Animals (American TV series)

Last updated

Animals
Animals. title card.jpg
Genre Comedy
Created by
  • Phil Matarese
  • Mike Luciano
Written by
  • Phil Matarese
  • Mike Luciano
Directed by
  • Phil Matarese
  • Mike Luciano
Voices of
  • Phil Matarese
  • Mike Luciano
Composer Julian Wass
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes30 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • James Fino
  • Kenny Micka
  • Jen Roskind
  • Joe Russo
  • Josh Polon
Running time22–30 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network HBO
ReleaseFebruary 5, 2016 (2016-02-05) 
October 5, 2018 (2018-10-05)

Animals (stylised Animals.) is an American adult animated [2] comedy television series created by Phil Matarese and Mike Luciano. The first two episodes were independently produced and presented at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2015. [3] In May 2015, HBO picked the series up with a two-season order, [4] which premiered on February 5, 2016. [5] The series was renewed for a third season on May 19, 2017. [6] Season 3 premiered on August 3, 2018. In October 2018, it was announced that HBO had canceled the series. [7]

Contents

Plot

Each episode features a different cast of special guests, along with creators Matarese and Luciano playing various animals. The show features retroscripting and improvised dialogue based on plot outlines. Each season also has a story arc featuring humans in live-action sequences, such as a corrupt mayor and the events leading to his reelection in season one.

In season two, the human story arc concerns a reporter investigating a virus outbreak created by mad scientist Dr. Labcoat, who is forced to release a gas that dissolves all human life in New York.

In season three, which takes place three years after the dubbed "Green Day" incident, the animals of New York have formed their own governments while they are being observed by two soldiers who are losing their grip on reality.

Cast

Main

Recurring

Humans

  • RuPaul Charles as Dr. Labcoat, the antagonist of season two's human storyline. A scientist of the unscrupulous conglomerate Pesci Co., Labcoat arranged for an epidemic in New York to sell the 'Green Pill' to enslave the populace. But after being exposed, Labcoat ends up destroying himself when he wiped out the human populace of New York. Posthumously, he established the Labcoat terrorists of season three.
  • John Early as The Assistant, Dr. Labcoat's aid and accomplice.
  • Demi Moore as The General, the antagonist of season three's human storyline.
  • Mel Rodriguez as The Lieutenant

Animals

Guest stars

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1 10February 5, 2016 (2016-02-05)April 8, 2016 (2016-04-08)
2 10March 17, 2017 (2017-03-17)May 19, 2017 (2017-05-19)
3 10August 3, 2018 (2018-08-03)October 5, 2018 (2018-10-05)

Critical reception

The first season has received positive reviews from critics. As of April 2020, it holds a 68% "Fresh" rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 19 reviews, with an average of 6.5/10. [13] On Metacritic, the series holds a rating of 54 out of 100, based on 12 critics, indicating "mixed or above average reviews". [14] Maureen Ryan of Variety gave the first season a negative review, writing, "The animated HBO show has a lot in common with programs like Girls, Louie, and Baskets, and like Togetherness, it boasts Mark and Jay Duplass as executive producers. But the extraordinarily tedious Animals., unlike those shows, fails to hit any of its chosen targets. It is unfunny, its animation is unexceptional and the studied banality of its dialogue is excruciating." [15] Conversely, David Wiegand in the San Francisco Chronicle gave the season a positive review, writing, "The deadpan approach only enhances the delicious off the wall comedy of Animals. The series is batty and brilliant as it turns the whole notion of anthropomorphic cartoon animals on its fuzzy ear." [16]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl Lumbly</span> American actor (born 1951)

Carl Winston Lumbly is an American actor. He is known for his role as television's first brown superhero in M.A.N.T.I.S., Dick Hallorann in Doctor Sleep, NYPD detective Marcus Petrie on the CBS police drama Cagney & Lacey, CIA agent Marcus Dixon on the ABC espionage drama series Alias, and as the voice of J'onn J'onnz / Martian Manhunter in the animated series Justice League,Static Shock and Justice League Unlimited, all part of the DC Animated Universe. As a reference to his voice work as J'onn, Lumbly portrayed J'onn J'onnz's father, M'yrnn, on The CW's Arrowverse on Supergirl from 2017 until 2019. He also plays Isaiah Bradley, the first Black super-soldier in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) installments The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021) and the forthcoming Captain America: Brave New World (2025).

<i>Togetherness</i> (TV series) American comedy-drama television series

Togetherness is an American comedy-drama television series created by Mark Duplass, Jay Duplass and Steve Zissis. It is primarily written and directed by the Duplass brothers, and stars Mark Duplass, Melanie Lynskey, Amanda Peet, Steve Zissis, and Abby Ryder Fortson. The series focuses on themes such as marriage and friendship.

Michael H. Darnell is an American television executive and is currently the president of unscripted and alternative television at Warner Bros. He spent nearly 19 years at the FOX network as president of alternative entertainment, overseeing the network's reality television division during the genre's rise. In 2017, Preston Beckman, a former FOX executive who writes under the pseudonym The Masked Scheduler, called Darnell "the king of reality TV and one of the more interesting, offbeat characters ever to occupy an executive suite."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kate Micucci</span> American actress

Kate Micucci is an American actress, comedian, and musician who is half of the musical comedy duo Garfunkel and Oates. Some of her roles include Stephanie Gooch in Scrubs, Ally in 'Til Death, Shelley in Raising Hope, Lucy in The Big Bang Theory, Sadie Miller in Steven Universe, Sara Murphy in Milo Murphy's Law, Kelly in Hamster and Gretel, Daisy in Nature Cat, Clayface in The Lego Batman Movie, Velma Dinkley in Scooby-Doo since 2015, Webby Vanderquack in DuckTales, Stacey in Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities, and Dr. Fox in Unikitty!.

<i>The Life & Times of Tim</i> Adult animated sitcom

The Life & Times of Tim is an American adult animated sitcom created by Steve Dildarian for HBO. It premiered on September 28, 2008. The series is about a hapless man in his mid-20s named Tim who lives in New York City with his girlfriend Amy. Throughout the series, Tim constantly finds himself in increasingly awkward situations in both his work and personal life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Wolk</span> American actor

James Wolk is an American actor. He is known for his starring roles in the CBS comedy series The Crazy Ones (2013–2014), the AMC period drama series Mad Men (2013–2014), the CBS drama thriller series Zoo (2015–2017), the CBS All Access psychological thriller series Tell Me a Story (2018–2019), and the HBO superhero limited series Watchmen (2019).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duncan Trussell</span> American comedian and actor (born 1974)

Charles Duncan Trussell is an American actor and stand-up comic, known for his podcast The Duncan Trussell Family Hour. He appeared on and co-created the 2020 Netflix series The Midnight Gospel, and starred alongside Joe Rogan in the SYFY series Joe Rogan Questions Everything.

Hello Ladies is an American sitcom created by Stephen Merchant, Lee Eisenberg, and Gene Stupnitsky. It stars Merchant as an Englishman looking for love in modern Los Angeles. The series premiered on the American network HBO on September 29, 2013. On January 23, 2014, HBO canceled the series; however, the series was concluded with a feature-length special, which aired on November 22, 2014.

<i>The Night Of</i> American crime drama television miniseries

The Night Of is a 2016 American eight-part crime drama miniseries based on the first season of Criminal Justice, a 2008 British series. The miniseries was written by Richard Price and Steven Zaillian, and directed by Zaillian and James Marsh. Broadcast on HBO, The Night Of premiered on July 10, 2016 to critical acclaim. The first episode premiered on June 24, 2016, via HBO's on-demand services. The Night Of received 13 Emmy nominations, winning five, including Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series for Riz Ahmed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duplass Brothers Productions</span> American production company

Duplass Brothers Productions is an American independent film and television production company founded by Mark Duplass and Jay Duplass, two brothers who are also actors, directors, producers and writers. They have produced films such as The Puffy Chair (2005), Safety Not Guaranteed (2012), The One I Love (2014) and The Skeleton Twins (2014), and the HBO comedy-drama television series Togetherness (2015–2016) and Room 104 (2017-2020).

<i>Vinyl</i> (TV series) American period television drama

Vinyl is an American period drama television series created by Mick Jagger, Martin Scorsese, Rich Cohen and Terence Winter. The series stars Bobby Cannavale as Richie Finestra, a record executive in the 1970s. It premiered on HBO on February 14, 2016, and concluded on April 17, 2016.

<i>Goliath</i> (TV series) American legal drama television series

Goliath is an American legal drama television series by Amazon Studios. The show was commissioned with a straight-to-series order of eight episodes on December 1, 2015 and premiered on October 13, 2016, on Amazon Prime Video. On February 15, 2017, Amazon announced the series had been renewed for a second season and confirmed that Clyde Phillips was joining the series as showrunner. The trailer for season 2 was released on May 1, 2018. Season 2, consisting of eight episodes, was released on June 15, 2018. On December 11, 2018, the series was renewed for a third season, which premiered on October 4, 2019. On November 14, 2019, Amazon announced the series was renewed for a fourth and final season, which premiered on September 24, 2021.

<i>Room 104</i> American anthology television series

Room 104 is an American anthology television series created by Mark Duplass and Jay Duplass, first broadcast on HBO between 2017 and 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brownstone Productions</span> American film and television production company

Brownstone Productions, Inc. is an American film and television production company founded by actress, director and producer Elizabeth Banks and Max Handelman. It is known for producing films in the Pitch Perfect franchise, Charlie's Angels (2019) and Cocaine Bear (2023).

<i>Perry Mason</i> (2020 TV series) 2020 American drama television series

Perry Mason is an American period drama television series created by Rolin Jones and Ron Fitzgerald for HBO. Based on the character of the same name by Erle Stanley Gardner, the series stars Matthew Rhys in the title role and premiered on June 21, 2020.

<i>The Prince</i> (TV series) American animated sitcom TV series

The Prince is an American animated sitcom created by Gary Janetti for HBO Max. Originally slated for a late spring 2021 date, HBO Max announced on May 9, 2021, that the series would be delayed due to Prince Philip's death in April 2021. The series premiered on July 29, 2021. In February 2022, HBO Max cancelled the series after one season.

References

  1. "How Phil Matarese and Mike Luciano Turned Their Ad Agency Side Project Into HBO's New Animated Series, 'Animals'". February 12, 2016. Archived from the original on June 29, 2017. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  2. "Animals - TV Review". www.commonsensemedia.org. February 8, 2016. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  3. Andreeva, Nellie (January 20, 2015). "Animated Series 'Animals' Adds Indie TV Flavor To Sundance Film Festival". Deadline. Retrieved February 14, 2016.
  4. Andreeva, Nellie (May 29, 2015). "HBO Gives 2-Season Order To 'Animals' Animated Comedy From Duplass Brothers". Deadline. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
  5. "HBO Confirms Debut Date for Animated Adult Comedy Series "Animals"". The Futon Critic. November 25, 2015. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
  6. Petski, Denise (May 19, 2017). "'Animals' Renewed For Third Season By HBO". Deadline. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
  7. Andreeva, Nellie (October 17, 2018). "'Animals' Animated Series Canceled By HBO After 3 Seasons". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 "Animals". HBO . Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Radish, Christina (February 3, 2016). "Animals': 14 Things to Know About HBO's Bewildering Animated Series". Collider.com. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  10. Nguyen, Hanh (March 1, 2017). "'Animals' Trailer: Season 2 Throws Down With Emilia Clarke, Judy Greer, Rupaul and Dan Harmon". IndieWire. Archived from the original on March 1, 2017. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
  11. ""Animals." Rats (TV Episode 2016) - IMDb". IMDb .
  12. ""Animals." Rats (TV Episode 2016) - IMDb". IMDb .
  13. "Animals : Season 1 (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  14. "Animals: Season 1". Metacritic . Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  15. Ryan, Maureen (February 3, 2016). "TV Review: 'Animals'". Variety. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  16. Wiegand, David (February 1, 2016). "'Animals' cuts the cute, but remains wildly kooky". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved April 10, 2016.

Further reading