'Who is America?' teaser out! Sacha Baron Cohen gets Dick Cheney to sign waterboard kit
All of the secrecy behind Sacha Baron Cohen's new show - 'Who Is America?' - has finally been busted. The satirical, half-hour series written and directed by Baron Cohen is finally going to premiere on July 15, and going to showcase the comedian in his first TV show in more than a decade. The show - which is expected to have a total of seven episodes - arrives after being in production for about a year now, and as Showtime promises, it “will explore the diverse individuals, from the infamous to the unknown across the political and cultural spectrum, who populate our unique nation.”
And it gets even better, as one of the promotional teasers for the show, shows former vice-president of the US, Dick Cheney, signing a waterboard kit, all smiles, and laughter.
The teaser's tagline says: “Imagine if Sacha Baron Cohen had been undercover secretly filming a show for a year?” And if it's any indication, Baron Cohen is definitely planning on stirring up some controversy this time.
Premiering on streaming, online and On Demand this Sunday, at midnight ET (9 p.m. PT July 14), and also on air that same night at 10 p.m. ET., 'Who is America?' is created and executive produced by Baron Cohen and is also executive produced by Anthony Hines, Todd Schulman, Andrew Newman, Dan Mazer and Adam Lowitt.
“Sacha is a comedic genius who shocks you with his audacity, bravery and inventiveness,” said Showtime Networks president/CEO David Nevins. “He is the premier provocateur of our time, but not for the sake of ‘gotcha’ moments. Behind the elaborate setup is a genuine quest for the truth about people, places and politics. Nobody knows how to cause a stir like Sacha Baron Cohen, and it’s going to be fascinating to watch what happens when ‘Who Is America?’ is released on the world.”
Similar to 'Da Ali G Show,' this new series of Baron Cohen will showcase the comedian in various disguises to conduct undercover interviews. Initially, the title had been revealed by Vulture, after editors of the outlet noticed posters across New York that read "You've been warned" and showed a man peering out from under an American flag.
“We’d like to tell you about a new comedy that’s coming, but we can’t,” Showtime had teased in its video. “The creators won’t let us show you a scene, the lawyers won’t let us tell you the name of the star, and we can’t even reveal the show’s title or we’d be breaking our nondisclosure agreement. So how do we promote perhaps the most dangerous show in the history of television when we’re not allowed to show it? Fuck if I know.”
Baron Cohen is most famous for 'Da Ali G Show,' which received six Emmy Award nominations and two BAFTA awards during its run, and of course, for 'Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.'