The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers has yet to hit our screens but news hasn’t dried up on the series. The animated adaptation of the Gilbert Shelton underground comix classic has announced new additions to the cast and a partnership with major studio Lionsgate.

Joining the already packed all-star cast of the show – whose first eight-episode season has already wrapped production – are Andrea Savage and La La Anthony, according to Deadline.

The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers follows a trio of (non-related) stoners and their misadventures while scoring the next bit of weed. It debuted in Austin, Texas, underground newspaper The Rag in 1968 and was regularly reprinted nationwide, building a cult following. The animated show was first announced as being in development in 2019, and a mini episode was aired on YouTube. The cast had a digital panel at NYCC last year which the Beat covered.

The show starts out with the premise of the original anarchic comic before suddenly taking the original group of stoners on a magical weed trip from the familiar world of the 1960s to the 2020s. The eponymous trio will be played by Woody HarrelsonJohn Goodman and Pete Davidson. Other names cast in the show are Tiffany HaddishAdam DevineBlake Anderson, and Phil LaMarr.

According to the Deadline article, comedian Savage and Anthony will play siblings Harper and Gretchen: ‘Harper [is] a no-nonsense tech badass who undoubtedly wears the pants in her household.’ Gretchen meanwhile is ‘a social-advocate lawyer who is the more idealistic and compassionate younger sister of Harper’.

Anthony, who more recently starred in Starz series Power, said this about joining the series:

“I have been into cartoons and animation for as long as I can remember and have dreamed of having the opportunity to voice an animated series. And to share the screen with some of the greatest comedians of our time is amazing. I’m excited to be a part of this project and can’t wait for fans to see the show.”

Lionsgate, who have signed on to the production, are to handle the global distribution rights of the series. Currently production on an eight episode pilot season has wrapped but no broadcaster or streamer have signed up as yet.

Jim Packer, Lionsgate President of Worldwide Television Distribution, chimed in on this new collaboration:

“We’re thrilled to partner with some of the best writers and producers in adult animation and the perfect cast to recapture the subversive underground vibe of the original ’60s comic series with characters and story lines that are just as funny, relevant and watchable today. Just as the comics resonated with readers around the world, audiences will want to tune into the wild, boundary-pushing adventures of this group of remarkably human misfits time after time.”

The Rick & Morty workshop Starburns Industries and Pure Imagination Studios handled the initial eight episode pilot season of the show. The rights to the comic are handled by WTG Enterprises with WTG’s Courtney Solomon and Mark Canton acting as executive producers alongside writers and showrunners Alan Cohen and Alan Freedland. Creator Gilbert Shelton and the cast are also named executive producers.

With the announcement of the partnership with Lionsgate, WTG’s Courtney Solomon and Mark Canton said:

“We’re delighted to continue our extraordinary relationship with the Lionsgate family. It’s great to have a partner like Lionsgate on board for the ride as we’ve got an incredible cast and are confident that audiences everywhere will love the Freaks.”

2 COMMENTS

  1. Drugs are deadly. Drugs ruin lives. Famous actors like John Belushi died because drugs got the better of them when along comes a TV series celebrating drug use. This has flown below the mainstream radar so far but I can’t think it is going to be well received at a time when deaths from opioid drug use (an actual prescription drug) are high. What works in an underground comic doesn’t necessarily translate into another medium. Should someone do a film based on Robert Crumb’s “When The ******* Take Over America”?

  2. I can not wait for this show. As marijuana has finally for the most part been legalized people that understand it is not a “drug” like opioids will be able to appreciate this show. I am a long time fan of the freak brothers, I am looking forward to this amazing adult animation with stellar stars such as Woody Harrelson and John Goodman. You have to be very closed minded to not want this program to see the light of day. This show will be amazing I can not wait.

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