HBO Orders 'Merrick & Treves' From The Creators of 'Archer'
Just last week we were speculating how the Skydance merger would impact animation. Would it change the way Warner Bros. operates? It turns out we didn't have to wait long to find out. The first animated series has been commissioned under the new ownership, which is quite encouraging. And it's a new animated comedy for adults.
The new commission comes from HBO, which is owned by Warner Bros, and so in turn is now part of the Skydance empire. Note that it's HBO proper- the original network, not streamer HBO Max- who have made the order. They rarely dip a toe into animation, let alone adult animation, so it suggests they think they have found something special. The new series comes from the makers of the FX series Archer and Adult Swim's Frisky Dingo.
Adam Reed, Casey Willis and Lucky Yates are co-creators and executive producers of the new series. Reed was the original creator of Archer, which ran for 145 episodes between 2009 and 2023. Willis and Yates were producers on the series, and Yates also appeared in the show as Dr Krieger.
The new series goes by the title Merrick & Treves, and it has one hell of a pitch. The show is a period comedy that follows Queen Victoria's top-secret Royal Temporal Constabulary. So, we're talking Victorian time cops. How fun is that? The series will follow "a team of unlikely heroes as they voyage back and forth through time in an effort to stop Jack the Ripper.”
Will the reunion of Archer talent mean that the series will resemble Reed's spy comedy? Will it have the same visual style? The trio could employ much of the creative staff from the earlier series. Maybe we'll even get to see H. Jon Benjamin doing his best Cockney accent. Or perhaps they'll take a completely fresh approach. It remains to be seen, but we'll be excited to find out.
“Adam, Casey, and Lucky are exceptional comedic talents whom we have admired for years,” said Amy Gravitt, executive VP of HBO programming and head of HBO & HBO Max comedy series. “We couldn’t be more excited to team up with them to bring the wholly original Merrick & Treves to HBO audiences.”
“The three of us are beyond excited to have found a home for Merrick & Treves at HBO,” added Reed, Willis and Yates. “We can’t wait to start working with the creative team behind so many of our favourite shows. It’s actually quite daunting, now that we think about it. Like, holy shit, y’all. HBO.“
In a display of confidence in the show, HBO have handed it a two-season order from the jump. Given how rarely HBO produces animation, it really does suggest that the network is expecting great things.
Adam Reed, Casey Willis and Lucky Yates are co-creators and executive producers. Joel Beglieter of TFC Productions will also executive produce, with Kelly Wu as co-executive producer.
There is no word just yet on when the series will be released. With the series just announced, it'll probably be quite a while. Now, if only we had a time machine...
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