First and foremost, a certain five-leaf recreational drug is not part of this correspondents landscape. Nothing from the inhalation or ingestion of this particular recreational has brought any joy or out of body experiences. It has brought intolerance of the odor and massive headaches. However, everything associated with it is entertainment. Especially the comedy associated with ingestion or inhalation of said drug.
So it was with great fascination to learn about a cult darling comic series called The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers. The series was created by Gilbert Shelton in 1968. In the series, three friends (the “freaks”) and their cat are constantly looking for that high, that state of bliss which are punctuated by stimulant-induced paranoia. This is was an ultimate underground cult favorite and I have never heard of it until now.
“We connected so much to these characters…They’re just trying to enjoy life while understanding the world around them, and the adventures they go through along the way had us fully giggling while simultaneously making us think. When the opportunity arose to get involved not just as talent but also on a creative level, we jumped at the chance and also WEED, man!” -said Adam Devine and Blake Anderson.
For the upcoming animated series, the Freak Brothers were enjoying the first Woodstock until they took in a strange strain and they fell asleep. Now they have woken up fifty years later for the 50th Woodstock. Now these Freaks will have to steer through the modern times without having any basis of history from the past fifty years to survive. It will be pretty interesting to see how this will play out since the real 50th Woodstock was recently canceled.
The only reason, the only reason, The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, drew my eye was seeing Adam Devine (Workaholics, Pitch Perfect, Isn’t it Romantic?) listed as one of the voice actors associated with the project. Devine is one of the few actors that hits an interesting balance of charm, humor, and drug-references without feeling alienated. Then the eyes widened with seeing the rest of the team:
- Alan Freedland (Showrunner) and Alan Cohen (Showrunner) were producers for King of the Hill and American Dad
- Blake Anderson (Voice Actor) was Devine’s costar in Workaholics.
- Jeremy and Daniel Lehrer (Writers)
- Gilbert Shelton (Creator) will be Executive Producer
- Starburn Industries ( animation studio) has handled Rick ad Morty
- Pure Imagination Studios (animation studio) has handled The Simpson and Lego Batman
All of these efforts combines promises comedy at a level that is hilarious and meaningful. This kind of comedy powerhouse behind the scenes is more than enough to pique my interest. Even more interesting was throwing the question out to friends and finding large number of fans within the circles. This was akin to discovering a beloved club and being welcomed to it.
“There is so much topical, pop-culturally relevant, irreverent and hilarious source material to pull from, we’re just beyond thrilled to be working on such a fun and layered property…Now is the time to be creating smart adult animated shows that touch on topics that are timeless and timely.”- Alan Freedland and Alan Cohen
The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers was greenlit by WTG Enterprises, LLC for eight 22-minute episodes which will debut in early 2020.
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