For years, a particular section of the internet has been manifesting one very specific dream: Ayo Edebiri in a romantic comedy. In 2023, Normal People star Paul Mescal even voiced his own desire to team up with Edebiri for a romcom, telling AwardsWatch, “Comedy scares me deeply because I think I saw Bottoms recently, and I was in awe of how they do that... But I think in the next five years I’m going to set myself a challenge to do maybe like a romcom with Ayo or something like that would be cool.” When asked about this hypothetical romcom during last year’s Met Gala, Edebiri responded: “The chances are dependent on both of our schedules and if we get a good script.”
While a Mescal-Edebiri romcom remains a dream for now, fans can rejoice because Edebiri is finally stepping into the genre. Apple TV+ announced yesterday (22 April) that she’ll star in a new seven-episode romantic comedy, Prodigies, opposite The White Lotus star Will Sharpe.
Written and directed by Sharpe, Prodigies offers a refreshingly off-kilter take on the romantic comedy formula. The series follows Didi (Edebiri) and Ren (Sharpe), two former child prodigies who’ve been inseparable since childhood. Now in their early thirties, they’re beginning to wonder whether their very normal adult lives measure up to the extraordinary expectations once placed on them. That existential doubt soon seeps into their relationship, forcing them to question whether their shared life is enough.
No release date has been announced yet. Edebiri and Sharpe are executive producers alongside Jane Featherstone, Naomi de Pear and Katie Carpenter.