Created by Phil Matarese and Mike Luciano, the series focuses on the unsung squatters in “Earth’s least-habitable environment: New York City,” including rats, pigeons, and even bedbugs. HBO claims the comedy will explore the intricacies of the creatures’ surprisingly complicated lives, touching on themes like moral ambiguity, gender identity, mid-life crisis, and other decidedly human themes, from the deep to the inane, via comical small talk.
Animals garnered critical clout in January after showing two completed episodes at the special events section of the festival, according to the report. HBO appeared to waste no time in wooing the show’s creators, announcing in May that the network was laying down enough runway for two full seasons at the get-go.
It’s unclear how many episodes each season will run, but Deadline expects that the creators’ original plan for 10 episodes each season will likely be the blueprint. That would definitely fit into HBO’s usual format, following the same pattern as other quirky comedies from the network like Veep, and Silicon Valley — though both of those series began with just eight episodes for their first season run.
Sundance has been good to the Duplass brothers as of late, as the filmmakers also inked a deal with Netflix at the festival this year which includes four small-budget movies to be produced exclusively for the site.
Animals will premiere on HBO and its streaming services HBO Go and HBO Now beginning February 5 at 11:30 p.m. EST.
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