Judge Travis, a new scripted comedy podcast starring Bashir Salahuddin (Sherman’s Showcase) and Langston Kerman (English Teacher), launched across platforms on Wednesday.
Created by writer/director Tim Barnes (All That, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon) and narrated by Amber Ruffin (Late Night with Seth Meyers), Judge Travis offers listeners a front-row seat to the behind-the-scenes chaos of Judge Travis’ fictional daytime court show and his brand of “justice.”
Best known for IFC’s Sherman’s Showcase, HBO’s South Side, and Top Gun: Maverick, Salahuddin makes his scripted podcast debut as the larger-than-life and questionably honorable Judge Percy Travis.
Listeners can eavesdrop on weary producer Jax (Kerman) and perpetually irritated bailiff Raquel (Brandi Denise) as they wrangle impossible shooting schedules, unpredictable litigants, and the inflated ego of their dishonorable boss. The cast also features Keesha Sharp (Girlfriends) as Mrs. Travis, George Wallace (Clean Slate) as the judge’s personal barber, and a rotating ensemble of guest characters voiced by Alex Moffat (SNL), Dana Davis (Craig of the Creek), and more.
Produced by Ninth Planet Audio, the podcast production company from Mosaic Media, the show is executive produced by Hans Sahni, Barnes, Elizabeth Baquet, and Jimmy Miller. Barnes’ manager, Carly Hoogendyk of Omnipop, serves as consulting producer.
In creating Judge Travis, Barnes drew inspiration from classic TV comedies like The Larry Sanders Show and The Bernie Mac Show. His writers’ room included Ian Abramson (Conan), Ben Holbrook (Peter Shaffer Award for Excellence in Playwriting), Rebecca O’Neal (2 Dope Queens), and Milly Tamarez (Wait, Wait… Don’t Tell Me!, The Onion).
“JUDGE TRAVIS is a true passion project,” he told us. “More than just a stream of jokes, the clash of personalities at the heart of this series is based on the dynamic I had with my late grandfather who, with love, always had something mean to say. He’s also the reason I have so many grandmothers.”
The show marks a return to audio for Barnes, who began his career at WBEZ Chicago and later produced podcasts for Vice and for W. Kamau Bell and Hari Kondabolu’s acclaimed Politically Re-Active. His success in podcasting led him to television: He was a web producer for Wyatt Cenac’s Problem Areas on HBO and wrote for Nickelodeon’s 2019 All That revival, as well as The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, before developing the Comedy Central animated series Maurice on Mars.
