‘Tuca & Bertie’ Creator Celebrates Show’s Renewal Following Initial Netflix Cancellation

Lisa Hanawalt, the creator or Tuca & Bertie, was over the moon about the show’s revival this week. Tuca & Bertie began as a Netflix original series but was canceled after one season. Now that Adult Swim has rescued the series, Hanawalt is sharing her happiness with fans on social media.

Hanawalt was ready to go with a tweet as soon as the Tuca & Bertie renewal was announced. She posted a photo of the two lead characters locked in an odd embrace, with their new home network Adult Swim stamped triumphantly in the frame. She later joked about all the things going well for her, allowing fans to chime in with the Tuca & Bertie news as an afterthought. Finally, Hanawalt celebrated with the cast of the show as well.

Fans were devastated when Tuca & Bertie was canceled after just one season in July of 2019. All hope for the series seemed lost until Friday when Variety reported that Adult Swim had ordered a new season of the show. Hanwalt told the outlet how glad she was as well.

“I’ve been a fan of Adult Swim shows since my teens, so I’m thrilled to bring my beloved fowl to the party and be a new voice for a fresh decade of absurd, irreverent, yet heartwarming adult animation,” she said.

Tuca & Bertie was referred to by some critics as one of the best TV shows of 2019 overall, and it ranked exceptionally high with animation fans. It features an all-star cast including Tiffany Haddish and Ali Wong as its two title characters, along with Steven Yuen, Reggie Watts, and many others.
At the time when it was canceled, many fans fumed that Tuca & Bertie was the victim of gender bias in the entertainment industry. After seeing Netflix give massive renewal contracts to Big Mouth, BoJack Horseman and Disenchantment, among others, fans thought that Tuca & Bertie should have at least qualified for a second season. They worried that the female leads of the series were to blame.

Hanawalt was herself a production designer and producer on BoJack Horseman and worked previously as a cartoonist and illustrator. Tuca & Bertie Season 2 will be her first project at Adult Swim. The first season will reportedly remain on Netflix, while Adult Swim will have the domestic distribution rights for the new installment. The show will return in 2021.