Since House of Cards hit Netflix in February 2013, the streaming service has been keen to add to its catalog of original shows. We saw a trailer for the drama Bloodline just before the weekend, which premieres in March, and Netflix has also announced a new animated show called F is for Family which will arrive in 2015.
The main creative force between the program is stand-up comedian Bill Burr, who is already featured in Netflix’s comedy category. Burr is going to voice one of the characters and will be joined by Laura Dern and Justin Long. Netflix is planning to roll out six half-hour episodes to begin with, written by Burr and Michael Price, who’s previously won an Emmy for his work on The Simpsons.
The new show sounds like a variation on the format laid out by programs such as The Simpsons and Family Guy. “F is for Family… follows the Murphy family in the 1970’s, a time when you could smack your kid, smoke inside and bring a gun to the airport,” explains Netflix. Vince Vaughn is on board as one of the producers of the series.
“Bill Burr’s stand-up specials are wildly popular for us worldwide, and we’re looking forward to presenting his at once nostalgic and unflinching take on the family comedy in this original, animated series,” commented Cindy Holland, Vice President of Original Content at Netflix. Burr himself promises the program is “the show I’ve always wanted to do” and is based on characters he remembers from his childhood.
For Netflix, there are no signs that the network is slowing down as it looks to battle competition from Amazon Instant Video and HBO’s forthcoming online offering. It continues to break out into new regions, has a full-length original movie on the way, and is working closely with Marvel on a new Daredevil series. The company will be hoping F is for Family will be a Simpsons-sized smash when it arrives next year.
