Titled “Blocc Party: An Insecure Podcast,” the new show will relive the cultural phenomenon with former cast members, writers and more.
What happens after you create an impactful HBO series that fans still beg to come back? Issa Rae has been navigating that space well since “Insecure” concluded in 2021, not only as a groundbreaking series but also as one of the last “appointment television” shows around.
With a new podcast, Issa and showrunner Prentice Penny are not only looking back at the legacy of “Insecure,” but the stories and gems that were never told.
Until now.
On Wednesday, Issa’s HooRae Productions launched “Blocc Party: An Insecure Podcast” featuring both her and Penny looking back at the early days of the show. At one point during reflecting on the show’s end, Issa admits that closing a chapter of her life and one of the more impactful shows on television left her with every emotion.
“It was ending the show itself, like stopping filming, was devastating but also a relief,” she told Penny. “Like you know, I fronted the entire season, like can’t wait for this sh-t to be over. Talking big sh-t. And literally, I think it was you and Yvonne who were done at the same time. I don’t know that I’ve ever cried so much in my life.”
“Insecure” also began a renewed interest in shows led by Black women on HBO. When the show premiered in 2016, the last show that had a Black woman in leading roles was “The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency” starring Jill Scott and Anika Noni Rose. Based on the popular book series, the show only lasted for six episodes on HBO before it was canceled in 2010. The demand was there and Issa hoped to deliver after the 2008 TV writer’s strike that led to the demise of several Black TV shows like “Girlfriends.”
“It was the Obama years of like wanting like hey where are all the black people?” Penny remarked.
While fans will no doubt go down memory lane with Issa and Penny through the new podcast, the longtime creator has already got something making waves on TikTok.
According to The Wrap, her microseries “Screen Time” has accumulated nearly 75 million views since it launched on April 29. The first 27 episodes of the series, which are 1-minute in length, are all available on TikTok and PrimeDrama. The second act will arrive on May 22.
