HBO Set to Debut Late-Night Docu-Series on April 13th — “Wyatt Cenac’s Problem Areas”

On April 13th, HBO will roll out the first episode of their new 10-episode docu-series Wyatt Cenac’s Problem Areas. The show, which features Oscar-winning documentarian Ezra Edelman (OJ: Made in America) and John Oliver (Last Week Tonight with John Oliver) as executive producers, will follow Cenac as he explores hot-button topics in society and culture.

https://youtu.be/IKkwjo3ePgE

Cenac, who wrote on over 500 episodes of The Daily Show and stars in People of Earth on TBS, will travel around and investigate the role of police in America.

In a conversation with Deadline, Cenac acknowledged the focus on police in the show, while HBO’s press release did not. Each episode will build around a documentary feature, mixing in with animation and in-studio commentary. While the show will be focused on serious topics, comedy will be a “guiding principle” for the show.

It should be noted that the Deadline article also noted what would be left out of Problem Areas: Donald Trump and national politics.

The show will air on Friday nights from 11:30 P.M ET until midnight.

Cenac is an intelligent dude who has a unique brand of humor and will be a nice change-of-pace to HBO’s existing late-night lineup. From what I’ve read, it seems like Problem Areas will be a cross between VICE News Tonight and the Bill Maher/John Oliver studio experience.