Hilarious Storytelling and Undeniable Relatability Prompts FOX to Greenlight Second Season of the Series Co-Produced by FOX Entertainment’s Bento Box Entertainment and Sony Pictures Television
FOX Entertainment has given an early Season Two renewal to its upcoming animated comedy Universal Basic Guys, from creators Adam and Craig Malamut (Sports Friends, Game of Zones, The Champions), it was announced today by Michael Thorn, President of Scripted Programming, FOX Entertainment. The renewal comes in advance of the series’ highly anticipated premiere in the 2024-25 season.
Universal Basic Guys centers on two brothers, Mark and Hank Hoagies, who lose their jobs to automation and are given $3,000 a month in a new basic income program. Now, they’re using their free time and free money to find purpose in a world where they’re no longer needed.
“With Universal Basic Guys, the Hoagies brothers join FOX’s iconic lineup of undaunted, irreverent and absurdly outrageous characters,” said Thorn. “It’s what defines the FOX animation brand, and from episode one of this terrific new comedy, Adam and Craig Malamut turn the Hoagies’ everyday life on its head in such an original way that we immediately ordered a second season.”
“We are incredibly proud of Adam and Craig and their work on Universal Basic Guys. We couldn't be happier that their show has already received a Season Two pick-up from our fantastic partners at FOX. It is a testament to Adam and Craig's talent – their accessible but unique comedic sensibilities are evident on screen, all the way down to the Philly specificities, and we can't wait for audiences to experience this ‘woodershed’ moment,” said Katherine Pope, President, Sony Pictures Television Studios.
Universal Basic Guys is co-produced by FOX Entertainment through its Emmy Award-winning animation studio Bento Box Entertainment and Sony Pictures Television. The series is executive produced by Adam and Craig Malamut. Dan Lagana (Deadbeat, American Vandal) is executive producer and showrunner for Season One. Rob Rosell (Dave, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) will serve as showrunner for Season Two.
Check out a preview for Universal Basic Guys HERE.
ABOUT ADAM AND CRAIG MALAMUT
Adam and Craig Malamut are brothers from South Jersey who have been making animated cartoons together since 2012. The Malamut Brothers are self-taught animators who write, direct, voice act, sound edit, compose music and everything in between. Adam and Craig’s first animated show together was Sports Friends, which ran for two seasons on Yahoo Screen. This led to an exclusive in-house role at Bleacher Report (B/R), where they created seven seasons of Game of Zones. Throughout its run, Game of Zones received multiple Sports Emmy Award nominations and won numerous awards, including a Grand Clio, the highest honor at The Clio Sports Awards. During their time at B/R, Adam and Craig grew the animation department from just the two of them to a 25-person animation production team, allowing them to develop other hit series and focus on the creative parts of the process they do best. The Malamut Brothers were the major creative force behind B/R’s other hit shows such as The Champions, Gridiron Heights and many other cartoons that became viral sensations shared by sports fans across the world. After six years at B/R, Adam and Craig decided it was time to move beyond sports and pursue their dream of creating an original animated series for television, including the upcoming comedy Universal Basic Guys for FOX.
ABOUT FOX ENTERTAINMENT
With a legacy spanning nearly 40 years, FOX Entertainment is one of the world’s most recognizable media brands and a prolific content producer across its iconic broadcast network and both owned and third-party streaming platforms. Known for its independent, innovative spirit and provocative, groundbreaking storytelling, the company was reinvented in 2019 with the formation of FOX Entertainment. While maintaining its leadership in broadcast television (9-1-1: Lone Star, The Simpsons, The Floor, The Cleaning Lady, Hell’s Kitchen, LEGO Masters), the company is building a portfolio of businesses and library of owned original content. To date, FOX Entertainment’s long-term growth strategy has included the acquisitions of award-winning animation studio Bento Box Entertainment (Bob’s Burgers, The Great North, Krapopolis, Grimsburg), entertainment platform TMZ (TMZ Investigates), and global production studio MarVista Entertainment (The Way Home), as well as the formation of the culinary and lifestyle content venture Studio Ramsay Global (Next Level Chef, Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars, Idiot Sandwich) in partnership with Gordon Ramsay. Alongside the network, the company also established FOX Entertainment Studios, which includes its in-house unscripted studio FOX Alternative Entertainment (The Masked Singer, We Are Family, I Can See Your Voice, Name That Tune), and its scripted studio (Animal Control, Going Dutch) to develop scripted content; as well as worldwide content sales unit FOX Entertainment Global.
ABOUT SONY PICTURES TELEVISION
Sony Pictures Television (SPT) is one of the television industry’s leading content providers, producing, distributing and carrying programming worldwide in every genre and for every platform. In addition to managing one of the industry’s largest libraries of award-winning feature films, television shows and formats, SPT is home to a thriving global content business, operating a robust portfolio of wholly-owned and joint-venture production companies across the U.S., Europe, Latin America, and Asia Pacific, as well as linear and digital channels around the world. SPT is a Sony Pictures Entertainment Company, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Group Corporation.
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