‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’ Adds Gina Yashere As Recurring
Bob Hearts Abishola co-creator and star Gina Yashere has joined the cast of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy in a recurring role.
Yashere will play an Academy instructor in the Paramount+ series. She joins previously announced cast Holly Hunter, Kerrice Brooks, Bella Shepard, George Hawkins, Karim Diané, Zo? Steiner and Paul Giamatti.
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Production is set to begin next month.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy introduces viewers to a young group of cadets who come together to pursue a common dream of hope and optimism. Under the watchful and demanding eyes of their instructors, they discover what it takes to become Starfleet officers as they navigate blossoming friendships, explosive rivalries, first loves and a new enemy that threatens both the Academy and the Federation itself.
Kurtzman and Noga Landau serve as co-showrunners and executive produce the series alongside EPs Gaia Violo, Aaron Baiers, Olatunde Osunsanmi, Jenny Lumet, Rod Roddenberry, Trevor Roth, Frank Siracusa and John Weber. The series’ premiere episode is written by Gaia Violo. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is produced by CBS Studios in association with Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment.
Yashere was one of the creators and showrunners of Chuck Lorre’s comedy Bob Hearts Abishola, starring Billy Gardell, which ran for five seasons on CBS. She also portrayed Kemi, friend to Abishola, on the show. Yashere can be seen as part of season two of Netflix’s half-hour comedy series, The Standups. She was the British Correspondent for Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Trevor Noah and has appeared on That’s My Jam, Def Comedy Jam, Live at the Apollo, Comedy Knockout, and The Tonight Show.
Yashere came to the U.S. as a finalist on Last Comic Standing, and has done three hour-long stand-up specials, Skinny B*tch, Gina Yashere: Laughing To America and Ticking Boxes. In addition to Bob Hearts Abishola, her television credits include The Neighborhood, Crashing, Married Single Other, The Lenny Henry Show, Bromwell High and The Barbarian and the Troll. Yashere is repped by Jodi Lieberman at Lieberman Entertainment, Conan Smith at Buchwald and Marcie Cleary at Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz PC.
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