‘2 Dope Queens’ back for more fun
“I don’t care how famous you are, how big a humanitarian you are, (you can still make) that human connection.” — Phoebe Robinson, left, pictured with Jessica Williams
Ever since a chance meeting in 2014, Jessica Williams and Phoebe Robinson have taken their collaborative friendship to higher heights. Their “2 Dope Queens” show, featuring stand-up sets from talented friends, became a popular WNYC podcast and toured the country. In February 2018, that podcast became a series of HBO comedy specials, filmed in Brooklyn’s Kings Theatre.
The second season of “2 Dope Queens” is out with a new futuristic set and celebrity guests like Lupita Nyong’o and KeeganMichael Key. Williams and Robinson sat down to discuss coming back to HBO for seconds. The following is an edited transcript.
Q: What did you want to change or adjust from the way you did things the first time?
Robinson: I think whenever you do the first season of something, you’re so precious about it. You just want to make sure you’re doing your job and executing it well. So with Season 2 we were like, “We can have more fun with this and play with it.” Our show is a variety show. It’s a throwback to like, Sonny and Cher … so we wanted to have that element play into it a little bit more for it to be our modern take on that.
Williams: We have a very specific thing that we like to do, and we wanted to do that, but tighter. Q: How did you talk about making the show work on HBO?
Robinson: HBO really gets our vision and our voice, and they really loved the podcast, so they were like, “Don’t change it.” I think (at first) we felt like we had to do all these different things, but they were like, “What works is this magic between you, and having the different comics on, and having the celebrity interviews feel like you’re going to get to know someone in a way you wouldn’t anywhere else.” It’s sort of like, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Q: What makes a comic a really good fit for “2 Dope Queens”?
Robinson: The general barometer is that they have to be inclusive, they can’t punch down, they have to have a really unique point of view. And like, they just have to be funny. At the end of the day, it’s funny first, and if you can kill it and make people laugh, great.
Q: What’s something that you’re particularly proud of that you don’t think you could have done without “2 Dope Queens,” either personally or professionally?
Williams: “2 Dope Queens” really encouraged me to speak out more, actually. Strengthening my voice. I don’t think I would’ve been able to do that without “2 Dope Queens.” It makes me a lot more playful, and now I get to exercise that muscle a lot.
Robinson: I’ve gotten to meet a lot of people that inspire me. And I feel like I really try to learn a lot from other people, especially my heroes.
So getting to, for instance, have a moment with Michelle Obama, read about her book and see her life … everyone is evolving. I don’t care how famous you are, how big a humanitarian you are, (you can still make) that human connection.