‘Demascus’: ‘Better Call Saul’ Producer’s Unaired Sci-Fi Comedy Set to Release on Tubi!!

Demascus has been brought back from the grave. After two years in limbo following its cancellation by AMC Networks before its debut, the six-part sci-fi comedy series has finally found a new, free home. According to Deadline, Tubi reached a deal with AMC to pick up the show at long last, which is now being billed as a Tubi Original and will premiere on August 7. It hails from playwright and Clipped writer Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm and Better Call Saul executive producer Mark Johnson and stars Okieriete Onaodowan as the titular lead.

Originally slated to release in 2023, Demascus was axed amid a major cost-cutting effort at AMC that saw the demise of several series, including Invitation to a Bonfire and second seasons of 61st Street, Pantheon, and Moonhaven. At the time, it was part of a troubling trend of scrapping completed projects for tax purposes, as seen with Warner Bros. and Batgirl. The fact that the sci-fi title was saved so long after its demise and disappearance from the public eye is a shock, to say the least. It’ll now slot in on Tubi‘s slate of originals ahead of their next big show, the animated comedy Breaking Bear featuring the talents of Brendan Fraser, Annie Murphy, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Josh Gad, among others.

Chisholm served as co-showrunner on Demascus with American Crime‘s Kirk A. Moore, with Johnson lending his touch on the production end. The series is much more than a typical sci-fi comedy, instead telling Demascus’s tale of self-discovery as a 33-year-old Black man. Through the use of digital psychiatry, made possible through experimental, reality-bending technology, he’s able to directly explore his life and identity in a string of adventures that will help him realize who he is and what it means to live a good life. Ultimately, the goal of the series is to dig into the “gulf between Black male perspectives,” something that Johnson hit on in his official statement about Tubi’s acquisition:

“Through his titular character Demascus, Tearrance Chisholm asks one of life’s simplest questions: What does it take to be a good man? And he answers it with some of the most surprising and nuanced revelations one could expect. We thank AMC Studios for sharing our belief in this seriocomic series and Tubi for its steadfast conviction that it belongs on the air.”

Who Will Star in ‘Demascus’?

The cast of Demascus lined up in a hallway — Image via AMC Networks

Onadowan is perhaps best known for his role as Dean Miller throughout five seasons of the Grey’s Anatomy spin-off Station 19, until his charismatic firefighter met a tragic end in a gas explosion. He’ll have a talented cast around him for Demascus, including Janet Hubert (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), Caleb Eberhardt (Judas and the Black Messiah), Shakira Ja’nai Paye (Single Drunk Female). Fresh off of Bad Boys: Ride or Die last year and the animated Sneaks earlier this year, Martin Lawrence will also be appearing prominently in a recurring role. This won’t be his only upcoming television effort, as it was also announced earlier this year that he’s set to executive produce a surprising spin-off of his classic sitcom Martin called Varnell Hill, based on Tommy Davidson‘s character, for BET+.