Any family is going to bring its fair share of drama. But if you add, say, gods, monsters, and a mortal or two into the mix, you have the recipe for a far-out farce. That's hopefully set to be the case with Fox's Krapopolis, the latest animated show from Dan Harmon.
Understandably expected to be a major series for the broadcast network, the upcoming 2023 TV show is still a little while away, but we're learning some fun details about the mythical sitcom, which we'll share with you now. Here's what we know about this new series.
What Is The Krapopolis Premiere Date?
After experiencing a long delay and some behind-the-scenes shake-ups (which we will get to later), we can confirm that Krapopolis is officially slated to premiere on September 24, 2023, as part of Fox’s Animation Domination block. According to Deadline, the series was at one point set to come out in November 2022 until it faced a delay when Welcome to Flatch took its spot and then, after a May 2023 release was confirmed, was delayed again.
Over the past few years, Fox has had a hit-and-miss track record with their Animation Domination round-up — with more misses than hits, unfortunately. Indeed, for every Simpsons, Family Guy, King of the Hill, or Bob's Burgers, there are at least as many shows like Sit Down, Shut Up!, The Cleveland Show, Allen Gregory, and Bless the Harts. Whether or not Krapopolis ends up closer to the former or the latter crop remains to be seen, but Fox has high hopes, and it's easy to see why. It's got a big-name producer, a high-profile cast, a delirious high concept, and a potential foothold on the future of how entertainment will eventually be watched, made, and consumed. But we'll get to all that.
A Teaser Clip Shows A Glimpse At Life In The Titular, Mythical Community
The closest we have gotten to a sneak peek at what to expect from Krapopolis is a special clip that was initially shown exclusively at Comic Con 2022. Take a look what fantastic hijinks the characters are prone to in the video below:
Featuring opening narration by the unmistakable voice of Community and Rick and Morty veteran Keith David, the clip evolves from a modern-ish town hall meeting into a disaster of surreal proportions. Watching a 36-year-old peasant test a helmet intended to help defeat a Medusa by blinding the user is just dark, but watching said Medusa’s severed head roll through the crowd and turn every last one of them into stone is uproarious. What makes the clip especially exciting is hearing the first taste of the talented voice cast’s portrayals.
Krapopolis’ Voice Cast Includes Hannah Waddingham, Richard Ayoade, Matt Berry, Pam Murphy, And Duncan Trussell
Joining the cast of Krapopolis is a variety of familiar faces — or, more importantly, familiar voices. The ensemble includes Ted Lasso cast member Hannah Waddingham, Richard Ayoade of the The IT Crowd fame, and his co-star from the cult favorite sitcom, Matt Berry, whom more American audiences will likely recognize from one of the best horror TV shows on Hulu, FX's What We Do In the Shadows). Pam Murphy from Mapleworth Murders and Duncan Trussell – the creator of Netflix’s The Midnight Gospel – are all signed on to lend their talents to this upcoming animated series.
More specifically, Ayoade will voice Tyrannis – the mortal son of Waddingham’s character, Deliria, who is the goddess of self-destruction, and Berry’s oversexed, unemployed minotar named Shlub. Additionally, Murphy will voice Stupendous – Tyrannis' cyclops half-sister – and Trussell will be heard as Hippocampus, who is Shlub's regrettable offspring from a previous affair with a mermaid.
The Animated Sitcom Centers Around A Flawed Family Of Humans, Gods, And Monsters
Set in mythical Ancient Greece, Krapopolis centers around a flawed family of humans, gods, and monsters (both inside and out) as they haphazardly run one of the world's first cities with minimal peril, as a press release details. Whether or not this oddball family can do it without killing each other will be determined during the program's run.
Mainly centered around Tyrannis – a mortal among gods/demigods trying his damndest to be a benevolent ruler, even in a land that lives up to its name – Krapopolis will allow audiences to interact with self-destructive gods, mismatched personalities, and diluted dullards. Whether the city still stands as these overpowered titans gnaw at each other's throats will result in the upcoming show's wild, wacky heart.
It’s The Newest Animated Series Created By Dan Harmon
Krapopolis will likely benefit from more than just having star power in the recording booth. It also has star power from the creative side of things, being the brain-child of Dan Harmon.
Following the success of the aforementioned Community – which is finally getting that long-awaited movie – and Rick & Morty – which is going on without its recently fired co-creator and star, Justin Roiland – Harmon is a proven name. In fact, he is a name in a way that most comedy writers aren't, and he has demonstrated his wit many, many times over. Hopefully, that's also the case with Fox's Krapopolis, the newest animated series from the celebrated scribe.
Krapopolis Is Considered The First-Ever Animated Series Created Entirely On The Blockchain
As a press release proudly notes, Fox's Krapopolis is the first animated series created entirely on the blockchain. It will allow the show's eventual superfans to have premier access and ownership of the series. This means it will be a watershed moment for NFTs should it really prove to be A) a successful series and B) the future of entertainment as we know it.
Frankly, I'm still in the dark when it comes to NFTs. I've heard a few explanations, read a few descriptors, and parsed through some online chatter, but that’s about it. We'll just have to see how this unique method of entertainment consumption impacts the series and, perhaps, the future of pop culture as we know it.
Krapopolis Season 1 Will Be Showrun By BoJack Horseman’s Jordan Young
Running the show for Krapopolis Season 1 is Jordan Young, who has kept an active television career after getting his start as a character layout artist for Fox's The Simpsons. Later, Young would write for Raising Hope, Drawn Together, Better Off Ted, and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia before continuing that position, in addition to co-producing shows like BoJack Horseman, Life in Pieces, and Close Enough.
However, when Krapopolis returns for its second and third seasons – which were confirmed in March 2023, as reported by Deadline – Alex Rubens will assume the position of showrunner. A previous collaborator of Harmon’s on some of the best episodes of Community and Rick and Morty, Rubens also wrote for Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele’s sketch comedy series and co-wrote their 2016 movie, Keanu, with them as well.
It is always amusing when a comedy TV show attempts to fused modernized humor with historical (or mythical) settings. We shall see how Krapopolis measures up against other examples of the like when it premieres this fall!
