Tubi TV’s latest comedy show, from Green Company Pictures, “The Urbans,” depicts the Green brothers’ life as business owners. The main character, J. Whitman (R. Saeed Green), is a successful upholstery shop owner on Urban Avenue, who although financially savvy, is flawed like everyone else.
Green and comedian Rodney Perry spoke with rolling out about the show, and what to expect.
Tell us what “The Urbans” is about.
R. Saeed Green: It’s basically about the businesses that are on Urban Avenue in Atlanta. The business owners on Urban Avenue were nicknamed for them, that’s why it’s called “The Urbans.” It centers around my character mostly, and he owns an upholstery shop on Urban Avenue. The character that Rodney is playing, he’s kind of off Urban Avenue, but his auntie owns a restaurant inside of the garage, and he has a candy shop in there. So the show is about my daily life and the people around Urban Avenue and the other businesses.
Rodney Perry: These dudes are crazy, man. Mr. Saaed and his brother have gotten in their head and created a brand-new type of comedy, especially for Black folks. A lot of times we’re in your face comedically, and it was a pleasure for me personally, to get to do this. This feels more like “The Office,” or those comedies count as not classically urban, but it’s still funny and you still love it. You grow to love Saaed’s character as you navigate through these each one of the episodes.
What was the best thing about having comedians in the show?
RSG: One of the reasons that my brother and I like working with comedians is because they’re performers. One thing about our show, and any comedy show, is comedic timing has got to be there. Some of the comedians in our show, you don’t even know that they’re comedians. They’re not trying to be comedians on the show, but the timing is still there. We had to learn that one the hard way, by bringing in people that didn’t have comedic timing. We have access to a plethora of comedians here, and we’ve always been associated with comedians. My best friends are comedians, so we’ve always been in that space, and it was just natural. That’s the best part about being here. [There are] a lot of great comedians here.
What’s the best part about filming in Atlanta?
RP: I moved to Atlanta 13 years ago, and nobody was producing anything. They weren’t hiring any characters here from Atlanta, [only] background actors. Thirteen years later, to see a product like “The Urbans” get a chance to be born here in Atlanta is amazing. We’re producing and creating, and the game has changed. Whether you’re a comedian or an actor here in Atlanta, your opportunity is bigger now.
