Episode notes
Bashir Salahuddin is a comedy actor and writer. He attended Harvard where he met his friend and longtime collaborator Diallo Riddle. They worked together as writers on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, before leaving to work on their own projects.
One of their projects is South Side. It’s a very funny sitcom set in Chicago starring both Riddle and Salahuddin. It follows two friends on Chicago’s South Side seeking different business ventures while working at a rent-to-own shop. It also intertwines stories and subplots from other residents living in the neighborhood.
The other show they created is Sherman’s Showcase. It’s sort of like a sketch show, but with a unique format. It’s set up like a variety show with elements comparable to those you might find on Soul Train, The Muppet Show and even Laugh-In.
Bashir stars as Sherman McDaniels, who’s been hosting Sherman’s Showcase for nearly forty years. Each episode looks back on some of the show’s greatest hits including musical numbers, clips from Sherman’s movie and TV work and more.
Bashir Salahuddin stops by Bullseye to talk about Sherman’s Showcase, and shares how it draws inspiration from shows like Soul Train and The Muppet Show. He also talks about meeting his friend Diallo Riddle while in an acapella group at Harvard. Plus, Bashir shares how casting real Chicagoans in South Side has helped make the series even more hilarious.
In this episode...
Guests
- Bashir Salahuddin
About the show
Bullseye is a celebration of the best of arts and culture in public radio form. Host Jesse Thorn sifts the wheat from the chaff to bring you in-depth interviews with the most revered and revolutionary minds in our culture.
Bullseye has been featured in Time, The New York Times, GQ and McSweeney’s, which called it “the kind of show people listen to in a more perfect world.” Since April 2013, the show has been distributed by NPR.
If you would like to pitch a guest for Bullseye, please CLICK HERE. You can also follow Bullseye on Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook. For more about Bullseye and to see a list of stations that carry it, please click here.
Get in touch with the show
People
How to listen
Stream or download episodes directly from our website, or listen via your favorite podcatcher!