Animals. 

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.

Creators:

Mike Luciano, Phil Matarese

Stars:

Phil Matarese, Mike Luciano, Neil Casey

Cast

Series cast summary:
Phil Matarese	...	Phil / ... 30 episodes, 2016-2018
Mike Luciano	...	Mike / ... 30 episodes, 2016-2018

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

title ends with period | talking animal | animal society | house pet | working animal | 

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Taglines:

Unexpected tales of urban life.

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Genres:

Animation | Comedy

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 February 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

Animals.

Company Credits

Production Co:

Duplass Brothers Productions, HBO Entertainment, Starburns Industries

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD

Did You Know?

Trivia

The project bypassed the traditional development, and was financed with private equity money. The creators were able to make the show exactly how they wanted, on a timetable that suited them. So, they did the first two episodes, and shopped them around different networks.

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Connections

Referenced in The Simpsons: Krusty the Clown (2018)

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Soundtracks

Animal
(uncredited)
Written and Performed by The Men
[Season One Theme]

User Reviews

Shows Promise, But Bizarre

After the surprisingly good "Bojack Horseman", I had an open mind going into "Animals.", but after viewing the first episode, I have my doubts. The animation is off-putting, but the dialogue at least somewhat saves it.

The show's main plot (at least for this episode) focuses primarily on two rats - one of which is still a virgin and strongly desires to change that status. There are two other pointless sketches involving police horses and two bed bugs, both of which are forgettable and remarkably unfunny. The rat's story, however, actually had me laughing out loud; poor Phil's awkwardness was hilarious. The visual gags were phenomenal, if you can stomach the animation.

Speaking of the animation - while I support expressing yourself artistically in whatever way you seem fit - is very unattractive. It doesn't seem juvenile, but comes off as gross, especially on the humans. The opening made me a little sick, but I felt better about it once I got used to it. An argument could be made that the gross animation adds to the atmosphere of the pathetic lives of these rats, but it was just unpleasant in the bed bug scene.

All in all, it seems like a true pilot - I hope it will come into its own as the season progresses, but for now it seems unremarkable. The jokes that land are not many, but at least had me laughing out loud. The miscellaneous sketches were unfunny and dull, and seemed to drag the show on.