Fox Renews New Comedy Series for Season 2 Ahead of Season 1 Premiere

By Daniel S. Levine

Fox kept its commitment to animation alive by renewing another animated comedy for a second season before audiences see a single episode. Grimsburg, a parody of police procedurals featuring Top Gun: Maverick star Jon Hamm, does not even have a premiere date, but Fox picked it up on Monday. The series is produced by Bento Box Entertainment, the same studio behind Bob's Burgers.

Fox Entertainment's president of entertainment Michael Thorn made the announcement during a MIPCOM panel moderated by Variety co-editor-in-chief Cynthia Littleton. Thorn said the show holds up to the high standards the network has for its Sunday Animation Domination lineup. Fox is the only major broadcast network airing animated comedies in primetime.

"Of course, having Jon Hamm's talent and star power front and center is a great place to start," Thorn said of the new show. "Equally important, everything we're seeing with Grimsburg - from the very first scripts and show bible to animatics and preliminary cuts – makes us believe we have a winner on our hands that beautifully complements our animation brand."

Grimsburg will debut in 2023. Hamm voices Marvin Flute, who is "maybe the greatest detective ever to catch a cannibal clown and correctly identify a mid-century modern armoire." Marvin still does not fully understand himself though, so he returned to Grimsburg, where every resident has a secret to uncover. Marvin hopes to redeem himself in the eyes of other detectives, his ex-wife, and his lovable son. Catlan McClelland and Matthew Schlissel created the series and are executive producers. Chadd Gindin serves as the showrunner and is an executive producer alongside Hamm; Connie Tavel; and Gail Berman and Hend Baghdady of The Jackal Group.

Earlier this month, Fox also renewed Krapopolis before it premieres in 2023. The show is set in ancient Greece, where a dysfunctional family of humans, gods, and monsters is running a city. Hannah Waddingham, Richard Ayoade, Matt Berry, Pam Murphy, and Duncan Trussell lead the voice cast. Krapopolis was created by Dan Harmon (Community, Rick and Morty).

Both Krapopolis and Grimsburg hail from Bento Box Entertainment. They are also completely owned by Fox, which acquired Bento Box in August 2019. Bento Box still operates as an independent studio though and develops shows for other networks as well. For example, the studio is also behind Apple TV+'s Central Park, a series created by Bob's Burgers creator Loren Bouchard.

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