Hulu’s Koala Man creators explain the show’s unique twist

Despite a certifiable “adult animation” boom, few series cranked out by streaming services in recent years have struck the balance of comedyAnd familial feels that cemented early Simpsons and Bob’s BurgersAs S-tier. However Koala manYou might even be one.

Michael Cusack created this websiteSmiling FriendsThe Hulu new series, Kevin (Cusack), is a middle-aged man with two children. While he struggles in his job as a Crocodile Hunter-esque Big Greg (“Hugh Jackman”) while pretending to be the powerful crime fighter Koala Men (the night), Cusack plays Kevin. Cusack and Justin Roiland teamed up to create the series, which focuses on Kevin’s home life and Vicky (Sarah Snook), as well as the fantastical, unplanned adventures of Koala Man.Rick and MortyBenji Samit (Showrunner) and Dan Hernandez (Showrunner)Detective Pikachu).

“In this day and age, it’s daunting to launch any kind of show because there’s so much out there,” Samit tells Polygon. “So we knew from the very beginning we needed something to set the show apart from everything else out there. We have a few things going for us: Michael Cusack’s distinctive voice and point of view; the Australia of it all makes it a little more unique from most of the stuff you see on American TV; and we tried to inject a little more optimism and heart into the show than I think you see in a lot of adult animation these days. There’s not much cynicism in Koala man.”

The market for adult animation could be easily analyzed by a creator. If viewers can’t tell the difference between Chicago Party AuntAnd Paradise PDBoth might be interested in both. Hernandez says that Hernandez is a comedian who enjoys hosting a show. Koala man, it’s pretty much impossible to “read the tea leaves of what people might want” and actually be funny.

“So I think that for us, one of the things that we also decided early on was: Let’s just make the show that we think is the best possible show. And let’s release ourselves from result and really focus on what we as a group, and we as showrunners, think is funny, and what makes us laugh, and what is specific to this show and not shy away from some of the weirder things.”

For Samit and Hernandez, that included one episode involving a “giant alien sex fiend,” an action set piece inspired by Cowboy BebopHere’s a long episode dedicated to 1971 chase film. Vanishing Point, in which Kevin must traverse the Outback to return his son’s jacket. And because the team didn’t have to “make it less Australian, or flatten out some of the crazier things,” Hernandez says, there’s obviously a Mad Max moment as well, the ultimate franchise from down under.

Image: Hulu

Samit emphasizes that it is important to hold on to your emotional core. Koala man was the ultimate twist on a familiar formula — and the writing partners came at it from a slightly different place than most of their contemporaries. They started their careers with adult-themed comedy like 1600 PennSamit, Hernandez, and I spent many years working in trenches to produce G and PG food. Detective Pikachu, The Addams Family 2,, and Disney’s upcoming film based on the EPCOT mascot Figment. This is the culmination of all these projects. Koala man.

“When you’re a staff writer on something like our first show, 1600 Penn, a lot of what you’re doing is learning how to imitate the style of the showrunner and to capture the voice of what your boss is looking for. So you’re spending a lot of time writing what you wouldn’t write in a vacuum; I’m gonna write in the style of Bill Pullman or Jenna Elfman or Josh Gad. When we wrote the Addams Family movie, it’s not that dissimilar — you kind of know who Wednesday is. And that’s a really invaluable lesson because sometimes when you’re the showrunner of a show, someone might pitch something that’s really the funniest thing you’ve ever heard, but it sells out the character too much. And a joke may be really funny, but you might have to say, ‘Based on the kind of person that Kevin is, I don’t think he would say this.’

“So the jobs might seem disparate, but for us it’s always about big characters, big worlds, and how to keep the structural integrity of those things intact while telling the stories now.”

If this sounds too serious, bear in mind that: Koala manThe first season features an alien sex fiend.

All 8 episodes Koala man Season 1 is now available on Hulu.