''Animals'' (stylised ''Animals.'') is an American adult animated

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

television series created by Phil Matarese and Mike Luciano. The first two episodes were independently produced and presented at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...

in January 2015. In May 2015,

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

picked the series up with a two-season order, which premiered on February 5, 2016. The series was renewed for a third season on May 19, 2017. Season 3 premiered on August 3, 2018. In October 2018, it was announced that HBO had canceled the series.

Plot

Each episode features a different cast of special guests, along with creators Matarese and Luciano playing various animals. The show features retroscripting and improvised dialogue based on plot outlines. Each season also has a story arc featuring humans in live-action sequences (except the first season which is all animated), such as a corrupt mayor and the events leading to his reelection in season one. In season two, the human story arc concerns a reporter investigating a virus outbreak created by mad scientist Dr. Labcoat, who is forced to release a gas that dissolves all human life in New York. In season three, which takes place three years after the dubbed "Green Day" incident, the animals of New York have formed their own governments while they are being observed by two soldiers who are losing their grip on reality.

Cast

Main

* Phil Matarese as himself ** Humans: Private Matarese ** Rats: Phil Jr. Also portrayed Phil Jr.'s biological father in the first episode. ** Pigeons ** Cats: Emperor Phil, a sociopathic cat who was initially the mayor's cat. Also portrayed Phil, a mafia cat who took over the family business. ** Dogs ** Flies ** Squirrels ** Roaches ** Worms ** Horses * Mike Luciano as himself ** Humans: Private Luciano ** Rats: Mike, Phil Jr's best friend. Also portrayed Phil Jr.'s grandfather in his youth. ** Pigeons ** Cats: Emperor Mike, a sociopathic cat who was initially the mayor's cat. Also portrayed Mike, a mafia cat leaving organized crime. ** Dogs ** Flies ** Squirrels ** Roaches ** Worms ** Horses

Recurring

Humans

* RuPaul Charles as Dr. Labcoat, the antagonist of season two's human storyline. A scientist of the unscrupulous conglomerate Pesci Co., Labcoat arranged for an epidemic in New York to sell the 'Green Pill' to enslave the populace. But after being exposed, Labcoat ends up destroying himself when he wiped out the human populace of New York. Posthumously, he established the Labcoat terrorists of season three. * John Early as The Assistant, Dr. Labcoat's aid and accomplice. *

Demi Moore Demi Gene Moore ( ; née Guynes; born November 11, 1962) is an American actress. After rising to prominence in the early 1980s, she became the world's highest-paid actress by 1995. List of awards and nominations received by Demi Moore, Her acc ...

as The General, the antagonist of season three's human storyline. *

Mel Rodriguez Melvin Dimas Rodríguez (born June 12, 1973) is an American actor and comedian, best known for starring as Nurse Patsy de la Serda on the HBO comedy '' Getting On'', as Todd Rodriguez on the Fox comedy '' The Last Man on Earth'', and as Ernie Go ...

as The Lieutenant

Animals

Katie Aselton Kathryn Aselton (born October 1, 1978) is an American actress, film director and producer. She directed and co-starred in '' The Freebie'', which was shown in the non-competition "Next" category at the Sundance Film Festival in 2010. She also st ...

as Rebecca, Mom *

Neil Casey Neil Casey (born July 28, 1981) is an American actor, writer, and comedian. Casey served as a writer for the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' from 2012 to 2013, and the Comedy Central series '' Inside Amy Schumer'' in 2014, receiv ...

as Principal Lief, a rat principal at the high school Phil Jr. and Mike attended in the first two seasons. He also played the human Executive 3, a Pesci Co. employee that became the founding leader of the Labcoats in season 3 after Dr. Labcoat subjected him to a mutative strain of the Green Pill in season 2, and Reporter. *

Jay Duplass Lawrence Jay Duplass Jr. (born March 7, 1973) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author widely known for his films ''The Puffy Chair'' (2005), ''Cyrus'' (2010), and '' Jeff, Who Lives at Home'' (2011), made in collaboration with his younger br ...

as Dennis * Lauren Lapkus as Jacob, CO298 * Jon Lovitz as Himself, Old Ben * Claudia O'Doherty as April *

Mindy Sterling Mindy Lee Sterling (born July 11, 1953) is an American actress. She is primarily known as a character actress who has amassed multiple live action and voice-over credits across film and television. Her accolades include nominations for two Pr ...

as Psychic Lady * Kurt Vile as Himself

Guest stars

Jhené Aiko Jhené Aiko Efuru Chilombo (; born March 16, 1988) is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer and rapper. Aiko embarked on her musical career in 2002, as a backing vocalist and music video performer for the R&B group B2K. She was signed by the ...

as Mary *

Jason Alexander Jay Scott Greenspan (born September 23, 1959), known professionally as Jason Alexander, is an American actor and comedian. Over the course of his career he has received an Emmy Award and a Tony Award as well as nominations for four Golden Globe ...

as Algae * Stephanie Allynne as TO89W *

Eric André Eric Samuel André (born April 4, 1983) is an American comedian, actor, television host, writer, producer, and musician. He is best known as the creator, host, and co-writer of the Adult Swim surreal comedy series '' The Eric Andre Show'' (2012� ...

as Alex * Aziz Ansari as Charles * Scott Aukerman as Drug Dealer *

Awkwafina Nora Lum (born June 2, 1988), known professionally as Awkwafina (), is an American actress, comedian and rapper. She rose to prominence in 2012 when her rap song "My Vag" became popular on YouTube. She then released her debut album, ''Yellow Ra ...

as Annie *

Bob Balaban Robert Elmer Balaban (born August 16, 1945) is an American actor, director, producer and writer. Aside from his acting career, Balaban has directed three feature films, in addition to numerous television episodes and films, and was one of the pro ...

as Himself * Marianne Jean-Baptiste as Giraffe * Amir Blumenfeld as Caterer 1 *

Big Boi Antwan André Patton (born February 1, 1975), known professionally as Big Boi, is an American rapper and record producer. Born in Savannah, Georgia, and raised in Atlanta, he was one half of the Southern hip-hop duo Outkast along with rapper ...

as Fox 2 * Alex Borstein as

Lois Griffin Lois Patrice Griffin ( Pewterschmidt) is a fictional character from the American animated television series ''Family Guy''. She is voiced by Alex Borstein and first appeared in the show's pilot episode, "Death Has a Shadow", on January 31, 19 ...

Jessica Chastain Jessica Michelle Chastain (born March 24, 1977) is an American actress and producer. Known for primarily starring in projects with Feminism, feminist themes, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Jessica Chastain, various ...

as Sarah *

Emilia Clarke Emilia Isobel Euphemia Rose Clarke (born 23 October 1986) is an English actress, best known for her role as Daenerys Targaryen in the HBO fantasy series ''Game of Thrones'' (2011–2019), for which she received nominations for four Primetime E ...

as Lumpy * Brett Davis as Lizard Executive * Charlie Duncan as Maddie *

Mark Duplass Mark David Duplass (born December 7, 1976) is an American filmmaker, actor, writer, and musician. With his brother Jay Duplass, he started the film production company Duplass Brothers Productions in 1996, for which they wrote and directed ''The ...

as Ken * Mary Elizabeth Ellis as Wendy * Josh Fadem as FDB Representative * Edie Falco as Psycho * Nathan Fielder as DJ Lab Rat *

Whoopi Goldberg Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ...

as Dorothy *

Kim Gordon Kim Althea Gordon (born April 28, 1953) is an American musician, singer and songwriter best known as the bassist, guitarist, and vocalist of alternative rock band Sonic Youth. Born in Rochester, New York, she was raised in Los Angeles, Califor ...

as Tulip *

Judy Greer Judith Therese Evans (born July 20, 1975), known professionally as Judy Greer, is an American actress. She is primarily known as a character actress who has appeared in Judy Greer filmography, a wide variety of films. She rose to prominence for ...

as Ali * David Harbour as Hawk *

Dan Harmon Daniel James Harmon (born January 3, 1973) is an American television writer and producer. He is best known as the creator and producer of the NBC sitcom ''Community (TV series), Community'' (2009–2015), creator and host of the comedy podcast ' ...

as Ad Man 1 *

Jonah Hill Jonah Hill (born Jonah Hill Feldstein; December 20, 1983) is an American actor. List of awards and nominations received by Jonah Hill, The accolades he has received include nominations for two Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, BAFTA ...

as Pesicorp President * Mary Holland as Ashley, 69-69-420x * Jake Hurwitz as Caterer 2 * Mitchell Hurwitz as Larry * Brandon Johnson as Ad Man 3 * Jay Johnston as Ad Man 4 * January Jones as Diana * Dinosaur Jr. as Themselves as Beavers * Mindy Kaling as Sandy *

Ellie Kemper Elizabeth Claire Kemper (born May 2, 1980) is an American actress, best known for her roles of Erin Hannon in the sitcom ''The Office'' (2009–2013) and Kimmy Schmidt in the sitcom '' Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt'' (2015–2019). She has also app ...

as Princess *

Harmony Korine Harmony Korine (born January 4, 1973) is an American filmmaker, actor, photographer, artist, and author. His methods feature an erratic, loose and transgressive aesthetic, exploring taboo themes and incorporating experimental techniques,Alicia Kn ...

as Corey *

Nick Kroll Nicholas Kroll (born June 5, 1978) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He is known for the FX (TV channel), FX comedy series ''The League'' (2009–2015), creating and starring in the Comedy Central series ''Kroll Show'' (20 ...

as Jerry * James Kyson * Jennifer Lafleur as Wife * Donna Lewis as Donna Lewis Rat *

Lucy Liu Lucy Alexis Liu (; born December 2, 1968) is an American actress, producer, and artist. Widely regarded as a trailblazer for Asian Americans in arts and entertainment, Asian American representation in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood, she is t ...

as Yumi * Melanie Lynskey as Linda * Anthony Mackie as Receipt * Jason Mantzoukas as Fink * Demetri Martin as Graham *

Marc Maron Marc David Maron (born September 27, 1963) is an American stand-up comedian, podcaster, writer, actor, and musician. In the 1990s and 2000s, Maron was a frequent guest on the ''Late Show with David Letterman'' and appeared more than forty times ...

as Marc Maron Rat *

Tatiana Maslany Tatiana Gabriele Maslany ( ; born September 22, 1985) is a Canadian actress. She rose to prominence for playing multiple characters in the science-fiction thriller television series ''Orphan Black'' (2013–2017), which won her a Primetime Emmy ...

as Sherman *

Danny McBride Daniel Richard McBride (born December 29, 1976) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter and producer. Known for his unique acting and writing style, the accolades he has received include nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and four Sat ...

as Gregory *

Killer Mike Michael Santiago Render (born April 20, 1975), better known by his stage name Killer Mike, is an American rapper, singer and activist. He made his recording debut on Outkast's fourth album ''Stankonia'' (2000), and guest appeared on the duo's Gr ...

as Fox 1 *

Moby Richard Melville Hall (September 11, 1965), known professionally as Moby, is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, disc jockey, and animal rights activist. He has sold 20 million records worldwide. AllMusic considers him to be "amo ...

as Moby Pig *

Robert Morse Robert Alan Morse (May 18, 1931 – April 20, 2022) was an American actor. Known for his gap-toothed boyishness, he started his career as a star on Broadway acting in musicals and plays before expanding into film and television. He earned numero ...

as Old Phil * Kumail Nanjiani as Rusty * Meghan O'Neill as Meghan, Natalie, Angels * Gil Ozeri as Chuck * Adam Pally as Max * Chelsea Peretti as Angela * Michael Rapaport as Erik * Andy Richter as Prisoner *

Justin Roiland Mark Justin Roiland (born February 21, 1980) is an American voice actor, animator, writer, and producer. He co-created the Adult Swim animated sitcom ''Rick and Morty'', for which he voiced the protagonists Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith from 2013 ...

as H&M * Paul Rust as Mason *

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as Julio * Ben Schwartz as Antonio, Geoff * Adam Scott as Shane * Rory Scovel as Ronnie * Ty Segall as Himself * Molly Shannon as Olivia *

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as Sharon *

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as Pat * Jenny Slate as Snake *

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as Anni * Jessica St. Clair as Kaitlin *

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as Ad Man 2 *

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as Chance * Raven Symone as Nurse * Jacob Tremblay as Nuke * Usher as Miles *

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as Ry-Ry * Shawn Wayans as Tommy * Joe Wengert as Priest, Baker, Boyfriend * Erin Whitehead as 49C74 *

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as Queen Ant * John Witherspoon as Jimmy * Zach Woods as Brian * Steve Zissis as Husband * A$AP Ferg as Bodega Cat 1 *

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as Bodega Cat 2 * Nick Hexum as Himself * SA Martinez as Himself * Jet Eveleth as Scarf Rat

Episodes

Critical reception

The first season has received positive reviews from critics. As of April 2020, it holds a 68% "Fresh" rating on review aggregator website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, based on 19 reviews, with an average of 6.5/10. On

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, the series holds a rating of 54 out of 100, based on 12 critics, indicating "mixed or above average reviews". Maureen Ryan of '' Variety'' gave the first season a negative review, writing, "The animated HBO show has a lot in common with programs like ''Girls'', ''Louie'', and ''Baskets'', and like ''Togetherness'', it boasts Mark and Jay Duplass as executive producers. But the extraordinarily tedious ''Animals.'', unlike those shows, fails to hit any of its chosen targets. It is unfunny, its animation is unexceptional and the studied banality of its dialogue is excruciating." Conversely, David Wiegand in the ''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...

'' gave the season a positive review, writing, "The deadpan approach only enhances the delicious off the wall comedy of ''Animals.'' The series is batty and brilliant as it turns the whole notion of anthropomorphic cartoon animals on its fuzzy ear."

References

External links