‘Woke’ Trailer and a Talk with Keef

Woke, the Hulu series, debuts August 9; here’s the extended trailer:

In Woke, Lamorne Morris plays Keef, a Black cartoonist who is on the verge of success. He is aware of his cultural identity, but doesn’t want it to define him but when he has an unfortunate run-in with the police while minding his own business, things change. At TCA, Hulu released the first trailer of the comedy and co-creators and executive producers Keith Knight and Marshall Todd were joined by director Maurice “Mo” Marable and showrunner Jay Dyer to talk about how the series takes a look at racial identity from a different angle.

Deadline talks with Keith Knight.

Even though the topic of racial profiling and struggle with identity is heavy, the tone of the series is light and comedic — something that is evident throughout the eight episodes. The panel points out that comedy is a great vehicle to teach.

“The show is an extension of my comics,” said Knight. “I use humor to address serious issues. The cartoons bring people in. We make you laugh and when you’re not looking we punch you in the face with something hardcore.”

“And there’s gonna be a lot of punching in the face coming up,” Dyer added, “What happens to Keef is very serious and we are going to address the trauma as the series progresses.”

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