According to The Hollywood Reporter, Netflix’s new animated comedy series Tuca & Bertie promises “a dissection of contemporary culture.” The series, from Bojack Horseman producer and production designer Lisa Hanawalt, differs from others since it centers on two female characters. In fact, two of comedy’s biggest names Tiffany Haddish and Ali Wong play the roles of two 30-year-old bird-women who become friends after living in the same apartment building of big city, Variety reports.
Similarly to Bojack Horseman, it seems like the show will examine mental health struggles as Wong’s Bertie is described as “an anxious, daydreaming songbird,” The Hollywood Reporter adds. However, as The Hollywood Reporter points out: it seems like Hanawalt is presenting something much more optimistic that still deals with “the realities of being alive,” all presented in a Technicolor cartoon about talking animals.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, even though the concept of cartoons for adults has long been based on cultural expectation of “crude comedy and shock culture,” with shows such as Bojack Horseman and Big Mouth, the perception has shifted since the Netflix series “offer thoughtful twist on the genre that belies their most offensive parts.” The trailer for Tuca & Bertie promises “a dissection of contemporary culture, surviving under capitalism and being cute while doing it,” The Hollywood Reporter affirms.
Lisa Hanawalt created the series and serves as an executive producer alongside Raphael Bob-Waksberg, Noel Bright, Steven A. Cohen, and Haddish and Wong, Variety reports. The regular voice cast also includes Steven Yeun (The Walking Dead, The Twilight Zone), and guest voices include from Oscar nominee Richard E. Grant, Tig Notaro (Star Trek: Discovery) and Tessa Thompson (Avengers: Endgame), The Hollywood Reporter reports.
The 10-episode first season premieres May 3.