by Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Westbrook Studios and Topgolf Entertainment Group. The option to renew lapsed before Roku launched the show, and certainly before the streamer had the chance to analyse its viewing data, meaning that it was unlikely to return for a second season on the platform.

The show...

Meta is introducing the second annual cohort of its We The Culture initiative – a creator program that aims to amplify Black creators who champion Black culture and further important conversations.

We The Culture (Wtc) is the product of Meta's $25 million-dollar investment in Black creators, and it launched last February. Developed by Black employees, Wtc comprises funding, resources, and networking opportunities -- and this year's cohort is focused on Reels creators.

The second We The Culture class comprises: French Spencer, Aliya Janell Young, Shaun Blokker, Bo Peoples, Sakinah and Zakiyyah Rahman, Alex Elle, Young Ezee, Crissa Jackson, Erik Alejandro Iglesias Rodriguez, Jason Johnson, Daphnique Springs, Amber Whittington, Tedra Wilson, Erica Cobb Baldwin, Cedric Rogers, Malcolm 'Mj' Harris, Tunde Oyeneyin, Dougie Cash, Chris Matthews, Jade Novah, Lonnie Marts, and Tiffany Thompson.

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Will Smith is joining the ever-growing sheaf of Hollywood talent in Quibi’s quiver.

The Jeffrey Katzenberg-founded mobile subscription service announced the acquisition of “This Joka,” a 16-episode stand-up comedy series hosted and executive produced by Smith. Quibi is set to debut next Monday, April 6, with 50-odd shows. For now, there’s no premiere date for Smith’s series.

There’s a golf tie-in: “This Joka” is a co-production of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Westbrook Media and Topgolf Studios, a unit of golf-venue chain Topgolf Entertainment Group. The show is shot on location at Topgolf’s Las Vegas driving-range venue and other spots across Sin City.

In the show, Smith plays host to a diverse guest list of comedians, ranging from up-and-comers to legendary performers. “This Joka” showcases their stand-up sets and will feature one-on-one conversations between Smith and the comedians plus docu-style moments shot backstage and around Vegas.

Like any other job in entertainment, there’s no “right” way to crack the upper tier of standup. But for comics on the rise, a slot in New Faces at the Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal certainly helps.

“Inside Jokes,” the upcoming six-episode docuseries from director Neil Berkeley debuting this month on Amazon, takes a look at not just the end result of some of the most coveted slots at the annual comedy gathering, but the long and unpredictable road it takes for so many people to get there.

“The exciting thing about this show is that some of these people are going to be household names. In fact, it’s already happening. But in this show we get to meet them before they’ve had huge success,” Berkeley told IndieWire. “They’re still struggling, trying to make it and doing stand up all night, every night. Imagine seeing...