Jay Pharoah

Steven Soderbergh’s latest thrilled finds Claire Foy trapped in a mental institution against her will, and it was all shot on an iPhone.

A second SNL vet’s Showtime project is arriving at an early end. After Taran Killam’s Mating ended up on the discard pile, Jay Pharoah’s Jamie Foxx-produced White Famous is officially calling it quits after one season on the air.

SNL may be notably bereft of Jay Pharoah, but the comedian is about to get White Famous with Jamie Foxx. Showtime has set an October premiere date with a first full trailer for the new meta-comedy of Foxx’s rise to fame.

SNL is having a banner year with its political sketches, but there’s no overlooking the absence of past favorites Jay Pharoah and Taran Killam. Pharoah in particular says the sketch comedy series had him in an “impression box,” and even had cast members commenting that he was undervalued.

It was around the time that SNL favorites Taran Killam and Jay Pharoah confirmed new Showtime series, that we learned the pair hadn’t been invited back for Season 42. In Pharoah’s case, at least, the Jamie Foxx-produced White Famous was picked up to series, though Showtime now confirms Taran Killam’s dating scene comedy Mating wasn’t so fortunate.

The good news keeps rolling out at Showtime after Twin Peaks finally got its 2017 premiere date. Not only is The Affair renewed for Season 4 weeks ahead of its finale, but so too has Jamie Foxx and SNL alum Jay Pharoah’s White Famous comedy been picked up to series.

SNL will pick up with its 42nd season tomorrow night, albeit without recent mainstays Taran Killam and Jay Pharoah, who were unexpectedly dismissed from the cast over the summer. Now, SNL boss Lorne Michaels explains the decision, noting “They served the show well.”

SNL fans are still reeling the loss of Taran Killam and Jay Pharoah (well, and Jon Rudnitsky), but little did we know, the pair already had backup plans. Showtime confirms that Killam will lead new comedy Mating, while Jay Pharoah lands the lead role in Jamie Foxx comedy White Famous.

SNL is built for a bit of turnover here and there, but that doesn’t remove the sting from losing some of its best not-ready-for-primetime-players. To wit, Season 42 has some surprising departures, including series veterans Taran Killam and Jay Pharoah.

SNL set a pretty high bar for the rest of Season 41 with Larry David’s hosting debut this past weekend, but will Melissa McCarthy prove so reliable with Kanye West, given all the controversy of late? Get a taste by the first promos as McCarthy gets her nails done with Vanessa Bayer.