Suzanna Makkos, Executive Vice President, Original Comedy and Adult Animation, Max and Adult Swim, today showcased the Max adult animation slate at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival during her “Share With” session.
As part of the presentation, Makkos unveiled the second season trailer for the Max Original Ten Year Old Tom and revealed a first-look image from the Max Original Young Love.
Makkos outlined the strategy behind the Max adult animation slate, highlighting what sets the platform apart in the adult animation space. “The series that we create at Max are art and voice driven, with character and comedy coming before anything else,” said Makkos.
“We’re always looking for hard comedy with heart and edge, diverse and inclusive shows with underlying thematic resonance, and character design that showcases the hand of the artist. I am so excited to share these incredible series with the world, and continue to show why Max is a great home for adult animation.”
The presentation showcased Max Originals programming currently in development, including Anything Factory, Uptown Bodega, and Keeping Up With the Joneses, detailed below. These programs in development are in addition to Makkos’ current Max Originals slate that includes Harley Quinn, which Makkos announced will return for its fourth season this summer, Velma, Clone High, with season two currently in production for a 2024 debut, and Fired on Mars.
Also presented were the upcoming Adventure Time: Fionna & Cake, Scavengers Reign (in competition at Annecy), DC’s Harley Quinn spinoff Kite Man: Hell Yeah! (formerly announced with the working title “Noonan’s”), and Creature Commandos, from producers James Gunn and Peter Safran.
MAX ADULT ANIMATION HIGHLIGHTS
TEN YEAR OLD TOM (Debuts June 29)
This series follows the misadventures of an average kid as he contends with questionable guidance from the well-meaning grownups around him. Being a kid is hard enough for Tom, but when bad influences seem to lurk around every corner – from litigious parents and drug dealing bus drivers to school administrators who want to sleep with his mom – it’s downright impossible.
While the adults in Tom’s life certainly mean well, they just can’t manage to lead by example.
Voices include Steve Dildarian, Jennifer Coolidge, John Malkovich, Gillian Jacobs, Edi Patterson, Byron Bowers, and more, with David Duchovny returning as a guest star along with many others.
Executive Producers: Steve Dildarian (“The Life and Times of Tim”), Marty Adelstein (“One Piece”), and Becky Clements (“Physical”) for Tomorrow Studios, and Nick Weidenfeld for Work Friends.
Studio/Prod Co: Work Friends – a JV between Nick Weidenfeld (“The Boondocks,” “Rick & Morty”) and Tomorrow Studios. The animation is produced at ShadowMachine. ITV Studios handles international distribution.
YOUNG LOVE (Debuts This Fall)
“Young Love” expands on the animated short “Hair Love,” which centered around the relationship between an African American father, his daughter Zuri, and the most daunting task a father could ever come across – doing his daughter’s hair for the first time.
Filled with comedy and heart, the all-new Max Original animated series Young Love is an honest look into the world of the Young family – including millennial parents Stephen and Angela, their daughter Zuri and her pet cat Rocky – as they juggle their careers, marriage, parenthood, social issues and multi-generational dynamics, all while striving to make a better life for themselves.
Voices include Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi, Issa Rae, Loretta Devine, Harry Lennix, Tamar Braxton and Brooke Conaway.
Creator and Executive Producer: Matthew A. Cherry; Executive Producer: Monica Young for Blue Key Entertainment; Executive Producers: Karen Toliver and Carl Jones; Executive Producers: Carl Reed and David Steward II for Lion Forge Animation; Studio/Prod Co: Produced in partnership with Sony Pictures Animation.
ADVENTURE TIME: FIONNA AND CAKE
This all-new half-hour young adult animated series starring the fearless sword-wielding adventurer, Fionna, and her magical best friend and talking cat, Cake. Produced by Cartoon Network Studios, the ten-episode series will explore their relationship and the mysterious land of Ooo.
Fionna and Cake – with the help of the former Ice King, Simon Petrikov – embark on a multiverse-hopping adventure and journey of self-discovery. All the while a powerful new antagonist determined to track them down and erase them from existence, lurks in the shadows.
Executive Producer: Adam Muto; Studio/Prod Co: Cartoon Network Studios.
MAX ORIGINALS IN DEVELOPMENT
KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES
The Newberry’s struggle to hold onto their past glory while living in the shadow of Jerry Jones and their other rich neighbors in the wealthy Dallas suburb of Highland Park.
Writers/Executive Producers: Hugh Davidson, Rachel Ramras, Larry Dorf; Studio/Prod Co: Warner Bros. Animation.
ANYTHING FACTORY
From Tom Kauffman (“Rick and Morty”) Anything Factory follows Henry Zingo as he returns home to reconnect with his ailing father and help his sister manage the family business: A Wonka-esque factory riddled with ethics violations.
Created by: Tom Kauffman and David Seger & Spencer Strauss; Executive Producer: Tom Kauffman; Executive Producer: Searchlight TV.
UPTOWN BODEGA
Tati Cruz has inherited her father’s old Bodega and vows to keep the business booming in a fast changing Nueva York with the help of her husband, three kids, and Rocky the bodega cat.
Writers/Executive Producers: Oz Rodriguez & Lemon Anderson; Executive Producer: Peter Murrieta; Executive Producer: Greg Walter (3 Arts Entertainment); Studio: Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group.
Mirko Parlevliet has been reporting on the entertainment industry since 1998 and founded Vital Thrills in 2018 to cover the latest news on streaming, movies, TV, and video games.