Powerhouse actors Niecy Nash-Betts, Jenifer Lewis, Cedric The Entertainer are set to star in an upcoming Audible Original comedy series.
Big Age, the new series created by Black-ish creator Kenya Barris, follows recently retired couple Dot and Butch Watts after being forced by their daughter to move into Sunset Gardens, a Floridian retirement community that is anything but relaxing. What begins as a reluctant relocation becomes an unexpected adventure filled with colorful characters, romantic entanglements, and laugh-out-loud moments that challenge everything The Watts’ thought they knew about aging. Blending outrageous comedy and touching moments of self-reflection, Big Age explores what it means to grow older without growing old at heart.
Dot, played by renowned Hollywood stalwart Jenifer Lewis (black-ish, What’s Love Got to Do with It, Cars, The Princess and the Frog), is sharp-tongued and sassy as she chronicles life at Sunset Gardens. Butch, Dot’s charming and kind-hearted husband is played by Cedric the Entertainer (the Barbershop trilogy, Ice Age, The Neighborhood). The flirtatious Ethel, Butch’s high school sweetheart, is played by Emmy Award winner and Out100 Icon Niecy Nash-Betts (Audible’s Queer West, All’s Fair, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story). The remaining featured cast includes Diarra Kilpatrick (Diarra From Detroit), Miles Brown (black-ish), and a vibrant community of Sunset Gardens residents voiced by Michael Harney (Orange is the New Black), P.J. Byrne (Rainmaker), Nana Visitor (Friday the 13th), Jim Meskimen (How The Grinch Stole Christmas), Jane Gennaro, Sophie Hayden, and Rafael Ferrer.
“Old people are some of the funniest, most unfiltered people I’ve ever met,” said Kenya Barris, “and we were excited to really lean into that audacity while also flipping the notion of what a retirement community looks like on its head because that generation is out here living their best lives before it’s over.”
He continued, “At its core, this is a story about love, reinvention and second chances filled with characters that prove getting older doesn’t have to mean slowing down anymore. I’ve had the privilege of collaborating with comedic powerhouses like Jenifer Lewis, Cedric the Entertainer, and Niecy Nash in the past, but having them bring their talents to this project truly allowed this story to shine in a different (and exponentially funnier) way than it would have otherwise — and I can’t wait for listeners to hear.”
“Dot is every woman who refuses to fade quietly into the background,” said Jenifer Lewis. “She’s got opinions, attitude, and a whole lot of living left to do. Dot’s sharp tongue and genuine heart really come through in audio, and show audiences that your best chapters can come at any age—as long as you’re breathing, you’re growing.”
Big Age will be exclusively available from Audible. For more information, visit audible.com/bigage.