FX Picks Up Second Cycle of TOTALLY BIASED WITH W. KAMAU BELL, Beginning 10/11

Related: FX, Chris Rock

FX has ordered the second cycle of its first year late night comedy series Totally Biased With W. Kamau Bell for seven half-hour installments, announced Nick Grad, Executive Vice President of Original Programming, FX.

Totally Biased will conclude its six-episode first cycle this Thursday, September 20 at 11:00 PM, and the second cycle of shows will begin on Thursday, October 11 in a new 11:30 PM time period, following the return of BrandX with Russell Brand that night at 11:00 PM.

"What we've seen through five shows only reinforces our belief that Kamau is one of the sharpest, smartest and funniest young comedians in the business," said Grad. "He brings an interesting perspective to late-night TV and has proven to be very comfortable in this format. That, coupled with the experience that Chris Rock and Chuck Skylar bring to the show, makes this order an easy decision."

Totally Biased, from Bell and Executive Producers Chris Rock, Chuck Sklar and Keri Smith Esguia, stars standup comedian W. Kamau Bell as he hilariously dissects politics, pop culture, race, religion, sex and the media from his own unique point of view. The show also features live guests and taped segments. Totally Biased is produced by FX Productions.

"I'm excited to be given the opportunity to continue working with the amazing FX and the brilliant Chris Rock," said W. Kamau Bell. "We'll be putting out new episodes, even more Totally Biased than before."

Chris Rock added, "I'm very excited and looking forward to working with the good people at FX. Please don't tell Rupert Murdoch."

The October 11th return of Totally Biased caps off a big night of comedy on FX, featuring the season 8 premiere of the acclaimed hit series, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (10:00 PM), the fourth season debut of The League (10:30 PM), and the return of BrandX with Russell Brand (11:00 PM).

One of the fastest rising socio-political comics in the United States, W. Kamau Bell is a founding member of the comedy group Laughter Against the Machine, and he has been praised by Punchline Magazine as "one of our nation's most adept racial commentators with a blistering wit." He has been voted San Francisco's best comedian by SF Weekly, the SF Bay Guardian and 7x7 Magazine. His recent standup album, Face Full of Flour, was named one of the Top 10 Best Comedy Albums of 2010 by iTunes and Punchline Magazine. Bell is best known for his critically acclaimed solo show The W. Kamau Bell Curve: Ending Racism in About an Hour, which was a Time Out NY critic's pick in the 2010 NY Comedy Festival and comedy pick in The Guardian during his 2011 run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Time Out NY gives him "FOUR STARS" and offers, "Bell finds comic gold...offering provocative insights into an ugly reality." The San Francisco Chronicle raves, "The personable, quick comic skewers racism, stereotypes and an assortment of iconic taboos with provocative wit. FOUR STARS!" The SF Weekly has called him "smart, stylish, and very much in the mold of politically outspoken comedians like Dave Chappelle," though he was more excited that they called him "handsome."

Chris Rock, the Brooklyn-raised comedian who has garnered four Emmy(R) Awards and three Grammy Awards as a writer and for his stand-up comedy work, recently appeared on Broadway to rave reviews in The Motherf**ker With The Hat. He recently appeared on the big screen in Lionsgate's What to Expect When You're Expecting, and DreamWorks' Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted; the third film in the hugely successful franchise in which Rock voices "Marty." Later this year, he will appear opposite Julie Delpy, who also serves as writer/director, in 2 Days in New York, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and for which his performance has already garnered critical acclaim. Rock's first documentary, Good Hair, won the 2009 Sundance "Special Jury Prize" and was named one of the "Top Five Documentaries" in 2009 by the National Board of Review. His critically acclaimed HBO stand-up specials include Bring the Pain, Bigger & Blacker, Never Scared and Kill the Messenger. Rock made his feature film debut in Beverly Hills Cop II in 1987. Additional film credits include Boomerang, New Jack City, Lethal Weapon 4, Dogma, Nurse Betty, Head of State (directorial debut), Down to Earth (co-wrote), I Think I Love My Wife (wrote & directed), The Longest Yard, the Madagascar films, Grown Ups, Death at a Funeral, the upcoming 2 Days in New York and, of course, Pootie Tang. TV credits include NBC's Saturday Night Live, HBO's The Chris Rock Show and Everybody Hates Chris, which he co-created and narrated. His debut book, Rock This, appeared on The New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists.

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