Sacha Baron Cohen is by now famous for theatrical films like Borat and Bruno, making it easy to forget the character that made him famous, Ali G., a hip-hop loving, foolish personality that regularly appeared on Channel 4 in the U.K. and later on HBO in the U.S. Now, FX’s new sister channel FXX is sort-of rebooting Da Ali G Show.
Instead of producing new episodes of Da Ali G Show, FXX will air the first six episodes of the series, which formerly have not aired on U.S. television. Additionally, the network will re-air the episodes that initially aired in the U.S. on HBO. It’s still kind of a reboot, however. Instead of simply syndicating the two seasons, FXX has signed a deal with Cohen’s production company, Four By Two, to create new original introductions to each of the episodes to air on FXX. So, while there won’t be complete brand new episodes, there will be some new content added to each episode. To celebrate the changes, FXX’s version will roll with the title Ali G: Rezurection.
Fans of Cohen’s work should be happy to see famous characters like Borat and Bruno return to the small screen once more, but if you somehow missed the ridiculous characters Cohen has put together in the past cast, you can catch a clip from Da Ali G Show, below to get an idea of what you would be getting into. The show is expected to begin airing on FXX early in 2014.
Da Ali G. Show was initially conceived as a comedy program that aired on Channel 4 in 2000. A few years later, HBO aired a second season of the comedy, which features some changes, including a new setting and more improvisation. By 2005, HBO announced that the show would not be returning to the schedule, but since it has spawned several successful films, its not shocking that a fledgling comedy-based network like FXX might find that re-airing the show with new introductions could be a good fit.
If you are already a fan of Cohen, there is additional good news attached to the announcement. According to Deadline, the network has signed a first-look deal with Cohen’s production company, which means the man has plans to develop other television projects. These ultimately may not end up on FXX or television, at all, but it sounds like Cohen’s production company might be moving forward with some zany ideas sooner rather than later.
In the meantime, we can enjoy all of the episodes of Ali G: Rezurection when they hit the schedule after the holidays, and we’ll keep you abreast of any details about the airings as they are made available.
