Champaign ILL

Champaign ILL is an American comedy web television series, created by Jordan Cahan, David Caspe, Daniel Libman, and Matthew Libman, that premiered on December 12, 2018, on YouTube Premium. The series stars Adam Pally and Sam Richardson and is executive produced by Cahan, Caspe, the Libmans, and Jamie Tarses.

Champaign ILL
GenreComedy
Created by
Starring
Composers
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes10 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Daniel Libman
  • Matthew Libman
  • David Caspe
  • Jordan Cahan
  • Jamie Tarses
  • Sam Richardson
  • Adam Pally
Producers
  • Bob Wilson
  • Ian Durney
CinematographyJeffrey Waldron
Editors
  • Ryan Brown
  • Martin Wilson
  • Elizabeth Praino
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time25–32 minutes
Production companies
Release
Original networkYouTube Premium
Original releaseDecember 12, 2018 (2018-12-12)

On April 10, 2019, YouTube Premium canceled the series.[1]

Premise

Champaign ILL is described as examining how "every rapper has a crew he can't live without...and vice versa" and exploring "how long the crew can survive without being in the limelight."[2]

Cast and characters

Main

Recurring

Guest
  • Thomas Barbusca as Cade ("Supreme Brick")
  • Matt Walsh as Lester Noyce ("Cherry Vintage Rascal")
  • Drew Scheid as Wallach ("Supreme Brick")

Episodes
No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
1"A Gangster Way To Start Your Day"Maurice MarableJordan Cahan, David Caspe, Daniel Libman, & Matthew LibmanDecember 12, 2018 (2018-12-12)
2"Loop De Loop Fastballs"Maurice MarableJordan Cahan, David Caspe, Daniel Libman, & Matthew LibmanDecember 12, 2018 (2018-12-12)
3"Wowee These Guys Are Good!"David KatzenbergDanielle UhlarikDecember 12, 2018 (2018-12-12)
4"Show Me That Lamb"David KatzenbergDominic DierkesDecember 12, 2018 (2018-12-12)
5"Supreme Brick"Eric Dean SeatonYassir LesterDecember 12, 2018 (2018-12-12)
6"Not The PT Cruiser"Eric Dean SeatonJason Berger & Amina MunirDecember 12, 2018 (2018-12-12)
7"8.1 Milligrams Per Deciliter"Ryan McFaulDaniel Libman & Matthew LibmanDecember 12, 2018 (2018-12-12)
8"Cherry Vintage Rascal"Ryan McFaulMnelik BelilgneDecember 12, 2018 (2018-12-12)
9"Stewart Copeland, Andy Summers and Sting"Payman BenzEmily HersheyDecember 12, 2018 (2018-12-12)
10"I Wouldn’t Sh'ma Just Yet..."Payman BenzDanielle UhlarikDecember 12, 2018 (2018-12-12)

Production

Development

On April 30, 2018, it was announced that YouTube had given the production a series order for a first season consisting of ten episodes. Executive producers include David Caspe, Daniel Libman, Matthew Libman, Jordan Cahan, and Jamie Tarses. Caspe, the Libmans, and Cahan are also expected to write for the series. Maurice “Mo” Marable will direct the pilot and serve as co-executive producer. Ian Durney will serve as an associate producer. Production companies involved with the series include Sony Pictures Television.[2][3][4][5] On November 8, 2018, it was announced that the series had been titled Champaign ILL and that it would premiere on December 12, 2018.[6]

Casting

Alongside the initial series announcement, it was confirmed that Adam Pally and Sam Richardson would star in the series and that Jay Pharoah had been cast in a key recurring role.[2] On June 14, 2018, it was announced that Keith David, Curtis Armstrong, Allyce Beasley, Danielle Schneider, Neil Casey, Sabrina Revelle, Rich Sommer, and Adriyan Rae had been cast in recurring roles and that Thomas Barbusca would make a guest appearance.[7]

Filming

Principal photography for the series took place in July 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia, with locations including Glenwood Park and the Second Mount Vernon Baptist Church. Additional filming occurred in cities near Atlanta, including Peachtree City and Kennesaw, where shooting transpired at the local Electric Cowboy nightclub. Production reportedly wrapped on July 24, 2018, in Peachtree City.[8][9]

Release

On November 8, 2018, the first trailer for the series was released.[6]

Reception

In a positive review, Los Angeles Times' Robert Lloyd praised the show's main performances and overall tone saying "Pally and Richardson team well and keep Ronnie and Alf sufficiently sympathetic even as they are continually trying — which is, after all, the response they have been formed to elicit (as the Three Stooges before them). It puts the show on that famous fine line between stupid and clever, a line it does manage to walk with fair coordination, working both sides to good effect."[10] In a similarly approving critique, Indiewire's gave the series a "B" grade and praised the show's visual style and chemistry of the leads saying, "Best of all, the two have immediate chemistry. Champaign ILL is well edited with clever visual additions (like texting bubbles and expository inserts) that keep the momentum up, but much can be said for the two men's learned timing with each other."[11]

In a more negative evaluation, Decider's Joel Keller recommended that viewers skip the series saying, "Despite having some of our favorite funny people in it and writing it, Champaign ILL just feels like it's going to be one clunky joke after another about how these two douche nozzles can't manage in the real world."[12]

References
  1. Schneider, Michael (2019-04-10). "'Ryan Hansen,' 'Champaign ILL' Canceled as YouTube Prepares for New Originals Strategy (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2019-04-10.
  2. Andreeva, Nellie (April 30, 2018). "YouTube Orders Comedy Series Starring Adam Pally & Sam Richardson & Featuring Jay Pharoah From 'Happy Endings' Team". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  3. Littleton, Cynthia (April 30, 2018). "YouTube Red Orders Adam Pally Comedy From 'Happy Endings' Producers". Variety. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  4. Ausiello, Michael (April 30, 2018). "Adam Pally to Star in YouTube Red Comedy From Happy Endings Creator". TVLine. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  5. Goldberg, Lesley (April 30, 2018). "Adam Pally Reteams With 'Happy Endings' Creator for YouTube Comedy Series". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  6. Sippell, Margeaux (November 8, 2018). "TV Roundup: YouTube Premium Releases Trailer for Adam Pally, Sam Richardson's 'Champaign Ill' (Watch)". Variety. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  7. Petski, Denise (June 14, 2018). "YouTube Comedy Series Starring Adam Pally & Sam Richardson Sets Recurring Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  8. Walljasper, Matt (July 25, 2018). "What's filming in Atlanta now? Stranger Things, Superintelligence, The Mule, plus our Comic-Con roundup". Atlanta Magazine. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  9. "What's filming around Atlanta this week as we move into August!". WXIA-TV. July 30, 2018. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  10. Lloyd, Robert (December 12, 2018). "Review: YouTube Premium's 'Champaign ILL' mines buddies' downward mobility for laughs". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  11. Travers, Ben (December 13, 2018). "'Champaign ILL' Review: Adam Pally and Sam Richardson Pop in Sharp YouTube Comedy". IndieWire. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  12. Keller, Joel (December 12, 2018). "Stream It Or Skip It: 'Champaign Ill' On YouTube Premium, Where Two Buddies Start Over After Their Famous Friend Dies". Decider. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
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