“Detroit has the best local commercials, and we really wanted that to be a part of it,” explained Robinson to the Detroit Free Press earlier this year.
The duo are enlisting two big names from Saturday Night Live to help get the series the ground: Lorne Michaels (who also helms production studio Broadway Video) and Jason Sudeikis, who will both share executive producing credits. The latter will appear in a limited number of episodes as a successful automotive exec who Richardson and Robinson’s characters pursue in order to land their first big client.
Robinson, an SNL writer, was no doubt instrumental in getting Sudeikis and Michaels on board. The writer/actor has also had guest appearances on IFC’s Documentary Now! and Comedy Bang Bang.
“Sam and I talked about our time doing comedy in Detroit and how fun it was,” continued Robinson. “We said we have to set it there and shoot it there. That’s how it kind of came about,” though, it’s unclear whether the series will actually be shot in Detroit according to Deadline.
Richardson, best-known for appearances on Veep, Drunk History, The Office and Arrested Development, also has a slate of TV and features upcoming, including Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates on Fox, the Seth Rogan sequel Neighbors 2, and The House.
Michaels’ Broadway Video studio currently produces four other cable series: IFC’s Portlandia and Documentary Now, FX’s Man Seeking Woman, and HBO’s upcoming series Brothers in Atlanta.
“The creative team on Detroiters is so ridiculously funny, we’re not even sure we deserve them,” said Comedy Central’s Kent Alterman in a statement. Comedy Central’s Monika Zielinska, Tara Schuster and Rachel Olson will be in charge of the show’s production.
