Patricia “Ms. Pat” Williams-Lee’s expanded overall deal with BET Studios, announced back in June, is already bearing fruit. VH1 has ordered a new comedy competition series starring the comedian, while BET has renewed one of her existing shows for a fourth season.
VH1 has greenlit America’s Funniest People, from V10 Entertainment, the producers behind America’s Funniest Videos. The show puts a creator-driven spin on viral content, featuring what the network describes as “outrageous creator-led content — savage jokes, wild stunts, pranks, bad decisions” alongside internet clips “you can’t believe someone actually posted.” Content creators compete head-to-head for a cash prize, with Ms. Pat starring and bringing her perspective to each episode.
Alongside the new series, BET has renewed Ms. Pat Settles It, from 495 Productions, for a fourth season. The courtroom show has Ms. Pat presiding over real-life disputes, backed by a jury made up of friends, celebrity guests, and fellow comedians. The most recent batch of episodes, Season 3B, premiered June 30 with celebrity jurors including Carmen Barton, Deray Davis, Karlous Miller, NeNe Leakes, Jasmin Brown, Safaree Samuels, and Navv Greene.
The June deal, an extension of Ms. Pat’s original 2022 pact with BET, allows her to develop, produce, write, and perform across BET and the wider Paramount platform, and also gives her the ability to sell content to third-party studios. It covers her existing slate as well, including her scripted comedy The Ms. Pat Show, which was recently renewed for a sixth season.
The new programming announcements arrive just ahead of the September 29 release of Ms. Pat’s second book, Ms. American Dream, from Simon & Schuster. The memoir follows up on her NAACP Image Award-nominated debut, Rabbit, continuing her story from open mics to primetime television.
America’s Funniest People is executive produced by Ms. Pat, John Stevens, Carter Skeath, and Rick De Oliveira, with Saterah Moore serving as co-executive producer. Ms. Pat Settles It is executive produced by Ms. Pat, SallyAnn Salsano, and Ebony McClain for 495 Productions.