EW spoke to Salahuddin and Riddle about how the two very different shows came together.
Read on for more, including an exclusive clip of Wednesday’s newSouth Sideepisode.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: This is a big summer for you two withSouth SideandSherman’s Showcaseboth premiering.
Credit: Corey Nickols/Getty Images
How did you guys end up with two shows airing at roughly the same time?
DIALLO RIDDLE:We pitched them at different times.
I feel like it’s the same with these TV shows.
Were both shows in production at the same time?
Was there any overlap in creating them?
RIDDLE:We were lucky in that there wasn’t production overlap, which actually would have been impossible.
How did you two come up with both shows?
SALAHUDDIN:We were always wanting to do something with one of our hometowns.
[It] was heartbreaking.
You mentioned that Comedy Central was the first and only place you all went to withSouth Side.
Did they have any good input that helped shape it into the show it is today?
They challenged us on every idea.
They challenged us on the clarity of the characters.
They challenged us on the clarity of the storytelling.
And as an artist, that’s all you want to hear.
Was giving all of them this platform rewarding?
We have such talented writers in our writers' room.
And some of those episodes where the writers are in them are some of my favorite moments.
RIDDLE:I’ve been making a joke lately that we’re sort of like a blackGame of Thrones.
SALAHUDDIN:I’m proud to be a nerd.
I’m proud of my sci-fi nerdom.
I’m proud of playingDungeons & Dragonsgrowing up.
We’re huge fans of the idea that both of our shows should be like a Marvel Universe.
You know, it’s just little things like that to just make you feel great as a creator.
I think we just ended up at two very creator-friendly places, and thank God.
South Sideairs Wednesdays at 10:30 p.m.
ET on Comedy Central.
Watch an exclusive clip of the second episode above.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
