Jodie Isn't Just Daria's Black Friend—Comedy Central Picks Up New Spinoff Starring Tracee Ellis Ross

The “black sidekick” character trope certainly isn’t new, but it’s still relevant—so relevant that there are still references to it in TikTok videos.

Since Daria was a television show dripping with sardonic humor, one of its supporting characters Jodie Landon called it out directly. Tired of the obvious tokenism behind her Homecoming Queen nomination every damn year, Jodie once told her Homecoming King Mack, “We may be tokens, but we’re damn good looking ones.”

Thankfully, Jodie will no longer be a token because she’s got her own show coming to Comedy Central! Per Deadline, the new upcoming series focusing on Jodie “picks up with her character graduating from college and entering a complicated world.”

Tracee Ellis Ross will be voicing Jodie (originally voiced by Jessica Cydnee Jackson on Daria) and will executive produce the project.

“As a very cool bonus, Jodie will be the first adult animated show in almost 20 years that will star a black woman,” Ross exclaimed when the series was announced last June. “It will be a smart, funny workplace comedy full of commentary about everything from gentrification to sex to tech to call-out culture.” Given this info, it’s even more exciting that the series finally found a home.

Comedy Central’s press release gives us the scoop on what to expect from Jodie, as well as reminiscing on the impact of Daria:

What Daria did for showing how inane high school was for Gen X, Jodie will do for exploring the trials and tribulations of a first job for a new generation. The show will satirize workplace culture, Gen Z struggles, the artifice of social media and more. With themes of empowerment along gender and racial lines, explorations of privilege, and a wicked sense of humor, Jodie will shine a light on the personal and professional issues young Black women face today.

Daria ran for five seasons from 1997 to 2002 and began as a spin-off of the Beavis and Butthead franchise. Through its ensemble cast, Daria addressed key issues on the show – race, gender, class and identity – all through the lens of the wry wisdom of its main character, who was credited by cultural critics as a favorite fictional feminist that shaped a generation of women.

We don’t have a premiere date yet, but we’ll keep you posted! No sarcasm.