Kent Alterman on the lookout for animated comedy

Kent Alterman, Comedy Central’s president, expressed his desire to find more animated comedies during the Edinburgh International Television Festival.

During a Q&A session with comedian Jimmy Carr, Alterman said that it has been difficult to find animated shows that have been able to live in the shadow of long-running toon South Park, which has been running for 21 years.

“South Park sets such a high standard, that show is almost the ultimate expression of a great comedy show,” he said. “It’s funny, it’s accessible, but its acerbic and has fantastic social and political satire.”

Alterman also discussed how comedy has been hindered by social media, despite bringing about successful titles such as Broad City and Insecure.

He said: “Everything seems to be agenda driven; people pre-judge stuff, people take things out of context so that it fits their agenda. With social media and the internet things can explosively take on a life of their own that distorts truth and reality.”

This often cuts comedy careers short while talent is still working out material, according to the executive, who replaced Michele Ganeless as Comedy Central president last year.