Strange Planet (TV series)

Last updated
Strange Planet
Genre
Created by
Based onStrange Planet
by Nathan W. Pyle
Starring
Composer Isabella Summers
Country of origin
  • United States
  • Canada
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes10
Production
Executive producers
  • Alex Bulkley
  • Corey Campodonico
  • Amalia Levari
  • Steve Levy
  • Dan Harmon
  • Taylor Alexy Pyle
  • Nathan W. Pyle
ProducerMonica Mitchell
Running time19–25 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network Apple TV+
ReleaseAugust 9, 2023 (2023-08-09) 
present

Strange Planet is an animated science fiction comedy television series based on the webcomic of the same name by Nathan W. Pyle. Pyle co-created the series with Dan Harmon. The series premiered on August 9, 2023 on Apple TV+.

Contents

Premise

Blue beings find themselves exploring and trying to understand the complexities and nuances of human traits.

Cast

Main

All main cast members portray multiple characters which vary between episodes.

Guest

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date [1]
1"The Flying Machine"Mike Roberts Dan Harmon and Nathan W. Pyle August 9, 2023 (2023-08-09)
A popular band splits up, throwing their lives and their fans’ lives into chaos. Elsewhere, an air comfort supervisor’s new role creates turbulence.
2"Greyscale Finger Bandit"Charlie G. and Caitlin VanarsdaleZack Bornstein and Lauren PomerantzAugust 9, 2023 (2023-08-09)
A lovelorn being offers to take care of their crush’s vibrating creature. Next door, a small being insist on adopting an outside creature.
3"Careful Now"Maaike Scherff and Monica TomovaAmalia Levari and Steven Raia and Lauren PomerantzAugust 9, 2023 (2023-08-09)
While at the tumble scrub, a being has a chance encounter with a stranger that leads to an unexpected but exciting opportunity.
4"The Big Wet"Charlie G. and Caitlin VanarsdaleBrydie Lee-Kennedy and Steve Levy and Nathan W. PyleAugust 16, 2023 (2023-08-16)
Tensions between an overbearing lifegiver and their offspring come to a head. Careful Now weathers a mishap on Free Jitter Liquid Day.
5"Family, Fandom, Footorb"Katie Aldworth and Charlie G.Steve Levy and Nathan W. Pyle and Beth Stelling August 23, 2023 (2023-08-23)
Wanting to please their lifegiver, two siblings try bonding over their interests. A footorb referee’s bad call could cost them their dream job.
6"Key Change"Charlie G. and Maaike Scherff Demi Adejuyigbe and Steve Levy and Nathan W. PyleAugust 30, 2023 (2023-08-30)
A being struggles with performing at the talent show. Meanwhile, two other beings reluctantly learn to cooperate.
7"Adolescent Limbshake"Monica TomovaSummer Plair and Steve Levy and Nathan W. PyleSeptember 6, 2023 (2023-09-06)
Two high-school beings reluctantly team up to plan an event. Meanwhile, at the same school, two best friends have a dramatic falling out.
8"Tiny Trash"Katie Aldworth and Charlie G.Dani Michaeli and Steve Levy and Nathan W. Pyle and Lauren PomerantzSeptember 13, 2023 (2023-09-13)
A being has an existential crisis on their 25th emergence day as their best friend secretly organizes a party to celebrate.
9"Before Star Rise"Maaike Scherff and Caitlin Vanarsdale Open Mike Eagle and Lauren PomerantzSeptember 20, 2023 (2023-09-20)
A couple who run a skin ink parlor are hit with unexpected news. Careful Now’s manager and regular go on an impromptu date.
10"Double Shadow Day"Charlie G. and Monica TomovaNathan W. Pyle and Taylor Alexy PyleSeptember 27, 2023 (2023-09-27)
Careful Now is the perfect spot to view a once-every-15-revolutions eclipse, but a mysterious situation might ruin the party.

Production

The series was greenlit by Apple TV+ in June 2021, with Nathan W. Pyle collaborating with Dan Harmon to co-create the series. Amalia Levari was set as showrunner. [2] In July 2023, Tunde Adebimpe, Demi Adejuyigbe, Lori Tan Chinn, Danny Pudi and Hannah Einbinder were set for the voice cast. [3]

Release

The series was released on August 9, 2023. [3]

Reception

Strange Planet received positive reviews from critics. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 81% approval rating with an average rating of 6.3/10 based on 27 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Leveraging its alien conceit to make astute observations about society, Strange Planet is wryly amusing and relatably human"." [4] Alan Sepinwall of Rolling Stone praised the show for its "reliable level of sweetness", while noting that most of its humor "hits the level of wry amusement and not much more, not unlike the experience of reading a comic strip, smiling, and saying, 'I get it,' without actually laughing." [5] Lucy Mangan of The Guardian gave the show 3 stars out of 5, opining that the comic strip's premise wore too thin during a season of ten 25-minute episodes. [6] In a more mixed review, Maya Phillips of The New York Times found the show's comedic moments to be more uneven and less interesting than its philosophical musings, writing, "More often than not, 'Strange Planet' is cute and delightful". [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Harmon</span> American screenwriter

Daniel James Harmon is an American screenwriter and producer. He is best known as the creator and producer of the NBC and Yahoo! Screen sitcom Community (2009–2015), creator and host of the comedy podcast Harmontown (2012–2019), co-creator of the Adult Swim animated sitcom Rick and Morty (2013–present) and its subsequent franchise along with Justin Roiland, and co-founder of the alternative television network and website Channel 101 along with Rob Schrab.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tunde Adebimpe</span> American musician (born 1975)

Babatunde Omoroga Adebimpe is an American musician, singer-songwriter, actor, director, and visual artist best known as the lead singer of the Brooklyn-based band TV on the Radio.

<i>Community</i> (TV series) 2009–2015 American sitcom

Community is an American television sitcom created by Dan Harmon. The series ran for 110 episodes over six seasons, with its first five seasons airing on NBC from September 17, 2009, to April 17, 2014, and its final season airing on Yahoo! Screen from March 17 to June 2, 2015. Set at a community college in the fictional Colorado town of Greendale, the series stars an ensemble cast including Joel McHale, Gillian Jacobs, Danny Pudi, Yvette Nicole Brown, Alison Brie, Donald Glover, Ken Jeong, Chevy Chase, and Jim Rash. It makes use of meta-humor and pop culture references, paying homage to film and television clichés and tropes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isabella Summers</span> English musician, songwriter, producer and remixer

Isabella Janet Florentina Summers is an English musician, songwriter, producer, remixer and composer. She is a founding member of English indie rock band Florence and the Machine.

"Pilot" is the first episode of the first season of the NBC sitcom Community. It aired in the United States on September 17, 2009. Written by Dan Harmon, the show's creator, the episode was directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo. The episode introduces Jeffrey Winger, a disbarred lawyer who is forced to attend community college to get his license back. He tries to exploit his friendship with one of the faculty members for easy credits, but fails, and is forced to join a Spanish study group. The members of this study group make up the main cast of the series.

"Spanish 101" is the second episode of the first season of the American comedy television series Community. It aired in the United States on NBC on September 24, 2009. The episode features Jeff and Pierce working on a Spanish project as Annie and Shirley organize a protest. Receiving 5.39 million viewers upon its premiere, the episode was met with mostly positive critical reception. The end tag—the first of the series—shows Troy and Abed performing a nonsense rap in Spanish, an early interaction between the pair which was praised by reviewers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abed Nadir</span> Fictional character in Community

Abed Gubi Nadir is a fictional character on the NBC/Yahoo! Screen sitcom series Community, created by Dan Harmon and portrayed by Danny Pudi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas</span> 11th episode of the 2nd season of Community

"Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas" is the eleventh episode of the second season of the American comedy television series Community. It originally aired on December 9, 2010, on NBC. Abed begins experiencing the world in stop motion. His study group enlists the help of psychology professor Ian Duncan to end the delusion, but turns against Duncan after he reveals Abed's delusion began when he learned his mother is not visiting for Christmas.

"Anthropology 101" is the second season premiere of the American television series Community. It was originally broadcast on September 23, 2010 on NBC.

"Documentary Filmmaking: Redux" is the eighth episode of the third season of the U.S. television series Community. It was originally broadcast on November 17, 2011 on NBC.

"Regional Holiday Music" is the tenth episode and mid-season finale of the third season of the American television series Community, and 59th overall episode of the series. It was originally broadcast on December 8, 2011 on NBC and is the final episode before the show went on hiatus during the 2011–12 midseason. The Christmas-themed episode is a musical featuring original songs performed by cast members. After Greendale's glee club members become incapacitated, the study group is asked to join. Despite their dislike of the club, each of them is lured into joining after their vulnerabilities are exploited.

"Digital Exploration of Interior Design" is the thirteenth episode of the third season of the American television series Community. It originally aired on March 29, 2012, on NBC. The episode was written by Chris McKenna and directed by Dan Eckman.

<i>Community</i> (season 5) Season of television series

The fifth season of the television comedy series Community premiered on January 2, 2014, and concluded on April 17, 2014. The season consists of 13 episodes and aired on NBC on Thursdays at 8:00 pm ET as part of the network's "Comedy Night Done Right". The season features the return of series creator Dan Harmon as showrunner, as well as the exit of cast members Donald Glover and Chevy Chase from the series. John Oliver returned as Ian Duncan after a two-year hiatus. Jonathan Banks made his introduction to the series as Buzz Hickey, a criminology professor.

Rick and Morty is an American adult animated science fiction sitcom created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon for Cartoon Network's nighttime programming block Adult Swim. The series follows the misadventures of Rick Sanchez, a cynical mad scientist, and his good-hearted but fretful grandson Morty Smith, who split their time between domestic life and interdimensional adventures that take place across an infinite number of realities, often traveling to other planets and dimensions through portals and on Rick's flying saucer. The general concept of Rick and Morty relies on two conflicting scenarios: domestic family drama and a misanthropic grandfather dragging his grandson into hijinks.

"Wedding Videography" is the twelfth and penultimate episode of the sixth season of the American comedy television series Community and the 109th episode overall. It was written by Briggs Hatton and directed by Adam Davidson. The episode was released on Yahoo! Screen in the United States on May 26, 2015.

Nathan W. Pyle is an American cartoonist and writer living in New York City. He is the creator of the popular webcomic Strange Planet, which depicts a planet of blue beings discussing banal human experiences in technical language. He has had multiple books reach The New York Times Best Seller list.

<i>Severance</i> (TV series) American television series

Severance is an American science fiction psychological thriller television series created by Dan Erickson and directed by Ben Stiller and Aoife McArdle. It stars Adam Scott, Zach Cherry, Britt Lower, Tramell Tillman, Jen Tullock, Dichen Lachman, Michael Chernus, John Turturro, Christopher Walken, and Patricia Arquette. The plot follows Mark S. (Scott), an employee of the fictional corporation Lumon Industries who agrees to a "severance" program in which his non-work memories are separated from his work memories.

Rick and Morty is an American animated science-fiction comedy franchise, whose eponymous duo consists of Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith. Rick and Morty were created by cartoonist Justin Roiland for a 2006 parody film of Back to the Future for Channel 101, a short film festival co-founded by Dan Harmon. After six years, the sketch was developed into Rick and Morty, a half-hour prime time show that was a hit for Adult Swim, receiving universal acclaim across all seasons. Alongside the original television series, the characters of the show have been featured in a variety of media, including spin-offs, comic books, musical releases and video games. The show has earned hundreds of millions of dollars in income across their merchandising and media franchise.

Krapopolis is an American animated sitcom created by Dan Harmon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. In October 2022, ahead of its premiere, the series was renewed for a second season. In March 2023, it was renewed for a third season ahead of the first-season premiere. The series premiered on September 24, 2023, on the Animation Domination programming block. The first season is scheduled to conclude on May 19, 2024.

References

  1. "Shows A-Z – Strange Planet on Apple+". The Futon Critic . Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  2. White, Peter (June 23, 2021). "Dan Harmon & Nathan Pyle Adapting Comic Strange Planet As Animated Series Greenlit At Apple". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  3. 1 2 Petski, Denise (July 6, 2023). "Strange Planet: Dan Harmon & Nathan Pyle's Adult Animated Series Gets Apple Premiere Date". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  4. "Strange Planet: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  5. Sepinwall, Alan (August 18, 2023). "'Strange Planet' Is an Amusing New Show From the Creator of 'Rick and Morty'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
  6. Mangan, Lucy (August 9, 2023). "Strange Planet review – never has the phrase 'too much of a good thing' been more appropriate". The Guardian. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
  7. Phillips, Maya (August 8, 2023). "'Strange Planet' Review: An Alien's Guide to Being Human". The New York Times. Retrieved August 19, 2023.