In all the excitement over TV networks unveiling their 2016/2017 freshman lineups (especially where black talent is concerned, given this blog’s interests), I missed this one, and only came across it accidentally.

TBS has greenlit “People of Earth,” a new original comedy about a support group for alien abductees which stars Wyatt Cenac as a skeptical journalist named Ozzie Graham, who investigates a support group to write about the members’ supposed alien encounters. The more he digs into their oddball claims, the more he realizes a semblance of truth to their stories and possibly even signs that point to his own alien abduction. The onetime outsider now finds himself a part of an eclectic group of misfits, all the while struggling with the idea of knowing that life could exist beyond our world.

It reads like original, quirky fun; rare for a black actor to be leading.

Cenac is joined in front of the camera by Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Ana Gasteyer, Oscar Nuñez, Michael Cassidy, Alice Wetterlund, Luka Jones, Brian Huskey, Nancy Lenehan, Tracee Chimo, Björn Gustafsson and Ken Hall.

TBS has ordered 10 episodes of “People of Earth” which is produced by Conan O’Brien’s production shingle, Conaco LLC, in association with Warner Horizon Television.

“People of Earth” was created by David Jenkins, who penned the pilot and serves as series co-executive producer.

The series premieres this October on TBS. I’ll definitely be checking it out!

A first trailer has been released and is embedded below: