Adult Swim today announced two all-new original series from creators Jason Ruiz, Michael Cusack and Zach Hadel, as well as four all-new digital short series. Royal Crackers, Ruiz’s (Murder Police) first project with the network, will introduce fans to the cracker dynasty Hornsby family in a new half-hour comedy series.
Cusack (YOLO: Crystal Fantasy) is partnering again with Adult Swim alongside Hadel (Hellbenders) on Smiling Friends, a whole new take on self-help.
In Smiling Friends, Smiling Friends Inc. is there to lend a helping hand to any city inhabitant who calls their hotline with their troubling situation. No matter how absurd, the folks at Smiling Friends will send representatives cynical Charlie and star employee Pim to save the day.
Smiling Friends is a quarter-hour animated series created, written and produced by Cusack and Hadel and will premiere on Adult Swim later this year.
The pilot for Smiling Friends originally aired during Adult Swim’s 2019 April Fool’s Day stunt to massive fan reaction. On Adult Swim digital platforms, the pilot has generated 1.3M views and is the #1 most watched episode on AdultSwim.com since its release.
Cusack’s first show with Adult Swim, YOLO: Crystal Fantasy regularly won the half-hour across ad-supported cable among all adult demos. Additionally, it beat the key late-night competition by mostly double and triple digits among young adult demos.
Royal Crackers is a half-hour animated series that follows two brothers: Stebe, a family man with a wife and child; and Theo Jr., a single, bass guitar player trying to relive his glory days. Together they live in their comatose father’s house waiting for him to die (he never does) so they can inherit his cracker company empire.
Royal Crackers is created by Ruiz who also serves as executive producer along with Seth Cohen. The series is produced by Titmouse and will premiere on Adult Swim in 2022.
Ruiz first started creating web animation at 12 years-old and was the first writer to emerge from the Fox/20th Joint Inkubation Program with a completed pilot. He was also listed in The New York Times as one of 5 rising animators to watch, which also included Rebecca Sugar and Justin Roiland.
Ruiz previously created and developed original animated content for Super Deluxe and Fox.
Adult Swim announced today they are expanding their creative portfolio with the production of four all-new digital short series. These new series will be based off break out characters from or inspired by the network’s hit shows Rick and Morty, Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell, Robot Chicken, and Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Each mini spin-off series will comprise of eight to 10 episodes and will be available across digital platforms, globally.
“We see it as our mission to put something hilarious within a fingers’ swipe of anyone on the planet,” said Michael Ouweleen, president of Adult Swim. “These shorts are a way to meet the next generation of Adult Swim fans where they are, while giving our creators another format to play in and innovate around.”
Each digital short series will highlight minor characters that have previously appeared in or been inspired by fan-favorite series and create new worlds with them as the stars. Fans will go on missions with The Vindicators, catch up with the Aqua Teen villains, have fun with the demons in hell and explore the life of Alabama Jackson, a character invented at a Robot Chicken San Diego Comic Con panel by actor Donald Faison.
THE VINDICATORS
Answer the Vindibeacon and join your old pals Supernova, Vance Maxiumus, Alan Rails, Crocubot and Noob Noob as they fight crime, avert genocides, and yuk it up without Rick and Morty. The Vindicators is executive produced by Erica Rosbe, Sarah Carbiener, Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland.
“We are thrilled to work in the Rick and Morty universe again, and these shorts are an incredible opportunity to explore what happens in the aftermath of the Vindicators saving (or destroying) worlds,” said The Vindicators executive producers Sarah Carbiener and Erica Rosbe. “We’re so excited to show how this team of superheroes is plenty dysfunctional whether Rick’s around to have half of them murdered or not.”
ALABAMA JACKSON
Donald Faison is Alabama Jackson, a smooth-talking time traveler who lands in exactly the wrong place at the wrong time, every time. If he can survive the past long enough to get back to the present, he just might find something he wasn’t looking for—himself. Alabama Jackson is a hilarious action-packed stop-motion animated series created by Donald Faison and Produced by Stoopid Buddy Stoodios.
“It’s been my dream to create something with stop-motion animation ever since Seth Green showed me clips of this crazy sketch show he was working on where the stars were the toys I grew up playing with,” said actor and Alabama Jackson creator Donald Faison. “For it to come full circle and for my show to be made with this same team of artists only makes me more excited to explore the stories of Alabama Jackson!”
AQUADONK SIDE PIECES
Aquadonk Side Pieces is the long-awaited continuation of the beloved Adult Swim animated series Aqua Teen Hunger Force where fans will be bestowed with the gift of learning what happens in the later lives of various side characters and villains such as The Mooninites, The Plutonians, MC Pee Pants, The Frat Aliens, Happy Time Harry, Handbanana, and The Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past. Aquadonk Side Pieces was created by Matt Maiellaro and Dave Willis. The new series will premiere later this year.
YOUR PRETTY FACE IS GOING TO HELL: THE ANIMATED SERIES
Hell is eternal, and so is the beloved Emmy-nominated cult show Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell as it returns for a fifth season, this time in animated internet shorts. Cruel boss Satan (Matt Servitto), bumbling demon Gary (Henry Zebrowski), and all your other favorites return in America’s beloved workplace comedy set in hell. Expect more laughs, more gore, and maybe a talking animal. Seems like it’s a cartoon they should add a talking animal. Maybe a fish? A Williams Street production, the show is created by Casper Kelly and Dave Willis.
“We are thrilled to expand the Pretty Face universe into animation, especially since it will be animators sweating over their Cintiqs (alt. drawing tablets?) rather than us sweating in a humid Georgia August swamp battling mosquitoes while covered in red make-up.” said the Your Pretty Face creators Dave Willis and Casper Kelly. “We just hope the bosses will let us release the ten-hour Snyder cut of Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell: The Animated Series.”