Fox has ordered a new animated series, Bless the Harts, starring Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph, both known from the hit movie Bridesmaids as well as the long-running sketch series Saturday Night Live. Others among the cast include Jillian Bell (Rough Night) and Ike Barinholtz (Sisters).
According to Deadline, the series, which has been given a 13-episode straight-to-series pickup, has been a top priority for the network’s entertainment president Michael Thorn ever since he joined the network last fall. The half-hour animated comedy series comes from The Last Man on Earth co-executive producer Emily Spivey, who has worked with Wiig and Rudolph before, having written for both Saturday Night Live and Maya & Marty. She was also one of the writers for the movie Masterminds, in which Wiig starred in alongside Zach Galifianakis.
Bless the Harts follows a group of southerners who are always broke as a joke and struggling for the American dream of status and wealth. What they don’t realize is that they’re already rich in friends, family, and laughter. It is set to air during the 2019-2020 season and will be produced by 20th Century Fox TV. The executive producers will be Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Seth Cohen, and Wiig.
“Emily Spivey has the uncanny ability to observe the simplest qualities of everyday life, framing together bold characters and hilarious stories built around warmth and heart,” said Thorn, “Having grown up in a close-knit Southern family, she has a deep well of material that has inspired her to create this show, with a phenomenal cast, headlined by Kristen, Maya, Jillian and Ike. As home to television’s most iconic animated families – the Simpsons, Griffins, and Belchers – we’re thrilled to welcome the Harts to Fox.”