Rick and Morty co-creator is crafting a new Apple TV Plus animated series

Rick and Morty co-creator is crafting a new Apple TV Plus animated series

Rick and Morty co-creator Dan Harmon is preparing a new show for Apple TV Plus, based on the alien cartoons from Strange Planet by artist Nathan Pyle. The series will run for 10 episodes and Harmon will be credited as a co-creator, according to THR. You've probably seen these cartoons before: Strange Planet's official Instagram page has 6 million followers, which means it gives Apple some pretty recognizable fonts to draw on. The show will ostensibly feature "heartfelt" stories about a planet that resembles our own in many ways - if Harmon is involved, you can at least expect it to be fun. If you've never seen the comic before, here's an example of what it's like in terms of content and tone: Over the Garden Wall writer Amalia Levari will serve as showrunner for the series, while Apple's in-house studio will co-produce the series. program with ShadowMachine, the animation house of BoJack Horseman. So there's a huge range of talent associated with this project, but Pyle's beliefs have already drawn criticism. It's unclear when the series will launch, but next year is probably a good bet. Harmon has two more upcoming animated shows, along with Rick and Morty season 5 currently airing: Krapopolis on Fox in the US and Little Demon on FXX. Apple already has an adult animated comedy show: Central Park, which premieres its second season on June 25.

Analysis: every great streamer needs an animated series

Hulu has solar opposites and animaniacs. Netflix has Big Mouth, BoJack, Tuca and Bertie. Even HBO Max is pretty close. Apple TV Plus basically walked out the door with one of its own, in Central Park, but ordering more of these shows is probably a smart move. Why are these shows so valuable to streamers? Variety is undoubtedly one of them. But it can be said that these series have the potential to be more watchable than a big-budget drama. Think about the value of The Simpsons Library for Disney Plus, or how HBO Max paid over €500 million for the rights to South Park in the United States. These are the kinds of programs that can keep users coming back to streaming services time and time again, and Apple doesn't have the benefit of a library acquired elsewhere, so it basically has to build its own from scratch. No wonder he's working with notable designers to get more attention.