News

Exclusive: Fox has put in development an animated siblings comedy, from Animals creators Mike Luciano and Phil Matarese. Fox Entertainment’s SideCar Content Accelerator is the studio.

Written by Luciano and Matarese, Untitled Twins Animated Comedy is about two identical twin brothers with nothing in common except 100% matching DNA. It explores the ruthless competition, strained friendship and love between them and their families over a lifetime.

Luciano and Matarese executive produce with Gail Berman for SideCar.

Matarese and Luciano met working together at a New York City production company where they would do voices for the pigeons outside of their office. Phil, an illustrator in his free time, proposed animating a scene based off their pigeon-riffing to screen at Mike’s monthly comedy show. Thus, a series of animated-shorts dubbed, simply, Animals, was born. The series quickly became a full-time passion project, screening in venues throughout NYC as well as festivals around the country.

Network: HBO

Episodes: 30 (half-hour)

Seasons: Three

TV show dates: February 5, 2016 — October 5, 2018

Series status: Cancelled

Performers include: Phil Matarese, Mike Luciano, Meghan O'Neill, Katie Aselton, Mary Holland, Amir Blumenfeld, Jake Hurwitz, Neil Casey, Mark Duplass, Lauren Lapkus, Stephanie Allynne, Mace Coronel, Jay Duplass, Darold Ferguson Jr., Jon Lovitz, Aziz Ansari, Nick Kroll, Rob Corddry, Marc Maron, Ike Barinholtz, Jason Mantzoukas, Nathan Fielder, Paul Scheer, Matt Walsh, Zach Woods, and Adam Scott.

TV show description:

This animated adult comedy features the down and out critters that live in and off of the Big Apple.

From rats planning on what street scraps to bring to a party, to a pigeon who thinks a stray golf ball is its egg, to more rats bragging about their sex lives, animals aren't all that different...

Do the animals fare any better without people around, during the third season of the Animals TV show on HBO? As we all know, the Nielsen ratings typically play a big role in determining whether the TV show Animals is cancelled or renewed for season four. Unfortunately, most of us do not live in Nielsen households. Because many viewers feel frustration when their viewing habits and opinions aren't considered, we'd like to offer you the chance to rate all of the Animals season three episodes below.

An HBO animated adult comedy, Animals features the critters that live in (and off of) the Big Apple. The voice cast includes Phil Matarese, Mike Luciano, who voice several characters. The third season unfolds in a human-less, post-apocalyptic New York City and blends live-action with animated segments.

Read More…...

The Animals TV show has never earned big ratings for HBO, but thus far it has escaped the extinction of cancellation, and now it's back for a third season. Is it too late for the Duplass Brothers' series to attract a bigger audience? Will Animals be cancelled or renewed for season four on HBO? Stay tuned. *Status update below.

An animated adult comedy, Animals features the critters that live in (and off of) the Big Apple. The HBO voice cast includes Phil Matarese, Mike Luciano, who voice several characters. The third season unfolds in a human-less, post-apocalyptic New York City and blends live-action with animated segments.

Animals' season three guest stars include: Awkwafina, Bob Balaban, Tom Bergeron, Kate Berlant, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Neil Casey, Marcia Clark, Dinosaur, Jr., Steve Dildarian, Edie Falco, Jon Gabrus, David Harbour, Jared Harris, Mary Holland,...

Animals creators Phil Matarese and Mike Luciano have signed a two-script deal with 20th Century Fox TV to create two animated series for the studio. Under the pact, the duo will write one script and will supervise another writer on the second. Both series will be shopped to various platforms.

Matarese and Luciano’s animated comedy series Animals had a three-season run on HBO. Produced by Duplass Brothers, the series focused on the downtrodden creatures native New York City, including rats, pigeons, and bedbugs. Matarese and Luciano wrote and directed all episodes; they also voice many of the characters. The series drewn a high-profile list of guests stars throughout its three seasons, including Jessica Chastain, Jonah Hill, Whoopi Goldberg, Wanda Sykes, Marlon Wayans and Emilia Clarke.

Matarese and Luciano met while working together at a New York City advertising production company, where they discovered a pair of pigeons across from...

HBO has canceled the animated series “Animals” after three seasons, Variety has confirmed.

The series was created by executive producers Phil Matarese and Mike Luciano, with Duplass Brothers Productions producing. The animated comedy series focused on the downtrodden creatures native New York City, including rats, pigeons, and bedbugs. Matarese and Luciano also wrote and directed all the episodes, and voiced many of the characters.

The series also featured a number of guest stars lending their voices. Season 3’s guest lineup included stars like Awkwafina, Marcia Clark, Edie Falco, David Harbour, Lucy Liu, Carol Kane, Johnny Knoxville, John Leguizamo, Natasha Lyonne, Anthony Mackie, Tatiana Maslany, Demi Moore, Moby, Tracy Morgan, John Mulaney, and many more.

Mark Duplass and Jay Duplass also executive produce the series, with producers James Fino, Joe Russo II, Kenny Micka, and co-executive producer Jen Roskind. The animation for “Animals” was created with Dan Harmon’s Starburns Industries,...

Exclusive: The most recent third season of Animals on HBO was the adult animated series’ last. A rep of HBO confirmed to Deadline that the network would not be picking up a fourth season of the show.

Created by Phil Matarese and Mike Luciano and produced by Duplass Brothers Productions, Animals focused on the downtrodden creatures native to New York City, including rats, pigeons, and bedbugs. Matarese and Luciano wrote and directed all episodes, and voiced many of the characters. The series drew a high-profile and lengthy list of guests stars throughout its three seasons, including Jessica Chastain, Jonah Hill, Whoopi Goldberg, Wanda Sykes, Marlon Wayans and Emilia Clarke, among others.

Mark Duplass and Jay Duplass executive produced Animals, whose third season finale aired earlier this month, drawing 200,000 linear viewers in Live+same day. The animation for the show was created with Dan Harmon’s Starburns Industries, the studio behind Rick & Morty.

Animals, the HBO animated series executive produced by the Duplass brothers, is done after three seasons.

An HBO rep confirms the show's cancellation to The Hollywood Reporter. Animals finished its third season on Oct. 5.

Created by Phil Matarese and Mike Luciano, Animals followed the lives of some of New York's less-respected wildlife, including pigeons, rats and roaches, along with dogs, cats and other creatures. It also featured live-action scenes involving human characters and an ongoing storyline about a virus outbreak that decimated the city's human population.

The show was also a draw for high-profile guest stars, among them Demi Moore,...

With the third season of HBO’s animated series Animals underway, The A.V. Club jumped into a swan boat on Echo Park Lake with creators Phil Matarese and Mike Luciano to talk about the new slate of episodes. The lake, which lies on the edge of Los Angeles’ historic Echo Park neighborhood, is a favorite spot for…...

Phil Matarese and Mike Luciano are not only the creators of HBO’s adult cartoon series “Animals”; they’re also the show’s animators, directors, writers and bringers of coffee.

Are they control freaks? “We have production coordinators and all that,” says Matarese, “but when it comes to the nitty-gritty of quality control, I oversee every single step of it, and we’re very much ingrained in every aspect of the show.”

One of the draws for fans is the show’s star talent, who, along with Matarese and Luciano, provide the voices for the various animals. Names include Aziz Ansari, Molly Shannon, Mindy Kaling, RuPaul, Jonah Hill, Usher, Demi Moore, Lucy Liu and Michael Sheen. Humans also populate this anthropomorphic world.

“Animals” started as a YouTube short inspired by the pigeons cavorting outside the office windows of Matarese and Luciano, who worked at a New York ad agency at the time.

With the third season of HBO’s animated series Animals underway, The A.V. Club jumped into a swan boat on Echo Park Lake in Los Angeles with creators Phil Matarese and Mike Luciano to talk about the new slate of episodes. While on the lake, we played a game with the pair called “Which Animal Would Win?” where we pit…...

Vulture Watch

Has humanity's disappearance helped the animals? Is the Animals TV show cancelled or renewed for a fourth season on HBO? The television vulture is watching all the latest cancellation and renewal news, so this page is the place to track the status of Animals season four. Bookmark it, or subscribe for the latest updates. Remember, the television vulture is watching your shows. Are you?

What's This TV Show About?

An HBO animated adult comedy, Animals features the critters that live in (and off of) the Big Apple. The voice cast includes Phil Matarese, Mike Luciano, who voice several characters. The third season unfolds in a human-less, post-apocalyptic New York City and blends live-action with animated segments. Read More…...

With the third season of HBO’s animated series Animals just around the corner, The A.V. Club jumped into a swan boat on Echo Park Lake in Los Angeles with creators Phil Matarese and Mike Luciano to talk about the upcoming slate of episodes. While on the water, we got Matarese and Luciano to list their five favorite…...

With the third season of HBO’s animated series Animals just around the corner, The A.V. Club jumped into a swan boat on Echo Park Lake in Los Angeles with creators Phil Matarese and Mike Luciano to talk about the upcoming slate of episodes. While on the water, we learned Bob Balaban loves to rap, Jameela Jamil is a…...

HBO has just released the trailer for the third season of their underrated animated comedy “Animals.” and it looks, well, insane. The Duplass Brothers produced show has built a small, but loyal, following since it’s premiere in 2016 and despite being only produced by the brothers, it follows their improvisational films and TV shows. As with the first two seasons, writers Phil Matarese and Mike Luciano wrote plot outlines for the voice actors and animated over their improvisation.

Continue reading ‘Animals.’ Season 3 Trailer: The Insane Duplass Brothers Series Is Back With The Biggest Names In Comedy at The Playlist.

HBO has announced that their Animals TV show will return for a third season on Friday, August 3rd. Created by Phil Matarese and Mike Luciano, this animated series revolves around animals who try to survive in New York City. In season three, "the genre-bending show visits a humanless, post-apocalyptic Big Apple, blending live-action and animated segments along with the show’s usual eclectic casting."Here's the press release, which includes a long list of guest actors.Animated Adult Television Series Animals., Created By Phil Matarese & Mike Luciano, From Duplass Brothers Productions, Returns For Third Season August 3, Exclusively On HBOThe animated adult television series Animals. returns for its ten-episode third season Friday, Aug. 3 (11:30 p.m.-midnight Et/Pt), exclusively on HBO. From Duplass Brothers Productions, the show was created by Phil Matarese & Mike Luciano.The series is also...

In today’s roundup, Syfy has announced futuristic series “The Expanse” will end after its current third season, “The Detour” has been renewed for a fourth season, and Showtime released a teaser for the fourth season of “The Affair.”

Exclusives

The fourth season of Showtime’s “The Affair” premieres on June 17 at 9 p.m. Et/Pt. The season promises new lives, new relationships, and the same mistakes. Dominic West, Ruth Wilson, Joshua Jackson, and Maura Tierney star in the drama, which is executive produced by Sarah Treem. Watch the exclusive teaser trailer of the upcoming season below.

Comedian and musician Reggie Watts (“The Late Late Show with James Corden”) will join Butcher Bird Studios at their Glendale location on May 24 at 9 p.m. Pt for a one-night only live performance of the family sitcom “Crowe’s Nest.” This will mark the first time a TV episode will be live streamed...

Like many film fests, Sundance has recently acknowledged that the best of television is also worthy of honoring. But as other fests dip their toes in TV — and focus mostly on major productions already picked up and financed by major networks and studios — Sundance is going back to its independent roots, launching its first-ever Indie Episodics lineup.

As Sundance programmer Charlie Sextro told IndieWire, 2018 was the perfect time to take a major step forward and offer a diverse line-up of independently-produced television.

“It has been a very careful but steady thing that we’ve been slowly growing and kind of exploring over the years, ever since we first premiered ‘Top of the Lake’ [in 2013],” Sextro said. “That was the first episodic we did. We played the entire thing straight through in the Egyptian and we just loved being able to do that. That started to grow our idea of how we can expand the program,...

Vulture WatchHow will the Big Apple's street critters fare? Has the Animals TV show been cancelled or renewed for a third season on HBO? The television vulture is watching all the latest cancellation and renewal news, so this page is the place to track the status of Animals season three. Bookmark it, or subscribe for the latest updates. Remember, the television vulture is watching your shows. Are you?  What's This TV Show About?An HBO adult, animated comedy from EPs Mark Duplass and Jay Duplass, the Animals voice cast stars Phil Matarese and Mike Luciano.  Lauren Lapkus, Katie Aselton, Claudia O'Doherty, Jay Duplass, Mindy Sterline, Kurt Vile, and Jon Lovitz recur. The Animals TV show features the down and out critters that live in -- and off of -- the Big Apple. From rats planning on what street scraps to bring to a party, to a pigeon who thinks a stray golf ball is its egg,...

Vulture WatchHow will the Big Apple's street critters fare? Has the Animals TV show been cancelled or renewed for a third season on HBO? The television vulture is watching all the latest cancellation and renewal news, so this page is the place to track the status of Animals season three. Bookmark it, or subscribe for the latest updates. Remember, the television vulture is watching your shows. Are you?  What's This TV Show About?An HBO adult, animated comedy from EPs Mark Duplass and Jay Duplass, the Animals voice cast stars Phil Matarese and Mike Luciano.  Lauren Lapkus, Katie Aselton, Claudia O'Doherty, Jay Duplass, Mindy Sterline, Kurt Vile, and Jon Lovitz recur. The Animals TV show features the down and out critters that live in -- and off of -- the Big Apple. From rats planning on what street scraps to bring to a party, to a pigeon who thinks a stray golf ball is its egg,...

When HBO picked up the Animals TV show, it was with a two-season order. The premium cable outlet has featured a few animated series in the past, but they haven’t been too successful, and Animals' first installment was no exception. It scraped the bottom of the ratings barrel. How will Animals perform in its second season? Now that it is working without a net, will Animals be cancelled or renewed for season three on HBO? Stay tuned.An animated adult comedy, Animals features the critters that live in (and off of) the Big Apple. The HBO voice cast includes Phil Matarese, Mike Luciano, Meghan O’Neill, Katie Aselton, Mary Holland, Amir Blumenfeld, Jake Hurwitz, Neil Casey, Mark Duplass, Lauren Lapkus, Stephanie Allynne, Mace Coronel, Jay Duplass, Darold Ferguson Jr., Jon Lovitz, Aziz Ansari, Nick Kroll, Rob Corddry, Marc Maron, Ike Barinholtz, Jason Mantzoukas, Nathan Fielder, Paul Scheer, Matt Walsh,...

It's official. HBO has renewed the Duplass Brothers' animated Animals TV show, for a third season, ahead of tonight's season two finale at 11:30pm. Phil Matarese and Mike Luciano created and write the adult comedy, and voice many of the characters. Animals guest stars include Jessica Chastain, Danny McBride, Mark Duplass, Demetri Martin, Jay Duplass, Nick Kroll, Chelsea Peretti, Tom Lennon, Jason Mantzoukas, Mitch Hurwitz, Jonah Hill, Emilia Clarke, Jason Alexander, Ice-t, Michael Rapaport, Harmony Korine. Read More…...

Ahead of tonight’s Season 2 finale, HBO has picked up a third season of its critically praised adult animated series Animals. Created by Phil Matarese & Mike Luciano, from Duplass Brothers Productions, Animals focuses on the downtrodden creatures native to Earth's least-habitable environment: New York City. Whether it's lovelorn rats, gender-questioning pigeons or aging bedbugs battling a midlife crisis, the awkward small talk, moral ambiguity and existential woes of…...

Animals, HBO’s animated comedy about the many, many creatures that populate New York City, is turning its attention to humans with a special live-action episode aptly titled “Humans.” And Et has an exclusive first look at the unscrupulous Dr. Labcoat (played by RuPaul Charles) and his dutiful assistant (John Early) as the evil conglomerate Pesci Co. prepares to roll out the “Green Pill,” a cure for the virus plaguing the city.

More: Seth Green on How 'Robot Chicken' Became Part of Adult Swim's Enduring Legacy

In a “now or never” moment for creators Phil Matarese and Mike Luciano, the episode -- premiering Friday, April 14 -- comes in the middle of its second season, shifting the focus onto the humans who often appear in wordless vignettes, connecting one animal’s story to another. “We knew we wanted to try to do something like this since we became a TV show,” Matarese explains...

Mike Luciano and Phil Matarese on ‘Animals… by Uinterview Phil Matarese and Mike Luciano, the creators of HBO’s new hit animated series, Animals., are as free as the birds they do voice overs for. While working together in an ad agency, Matarese and Luciano looked out the window to find two pigeons resting on the ledge. Presumably bored with […]

Source: uInterview

The post ‘Animals’ Creators Phil Matarese & Mike Luciano Talk HBO, Duplass Brothers – And Bee Penises [Video Exclusive] appeared first on uInterview.

In just a few short years, Phil Matarese and Mike Luciano have gone from working at an ad agency in New York to writing about the animals that live in New York on HBO’s “Animals.” At their panel at SXSW this year, moderated by IndieWire’s Eric Kohn and accompanied by producer Jen Roskind, the three of them detailed how a small independent pilot managed to get picked up by HBO. They also offered some sneak peeks into what the unpredictable series has to offer, going into Season 2.

When the first episode was created, with only Matarese and Luciano on board hoping to turn it into a full-fledged web series, screenings of “Animals” was kept exclusively to small crowds in and around their native New York. After being featured at a festival though, they were found by the Duplass brothers, who decided to go ahead and fund the show independently.

“Animals” is back, baby!

When HBO’s subversive animated comedy returns March 17, rats Phil and Mike (series creators Phil Matarese and Mike Luciano) are back for more adventures that appear to include… well, using a human baby with wrestler Sting’s signature face painting, which of course he had lifted from “The Crow.”

Read More: The Most Significant TV Animals of 2016

The series will also delve into the worlds of squirrels, gorillas, earthworms and what looks like green algae. As usual, a huge cast of guest stars will voice the critters, including “Game of Thrones” khaleesi Emilia Clarke, Fred Armisen, Ice-t, Dan Harmon, RuPaul, Kim Gordon, Mark Duplass, Judy Greer and strangely, cook Rachael Ray. Take a look at the official trailer for Season 2

Produced by Mark and Jay Duplass, “Animals” premiered at the 2015 Sundance film festival before HBO picked up the comedy for two full seasons. Season 1 debuted February 5 on HBO,...

Animals are taking over HBO once again. Today, the network announced season two of the TV show will debut in March.From Phil Matarese and Mike Luciano, the animated series follows the various creatures who live in and around New York City. The voice cast includes Jason Mantzoukas, Lauren Lapkus, Nathan Fielder, Mark Duplass, Neil Casey, Nick Kroll, Katie Aselton, and Adam Scott.Read More…...

HBO has had a few animated series in the past but they haven't been very successful. How will their Animals TV show perform? Will it be a hit? Will the cable channel regret renewing it for a second season already? Stay tuned.

An animated adult comedy, Animals features the critters that live in (and off) of the Big Apple. The voice cast includes Phil Matarese, Mike Luciano, Meghan O'Neill, Katie Aselton, Mary Holland, Amir Blumenfeld, Jake Hurwitz, Neil Casey, Mark Duplass, Lauren Lapkus, Stephanie Allynne, Mace Coronel, Jay Duplass, Darold Ferguson Jr., Jon Lovitz, Aziz Ansari, Nick Kroll, Rob Corddry, Marc Maron, Ike Barinholtz, Jason Mantzoukas, Nathan Fielder, Paul Scheer, Matt Walsh, Zach Woods, and Adam Scott.

Read More…...

A$AP Rocky and A$AP Ferg lent their voices and rap skills to a pair of bodega cats in Friday's episode of Animals, HBO's R-rated animated comedy series that takes a perverse look at the animal kingdom. For the episode, the A$AP Mob members rhyme about bodega shoppers (including Kanye West), tuna fish, sleeping in the bread aisle and bagel-eating rats.

"You say beef / I say chickens/ I don't really know the difference / If you asked me what my favorite dish is / Either pussy or the fishes," A$AP Rocky's bodega cat says.

You can do whatever you want in the sewers," Animals co-creator Phil Matarese says. "When we're making episodes about rats, you can tell loose, crazy stories. You can tell a really fucked-up story about a rat hiding his boner from a girl, but it's mostly about this kid who just likes a girl a lot."

"The boner is his heart," executive producer Mark Duplass counters matter-of-factly.

"The boner is his heart," Matarese rejoins, laughing. "He's got a heart boner."

Ever since the animated series premiered on HBO earlier this month,...

HBO's new TV show Animals just premiered on Friday, and season two is already in the works. In a recent interview with Uproxx, series creators Mike Luciano and Phil Matarese discussed the origin of their animated comedy, their writing process, and plans for season two.

Animals features the voices of Mark Duplass, Aziz Ansari, Lauren Lapkus, and Adam Scott as animals living in the streets of New York City.

Read More…...

Network: HBO

Episodes: Ongoing (half-hour)

Seasons: Ongoing

TV show dates: February 5, 2016 — present

Series status: Has not been cancelled

Performers include: Phil Matarese, Mike Luciano, Meghan O'Neill, Katie Aselton, Mary Holland, Amir Blumenfeld, Jake Hurwitz, Neil Casey, Mark Duplass, Lauren Lapkus, Stephanie Allynne, Mace Coronel, Jay Duplass, Darold Ferguson Jr., Jon Lovitz, Aziz Ansari, Nick Kroll, Rob Corddry, Marc Maron, Ike Barinholtz, Jason Mantzoukas, Nathan Fielder, Paul Scheer, Matt Walsh, Zach Woods, and Adam Scott.

TV show description:

This animated adult comedy features the down and out critters of living in and off of the Big Apple.

From rats planning on what street scraps to bring to a party, to a pigeon who thinks a stray golf ball is its egg, to more rats bragging about their sex lives, animals aren't...

Ever wonder what goes on inside the mind of a dog? A rat? An insect making a nice snack out of some pubic hair? Those are just some questions HBO’s incoming animated series produced by the Duplass brothers strives to answer, in the crudest way possible. “Animals,” created by Mike Luciano and Phil Matarese, is one of the most comprehensive takes on anthropomorphous characters yet, as it explores rats and their need to procreate, pigeons with sexuality issues and more. Presented over the course of the first season through a series of vignettes taking place in New York, the show.

Five episodes were provided prior to broadcast.

HBO’s Animals wears its twin inspirations on its sleeve – in five episodes, the New York-set series often reflects both the existential ennui of Netflix’s BoJack Horseman and the urban absurdity of that hallowed Internet celebrity known to all as Pizza Rat. With the former’s anthropomorphic setup and the latter’s scrappy, go-for-broke spirit, the series is a lightweight sort of lark, filled with little observations and quirky, dialogue-driven comedy. It’s also one of the strangest shows HBO has aired in some time.

Focusing on a menagerie of inner-city critters suffering from decidedly human afflictions, the series (from Phil Matarese and Mike Luciano, and produced by the Duplass brothers of Togetherness fame) has one, major hook: the idea that, in their daily struggles to survive everything from being poisoned to embarrassing themselves in social settings, the animals of the title...

Below, watch the new season one trailer of the Animals TV series. From the Duplass Brothers, the first season of Animals premieres on HBO, Friday, February 5, 2016, at 11:30pm Et/Pt. Update: After this was published, HBO released a new promo. Watch it at the bottom of this page.

An animated adult comedy about the down and out creatures of New York City, the voice cast of Animals includes: Phil Matarese, Mike Luciano, Meghan O'Neill, Katie Aselton, Mary Holland, Amir Blumenfeld, Jake Hurwitz, Neil Casey, Mark Duplass, Lauren Lapkus, Stephanie Allynne, Mace Coronel, Jay Duplass, Darold Ferguson Jr., Jon Lovitz, Aziz Ansari, Nick Kroll, Rob Corddry, Marc Maron, Ike Barinholtz, Jason Mantzoukas, Nathan Fielder, Paul Scheer, Matt Walsh, Zach Woods, and Adam Scott.

Read More…...

And now for something completely different: Rodents doing a podcast. Canine bullies at the dog park. Unwelcome feline neighbors. Throat-slitting birds. Randy turtles. Pupating butterflies. A snake-gobbled mouse. The offbeat list goes on in this trailer for Animals, HBO’s decidedly adult animated series that premieres next month promising “a new breed of comedy.”

Created by Phil Matarese & Mike Luciano and produced by Duplass Brothers Television, Animals focuses on the creatures native to Earth’s least-habitable environment: New York City. Lovelorn rats, gender-questioning pigeons and aging bedbugs battling midlife crises engage in awkward small talk, moral ambiguity and existential woes startlingly similar to that of the humans with whom they co-exist. The premium cabler ordered two seasons of Animals in May, after the first two completed episodes of the series were screened in the Special Events section of the Sundance Film Festival in January.

The long and attention-getting list of voices includes,...

And now for something completely different: Rodents doing a podcast. Canine bullies at the dog park. Unwelcome feline neighbors. Throat-slitting birds. Randy turtles. Pupating butterflies. A snake-gobbled mouse. The offbeat list goes on in this trailer for Animals, HBO’s decidedly adult animated series that premieres next month promising “a new breed of comedy.” Created by Phil Matarese & Mike Luciano and produced by Duplass Brothers Television, Animals focuses on the…...

Read More: 'Animals' Creators on Mark Duplass and If Film Fests are the Future of Indie TV After premiering at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, Mike Luciano and Phil Matarese's animated comedy "Animals." is set to make its worldwide debut via HBO, just over a year later. Set in New York, NY, "Animals." tracks the lives of the city's voiceless population of pets, service animals and general wildlife as they go about their business. Be it awkward parties, making babies, complaining about work or surviving a prison sentence, each silent creature is allowed to have his or her say in this half-hour comedy series. And boy did they grab some great voices. Joining creators Luciano and Matarese is an all-star cast of actors, including Eric Andre, A$AP Ferg, A$AP Rocky, Katie Aselton, Jessica Chastain, Rob Corddry, Jay and Mark Duplass (who also executive produced), Ellie Kemper, Nick Kroll,...

Animal life is rough, man. The Duplass Brothers–produced cartoon comedy Animals, which received an initial two-season series order last year, has its first trailer of New York City's various animal inhabitants as they wrestle with awkward small-talk and existential questions. Created by Phil Matarese and Mike Luciano, the cartoon is a series of shorts with the animation done by Starburns Industries, the same people who bring you Rick & Morty and Anomalisa. There's a lot of familiar voices popping in and out, including Ellie Kemper, Marc Maron, Wanda Sykes, Lauren Lapkus, Eric André, Adam Scott, and more. Animals premieres February 5.

"Animals," created by newcomers Mike Luciano and Phil Matarese, has released a number of posters in anticipation of its February 5 premiere. The series was picked up by HBO for two seasons after the TV show premiered its first two episodes at the Sundance Film Festival last year. Read More: Watch: First Trailer For Duplass Brothers' Animated HBO Series 'Animals' Much like Netflix's "BoJack Horseman," the new series, produced by Mark Duplass, will focus on the hedonistic exploits of anthropomorphized animals. But whereas "Bojack Horseman" centered on the adventures of a rich, famous and self-loathing former TV star in superficially glitzy Los Angeles, "Animals" will instead focus on the downtrodden, the undesirable -- and in true New York spirit -- the ethically equivocal.  Read into the posters below before catching the show on HBO February 5 at 11:30pm. Read: HBO Orders Two Seasons of Duplass Brothers' Animated Series...

The Duplass Brothers are set to be extra busy in coming months with two shows on HBO. Along with their returning dramedy "Togetherness," they also have a new animated series called "Animals" on the way and today the trailer for it arrives ahead of its February 5th premiere.

Phil Matarese and Mike Luciano created the series which features a voice cast that includes Rob Corddry, Mark Duplass, Nick Kroll, Jason Mantzoukas and Molly Shannon. The story follows the downtrodden creatures of New York City from lovelorn rats to pigeons with gender identity issues to bedbugs suffering a midlife crisis.

Next month, the ever busy Duplass Brothers are going to be extra busy, with two shows hitting HBO. First is the return of their terrific dramedy series, "Togetherness," and then's there's "Animals," which is a slightly different, uh, beast, than we're used from the filmmakers. Read More: The New Trailer For HBO's 'Togetherness' Season 2 Looks To The Future Created by Phil Matarese and Mike Luciano, "Animals" is an animated series about, well, animals, featuring an extensive voice cast, which includes Rob Corddry, Mark Duplass, Nick Kroll, Jason Mantzoukas, Molly Shannon, and more. Here's the synopsis: Animals focuses on the downtrodden creatures native to Earth’s least-habitable environment: New York City. Whether it’s lovelorn rats, gender-questioning pigeons or aging bedbugs in the midst of a midlife crisis, the awkward small talk, moral ambiguity and existential woes of non-human urbanites prove startlingly similar to our own. It...

Created by Phil Matarese and Mike Luciano and produced by Duplass Brothers Television, the new animated series Animals. focuses on the downtrodden creatures native to Earth’s least-habitable environment: New York City.

Whether it’s lovelorn rats, gender-questioning pigeons or aging bedbugs in the midst of a midlife crisis, the awkward small talk, moral ambiguity and existential woes of non-human urbanites prove startlingly similar to our own.

Animals. made its world premiere at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival and will premiere exclusively on HBO on February 5th @11:30Pm Et/Pt

The series features the voices of Rob Corddry, Mark Duplass, Nick Kroll, Jason Mantzoukas, Molly Shannon and more.

[Continued ...]...

What's an overall deal? It's a sign that Hollywood companies are back fighting for talent. The Duplass brothers have already pacted with Netflix to deliver four indie films. (And after smash "Pitch Perfect 2," Elizabeth Banks is signing an overall producing deal with Warner Bros. TV.) HBO wants workaholic multi-taskers Mark and Jay Duplass to deliver more series for them, following the renewal of their inexpensive comedy series "Togetherness," whose second season will start in 2016, as well as the two-season pickup of Phil Matarese and Mike Luciano's New York-set animated series "Animal" (2016), which debuted at Sundance. Read: Multi-Tasker Mark Duplass Explains His New Indie Paradigm So the Duplass brothers have landed a two-year overall deal. HBO is giving their Duplass Brothers Television production co. development money to create and produce new series. Duplass Brothers Productions president Stephanie Langhoff will...

As far as hard-working filmmakers and actors go in this day and age, no pair has proliferated throughout the television and independent film landscapes quite like Mark and Jay Duplass. Indeed, mere months after their solid relationship dramedy series, Togetherness, received a second season order from HBO, THR is now reporting that the pair have landed a two-season order from the channel for Animals, an animated series that screened at Sundance and landed the Duplass brothers as executive producers. The series centers on talking animals, set largely in and around New York City, and the animation is courtesy of Starburns Industries, the production house behind cult animated hit Rick and Morty. In a statement about the two-season pick-up, Mark Duplass said that the deal continues his brother and he's want to bring "the principles of indie film to the TV space," describing the entire deal as "beyond belief." [caption id="attachment_465655" align="alignright" width="350"] Image via HBO/caption]...

Ever wonder what kind of lives animals would lead if they were more like...people? Sure you do. The personification of animals is one of the most fun — and cutest — aspects of popular human imagination. We've seen it exemplified many times, including as recently as in the Netflix comedy "BoJack Horseman." "Animals." is of a slightly different breed. Created by Phil Matarese and Mike Luciano under the tutelage of executive producers Mark and Jay Duplass, the animated comedy focuses on the lives of "the downtrodden creatures closest to Earth's least habitable environment: New York City. Whether it's lovelorn rats, gender-questioning pigeons, or aging bedbugs in the midst of a mid-life crisis, the awkward small talk, moral ambiguity, and existential woes of non-human urbanites prove startlingly similar to our own" (courtesy of Sundance). The series was independently produced and has yet to find distribution, hence its placement at the 2015...

Announcements for the lineup for the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, taking place between January 22nd and February 1st, are starting to roll out. Watch this page for updates as more films and sections are revealed.

Premieres

Brooklyn (John Crowley, UK)

Digging for Fire (Joe Swanberg, USA)

Don Verdean (Jared Hess, USA)

End of the Tour (James Ponsoldt, USA)

Experimenter (Michael Almereyda, USA)

Grandma (Paul Weitz, USA)

I Am Michael (Justin Kelly, USA)

I'll See You In My Dreams (Brett Haley, USA)

Last Days in the Desert (Rodrigo Garcia, USA)

Lila & Eve (Charles Stone III, USA)

Mississipi Grind (Ryan Fleck & Anna Boden, USA)

Mistress America (Noah Baumbach, USA)

Seoul Searching (Benson Lee, USA/Korea)

Sleeping with Other People (Leslye Headland, USA)

Ten Thousand Saints (Robert Pulcini & Shari Springer Berman, USA)

True Story (Rupert Goold, USA)

A Walk in the Woods (Ken Kwapis, USA)

Zipper (Mora Stephens, USA)

Documentary Premieres

Beaver Trilogy Part IV (Brad Besser,...

The 2015 Sundance Film Festival has been slowly unveiling the films that will screen in Park City, Ut from January 22-February 1. We’ve already listed the midnight line up as well as the list of films in competition. Now, the Premieres have been revealed and the event is looking more and more promising. The entire slate include films directed by Noah Baumbach, James Ponsoldt, Paul Weitz, Jared Hess, Joe Swanberg, Charles Stone III and others. Here is the full list.

Premieres

A showcase of world premieres of some of the most highly anticipated narrative films of the coming year.

Brooklyn / United Kingdom (Director: John Crowley, Screenwriter: Nick Hornby, based on the book by Colm Tóibín) — 1950s Ireland: Eilis must confront a terrible dilemma — a heartbreaking choice between two men and two countries, between duty and true love. Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson, Emory Cohen, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent.

Digging for Fire / U.

With a line-up that already packs a punch, Sundance will also include a new section simply called “Special Events” which is described as “one-of-a-kind moments highlighting new independent works that add to the unique Festival experience. An evolving section, this year includes episodic work, short films and live performance.” In what promises to be a I can’t believe I’m watching what I’m watching type event, the one item that has caught our attention is Andrew Jarecki delving back into a subject heading he is familiar with in All Good Things moving forward into the HBO series, The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst (six-part documentary). Here is the press release:

Animals./ U.S.A. (Directors and screenwriters: Phil Matarese, Mike Luciano) — Animals. is an independently produced animated series that focuses on the downtrodden creatures native to Earth’s least habitable environment: New York City. Whether it’s lovelorn rats,...