In a TCA tour interview, HBO & HBO Max Chief Content Officer Casey Bloys told Deadline that The Prince, the adult animated send-up of the U.K.’s royal family, has not been renewed for the streaming platform. However, the exec noted that “adult animation is still full-steam ahead” under Head of Comedy Suzanna Makkos’ (formerly of FOX), who has “a whole slate planned.”
Created by Gary Jenetti from his series of Instagram toons, The Prince drew criticism for aiming at the royal children with its “biting, satirical look at the life of Prince George of Cambridge” (voiced by Janetti), third in line to the throne. Upheavals in the house of Windsor also had their effect: The 20th Animation show launched quietly in July after a delay in deference to Prince Philip’s death; the Queen’s consort was one of the main characters (voiced by Dan Stevens), as were Prince Harry (Orlando Bloom) and Megan, Duchess of Sussex (Lucy Punch), who stepped away from the court in 2020.
As Prince Charles once put it: “Something as curious as the monarchy won’t survive unless you take account of people’s attitudes. After all, if people don’t want it, they won’t have it.”
As for the surviving adult animation slate at HBO Max, Close Enough from Emmy winner J.G. Quintel (Regular Show) has been renewed for a second and third season. This was announced almost exactly a year ago, along with a healthful lineup of reboots and originals:
- Clone High (two seasons) – A modern refresh of Phil Lord, Chris Miller and Bill Lawrence’s hit series. Writer Erica Rivinoja returns as showrunner. Produced by MTV Entertainment.
- Velma (10 episodes) – An adult animated comedy exploring the origins of Scooby-Doo’s underappreciated brains. Exec produced by and starring Mindy Kaling. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation.
- Fired on Mars – An existential workplace comedy set on a Martian tech company campus. Created by Nate Sherman and Nick Vokey. Exec produced by and starring Pete Davidson.
- Hello Paul (in development) – Musician Sean Solomon’s concept about a neurotic millennial cat.
- Obi (in dev) – Adapted from Obi Arisukwu’s popular Instagram comic about a 30-year-old aspiring artist navigating adulthood; co-created with Arthur Harris. Produced by Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society, Studio71 and David Devries.
- Uncanny Valley (in dev) – Three awkward domestic robots kill their human owners and assume their identities. Exec produced by Ed Helms, creators Brendan Walter & Greg Yagolnitzer and writer Andrew Guest. Produced by Universal Television, Pacific Electric Picture Company.
- Cover (in dev) – Brian Michael Bendis and David Mack adapt their DC Comics espionage thriller; writing and directing, respectively. Produced by Rooster Teeth.
It was not confirmed whether HBO Max adult animated originals Ten Year Old Tom and Santa, Inc. would be returning. The platform is also currently home to Comedy Central’s long-running hit South Park; however, it was announced Tuesday that the show will be transitioning to the network’s ViacomCBS sibling streamer Paramount+ — the platform is set to be the exclusive home of Kyle, Stan, Cartman and Kenny by 2025.
[Source: HBO, Deadline]
