Riz Ahmed to create and star in Prime Video comedy series
June 21, 2024
Prime Video has ordered a yet-to-be-titled half-hour series from Academy Award and Emmy winner Riz Ahmed who will also produce, write, and star in the series. Emmy winner Ben Karlin (Modern Family, The Colbert Report, The Daily Show) is attached to executive produce and will showrun with Ahmed.
The series follows Shah Latif, a struggling actor on the cusp of landing the role of a lifetime, only to find himself thrust into a full blown existential crisis and trippy conspiracy thriller all at the same time.
This marks Ahmed’s return to television following his 2017 double Emmy nominations: guest star for Girls and lead actor for The Night Of, the latter of which he won. The series was created by Ahmed and developed under his production company, Left Handed, through their first-look deal with Amazon MGM Studios.
“I’ve wanted to tell this story for a long time. It’s personal, bold, and a lot of fun. It feels so good to be writing and creating it now with this incredible team,” said Ahmed.
“Riz Ahmed is a gifted writer, actor, and producer, and we have been energized by his passion,” added Vernon Sanders, head of television, Amazon MGM Studios. “Led by Riz and the hilarious Ben Karlin, and guided by Rola Bauer’s Pan-English team, this series is sure to delight our global Prime Video customers and make them laugh.”
The show is executive produced by Ahmed and Allie Moore for Left Handed, and Jake Fuller on behalf of Jax Media. Karlin will executive produce and is showrunning with Ahmed. Roopesh Parekh (Willow, His Dark Materials) will also serve as executive producer. The series is produced by Jax Media and Amazon MGM Studios.
Alongside Ahmed, the writers room includes playwright and television veteran Dipika Guha (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Black Monday, Sneaky Pete), creator of the Patriot Act, Prashanth Venkataramanujam, Karen Joseph Adcock (The Bear, Swarm, Yellow Jackets, Atlanta), Azam Mahmood (Industry, Ramy), and novelist Fatima Farheen Mirza.