SANTA MONICA, CA. (Nickelodeon) - Nickelodeon will ring in the New Year with the TEENick series premiere of Just Jordan - Sunday, January 7 (7:30-8:30 p.m. ET/PT) - starring breakout teen comedian/actor Lil' JJ (Beauty Shop, Yours, Mine & Ours) in a multi-generational, half-hour comedy based on his standup routine. Back-to-back episodes mark the special one-hour launch of the sitcom centering on outspoken, ultra-confident ninth grader Jordan Lewis, who pipes up about kid inequalities while navigating a new life in Los Angeles. Creator Alison Taylor (The Cheetah Girls,
Lizzie McGuire) and Ralph Farquhar (Moesha, Proud Family) serve as executive producers of the Nickelodeon Television Production, which will air regularly, Sundays, 7:30-8 p.m. (ET/PT) during TEENick.
"Lil' JJ is a star for Nick and a champion for kids," said Tom Ascheim, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Nickelodeon Television, of the 16-year-old Arkansas native who segues from hosting "Friday Night Slimetime" and recurring on the sketch comedy series All That and now in Just Jordan. "His smart, unabashed sense of humor about everyday kid injustices is the perfect ingredient for Lil JJ's very own show and poises him to become the Seinfeld of his generation."
In the series, Jordan is a recent transplant from Little Rock to Los Angeles - mom Pam's (Shania Accius) hometown. He's just a regular teen trying to finding his footing in his new world, splitting his time between school and waiting tables at his curmudgeonly grandpa's (Beau Billingslea, Cowboy Bebop) legendary diner, Papa Grant's Fish 'n Grill. What little time he has left over is spent trying to ingratiate his new friends including school heartthrob/jock Tony (Justin Chon, Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior), witty cousin Tangie (Raven Goodwin, Lovely and Amazing) and preppy, politically minded Joaquin (Eddy Martin, Rebound) - as well as his adoring, albeit style-cramping little sister Monica (Kristen Combs). And he has a huge crush on snooty, but beautiful Tamika (Chelsea Harris) - the un-gettable girl.
Deep in his heart, Jordan knows the truth: being a kid sometimes just isn't fair! Each week he and his pals deal with some of the great kid injustices, such as "Why do girls say they like the nice guys but only want to date the roughnecks?" or "How come sometimes you do all the work but don't get the credit?" And he periodically breaks the fourth wall to express his POV. Whatever happens, this take-charge teen isn't going to take it lying down like all the other teenaged sheep out there.
In the 7:30 p.m. series premiere, "Air Jordan," a disgruntled Jordan loses his spot on the freshman basketball team to Tony after his desire to make a big impression causes him to hog the ball and showboat. To add insult to injury, Tony turns up at his side as the new part-time waiter at Grandpa Grant's diner. The two teens go over the top competing with each other - until they discover that by teaming up, they both can be winners. Then, at 8:00 p.m. in "Fools in the Hood," Jordan, Tony and Joaquin put on a tough-guy act to attract girls. It works like a charm with Tamika who accepts Jordan's invitation to the school carnival. However, he's courting nothing but trouble when a bunch of real hoodlums blow his masquerade - and it's mom to the rescue.
Dubbed "The Prince of Comedy" in his hometown of Little Rock, Lil' JJ excelled in school and grabbed attention as a class clown. His gym teacher, Ken Bright, who serves as consulting producer on Just Jordan, spotted something exceptional beyond the practical jokes and helped the fledgling talent get his start doing comic skits at an open mike program at a local restaurant. Lil' JJ's big break came when he entered BET's stand-up comedy competition "Coming to the Stage" and defeated challengers two and three times his age. His win brought him to the attention of NBC's The Tonight Show, where his performance impressed viewers of all ages.
Subsequently he appeared on Showtime at the Apollo and made his feature film debut starring opposite Oscar nominee Queen Latifah in MGM's Beauty Shop. Earlier this year, he appeared opposite stars Anthony Mackie and Wayne Brady in the independent film Crossover, an urban drama about the competitive underground world of street basketball. As part of a development deal with Nick Movies, the breakout actor/comedian, who co-starred last year in the Nick Movies/Paramount Pictures release Yours, Mine and Ours, will executive produce and star in a feature film based on his real-life rags to riches tale. He recently headlined BET's Teens of Comedy 20-city tour featuring five teenage up-and-coming stand-up comedians.
Nickelodeon will offer content from Just Jordan on several other platforms:
* TurboNick's two-minute sneak peeks of the series begin on October 16.
* A two-minute sneak peek will be available on all of Nickelodeon's wireless carriers beginning December 26 with Extra Scoops available in January and February.
* First episodes window onto VOD in February.
* Content will be available on various download to own platforms shortly after the series' on-air premiere.
* A special "Accordin' to Jordan" online site at nick.com/JJ with show clips, downloads, info and a message board is available now. Custom Lil' JJ video content on the site and on TurboNick, will be available prior to the launch of the series
* Nick.com will offer a Just Jordan themed New Game of the Week in January.
* Nickelodeon Magazine will feature a look at the series and an interview with Lil' JJ in its February issue, on stands January 9.
Nickelodeon, in its 27th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in almost 92 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for more than eleven consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).
