HBO Orders Comedy Pilot 'Untitled Male Friendship Show' From Issa Rae, Set in Las Vegas Boxing
HBO has ordered a half-hour comedy pilot titled "Untitled Male Friendship Show" from Issa Rae, marking her latest return to the network that launched her career. The pilot order was reported by Deadline on 25 August 2026. A pilot is a single episode used to test whether a network wants to commit to a full series — so this is a foot in the door, not a guaranteed show.
Rae wrote the pilot and serves as executive producer. The story centres on Menzel, a 30-year-old barber, aspiring sports manager and professional best friend to JB, an up-and-coming boxer. Set in the professional boxing world of Las Vegas, the pilot explores ambition, insecurity, loneliness and what Rae's team describes as the double-edged sword of success, according to Deadline.
Prentice Penny, who collaborated with Rae on the HBO series "Insecure," will serve as showrunner, executive producer and director of the pilot. A showrunner is the person who holds creative authority over a series — the top decision-maker in the writers' room and on set. Penny's company, A Penny For Your Thoughts, produces alongside Rae's Hoorae, with Jax Clark executive producing for Hoorae. Jonathan Berry and Dave Becky executive produce through 3 Arts Entertainment.
The order reunites Rae with the network where she built her television career. "Insecure," created by Rae and Larry Wilmore, ran for five seasons on HBO and earned one Emmy from 14 nominations, three Golden Globe nominations and a Peabody Award. Rae also executive produced "A Black Lady Sketch Show," Robin Thede's sketch series that won multiple Emmys, and created "Rap Sh!t," a Miami-set music-world comedy starring Aida Osman and KaMillion that ran for two seasons on HBO. Her earlier HBO pilot, dating to 2015, followed the awkward experiences of a modern-day African-American woman and eventually became "Insecure."
Rae was previously under an overall deal with HBO beginning in 2021 — an arrangement where a creator develops projects exclusively for one network. In January, she signed a three-year first-look film and television production deal with Paramount, meaning Paramount gets first dibs on projects her company develops. The HBO pilot falls outside that Paramount deal, which covers film and television production for Paramount specifically.
For fans of Rae's work, the pilot signals a shift in focus. Where "Insecure" and "Rap Sh!t" centred on female friendships, this new project turns to a male bond inside the high-stakes boxing world of Las Vegas. The creative team behind it — Rae and Penny — is the same pairing that helped define HBO's comedy slate for much of the last decade.
Beyond television, Rae's Hoorae is producing a untitled buddy comedy for TriStar starring Keke Palmer and SZA. HBO also previously put into development "The Vanishing Half," a drama based on Brit Bennett's bestselling novel, with Rae and Stephanie Allain attached.
Whether "Untitled Male Friendship Show" moves beyond the pilot stage will depend on how HBO responds to the finished episode — a decision that typically comes within months of filming.
