A six-season comedy is moving to Paramount+, giving the streamer a major boost in that department.
It was announced on March 13 that, under Paramount Skydance’s ownership, BET will be closing down BET+. It will instead combine BET’s catalog with the main Paramount+ platform, beginning in June, in what a spokesperson called an evolution aimed at extending BET’s audience and reach.
As part of that shift, The Ms. Pat Show will move to Paramount+ for its just-renewed season 6. It comes after the long-running R-rated comedy recently completed its fifth installment, consisting of 8 episodes.
What Is The Ms. Pat Show About?
The Ms. Pat Show is led by the titular comedian, Patricia “Ms. Pat” Williams-Lee, with the spotlight set on Pat Carson (Williams-Lee) as the matriarch of a multi-generational African American family. It’s inspired by her memoir Rabbit: The Autobiography of Ms. Pat.
Created by Williams and Jordan E. Cooper, the long-running BET Original particularly chronicles the lead protagonist’s life as a convicted felon from the streets of Atlanta to a reluctant suburban mother. In the process, it has explored a range of complex topics, including addiction, abortion, racism, sexual abuse, LGBTQ+ issues, generational trauma, and systemic inequities.
These important Ms. Pat Show episodes are presented with the lead star’s trademark humor. Since its debut in August 2021, and with a Ms. Pat cast that includes J. Bernard Calloway, Tami Roman, Vince Swann, and Briyana Guadalupe, the comedy has been a consistent award favorite. It was nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series at the Primetime Emmy Awards in 2022, 2023, and 2024.
What This Move Means For Paramount+
Paramount+ has been thought of as the best for Taylor Sheridan dramas, whether they are Landman, Lioness, or the upcoming Dutton Ranch. But it may be more accurate to think of the streamer as a place for dramas in general. The platform has dramas in the double digits.
They are varied. There’s the supernatural teen drama School Spirits, as well as the recent thriller Girl Taken and Tom Hardy’s MobLand, which is coming back for season 2. That’s compared to just one comedy, Crutch, led by Tracy Morgan. It hasn’t been renewed, and Morgan is now the lead of NBC’s The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins.
Paramount+ does have comedies to offer. But they either originally aired on CBS and other platforms, or they are library titles from past decades and old favorites. In that sense, the addition of The Ms. Pat Show as part of the BET shift could be the start of a significant shift.
- Release Date
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August 12, 2021
- Network
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BET+
- Directors
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Mary Lou Belli, Leonard R. Garner, Jr., Kim Fields, Debbie Allen
- Writers
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Tom Simmons, Randi Barnes, Brian Rubenstein, Farhan Arshad, Desia Gore, Garrianna P. Lee, Loy A. Webb