‘A Black Lady Sketch Show’ Production Designers Painted a Portrait of Robin Thede with a Corgi, Then Hid It in the Background of a Sketch

When A Black Lady Sketch Show production designers Cindy Chao and Michele Yu sat down to determine which episode of the comedy series theyd submit for Emmy consideration, they kept one key factor in mind.

We partially pick which episode to submit based on the title, Yu tells Variety, laughing over Zoom as she and Chao explain their process. Its a fantasy to have a very serious person onstage announcing these titles.

The episode Chao and Yu landed on was Season 4s fifth half-hour, Peek-a-boob, Your Tittys Out, which features the prehistoric drama of The Real Housewives of B.C. recurring character Cousin Curtis manning a hotel front desk before being sucked into the seasons interstitial sketch; and a Family Matters-style sitcom spoof where the episode title is uttered as a quippy jab from series regular Gabrielle Dennis to creator/star Robin Thede.

(Seems they chose wisely since the duo and set decorator Lizzie Boyle are nominated for the second year in a row.)

More seriously, the duo chose the episode because it demonstrated their work in an array of different environments a mix of location shoots and built sets. For example, the opening sketch, Why You Aint Say Nothing, was shot on an existing sitcom set, while Frock of Shit was filmed in a (haunted) house and The Real Housewives of B.C. took place in a Southern California cave. The episode also displayed the skills of their creative collaborators, from the shows director Bridget Stokes and DP Kevin Atkinson to the costume, hair and makeup departments and other below-the-line crew.

The Real Housewives sketch comes together because of the group effort, Yu explains. We wanted to pick sketches that fire on all cylinders and that episode really does.

Though A Black Lady Sketch Show will not return for a fifth season, this experience has been a defining one in their careers, beyond awards potential.

Ive never been on a crew that laughed so much. It was an honest, true joy, Chao says. Even when shit hit the fan, we were able to come together and talk things through. It was so special to have that relationship, that trust and that support.

Yus great takeaway was learning the importance of creating work that reflects your values, work you can be proud of at the end of the day not just how good it looks visually, but what its bringing into the world. She adds: I was going to say, theres not going to be anything like it ever again, but the hope is that there will be because it opened the doors.

Read on as the artisans detail set secrets from the Emmy-nominated episode:

Why You Aint Say Nothing? Thede and Dennis are paired with guest stars Quincy Isaiah and Sam Richardson for this sitcom spoof about hesitating to intervene in a friends bad relationship. The sketch wasnt originally conceived to take place on a sitcom set, but ended up that way thanks to a couple of turns in development.

That was so fun to lean into because, for most of our sets, we aim for realism, Yu says. We play it straight so that the comedy can be big against it. So it was fun to play with this very manicured, intentionally-designed space.

While the primary action takes place in the living room, Chao points out the kitchen in the background. That was used for another set. We do that a lot, she adds. With nearly 50 sketches in a season, the crew would get creative and find multiple ways to use the same location, without reusing the exact same set.

Frock of Shit In this fast-fashion takedown, ladies preparing for the royal feast in 1800s London learn a lesson about throwing cash at Lady Shein (Skye Townsend) without trying on the garment first.

Not only does this sketch feature a bubblegum pink-wigged Gina Torres (who laments the demise of her hot girl summer after receiving a subpar gown), but theres also a hidden cameo by Thede.

Its out of focus in the background, but its a hand-painted portrait of me from the 2021 Emmys with a little Welsh corgi, Thede told Variety, crowning the artwork her favorite Easter egg from the season. The amount of detail is insane.

The idea for the custom artwork came during the brainstorming session for another sketch in the episode. We were pitching what kind of paintings we could use and thought, Wouldnt it be funny if it was a portrait of Robin and her dream dog? Chao recalls. Michele spent the weekend painting it.

Itd been a while since Yu had the opportunity to put paintbrush to canvas, so shed jumped at the chance instead of commissioning the art. But she did have one small nagging thought.

I was very worried that [Robin] would see that I had spent a weekend at home painting her portrait and she would just fire me on the spot, like I need a restraining order, Yu says with a laugh. Luckily, she loved it.

Lady Shein (Skye Townsend) in A Black Lady Sketch Show, with the portrait of Thede. HBO Front Desk Mess and Hotel It Like It Is This two-in-one combo is set at a luxury hotel and opens with Cousin Curtis (Townsend) behind the check-in desk, but his demeanor turns guests (including guest star Bobby Brown) away. After a couple of unsuccessful interactions, the sketch moves onto its next chapter as concierge Keema (Dennis) takes over Curtis post and tries to upsell hotel guest Simone (Thede) with room charges via ultra-fast dialogue.

Those were a different kind of challenge because those were two sketches that were filmed back-to-back using the same location but had very different references and very different intentions. Different pacing, different everything, Yu says. We had to make that one room work for both.

The first half of the sketch is supported by a wide shot because its driven by the idea of Curtis in this beautiful, pristine environment, where youre supposed to be taken care of, but hes just destroying people, Yu explains. Alternately, the comedy in the second half which is a callback to the Season 2 sketch Gel It Like It Is is emphasized by the camera closing in on the two women. Because they speak so fast, the audience needs to pay attention, so the background fades away and eventually its just an extreme close-up of their mouths moving rapid-fire.

They wanted everything to be very symmetrical as they zoomed in closer and closer to both characters, Chao says, noting that primary the reference for both halves of the sketch were Wes Anderson movies.

Cousin Curtis (Skye Townsend) in A Black Lady Sketch Show. Actors Behind the Lens Speaking Seriously Season 4s interstitials put a spotlight on the actors featured in the sketches, like Tony BarnumBailey, known for his work as Cousin Curtis, who first appeared at a family reunion in the Season 2 finale. Modeled after Inside the Actors Studio, the sketch needed to look like its taking audiences behind the scenes of the previous action.

We carried over key set pieces that we could pop up behind the actual sets, like theres a ladder in the frame. Or the backdrop, table or [directors] chair was key, Chao says.

Another factor in establishing the sketch, in addition to the set dressing and props, was determining its color palette based on the tone.

The general strategy, Yu explains, is to make each sketch its own world, even when there are callbacks to previous seasons with characters crossing over. Even though its part of this larger Black Lady cinematic universe, we try to give each sketch its own perspective because that expands the world were in. We dont want everything to look the same because were not telling the same story twice.

HBO What You Bout to Do? In this sketch, Thede plays a woman visiting her childhood home over the holidays who attempts to pleasure herself without judgment from the photo of her grandparents on the bedside table or the stare of her old plush bear.

We introduce backstory through set dressing, Yu says. Its almost like working on a mini-feature. We ask questions about motivation, what the familys income level was like, where did the character grow up?

According to the writers, this characters parents had started the process of taking over the bedroom, planning for it to become an exercise room-slash-office, but left out most of their childs stuff where it was (i.e. the teddy bear in the corner chair). Armed with those answers, Chao and Yu transformed the bedroom set into a suite in transition.

Because its sketch, people think you just throw something together. Its not, Yu says. All of it is thought out. Theres a reason for everything. She adds, You never know when something might inspire the writers to pull from that and turn it into a bigger thing.

A prime example is the prevalence of Millstone Coffee, which first appeared as the logo on guest star Angela Bassetts coffee cup in the Bad Bitch Support Group Sketch in the series premiere. The mysterious and perhaps nefarious company popped up in dozens of sketches throughout the series and was revealed to be linked to the fan-favorite character, Dr. Haddassah Olayinka Ali-Youngman, Pre-PhD (played by Thede), whose mind-control experiment was uncovered at the end of Season 3.

The universe is fueled by Millstone Coffee, Yu notes. When that started in Season 1, it was literally scripted as a coffee brand, but I dont know that anybody maybe Robin knew it was going to be this whole world to build. Chao concurs: Wed used Millstone so much as Easter Eggs in all the different sketches that I think Robin was like, We need to use it as a story.

Mind Ya Bid-ness This sketch, where friends raise their paddles to trade in normality for a dream reality, got moved up on the production schedule, so it was a race against time to find a new location for Brothabys and secure exclusively Black woman-created art in time for cameras to roll.

From the beginning, weve been reaching out to Black female artists and making sure that we showcase their work, because why not? Yu explains. Getting the artists clearance and the paintings ready on time was super stressful on Lizzies end.

As for the location, the hotel where they shot the casino scene in the season 4 premiere had a space appropriate for the luxury lifestyle auction. Ultimately, the sketch turned out to be one of Yus favorites.

That was fun to be in the room while they were shooting because there was a lot of improv, Yu adds. Anytime you get in a situation where the actresses are trying to outdo each other, its amazing!

Gabrielle Dennis, Robin Thede and Skye Townsend on the set of A Black Lady Sketch Show. HBO The Real Housewives of B.C. This sketch proves even cavewomen could turn a brunch into a blood feud. And making this scene feel authentic required more than etching a few hieroglyphics on the walls.

That was a prime example of every department working together. That set was a cave on the back of a movie ranch where we shot some of the other sketches, Yu says, then drops a bomb: the prehistoric drama was nearly overshadowed by an infestation of potato bugs.

We had to clear the floor because the actors had to walk on the ground in sandals, Chao chimes in. Where the table landed, there was a bunch of potato bugs and we had to sweep that entire area free. Adds Yu, It was a nightmare.

Their collective shudder is noticeable, even over Zoom. Its almost as if theyve been transported back into the Southern California cave as they discuss the creepy crawlers. If I had known about that the night before, that wouldve kept me up more than the ghosts [with Frock of Shit], Chao quips.

Aside from the bugs, the sketch presented several challenges, like lighting the scene. The crew needed a 360-degree perimeter to shoot the prehistoric dinner scene without cameras in the background, so the rock table needed to be lit from above but there was no built-in skylight. Then, there was the trouble of color-matching the walls to make the design elements pop.

The set dressing and all those props had to be custom, Yu recalls. But it is such a simple, effective sketch at the end of the day. We dont want anyone to think about what went into it. We just want them to enjoy it.

American Born Chinese In between production on seasons 3 and 4 of A Black Lady Sketch Show, Chao and Yu took their talents to American Born Chinese, a coming-of-age comedy for Disney+.

We stopped shooting [ABLSS] right before Christmas and then we were on the ground for [ABC] on January 3, Yu says, joking, Sorry to my whole family who did not get thoughtful gifts that year.

But Chao and Yu werent simply overloading their schedules for the sake of working the reason was far closer to their hearts. American Born Chinese centers on Bay Area teenager Jin Wang (Ben Wang), the son of Taiwanese immigrants and a rising sophomore desperate to fit into his majority-white high school. When a new student comes to town, he enlists Jin to join him on a fantastical quest.

That [show] was so personal to us, Chao says. We looked into our personal stories and experiences. It was special to be able to pull from personal photos. She adds, We just dove right in, and it was a rollercoaster ride because it was such a stunt-heavy show in comparison to A Black Lady Sketch Show.

Despite their differences in style, Yu notes, the shows are two-of-a-kind. Its very, very telling that Cindy and I have been working together as a production design team for almost 20 years a good chunk of that working on independent stuff and the year 2022 was the very first time we had the opportunity to pull from our own personal experiences growing up as Chinese Americans in Southern California, she explains.

That feeling mirrored the experience of the Black women writing team and creatives behind A Black Lady Sketch Show, who were similarly given the rare opportunity to mine their experiences to make great TV.

So many people were never asked, What is it like to be a Black woman in America? until this show, Yu adds. The lack of opportunity has been stunning, so its great to start seeing [opportunities] arise, people be interested in them, and then getting some funding and backing.