An ultra-Orthodox man in Williamsburg has a secret identity…as a stand-up comedian.
If this sounds like the premise to a sitcom, that’s because it is! The comedy Yank was recently bought by Showtime, and is set to explore the life of a Hasidic man living in Williamsburg who moonlights in the Manhattan comedy scene. Written by Sex and the City‘s Elisa Zuritsky and Julie Rottenberg and set to be directed by Ugly Betty‘s Richard Shepard, the show is sure to deal with the totally real problems faced by many people who have one foot inside the ultra-Orthodox community, and one foot in the secular world. How do you deal with nosy neighbors? Judgmental relatives? How much do you tell? And do you date people on from the Hasidic community, or the comedy world?
If Yank is anything like Sex and the City, we’ll have a sly, smart, and darkly funny vision of Hasidic Jews to look forward to. That’s not something that’s been on TV in way too long.
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