HBO’s upcoming late-night series Random Acts of Flyness promises to be an experience unlike anything else on the network, and maybe anywhere else on television for that matter. The new series comes from artist, musician, and filmmaker Terence Nance, and is described by him as “a show about the beauty and ugliness of contemporary American life.” The first season will consist of six episodes, each made up of a series of vignettes featuring Nance and a revolving ensemble cast that will include a number of guest stars such as Dominique Fishback (The Deuce), Whoopi Goldberg, Gillian Jacobs (Love), Ntare Guma Mwine (The Chi), Adepero Oduye (The Big Short), Natalie Paul (The Deuce) and Paul Sparks (Boardwalk Empire).
Random Acts of Flyness is another example of HBO expanding its late-night offerings to include shows examining social and cultural issues in a way other programs do not. Earlier this year, the premium cabler premiered the docuseries Wyatt Cenac’s Problem Areas, wherein the comedian, writer, and former Daily Show correspondent traveled cross country to explore “systemic issues from his unique perspective.” Think of it kind of as Parts Unknown without the food angle.
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Problem Areas has been renewed for season 2, so while fans wait for more of Cenac’s observations and investigations, they can dig in and expand their minds with something a little different. As seen in the trailer above, Random Acts of Flyness is difficult to put into words, but it’s hard to deny how compelling it looks. To help put it into perspective check out a synopsis below:
“RANDOM ACTS OF FLYNESS, a new late-night series from artist Terence Nance (“An Oversimplification of Her Beauty”), explores evergreen cultural idioms such as patriarchy, white supremacy and sensuality from a new, thought-provoking perspective. A fluid, stream-of-conscious response to the contemporary American mediascape, each episode of RANDOM ACTS OF FLYNESS features a handful of interconnected vignettes, showcasing an ensemble cast of emerging and established talent. The show is a mix of vérité documentary, musical performances, surrealist melodrama and humorous animation. Nance and his collaborators weave together such themes as ancestral trauma, history, death, the singularity, romance and more, creating a television show like nothing seen before.”
HBO’s late-night offerings are an ever more eclectic bunch, as Random Acts of Flyness joins the aforementioned Problem Areas, as well as the Duplass brothers-produced Animals, and the former web series High Maintenance. As an added bonus, you needn’t worry about staying up past your bedtime in order to watch any of these series, as every episode is available to subscribers to stream at their convenience on HBO Go and HBO Now.
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Random Acts of Flyness premieres Friday, August 3 at midnight.
Source: HBO