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I need to know when Jodie Landon will be back in our lives!
So far, the details about Jodie, the Daria spinoff first announced in 2018, are pretty sparse — here’s what we do know about the series so far:
What’s it about?
MTV
MTV’s original article about the spinoff said the Daria franchise would be “reinvented through the eyes of the beloved heroine and one of her closest friends, Jodie Landon.”
As more recent updates have confirmed, though, Jodie will be the central character, and there hasn’t been anything concrete on how big a role Daria will actually play in the series.
According to a 2020 press release from Comedy Central, the spinoff will pick up with Jodie graduating from college and “will satirize workplace culture, Gen Z struggles, the artifice of social media, and more.”
Through “themes of empowerment along gender and racial lines, explorations of privilege, and a wicked sense of humor, Jodie will shine a light on the personal and professional issues young Black women face today.”
The secret is out! So excited to be working with the brilliant @TraceeEllisRoss and bringing Jodie’s story to life https://t.co/evA0jUfjyZ
MTV / Via Twitter: @gracyact
Showrunner Grace Edwards recently told Huffington Post: “We’re gonna see Jodie Landon, who used to be the perfect Black teen, come to a whole other environment and realize that she was the big fish in the small pond. And now she’s a small fish in the ocean. It’s about her just growing into being an adult in a different environment than Lawndale where we get to see the 360 degree, full, three-dimensional character.”
Daria fans might remember that in Is It College Yet?, which served as a sort of extended series finale, Jodie was wrestling with the decision to go to Crestmore University (likely a stand-in for Harvard or Yale) or Turner College (presumably a stand-in for Howard University or another HBCU). She ended up choosing Turner (after a little well-intended meddling from her boyfriend Mack that worked out for the best), so it makes sense that she might end up facing a bit of an identity crisis after all those years as a “big fish,” as Edwards put it.
Who’s involved?
Michael Tran / AFP via Getty Images
If Edwards’ name sounds familiar, it’s because she’s worked as a producer and writer for Insecure and Inside Amy Schumer, and as a story editor for Dollface and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
While Jessica Cydnee Jones voiced the character during Daria‘s original run, in the spinoff, Jodie will be voiced by Girlfriends and Black-ish star Tracee Ellis Ross (who will also serve as executive producer). Ross told Vanity Fair:
“I was in before we even sat down. They felt that I would be the right voice to bring Jodie to life, and I was like, whaaaaaaat? It was the perfect mash-up of all of the things that I want represented in the world.”
What about Daria?
MTV
There’s been no mention of whether Tracy Grandstaff, who originally voiced the character, will be involved, though Ross also told Vanity Fair that “there will definitely be cameos” and “we have definitely discussed the idea of Daria making her way through.”
Of course, it’s possible they’ll recast Daria, as they did with Jodie (though it’s hard to imagine anyone but Grandstaff in the role, since Daria’s voice is such a big part of her character).
And Mack?
MTV
No word on whether Jodie’s high school beau will make an appearance, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Mack is still part of Jodie’s life — even if it’s just as a friend.
When will it be released?
MTV
No official release date has been announced, though the Huffington Post interview with Grace Edwards said the show is scheduled to premiere in 2022. Feels appropriate, since this year is the 25th anniversary of Daria.
Where will I be able to watch it?
MTV
Though Daria was an MTV show, and MTV Studios is producing Jodie, the spinoff will air on Comedy Central.
It might be the first of multiple Daria spinoffs.
MTV
According to Vanity Fair, MTV President and CEO Chris McCarthy envisions Jodie as the “first foray into a Daria Universe.”
Maybe we’ll finally get that Mystik Spiral spinoff that was in the works…
Are you excited for Jodie? Let us know in the comments!
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