Issa Rae's new HBO pilot lands outside her Paramount first-look deal

HBO ordered a half-hour comedy pilot from Issa Rae, Deadline reported on 25 August 2026. The project sits outside the three-year first-look deal — meaning a studio gets first refusal on a creator's projects — that Rae signed with Paramount in January. Prentice Penny will showrun, direct and executive produce. Rae previously held an overall deal with HBO from 2021.