The project was part of the network's TZGZ late-night animation block. It was created, written, and executive produced by Dino Stamatopoulos and Michael Waldron, with Sofia Åström serving as director and editor.[1]
Despite the high-profile creative team, the pilot was not picked up for a full series order and remains a standalone work.
Synopsis
The pilot centers on a "dive bar at the end of the universe," situated on the precipice of a massive, sentient black hole. While a galactic war of catastrophic proportions threatens the rest of the universe, the bar's staff and patrons—an assortment of nihilistic humans and bizarre extraterrestrials—remain indifferent, preferring to wallow in their own personal neuroses and petty grievances.
The narrative utilizes the black hole as both a literal setting and a metaphor for the characters' internal "emptiness" and lack of purpose.
In early 2020, Syfy announced a development deal with Starburns Industries to bolster its "TZGZ" animation brand.[2][3][4]The Black Hole was pitched as a spiritual successor to the dark, character-driven humor of Mary Shelley's Frankenhole.
The animation was handled by Starburns Industries in Burbank, California. Moving away from the studio's traditional stop-motion roots, The Black Hole utilized a 2D digital aesthetic characterized by vibrant, psychedelic colors contrasted with "grubby" character designs. Åström implemented a surrealist visual language to represent the physics-bending nature of the bar's location.
Reception
Critics and fans of the "Harmon-adjacent" school of comedy noted the pilot's heavy focus on existentialism and absurdism. By placing the characters in a high-stakes sci-fi environment but forcing them to focus on low-stakes social interactions, the pilot subverted traditional space opera tropes.
Upon its release in July 2021, the pilot received a positive underground reception on social media and animation forums. However, industry analysts noted that the restructuring of NBCUniversal’s cable strategy during the 2021–2022 season likely contributed to the TZGZ block's dissolution, leaving The Black Hole without a platform.
Cancellation
Shortly after its release, Stamatopoulos announced that Syfy had opted not to move forward with a full series order.[5] Following the cancellation, the pilot was made available online by the creators, where it developed a cult following among fans of "lost" or "failed" pilots.
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