Comedy Central has given the greenlight to Freak Show, an animated half-hour comedy from the minds of David Cross (Arrested Development, Mr. Show) and H. Jon Benjamin (Dr. Katz: Professional Therapist, Home Movies). Production is set to get underway for a broadcast debut in late 2006 or early 2007.
Freak Show will follow a band of sideshow performers who also happen to be second-rate superheroes secretly employed by the United States government. When the Freak Squad is not busy undertaking low-priority missions for the Pentagon, they retreat to their alternate lives as performers in America’s last independently-owned traveling freak show, Bob and Helen Hartsdale’s Funtyme Freak Show.
“We’ve been chasing David and Jon for years, and it was worth the wait,” says Lauren Corrao, exec VP of original programming and development for Comedy Central. “After one of the funniest pitches we heard all year, they have delivered a pilot that’s high in concept and hilarity. What other show on television features an animated premature baby super-hero?”
“I just want to thank God for giving me this chance to shine and spread his word through 2D cell animation,” Cross remarks. “I truly believe that this voyage on which we are about to embark will, in the future, make me some money.” Benjamin adds, ‘Freak Show is the culmination of 37 years of hard work and brute labor and finally seeing it come to fruition is an amazing anti-climax. That said, I look forward to providing brand new horizons for television in America.”
Comedy Central has ordered seven episodes of Freak Show, which Cross and Benjamin will exec produce and provide voices for. Lou Wallach and Dan Powell will serve as execs in charge of production for the network. Animation production is being handled by Radical Axis, which produces [adult swim] favorites Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Squidbillies.
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