Home TV News 1266: Gabourey Sidibe Set to Star in Hulu Comedy Series Pilot

Inspired by her real life, 1266 will feature Gabourey Sidibe in the lead role.

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Oscar nominee Gabourey Sidibe is set to star in, and executive produce a pilot for a new comedy series at Hulu. Per TVLine, the series is called 1266, and the pilot order was announced on Saturday at the Television Critics Association winter press tour. 1266 is said to be based on Sidibe’s real-life story, and she has gotten a story credit for the project along with creator Thembi Banks (Only Murders in the Building). Sidibe and Banks are also executive producing, with Banks also serving as co-showrunner with Julie Bean (grown-ish).

In 1266, Sidibe plays Gabby Brixton, an aimless woman who lives with her mom and can’t hold down a job. However, she eventually finds the answer to her problems when pursuing a new path as an adult entertainment phone line operator. As the official description puts it, Gabby “stumbles upon the gig of a lifetime ― phone sex! What initially seems like a quick way to make money turns into a life-changing experience when she meets the women who become her chosen family and learns how powerful, profitable and prolific her voice can be.”
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The project is under the Onyx Collective umbrella, a Disney content brand that’s focused on stories by Black writers along with other underrepresented groups. Other Hulu projects from Onyx include the upcoming shows Reasonable Doubt, Unprisoned, and The 1619 Project.

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Gabourey Sidibe Takes the Lead

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Sidibe rose to fame with her memorable role in the 2009 film Precious. Her performance earned her nominations at the Academy Awards and the Golden Globes, along with a win at the Independent Spirit Awards. She has appeared in several other films in the years since, including Tower Heist, Grimsby, and the horror film Antebellum. Sidibe has also been a mainstay in the American Horror Story franchise, appearing in several seasons of that series along with the anthology spinoff American Horror Stories.

Meanwhile, Sidibe is also attached as one of the leads of ABC’s upcoming prank show, The Prank Panel. Also featuring famous pranksters Eric Andre and Johnny Knoxville, the reality show features everyday people pitching pranks to the team, with the celebrities helping them carry out the pranks in elaborate ways. Sidibe appeared with Andre and Knoxville in a teaser trailer that was previously released.

“It’s time we give back to the forgotten underpranked communities and help those in need pull off the pranks of their dreams,” Sidibe says in the teaser. “We think it’s time to finally put an end to this needless suffering and ensure that the people we care about the most are pranked the way that they need to be pranked.”

The Prank Panel comes to ABC sometime in 2023.