Druski Turns Viral Megachurch Pastor Skit Into Netflix Comedy ‘Collect & Praise’

Collect & Praise, premiering December 1, pairs Druski with Mike Epps in a comedy about a pastor whose appetite for money keeps landing him in trouble.

Druski's fictional megachurch pastor made his entrance suspended from cables. He wore designer clothes, drove expensive cars and had no trouble asking his congregation for money. The January sketch drew laughs and criticism, with some viewers seeing an attack on the church and others recognizing a pointed send-up of pastors who turn the pulpit into a platform for personal gain. Now Netflix is giving the character a series of his own.

Collect & Praise is the first project under a multiyear deal between Netflix, Druski and his production company, 4LIFERS Entertainment. In the semi-scripted comedy, Druski reprises his role as the money-driven pastor, while Epps plays his unpredictable deacon and right-hand man. The two scheme their way through a string of scandals, giving the preacher's fundraising antics consequences that can play out beyond a single sketch.

The original sketch drew its humor from the distance between the pastor's appeals for money and the luxury he put on display. The entrance made him look like the star of the service. The clothes and cars gave viewers a reason to wonder who benefited when the offering came in. As ChurchLeaders reported, some viewers took the parody as a swipe at the church itself, while others saw it as a critique that church leaders could take seriously.

For church audiences, the test will be where the series aims its sharpest jokes. The original sketch had a clear target in a preacher who used the trust of his congregation to enrich himself. A full series has room to show what that behavior costs the people in the pews, whose generosity gives the pastor's schemes somewhere to start.

Netflix will also license selected titles from Druski's existing catalog, including Coulda Been Love, Coulda Been Daddy, Coulda Been Records Auditions and some of his comedy sketches. Druski said the deal would help his team develop original programming and bring his character-driven comedy to a wider audience.