The writers, producers and performers Diallo Riddle and Bashir Salahuddin like to cover their comedic bets. On Wednesday, Comedy Central is premiering “South Side,” their amiable new sitcom set in the working-class Chicago neighborhood of Englewood. But wait, there’s more: The following Wednesday, IFC is premiering “Sherman’s Showcase,” their high-concept vaudeville act that takes the form of a tribute to a fictional variety show at the intersection of “Soul Train,” “Laugh-In” and late-night cable-access.

While the two shows look nothing like each other, there are some constants in the Riddle-and-Salahuddin approach. Their humor, while clever and with a satirical edge, is embracing and to a large degree universal — they’re more interested in pointing out foibles than in retailing grievances (particularly in “South Side”).

Complementing that stance is a worldview that feels thoroughly nostalgic. “South Side,” about a pair of best friends and recent community-college graduates with aspirations — the 10-episode season largely charts their efforts to find more gainful employment than their jobs as furniture repossessors — is set in the present day of mint lattes and bitcoin. But its rhythms and relationships are thoroughly traditional, carrying on a sitcom legacy running from “Sanford and Son” and “Good Times” through Aaron McGruder’s “Black Jesus” to “Rel,” the Lil Rel Howery series also set on Chicago’s South Side. (Howery has a supporting role in “South Side” as a fellow furniture-store employee and abrasive antagonist to the easygoing heroes.)

“Sherman’s Showcase,” meanwhile, is a pure jolt of stylized nostalgia, from its affectionate sendups of soul, R&B and hip-hop to its candy-colored sets with their abstract cutouts, traversed by roller-skating dancers. “American culture peaked in 1973,” proclaims the host of the show within the show, Sherman McDaniel (Salahuddin). “Anything after that is a [expletive] lie.”