Branden Miller, the brain behind Joanne the Scammer, snags a TV drama series
The first time I saw Branden Miller as Joanne the Scammer online I was intrigued. The petite, tan-skinned person with hairy arms, a disheveled, layered wig and ice blue contacts was everywhere. I clicked a video. And another one. And another one. And another. I laughed until pain reverberated up my sides and then did that de-escalating, slow-breathing whimper thing to return to normal.
Well, it seems now Miller’s sidesplitting humor will be accessible to fans through an upcoming scripted drama series. Miller has collaborated with comedian Chelsea Peretti to present Joanne in a longer-than-social-media-snippets-form. Peretti will executive produce the show, carried out by Super Deluxe production company. Joe Mande will write the series. A network has not yet been announced, but fans rejoice at the news and already wonder what kind of extended story-lines Joanne will take part in.
Joanne is a capitalistic, loud, brash, vice-using, criminal white woman who often explains that she “lives for drama.” Her social commentary is refreshing in its candor. She shrieks, “Get out of my Caucasian house!” She plots on men and discards them at will, but cannot seem to saunter away effectively in heels. She feels like a hot mess after a hot mess chic designation, in ways familiar to many Millennials.
As more details come, fans will no doubt tune in and tweet out Joanne’s shenanigans. While all kinds of people like Joanne as a character, #BlackTwitter keeps a special stronghold on digital discussion of television shows. It will be interesting to see how one Black and Latino man’s rendering of a white female character, her circles, society and interests tests the bounds of traditional character expectations in efforts to keep people chuckling.