Random Acts of Flyness

Random Acts of Flyness is an American late-night sketch comedy television series created by Terence Nance that premiered on August 4, 2018 on HBO. Additionally, Nance appears in each episode of the series which he also wrote, directed, and executive produced. On August 20, 2018, it was announced that the series had been renewed for a second season. Season 2 premiered in December 2022.^[1]

Random Acts of Flyness
Genre	Sketch comedy
Created by	Terence Nance
Presented by	Terence Nance
Composers	Terrence Etc Emile Mosseri Nelson Bandela Nance Jon Bap Nick Hakim
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	12 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Kelley Robins Hicks Kishori Rajan Terence Nance Jamund Washington Ravi Nandan John Hodges Tamir Muhammad Chanelle Aponte Pearson
Cinematography	Shawn Peters
Editors	Terence Nance Kristan Sprague Jonathan L. Proctor Naima Ramos-Chapman
Running time	30–41 minutes
Production companies	MVMT A24 Anonymous Content (season 2)
Release
Original network	HBO
Picture format	1080i (HDTV)
Audio format	5.1 surround
Original release	August 4, 2018 (2018-08-04) – present (present)

Premise

Random Acts of Flyness is described as a "fluid, mind-melting stream-of-conscious response to the contemporary American mediascape" in which each episode will "feature interconnected vignettes that makes the series a unique mix of vérité documentary, musical performances, surrealist melodrama and humorous animation."^[2]

Production

Development

On January 29, 2018, it was announced that HBO had given the production a series order for a first season consisting of six episodes. The series was created by Terence Nance who will also write, direct, and executive produce. Producers are reportedly looking to cast a diverse group of performers with black actors eyed for many of the roles. Production companies involved in the series include MVMT.^[3][4][5]

On July 2, 2018, it was announced that the series would premiere on August 4, 2018. It was also reported that additional executive producers would include Tamir Muhammad, Jamund Washington, Kishori Rajan, Kelley Robins Hicks, Chanelle Aponte Pearson, Ravi Nandan, and John Hodges and that A24 had been added as an additional production company involved with the series.^[2] On August 20, 2018, it was announced that HBO had renewed the series for a second season.^[6][7][8]

Casting

Alongside the announcement of the series premiere, it was confirmed that Terence Nance would appear in all six episodes of the first season with guests including Whoopi Goldberg, Dominique Fishback, Gillian Jacobs, Jon Hamm, Ntare Guma Mwine, Adepero Oduye, Natalie Paul, Lakeith Stanfield, Tonya Pinkins, and Paul Sparks.^[2]

Marketing

On July 2, 2018, the first promo for the series was released.^[2]

Episodes

Season	Episodes		Originally aired
			First aired	Last aired
1	6		August 4, 2018 (2018-08-04)	September 8, 2018 (2018-09-08)
2	6		December 10, 2022 (2022-12-10)	December 24, 2022 (2022-12-24)

Season 1 (2018)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	U.S. viewers (millions)
1	1	"What Are Your Thoughts on Raising Free Black Children?"	Terence Nance, Frances Bodomo, & Shaka King	Terence Nance & Jamund Washington	August 4, 2018 (2018-08-04)	0.153^[9]
Terence Nance introduces the show on his phone while riding his bike. He is stopped by a white police officer and an altercation occurs. Terence runs away while the cop pursues before suddenly flying away leaving the cop dumbstruck. Terence narrates "Worry No. 473 of 1000 Worries that a Black Person Should Not Have to Worry About" based on an "actual" event where he accidentally stepped into a blue jalopy that belonged to a white woman. Ripa the Reaper (Tonya Pinkins) hosts Everybody Dies!, a surreal television show where she explains to an audience of children that death happens to everyone. Jon Hamm hosts an infomercial for "White Be Gone", an ointment that when applied to the temples, removes all white thoughts. He stops to cautiously ask the director, played by Michael Potts of the infomercial about his importance in the ad and he is assured that he is chosen because of his safe demeanor. In Black Thought's Black Thoughts, a black man expresses his wish that shea butter be installed in public restrooms and wonders if it is objectification to admit that Michelle Obama has "got a booty". In The Sexual Proclivities of the Black Community, Terence and Doreen Garner interview a bisexual black man named Yeelen Cohen about his experiences which are shown through the use of stop-motion animation.
2	2	"Two Piece and a Biscuit"	Terence Nance, Frances Bodomo, Darius Clark Munroe, Naima Ramos-Chapman, & Jamund Washington	Terence Nance, Jamund Washington, Frances Bodomo, Naima Ramos-Chapman, Nelson Nance, & Shaka King	August 11, 2018 (2018-08-11)	0.123^[10]
3	3	"They Got Some Sh*t That'll Blow Out Our Back"	Terence Nance, Mariama Diallo, Darius Clark Monroe, Naima Ramos-Chapman, & Jamund Washington	Terence Nance, Jamund Washington, Frances Bodomo, Naima Ramos-Chapman, Mariama Diallo, Darius Clark Monroe, Nelson Nance, & Shaka King	August 18, 2018 (2018-08-18)	0.168^[11]
4	4	"Items Outside the Shelter But Within Reach"	Terence Nance, Mariama Diallo, Darius Clark Monroe, Naima Ramos-Chapman, & Jamund Washington	Terence Nance, Jamund Washington, Frances Bodomo, Naima Ramos-Chapman, Mariama Diallo, & Darius Clark Monroe	August 25, 2018 (2018-08-25)	0.163^[12]
5	5	"Tried to Tell My Therapist About My Dreams / MARTIN HAD A DREEEEAAAAM"	Terence Nance, Mariama Diallo, Darius Clark Monroe, Naima Ramos-Chapman, & Jamund Washington	Terence Nance, Jamund Washington, Mariama Diallo, & Darius Clark Monroe	September 1, 2018 (2018-09-01)	0.132^[13]
6	6	"They Won't Go When I Go"	Terence Nance, Frances Bodomo, Mariama Diallo, Naima Ramos-Chapman, & Jamund Washington	Terence Nance, Jamund Washington, Frances Bodomo, & Naima Ramos-Chapman	September 8, 2018 (2018-09-08)	0.110^[14]

Season 2 (2022)

No. overall	No. in season	Title ^[15]	Directed by	Written by ^[16]	Original air date ^[15]	U.S. viewers (millions)
7	1	"First Dimension: The Meaning of Your Name"	Unknown	Mariama Diallo & Nana Mensah & Nelson Nance & Jamund Washington & Terence Nance & Kelley Robins Hicks & Darius C. Monroe	December 10, 2022 (2022-12-10)	N/A
8	2	"Second Dimension: Finna Hafta Teach You Swine Lovers"	Unknown	Mariama Diallo & Nana Mensah & Nelson Nance & Jamund Washington & Terence Nance & Kelley Robins Hicks & Darius C. Monroe	December 10, 2022 (2022-12-10)	N/A
9	3	"Third Dimension: G/d Does Not Submit & Other Applicab"	Unknown	Mariama Diallo & Nana Mensah & Nelson Nance & Jamund Washington & Terence Nance & Kelley Robins Hicks & Darius C. Monroe	December 17, 2022 (2022-12-17)	N/A
10	4	"Fourth Dimension: Spacetime/bodyspirit"	Unknown	Mariama Diallo & Nana Mensah & Nelson Nance & Jamund Washington & Terence Nance & Kelley Robins Hicks & Darius C. Monroe	December 17, 2022 (2022-12-17)	N/A
11	5	"Fifth Dimension: The Parable of the Pirate & the King"	Unknown	Mariama Diallo & Nana Mensah & Nelson Nance & Jamund Washington & Terence Nance & Kelley Robins Hicks & Darius C. Monroe	December 24, 2022 (2022-12-24)	N/A
12	6	"Sixth Dimension: All Possibilities of Together & Apar"	Unknown	Mariama Diallo & Nana Mensah & Nelson Nance & Jamund Washington & Terence Nance & Kelley Robins Hicks & Darius C. Monroe	December 24, 2022 (2022-12-24)	N/A

Reception

The series has been met with a positive response from critics since its premiere, and has gone on to win a 2018 Peabody Award.^[17] On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 8.45 out of 10 based on 25 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Random Acts of Flyness' poignant political poetry plays in harmony with its frenetic absurdist humor to create a singular musical television experience."^[18] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the series a score of 83 out of 100 based on 7 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".^[19]

In a positive review, The Los Angeles Times's Robert Lloyd offered the series praise saying, "Its meanings are sometimes obscure and sometimes obvious, nearly to the point of being polemical, and most often somewhere in between. But its surfaces are always interesting and splendidly executed. Even the glitches are artfully placed."^[20] In a similarly positive critique, The Hollywood Reporter's Robyn Bahr described the series as "a beautiful sensory overload" and commended the series visual look saying, "the protean barrage of imagery and gonzo sound design overwhelms the senses. Once your brain gets used to its staccato rhythm, however, you settle in for the ride. Although I couldn't quite process all the nuances within the moment, I still found myself nodding along (and even dancing along) all the same."^[21] In another favorable assessment, Variety's Caroline Framke commended the series' various segments saying, "they all reveal incisive truths about what it means to be black in America — or actually, "reveal" isn’t quite the right word, and neither is "show." Instead Acts of Flyness wants to make its (white) audience feel what it means to be black in America."^[22]

References

1. "What's New on HBO Max This December". 22 November 2022.
2. Ramos, Dino-Ray (July 3, 2018). "Late-Night HBO Series 'Random Acts Of Flyness' Sets Premiere Date". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
3. Andreeva, Nellie (January 29, 2018). "HBO Orders Terence Nance Late-Night Comedy Series 'Random Acts Of Flyness'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
4. Otterson, Joe (January 29, 2018). "HBO Orders Late-Night Series 'Random Acts of Flyness' From Terence Nance". Variety. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
5. Sandberg, Bryn Elise (January 29, 2018). "HBO Sets Late-Night Comedy Series From Terence Nance". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
6. Sandberg, Bryn Elise (August 20, 2018). "'Random Acts of Flyness' Renewed By HBO For Second Season". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
7. Otterson, Joe (August 20, 2018). "'Random Acts of Flyness' Renewed for Season 2 at HBO". Variety. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
8. Petski, Denise (August 20, 2018). "'Random Acts Of Flyness' Renewed For Season 2 By HBO". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
9. Metcalf, Mitch (August 6, 2018). . ShowBuzz Daily. Archived from the original on August 7, 2018. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
10. Metcalf, Mitch (August 13, 2018). . ShowBuzz Daily. Archived from the original on August 14, 2018. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
11. Metcalf, Mitch (August 20, 2018). . ShowBuzz Daily. Archived from the original on August 21, 2018. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
12. Metcalf, Mitch (August 27, 2018). . ShowBuzz Daily. Archived from the original on August 28, 2018. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
13. Metcalf, Mitch (September 4, 2018). . ShowBuzz Daily. Archived from the original on September 4, 2018. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
14. Metcalf, Mitch (September 10, 2018). . ShowBuzz Daily. Archived from the original on September 11, 2018. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
15. "Random Acts of Flyness – Listings". The Futon Critic. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
16. "Random Acts of Flyness – Episodes". Writers Guild of America West. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
17. "The Best Stories of 2018". 24 June 2019. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
18. "Random Acts of Flyness: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
19. "Random Acts of Flyness: Season 1". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
20. Lloyd, Robert (August 3, 2018). "Review: Terence Nance's 'Random Acts of Flyness' on HBO draws artfully and vividly on the modern black experience". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
21. Bahr, Robyn (August 3, 2018). "'Random Acts of Flyness': TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
22. Framke, Caroline (August 4, 2018). "TV Review: HBO's 'Random Acts of Flyness'". Variety. Retrieved August 4, 2018.

External links

• Official website
• Random Acts of Flyness at IMDb