Kanye West’s rejected HBO TV show has leaked online

The scrapped comedy, featuring the controversial rapper playing himself, is currently available to watch on the web.

In this current era of prestige TV, the sheer volume of television shows on offer to viewers can sometimes feel overwhelming. That said, it is worth noting that these are only the series that make it to air. In fact, a common practice of TV networks is to give television creators the money to make a standalone, proof-of-concept episode of a programme as a means of gauging whether that show could be successful in the long term. Oftentimes, series made this way do not get picked up for a full season and those pilot episodes wind up not being released. One example of this phenomenon was A Little Inappropriate, a comedy starring Kanye West made for HBO in 2008 that has only recently surfaced online.

A still from A Little Inappropriate starring Kanye West

Reportedly inspired by the controversial rapper's love of the Larry David-led sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm, the pilot is shot in a similar documentary-like style and sees West play himself as he becomes embroiled in comedically awkward situations due to his fame. For example, A Little Inappropriate's pilot sees the musician meet a young boy through the Make-A-Wish Foundation before later discovering that the child is no longer sick. Helmed by frequent Curb Your Enthusiasm director Larry Charles, the pilot also features J.B. Smoove and Jeff Garlin from the Larry David-fronted sitcom, alongside recognisable faces like Kym Whitley (Black Dynamite), P.J. Byrne (The Wolf of Wall Street) and Wyatt Cenac (Medicine for Melancholy). While the reasons why HBO passed on A Little Inappropriate remain unclear, the comedy's 28-minute pilot has been uploaded to YouTube in its entirety. At the time of writing, it is available to watch right here: Meanwhile, to read about the Succession-esque series starring Brendan Gleeson that HBO also rejected, click this link. Read more:

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