When comedic geniuses from four of the funniest TV shows of the past decade combine forces, only good things can come, right? That's what FX is hoping with the in-the-works project Little Demon, which will team Community mastermind and Rick and Morty's Dan Harmon with It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's dependable weapon Danny DeVito and Parks and Recreation vet Aubrey Plaza. Oh yeah, and DeVito will be playing Satan himself.
FX has granted an official pilot order for Little Demon, which will be a half-hour animated comedy that takes place 13 years after the Danny DeVito-voiced Devil impregnated a woman voiced by Aubrey Plaza. Now the mother and her teen Antichrist (voiced by Lucy DeVito) are trying to lead a casual life without incident in Delaware, but they are forever being hassled by supernatural threats. One of those threats is Satan, who has his sights on taking custody of his daughter's soul, according to Deadline.
Lucy DeVito is, of course, the real-life daughter of Danny DeVito, which adds an extra layer of interest beyond the most obvious layer: Danny DeVito voicing Satan! After so many years of making demonic noises and saying (and doing) the most godawful things, it's only fitting for him to serve as Satan in some fictional universe's canon. The performance isn't going to be nearly as frightening as his turn as the Penguin in Batman Returns, but I do hope he references that role.
LIttle Demon will have Rick and Morty's Dan Harmon on as an executive producer. The project was created by Darcy Fowler (Deadbeat), Kieran Valla (Stop the Bleeding) and Seth Kirschner (30 Rock), an acting/writing trio that goes by the moniker the "Terror Team." Aubrey Plaza has collaborated with the group for years, which is another noteworthy behind-the-scenes connection.
Danny DeVito and Lucy DeVito will be executive producing through the former's Jersey Films 2nd Avenue, with FX Productions also behind it. DeVito is obviously well known at FX for having starred on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia for 13 of its 14 seasons. Aubrey Plaza is also a friend to the network for her run as Lenny Busker through three seasons of Legion.
ShadowMachine will be the animation studio behind Little Demon. To bring things back around to the funniest shows of the past decade, ShadowMachine was behind Netflix's near-perfect BoJack Horseman, as well as the short-lived Tuca & Bertie, TBS' Final Space and Facebook's Human Discoveries.
FXX's Archer is another easy entry in the funniest TV show conversation, but the network hasn't been able to replicate the quick-witted series' long-lasting success with other animated shows. The late-night entry Cake sought to shake things up as not only a medley of short-form entries in all manner of formats, but also as an incubator for potential future series.
It's reported that production on Little Demon will kick off as early as a week from now, with animated projects the only traditional form of scripted programming that is moving forward during Hollywood's break. Stay tuned to find out if this project has a devil of a shot of making it to series.
