Kenya Barris And Mike Epps’ Post-Altadena Fire Comedy Series In The Works At CBS

A comedy series set in the Black Californian neighborhood of Altadena in the aftermath of this year’s wildfire is in the works from Kenya Barris and Mike Epps.

According to Deadline, Barris has written and created an upcoming, currently untitled multi-camera comedy series about two brothers living through the wildfire that harmed Altadena. The series seems a little like an Odd Couple situation in which characters have to live together despite their differences, but just with an apocalyptic event serving as the scene. Epps would star in the series. It is unclear right now if Barris would join him on-screen.

Plot details of Kenya Barris and Mike Epps’ comedy

According to the trade publication, “After wildfires sweep through Altadena, two estranged Black brothers–one played by Epps–reunite to sell their late grandmother’s house to private developers. But when they learn her caretaker now owns part of the home and refuses to sell, they’re forced to live together and confront their differences–and what community, legacy, and family really mean.”

The series is executive-produced by Barris through Kalabo Ink Society and Kaplan Entertainment’s Aaron Kaplan and hails from BET Studios. CBS Studios co-produces in a rare collaboration between the Paramount Skydance orgs. Epps also executive produces with his producing partner, Niles Kirchner.

Altadena, California’s first middle-class Black community, made the news earlier in the year when the Eaton fire spread through the community this January. Families are still facing legal issues and red tape when it comes to rebuilding, and there’s the threat of gentrifiers looking to snap up the land for cheaper prices.

People, celebrities included, have rallied around the neighborhood, with Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom‘s Daniella Pineda writing on social media how she wanted to keep Altadena Black amid worries of white-led development.