''The Last Kids on Earth'' is a

children's A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person young ...

animation Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...

streaming television Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as TV shows, as streaming media delivered over the Internet. Streaming television stands in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air a ...

series, based on the book series of the same name by

Max Brallier Max Brallier (born September 8, 1983) is a children's book author and has written more than 30 books. He is best known for his ''New York Times'' bestselling series '' The Last Kids on Earth'', which has been made into a TV series by Netflix. ...

, that premiered on

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

on September 17, 2019 with a one-hour first season. A ten-episode second season, or "Book 2", titled ''The Last Kids on Earth and the Zombie Parade'', premiered on April 17, 2020. The third season also known as "Book 3", was released on October 16, 2020. An interactive special, subtitled ''Happy Apocalypse to You'', was released on April 6, 2021.

Voice cast and characters

* Nick Wolfhard as Jack Sullivan, a 13-year-old orphan and gamer turned hero thanks to the apocalypse. *

Charles Demers Charles Demers (; born 1980), sometimes credited as Charlie Demers, is a Canadian comedian, political activist, voice actor, and writer. He was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, but self-identifies as Quebecois. Writing Demers has published f ...

as Dirk Savage, a former school bully turned strongman and monster fighter on Jack's team. He likes cooking and gardening. * Montserrat Hernandez as June Del Toro, a tomboyish 13-year-old girl who is Jack's crush but did not reciprocate his feelings, but starts to develop some in Book 2. She was trying to survive on her own until her parents come back for her with a rescue party; but she joins Jack's team and learns to have fun during the apocalypse. She was editor-in-chief of the school's paper. * Garland Whitt as Quint Baker, Jack's nerdy best friend who invents most of the gadgets the kids use to survive in their post-apocalyptic environment. *

Brian Drummond Brian Drummond (born August 10, 1969) is a Canadian voice actor. He formerly served on the board of directors for the New Westminster-based Urban Academy along with his wife, Laura Drummond, also a voice artist. Usually working in Vancouver, h ...

as the vocal effects for Rover, a blue-furred canine-like monster who befriends Jack in Book 1 and becomes the team's pet and mascot. *

Mark Hamill Mark Richard Hamill (; born September 25, 1951) is an American actor and writer. He is known for his role as Luke Skywalker in the '' Star Wars'' film series, beginning with the original 1977 film and subsequently winning three Saturn Awards ...

as Bardle, a gruff monster conjurer that takes up residence in Joe's Pizza who, like June, has been investigating the most recent phenomena and paranormal events. *

Catherine O'Hara Catherine Anne O'Hara (born March 4, 1954) is a Canadian-American actress. She is known for her comedy work on ''Second City Television'' (1976–84) and ''Schitt's Creek'' (2015–2020) and in films such as '' After Hours'' (1985), '' Beetlej ...

as Skaelka, a female monster warrior that takes up residence in Joe's Pizza and becomes a friend of June's. *

Keith David Keith David Williams (born June 4, 1956) is an American actor. He is known for his signature deep voice and commanding screen presence in over 300 roles across film, stage, television, and interactive media. He has starred in such films as '' T ...

as Thrull, the main antagonist in Book 2 who poses as the kids' friend at first before betraying them and his fellow monsters in Book 2, episode 8. He dies in Book 2, episode 10 "Dawn of Rezzoch". *

Bruce Campbell Bruce Lorne Campbell (born June 22, 1958) is an American actor and director. He is known for portraying Ash Williams in Sam Raimi's ''Evil Dead'' franchise, beginning with the 1978 short film ''Within the Woods''. He has starred in many low-b ...

as Chef, a cranky Squid monster that takes up residence in Joe's Pizza. *

Rosario Dawson Rosario Isabel Dawson (born May 9, 1979) is an American actress. She made her feature-film debut in the 1995 independent drama '' Kids''. Her subsequent film roles include ''He Got Game'' (1998), ''Josie and the Pussycats'' (2001), ''Men in Bl ...

as Rezzoch, the main antagonist of the series as revealed in Book 2, episode 2; has her first lines and first full appearance in Book 2, episode 8 before becoming a series regular as of the 9th and Book 2 finale episodes.

Episodes

Series overview

Book 1 (2019) The Pilot nofficial/h2>

Book 2 (2020) TV fficial/h2>

Book 3 (2020)

Special (2021)

Production

On September 26, 2017, it was announced that

Thunderbird Entertainment Thunderbird Entertainment Group (formerly Thunderbird Films) is a Canadian film and television entertainment company with offices in both Canada and the United States of America. Thunderbird's multiple divisions develop movies and television pr ...

's animation studio

Atomic Cartoons Atomic Cartoons is a Canadian animation studio founded in 1999 by Trevor Bentley, Mauro Casalese, Olaf Miller, Adam Ronald, and Rob Davies. Based out of Vancouver, British Columbia, it produces service animation for a wide variety of clients, as w ...

had optioned the screen rights on Max Brallier's book series ''The Last Kids on Earth'' with the intention of producing an animated television series. On February 26, 2018, it was announced that Netflix had given the production a series order. Executive producers include Brallier, Scott Peterson, Jennifer McCarron, and Matthew Berkowitz. Brallier and Peterson are also expected to write the series as well. Production companies involved in the series include

's animation studio

. On March 13, 2019, the series cast was announced, including

, Garland Whitt, Montserrat Hernandez,

, and Nick Wolfhard as the lead character Jack Sullivan. It was initially reported that the series would be released on May 30, 2019, but it instead premiered on September 17, 2019. A screenshot of a message by Max Brallier reveals that the show was cancelled during the pandemic, but he is currently working on a live action version.

Merchandise

Jakks Pacific Jakks Pacific, Inc. is an American company that designs and markets toys and consumer products, with a range of products that feature numerous children's toy licenses. The company is named after its founder, Jack Friedman, who had previously fo ...

launched a toyline based on the series in early 2020.

Outright Games Outright Games Ltd. is a British video game publisher focused on licensed games, mainly based on family-friendly properties similar to GameMill Entertainment. The company was co-founded in 2016 by Terry Malham as well as his children, Terry Malh ...

will publish a video game tie-in ''The Last Kids on Earth and the Staff of Doom'', for across consoles and PC in 2021. A graphic novel, subtitled ''Thrilling Tales from the Tree House'', is currently released as of April 6, 2021.

Reception

The series received a mixed reception. Ashley Moulton of

Common Sense Media Common Sense Media (CSM) is an organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children.

reviewed the interactive special, "The Last Kids on Earth: Happy Apocalypse to You," describing it a "fun interactive episode" with scary scenes and cartoon violence. She stated that because of the special's format, some elements from the original series is lacking, but that the special is "very fun nonetheless."

Awards

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Last Kids on Earth (TV series), The 2010s American animated television series 2020s American animated television series 2019 American television series debuts 2010s Canadian animated television series 2020s Canadian animated television series 2019 Canadian television series debuts American children's animated adventure television series American television shows based on children's books Canadian children's animated adventure television series Canadian television shows based on children's books Netflix children's programming Animated television series by Netflix English-language Netflix original programming Animated television series about orphans Zombies in television