Samantha Bee ‘demolishes’ old set, is reborn with larger-than-life presence

In addition to the new set, the show also updated its motion graphics and open to match the cityscape and grid look used on the walls.

The new open, from Sarofsky under the direction of Erin Sarofsky, echoes the set’s bright colors — mixing them with black and white “collages” of Bee interacting with various U.S. landmarks — often with humorous results. The overall look is described as a “punk rock poster” aesthetic.

“Simply put, we were asked to create a main title creatively reflecting Samantha’s tone, persona and content. As a smaller-framed woman who has a larger-than-life presence, Samantha’s words carry a lot of weight,” noted Sarofsky. “Still, she is the first person to joke about herself. Self-deprecating and highly self-aware, she is a master at turning it back around and using herself as the punch line.”

Show principals including executive producers Miles Kahn, Alison Camillo and Pat King emphasized the need to convey Samantha’s strong sense of purpose, motivations, inquisitive nature, and her drive to shake things up in the open. 

“As a woman, I know how hard it is to strike the right tone with people,” Sarofsky noted in a release. “In whatever we came up with, I wanted to communicate what a bad-ass I think she [Bee] is… slicing through the messy political landscape each week and doing it all with a wink. To be such a powerful, hilarious figure in the mix, calling it as she sees it, is courageous and bad-ass beyond words.”

Credits:

Executive Producers: Samantha Bee, Alison Camillo, Miles Kahn
Producer: Chris Savage

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Production Company: Sarofsky
Live Action Director & Creative Director: Erin Sarofsky
Director of Photography: Michael Bove
Executive Producer: Steven Anderson
Senior Producer: Bryan Haney
Designer, Animators: Josh Smiertka, Leah Evans, Jake Matthews, Tanner Wickware
Designers: Duarte Elvas, Levi Reardon

Editorial Company: Cutters Studios
Editor: Dustin Kaufman
Associate Producer: Natalie Stone