Entertainment

Diallo Riddle and Bashir Salahuddin Bring Intelligent Humor to “South Side” on Comedy Central

LOS ANGELES SENTINEL — Are you ready to laugh? Yes, or no? I mean, really laugh like when you first heard Eddie Murphy get “raw” or when you discovered the work of the late Richard Pryor? If the answer is yes, then I am suggesting that you mark your calendar and get ready for “South Side,” because Comedy Central had the good sense to greenlight the series created by Diallo Riddle, creator and executive producer of “Officer Goodnight” along with Bashir Salahuddin, creator and executive producer of “Allen Gayle.”

Published

7 years ago

July 28, 2019

Oakland Post

Diallo Riddle and Bashir Salahuddin Bring Intelligent Humor to “South Side” on Comedy Central

By Lapacazo Sandoval

Are you ready to laugh? Yes, or no? I mean, really laugh like when you first heard Eddie Murphy get “raw” or when you discovered the work of the late Richard Pryor? If the answer is yes, then I am suggesting that you mark your calendar and get ready for “South Side,” because Comedy Central had the good sense to greenlight the series created by Diallo Riddle, creator and executive producer of “Officer Goodnight” along with Bashir Salahuddin, creator and executive producer of “Allen Gayle.”

The press notes make a big deal about “South Side” being set in and around the working-class neighborhood of Englewood on the south side of Chicago. I’ve never been to the south side, but I know all of the characters in the hilarious series. I’m betting that once you watch the series that you will know those characters just as well.

“South Side” follows two friends who just graduated from community college, now they’re ready to take over the world but until they do, they’re stuck at “Rent-T-Own,” a retail and rental crossroads where “South Side’s” ensemble of quirky characters come together. Despite the obstacles of inner-city life, these friends and their co-workers all strive to achieve their entrepreneurial dreams. Brought to life by local Chicagoans, both in front of and behind the camera, this show gives viewers an authentic portrayal of what life on the South Side is all about.

Salahuddin and Riddle star in the series, alongside Sultan Salahuddin and Chandra Russell. First season guest stars include Lil Rel Howery, Nathaniel “Earthquake” Stroman, Jeff Tweedy, Lisa Raye McCoy, Kel Mitchell and Ed Lover.

Riddle is an Emmy and WGA nominated writer and actor, as well as a producer and showrunner who also moonlights as a DJ. Born in Atlanta, and a graduate of Harvard University, some of his credits include IFC’s upcoming series “Sherman’s Showcase,” which he co-created and is executive producing with his writing partner Bashir Salahuddin. He is also a series regular on “Marlon” and can be seen in HBO’s “Silicon Valley.”

Salahuddin has an Emmy nomination. He was born and raised on the south side of Chicago as one of eight kids and later graduated from Harvard University. In addition to his work on “South Side,” Bashir can be seen in IFC’s upcoming series “Sherman’s Showcase.” Additionally, Bashir has starred in Lionsgate’s “A Simple Favor,” 20th Century’s “Snatched,” and the SAG-nominated Netflix series “GLOW.”

Salahuddin and Riddle were previously consulting producers on “The Last OG” at TBS and developed their pilot “Brothers in Atlanta” with Broadway Video at HBO. Before creating their own shows, they were staff writers on NBC’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, where they wrote such notable pieces as “Slow Jam the News with Barack Obama,” and “The History of Hip-Hop with Justin Timberlake.”

This is an edited conversation phone conversation with Diallo Riddle and Bashir Salahuddin.

LOS ANGELES SENTINEL: Hey now, I’m so sorry that I could not meet you both in person. Things are finally being fixed in my Harlem apartment. I don’t know if I should be happy or terrified. Can you say gentrification is a bitch? Let’s start the conversation with you, Mr. Riddle.

DIALLO RIDDLE: Ok.

LAS: I love your last name. Mr. Riddle. Please, come to the front Mr. Riddle. And the Emmy goes too, Mr. Riddle. All kidding aside, you are an Emmy and WGA nominated writer and actor, producer, showrunner, and you moonlight as a DJ. So, when do you find time to sleep?

DR: I also have three kids. I don’t know what sleep is anymore. It’s crazy. I try to get a solid four or five hours every night, I’ll probably die soon.

LAS: Damn, you’re funny. This is why I need a podcast. I describe the comedy in your new scripted comedy ‘South Side’ as smart and slow.

DR: That’s my favorite Usher song.

LAS: Riddle, damn your quick but that’s what I should expect from a Harvard graduate.

DR: We both went to Harvard.

LAS: I know but he (Bashir Salahuddin) had eight siblings, I don’t know when he had time to study to get into Harvard.

DR: I had five siblings, I’m one of six.

LAS: Did you think when you started at Harvard that you would have a successful career as a writer on television?

DR: Actually, yes. We met at Harvard and we figured out pretty early that we liked the same type of stuff to laugh about. It was years later after we graduated, we were having dinner at my parents’ house. They had moved into a place called Park La Brea. They had sold their house and they just wanted a smaller place. My mother said, ‘hey you guys are really funny. Why don’t you guys write a script?’ At the time we thought that she was crazy, but looking back that was the beginning of us actually writing together.

LAS: Your mother is a smart lady!

DR: We really started our careers as writers. You know, a lot of people brag that their managers put them together but no, we were friends. Then we started acting in the stuff that we were writing. Truthfully, because sometimes we could not find someone to deliver the lines the way we wanted them delivered.

LAS: So, you both always loved being actors?

DR: Yes, giving him some credit he always knew that he wanted to be an actor even in college he would create a one-man play, and for me, as a writer, I was the guy who wrote a book in the third grade.

LAS: Pardon? Did you say that you wrote a book when you were in the third grade?

DR: Yes, I did. I was eight-years-old and I was published. I would go to the library and I would fill out the little slip to check out my book. It was a World Word II spy thriller. The main character was named Ripple and he was a Black fighter in World War II and he was going to assassinate Hitler.

LAS: I can see the Netflix original animated series, now. I want to be in that writers’ room!

DR: I’ve never told that story in an interview so I’ve just given you a worldwide exclusive.

LAS: What’s the secret to a successful writing partnership? Advice?

DR: You have to listen to your partner and you have to respect them. At the end of the day, we’ve known each other long enough that we can always be honest with one another.

LAS: What I loved about ‘South Side’ is that I know all of the characters and I’ve never been to the South Side of Chicago.

DR: We love that you said that! That was the goal of the show.

LAS: Goal reached, Mr. Riddle. Hey now, I’ve not forgotten you, Bashir Salahuddin.

BS: I didn’t think you did. I play Officer Goodnight on the show.

LAS: I love that character! Gosh, you are not well. I mean that character is not well. You are understatedly ‘flippin’ funny.’

BS: Thank you. So are you.

LAS: (laughing) I also really like his partner, Sergeant Turner. Her comedy has levels.

BS: Chandra Russell, she’s my wife. She’s a natural treasure.

LAS: Stop it. Really? She’s talented. I want to chat with her and find out if you are a natural treasure!

BS: We will arrange that for you. Not a problem. We grew up with a lot of the actors so we know all these people personally, we know how they are funny. So, when we are writing the show it allows us to give them every opportunity to score.

LAS: You have rich characters. They are all good. There is not one that does not work and that’s rare.

BS: The show is excellent. It’s the best show on TV.

LAS: (Laughing) This is where I need a podcast, how do I describe your deadpan tone and pitch? Onwards. What do you want people to know that I’ve not asked?

BS: Even though our show is called ‘South Side,’ we’re not trying to elevate the South Side above any other part of Chicago. Specifically, when it comes to Black folks, we are all Black — different experiences, different circumstances and sometimes similar challenges. The reason that you felt you could still feel the love when you come from North Philly, South Bronx, Harlem, Atlanta, South Central, Los Angeles, Montreal, wherever, I just want to say we are so proud that our show is providing a place for people from places like that to show how funny they are and the diversity of their interests, and we’re excited that everybody from those places or that have never even been to those places watch our show and enjoy themselves. And I think that we won.

“South Side” will premiere Wednesday, July 24 at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT.

This article originally appeared in the Los Angeles Sentinel.

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Arts and Culture

IN MEMORIAM: Oakland Dance Legend Reginald Ray-Savage, 67

Savage lived his life as tribute to the teachers who had shared their wisdom on art and life with him. With a palpably genuine enthusiasm and desire to bring out the best in people, and pass the torch to the next generation, he poured into his students, as his teachers and mentors had into him. His infectious energy, love of life, and generosity of spirit inspired countless souls, both inside and outside the dance studio.

Published

4 days ago

June 24, 2026

Oakland Post

Reginald Ray-Savage brought the old-school teaching techniques he learned in the Katherine Dunham Dance Company to the youth at the Oakland School for the Arts in 2003. Courtesy photo.

Special to The Post

Reginald Ray-Savage – dancer, choreographer, and beloved teacher, mentor, and inspiration to many – passed away on May 17. The Oakland School for the Arts dance instructor was 67.

Born Reginald Ray, Jr. in St. Louis, Missouri, on Sept. 5, 1958, he formally adopted the name ‘Savage,’ to honor the great Archie Savage, his mentor at Katherine Dunham’s Performing Arts Training Center where his dance training journey began in East St. Louis, Illinois.

He soon started dancing professionally with Katherine Dunham Dance Company, making dance a way of life. His grit, tenacity, and notorious work ethic brought him scholarships to train at multiple prestigious dance institutions, including The Ailey School (NYC) and Ruth Page School of Dance (Chicago), under the direction of acclaimed ballet instructor Larry Long and Dolores Lipinski-Long.

He danced with several companies including Joel Hall Dance Company, Ruth Page Ballet Chicago, Lyric Opera, Chicago City Ballet, American Festival Ballet, and touring productions of “Music Man” and “A Chorus Line”.

In 1989, Savage moved to Oakland where he started teaching seven days a week, amassing a devoted following that was attracted to his no-nonsense, impassioned, and effective old-school teaching style.

In 1992, at the insistence of his committed core of students, he founded Savage Jazz Dance Company (SJDC). Over a span of 30 years, Savage produced more than 100 original works, and tour SJDC nationally and internationally, performing at Casa del Jazz in Rome to a packed house and rave reviews—the first dance company to receive such an invitation.

Savage built SJDC into one of the Bay Area’s most respected dance companies, creating a signature style known for its combination of disciplined training, blended with rich artistic musical expression, and raw energy.

In 2003, Savage joined the Oakland School for the Arts as chair of the School of Dance. Over the next two decades, he created, built, and maintained a strong dance program, recognized, and respected by other dance institutions for forging well-trained and resilient dancers and human beings.

The depth of Savage’s tough love and care, and the skill of his teaching and mentoring are reflected in the careers of his students who have gone on to dance with the San Francisco Ballet, Martha Graham Dance Company, Mark Morris Dance Group, Janet Jackson, Ariana Grande, and companies across the globe.

Mark Kitaoka, a photographer hired by Savage in 2016, posted a living eulogy on the dance instructor.

“When I see the self-pride he builds in his students I am constantly impressed that people like Savage still exist in our ‘meme’ society,” Kitaoka wrote. “The kids he mentors are fiercely loyal to one another and I’m certain his methods teach each of those kids to put aside social status, race and gender and is replaced by solid loyalty for other souls.

“What Savage contributes to our world cannot be completely summed up in a few meager paragraphs but can be seen in the countless lives of those he has touched. Because of him, our world, and the world of the future is both a richer and better place.

Reginald Ray-Savage will forever be missed, remembered, and lovingly quoted. He is survived by his beloved wife, Alison Hurley, his sister, Sonia, and his brothers, Pierre, and Andre. May his inextinguishable spirit and impact live on in all the lives he touched.

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Oakland Post: Week of June 17 – 23, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of June 17 – 23, 2026

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7 days ago

June 20, 2026

Oakland Post

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Books

Book Review: Something We Said: Richard Pryor, A Notorious Word, and Me

Though sticks and stones and words are weapons, as in the new memoir, “Something We Said” by Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor, they can also hold people together.

Published

2 weeks ago

June 17, 2026

bpusa-syndication

By Terri Schlichenmeyer

Author: Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor, Copyright: c.2026, Publisher: Simon & Schuster, SRP: $29.00, Page Count: 304 pages

Sticks and stones may break my bones.

You know the rest of that childhood rhyme, and you know it’s not true: words have meaning, and they can cut like a knife. And yet, though sticks and stones and words are weapons, as in the new memoir, “Something We Said” by Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor, they can also hold people together.

The college lecture was supposed to have been about the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act.

It was supposed to be a lively discussion, but unintentionally it quickly veered off course. When a White student quoted a movie line featuring the “n-word,” the room went quiet, and Professor Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor panicked.

She’d grown up hearing that word, and seeing it, and she’d experienced the painful feelings attached to it. She knew who wrote that movie line. It was her father, Richard Pryor.

In her first few years, Pryor spent most of her time in a White world, hearing her mother’s tales of her larger-than-life father, and trying to grasp meaning in her father’s albums, peppered as they were with a word that was off-limits to her.

When she was six, she met her father for the first time. She began to visit him regularly.

It was fun at her Dad’s house; though he was sometimes moody, he taught her to fish and play dominoes. She became close with her siblings, fearful of her great-grandmother, and confused about a word that her father’s uncles threw around like a beach ball. It was a forbidden word at her mother’s house, but her father used it. Differently. Often.

The word hurt. She knew first-hand that it did.

“The word became a degrading slur that shackled all Black people together into a single, inescapable tribe,” she says.

So why was it okay for certain people to say it?

Knowing that, in the years since Richard Pryor’s accident and his death from multiple sclerosis, he’s become somewhat of a legend. It is a very satisfying thing, isn’t it? So is reading about him, especially from the viewpoint of one of his seven children. But his is not the only story you get inside “Something We Said.”

Wrapped around the life of Richard Pryor is the life of a word that straddles a line between danger and provocation, a word that author Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor refuses to say or even print. As she tells readers about her father and her loving-but-difficult relationship with him, she warily circles that word, as if it might bite. You may cringe, but she weighs it carefully, helping readers see it as a chameleon before always bringing us back to her father, his work, and his life before and after her and that word.

It’s a push-pull balance that holds readers fast, and keeps them there. It’s perfect for fans of this genre, or Richard Pryor, or of language – and it’s going to make you think. If you want a good memoir this week, one that may send you to your old album collection, “Something We Said” is rock-solid.