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Kevin Hart Media

Kevin Hart’s Cold as Balls comedy series from his Laugh Out Loud network launches season two

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By Kyle O'Brien, Creative Works Editor

August 21, 2018 | 4 min read

Old Spice embraces the funny and quirky, so it’s no surprise that the brand is back to present Laugh Out Loud's comedy series from Kevin Hart, Cold as Balls, which returns with an all new season and another sponsor – Mountain Dew Kickstart.

Kevin Hart and Odell Beckham Jr

Kevin Hart and Odell Beckham Jr.

The prolific comic, who promotes plenty of products, from sports technology to underwear, is at home in the second season of his wildly popular comedy interview series, and it’s one that finds him branching out to new personalities that aren’t just tied to basketball, as the first season did.

This time around, Hart sits in ice baths in a locker room setting (thus, the chilly moniker), with more sports stars, including basketballer Lamar Odom, plus footballers Odell Beckham and Johnny Manziel, broadcaster Skip Bayless and basketball players Isaiah Thomas and Metta World Peace. The season also features Mountain Dew Kickstart as a sponsor (another brand Hart is tied to), which Hart will weave into the conversation. The brand also joins the series to provide bonus preview content before each episode.

Hart makes the interviews both awkward and hilarious. He’s not afraid to ask tough questions – including asking Odom if he knew how close he was to dying when he was found unconscious in a brothel – and he has a comfortable familiarity with the guests.

“He knows these people well,” said executive producer Michael D. Ratner of OBB pictures, which produces the series, to The Drum. “We did try to diversify as much as we could, with football players, wrestlers, boxers. When Kevin and I go into pre-production meeting, we always ask, ‘what’s the most interesting thing?’ Something off the court. In their personal life.”

Ratner noted how big the first season was, as it outperformed many other online series, with over 80 million views across six episodes. The series premiere was the number two trending video worldwide on YouTube. And across the entire television universe – for broadcast, cable, and streaming programs – Cold As Balls has received more video views per episode on YouTube than powerhouse programs like The Four (8m), Late Night with Seth Meyers (7.7m), Keeping Up with the Kardashians (5.9m), and The Voice (5.5m).

“After the tremendous success of the first season, we are so excited to return with season two for the millions of fans of this show only bigger, funnier and crazier. Kevin’s unique ability to get the realest conversations with the biggest stars in the world allows for this show to be unlike any other,” said Ratner.

The series runs on YouTube and on Hart’s online network with Lionsgate, Laugh Out Loud (LOL). To continue the success the team had on the first series, they looked to the data and the feedback from fans to craft a series that is starting with six episodes but has more at the ready, according to Ratner.

“We leaned into what audience responds to. We go through Twitter, YouTube, and research of what the fans are talking about, what point they drop off. They liked some of the characters we added into the show, so we incorporated them into the scenes,” he said.

"I'm looking forward to jumping back in the ice bath to go head-to-head with a whole new set of incredible sports figures this season," added Hart in a release for the series. "It was amazing to see the overwhelming response and massive viewership from the first season. This season is sure to be another game changer with bigger laughs and colder questions."

To see the first episode of season two of Cold as Balls, click on the Creative Works box below.

Old Spice and Mountain Dew: advert-body-2 by Laugh Out Loud & OBB Pictures

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