CHICAGO (November 7, 2022) – Fans of the critically beloved Max Original comedy series South Side: Save the date for Tues. Dec. 6 to attend an exclusive advance screening and community event in Chicago with series co-creators, executive producers, directors, writers and stars Bashir Salahuddin and Diallo Riddle.

WBEZ Chicago, in partnership with HBO Max’s Scene in Black, will be the first to screen South Side’s eagerly anticipated season three premiere episode at the DuSable Museum, located at 740 E. 56th Place in Chicago. The screening will be followed by an intimate conversation with Salahuddin and Riddle, moderated by WBEZ’s Reset host, Sasha-Ann Simons.

Doors will open at 6:30 p.m., with the episode screening and conversation to run from 7:30-9 p.m. The event will be free and open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. Masks are strongly recommended. Information and registration is available here.

“We are so excited to partner with HBO Max to bring this exclusive South Side event to the DuSable Museum, where Chicagoans will be among the first to see the show’s season three premiere and hear from creators Bashir and Diallo,” said Nathalie Kohen, director of community engagement and live events for WBEZ. “Best of all, thanks to HBO Max and Scene in Black, we are able to make this event free to the public. We hope fans of the show will come out to the DuSable for a night of laughter and authentic Chicago stories.”

“We are always thrilled to engage with our community, especially through this partnership with WBEZ,” said Jackie Gagne, senior vice president, multicultural marketing, HBO Max and HBO. “Our presence in Chicago will give fans the opportunity to celebrate Black Talent in front and behind the camera.”

Co-creators, executive producers and stars Bashir Salahuddin and Diallo Riddle said “Season Three of South Side is so good that after you watch it you won’t be able to think about anything else for the rest of your entire life! Ok… that’s an exaggeration… but still, we and our writers challenged ourselves to make the best season of comedy we could and our fans are the ones who’ll benefit. Simon, K, Turner, Goodnight and the rest of the community are back and we are sending them on unexpected adventures that explore everything from the deep dark heart of Chicago’s central tow lot to what it feels like to take the stage at Lollapalooza. Every time we get to make this show is a blessing. Diallo and I couldn’t be happier to show fans the latest adventures from the SouthSide-verse (TM). Let’s all laugh together.”

Shot on-location in Chicago, South Side follows Simon (Sultan Salahuddin) and K (Kareme Young), two enterprising best friends ready to take over the world as they hustle and dream their way through the Windy City – when they’re not too busy working as furniture repo men at the local Rent-T-Own. Featuring cunning cop Turner (Chandra Russell) and her clueless partner Goodnight (Bashir Salahuddin), flailing local politician Allen Gayle (Diallo Riddle), aspiring singer Stacy (Zuri Salahuddin), and an ever-expanding crew of real-life Chicago residents, the series offers a glimpse of what it’s like to live on the South Side with humor and heart. South Side season three premieres on HBO Max this December.

The show is created by Bashir Salahuddin, Diallo Riddle and Sultan Salahuddin and produced by MTV Entertainment Studios. Bashir Salahuddin, Diallo Riddle and Michael Blieden serve as executive producers. Tony Hernandez executive produces for JAX Media. Bola Fapohunda, Kristyn Deignan and Tara Power are producers for MTV Entertainment Studios.

Bios

Bashir Salahuddin is co-creator, executive producer, writer, director and star of HBO Max’s comedy series South Side. He is an Emmy® nominee for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, a SAG Awards nominee for GLOW and an NAACP Image Awards winner for his work directing South Side. His recent acting credits include Top Gun: Maverick, The Dropout, Cyrano and Marriage Story. He is also co-creator, executive producer and star of the variety comedy series Sherman’s Showcase on IFC, for which he was nominated for a Critics Choice Award for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy.

Diallo Riddle As an NAACP Image Award-winning director, and Emmy® and WGA-nominated writer, actor, showrunner and producer, not to mention moonlighting DJ, Diallo Riddle has proven to be one of the most multi-faceted talents in the entertainment industry today. Riddle, alongside his creative partner Bashir Salahuddin, have launched many critically acclaimed hit projects over the years through their production company J30 Studios. And they’re just getting started…

In addition to Sherman’s Showcase, Riddle and Salahuddin created, write and star in the HBO Max series South Side, which is slated to debut season three this December. The show follows a rent-to-own business on the south side of Chicago (the Englewood neighborhood) and gives an authentic look into what life on the south side is all about. Seasons one and two of the series were met with critical acclaim; both are Certified Fresh with a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Vanity Fair writes “it’s that kind of sharp, careful, hyper local writing that makes South Side a joy.” Paste Magazine hails the show as “wild, weird, and 100% worth visiting,” and Chicago Sun-Times calls it “a fearless, unapologetic, equal opportunity offender.” Riddle won his first NAACP Image Award in 2022 for his work directing the series. The show was also nominated at the 2022 Black Reel Awards for Television in the Outstanding Comedy Series category.

Sasha-Ann Simons is the host of Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons, WBEZ’s daily talk show, that focuses on the news and conversations that matter most to listeners’ day-to-day lives. Simons began her career as a journalist in television news 15 years ago and made the leap to public radio in 2015 at WXXI News, the NPR member station in Rochester, N.Y. She was also a contributing reporter for PBS NewsHour. She joins WBEZ from Washington’s NPR station WAMU where she was a program host, regularly behind the mic on newscasts and talk shows. Sasha-Ann was also a national reporter, focused on issues of race, identity and economic mobility. Her accolades include an Edward R. Murrow award and a radio feature award from the National Association of Black Journalists. In 2022, she received a Peter Lisagor award for health and science reporting from the Chicago Headline Club.

About WBEZ Chicago

WBEZ, Chicago’s NPR news station, serves the community with fact-based, objective news and information. WBEZ’s award-winning journalists ask tough questions, dig deep for answers and expose truths that spark change and foster understanding. In addition to its local and national news programming, WBEZ Chicago is home to a growing portfolio of popular podcasts, including the “Making” series of Making Beyoncé, Making Obama and Making Oprah; an investigative podcast series, Motive; 16 Shots: A podcast about the fatal police shooting of Laquan McDonald; Nerdette; and Curious City. WBEZ Chicago has a legacy of innovation as the birthplace of nationally acclaimed programs such as This American Life and Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!. WBEZ Chicago has expanded its community engagement and live events team to bring community events and live engagement experiences to Chicagoans throughout the year. Visit WBEZ’s calendar at https://www.wbez.org/events to learn more about future events.

About Scene in Black

Scene In Black recognizes and celebrates Black creators and audiences alike, while providing a haven for our viewers to see themselves in HBO Max programming. We elevate Black cultural experiences and spotlight Black representation to cultivate a supportive community for our audience. We engage our audience all year round via social media profiles, experiential events and strategic partnerships that nurture our audience while strengthening our brand connection.

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