Expanding the Brand: Race, Gender, and the Post-politics of Representation on Comedy Central

This study examines recent Comedy Central shows hailed as progressive and feminist, such as Inside Amy Schumer, Broad City, Kroll Show, Nathan for You, and Key & Peele. It reads these programs through the framework of American post-network television, considering how the network is attempting to expand its brand identity in a cable marketplace cluttered with comedy. Although offering possibilities for marginalized cultural identities to be seen on-screen and courted as viewers, Comedy Central ultimately re-affirms presumptions about white male heteronormativity and comedy.