Colman Domingo to Adapt His Play ‘Dot’ as TV Series for AMC Studios, ALLBLK
Colman Domingo, known for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” “Fear the Walking Dead” and “Zola,” is adapting his award-winning play “Dot” as a dramedy entitled “West Philly, Baby.” The series, a co-production between AMC Studios and the AMC Networks-owned streamer ALLBLK, is one of the first projects from Domingo’s Edith Productions to be developed under its first-look deal with AMC Studios.
Domingo will write, direct and executive produce the series, which follows “a Philadelphia family forced to grapple with their matriarch’s declining memory amidst uncovering long held family secrets that shake the foundation of their home,” according to the studio. “Midlife crises, troubling revelations, childhood trauma, and complications of Alzheimer’s make for an American family story set in the heart of one of the country’s oldest and most historically significant cities.”
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Alisa Tager will also executive produce the six half-hour episods, with Sean San José serving as story consultant.
“West Philly, Baby is straight from my heart. It is a love letter to Black families and communities,” said Domingo. “It is about our collective memory and our hope for where we are going in the future. It holds many generations, genders, sexualities, races, and beliefs. It holds plenty of dark humor which is the key to everyone’s survival in my world. I am thrilled to be able to bridge the gap between AMC Studios and ALLBLK as we seek to collaborate across platforms to create a more diverse, equitable and inclusive entertainment industry.”
Production on “West Philly, Baby” will begin in early 2022.
“We’ve had a long and very distinctive and successful partnership with Colman, going all the way back to Victor Strand and the first season of Fear the Walking Dead,” said Dan McDermott, president of original programming for AMC Networks and AMC Studios. “West Philly, Baby is a project that is very personal to Colman, based on his award-winning play, and we are thrilled to bring it to the screen, initially on our ALLBLK streaming service, through his overall deal with AMC Studios.”
Added ALLBLK and WEtv general manager Brett Dismuke, “As a fan of Colman’s dating back to his early work with Spike Lee, the dynamic he has brought to so many impactful pieces over the years has been a true pleasure to watch. The opportunity to marry ALLBLK with AMC and Colman’s in-house relationship for this first-ever co-production between our two brands feels truly serendipitous. Audiences will be in for a real treat with West Philly, Baby.”
Domingo is repped by Gersh, Liebman Entertainment, Schreck Rose Dapello Adams Berlin & Dunham, and Wolf Kasteler.
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