solar opposites – The Comedy Bureau

TCB Debriefing 7/21-8/10: Roy Wood Jr. on CNN, Inside Out TV Series, Saturday Night Trailer+++

1. Roy Wood Jr. will be hosting his own topical panel show on, not Comedy Central, but CNN with Have I Got News For You. While The Daily Show did get Jon Stewart back, there is an unmistakable feeling that they missed out here.

2. Disney’s own version of Comic Con, D23, is this weekend and the big takeaway is that Mickey and company will be sticking with their big hits from Pixar in the form of an Inside Out series, another sequel to The Incredibles, and another sequel to Toy Story (which begs the question how much more existential crises can they explore through the nature of sentient toys).

3. Let’s call that a take 2 on Studio 60, but this time, from Jason Reitman that actually tackles the origin story of SNL head on (and it looks pretty damn great). Take a gander at the trailer for Saturday Night here, then look for it in theaters come Oct. 11th.

4. Adam Sandler took a big leap into the Safdie Brothers’ world when diving into Uncut Gems, and Josh Safdie is returning the favor by directing Sandler’s latest stand-up special, Love You (take a look at the trailer here). Let’s see if this leads to a Safdie Brothers slapstick comedy. Love You will hit Netflix later this month on Aug. 27th.

5. The High Plains Comedy Festival in Denver, CO is still one of the very best comedy festivals around (and is coming up soon on Sept. 19th-21st). Peep their first line-up announcement! THEN, go get your fest passes here.

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6. Given how truly insane the winds of change feels these days, a wave of absurdism/non-sequitur/unapologetic deconstructionist satire in a comedy special (as opposed to more litanies of crowd-work-fueled comedy specials) feels more than needed. Fortunately, Carmen Christopher has come through with his latest and very hilarious special Live from the Windy City that serves up many shots of all those ingredients in addition to thankfully showcasing Christopher’s stand up chops in a non-COVID-socially-distanced setting. If you’re any level of fan of I Think You Should Leave, you might recognized Carmen from a sketch or two and, as such, you’re really going to dig Live from the Windy City (after all, Tim Robinson does have his name attached to this special). Live from the Windy City is now streaming on VEEPS and you can (and should) stream it here.

7. While Abbott Elementary has the hearts and minds of America’s primetime viewing audience, FX is giving the high school work place comedy its own treatment with English Teacher from Brian Jordan Alvarez (that seems to have the same very satisfying bite that Election had over 20 years ago). Also, Sean Patton as Markie might be TV’s latest scene stealer. See for yourself with the trailer here, then look for the premiere on FX/Hulu on Sept. 2nd.

8. James Adomian, who voices many of your favorite adult animated series, is one of comedy’s best minds and voices and has been for years now. Thankfully, his very first hour special is due out on 800 Pound Gorilla on Aug. 16th and then, for everyone, on Sept. 19th. Please enjoy his retro comedy special trailer for Path of Most Resistance here.

9. After having some of the very best moments in season 1 of White Lotus, Natasha Rothwell is taking center stage with her very own series How to Die Alone, a comedy following a carpe-diem-turn for a woman who is afraid to fly, but works an airport. See what Natasha has up her sleeve with the trailer for How To Die Alone here, then look for it exclusively on Hulu come Sept. 13th.

10. Both Punkie Johnson and Molly Kearney are leaving SNL, which means the new cast announcement for the next season might be big (and plenty diverse).

11. Ramy Youssef has signed a first look deal with Netflix, which is yet another step for the rising comedy star. Note that this doesn’t mean he has the answer to achieving peace in the Middle East (only great jokes about it).

12. Quinta Brunson and Stephanie Hsu are teaming up on a comedy feature for Universal. No plot details are available at this time, which leaves us to assume that it’s about a multiverse of public schools that also don’t have enough funding.

13. It’s about time there was a Mitch Hedberg documentary especially considering that he set an intention of telling jokes without references so he could be timeless. Keep an eye out for this doc from 222-2222 Films.

13. While Chloe Radcliffe is in Edinburgh right now racking up well deserved acclaimed for her marvelous solo show, CHEAT, let’s not forget that Chloe is really damn good at stand-up. See her Don’t Tell set here for proof.

14. Not only is the fifth season of Solar Opposites around the corner (Aug. 12th on Hulu) and it just got renewed for another season, but it seems as any lingering controversy with Justin Roiland’s exit is well in the rear view mirror. All looks like a well oiled machine in this trailer for the new season.

15. In addition to Sam Morril making his Amazon debut with his brand spankin’ new special You’ve Changed, there’s, essentially, a bonus track of crowd work/material available exclusively on newly forged comedian streaming platform PunchUp called “Buying Drinks”. If you loved Sam’s rooftop stuff, you’ll love this.

16. In addition to doing a sharply honed high school comedy, it would seem FX is angling on a Gen-Z version of Friends with their new series, Snowflakes. Shout out to comedian Malik Elassal has is kind of having a banner year in 2024.

17. We don’t know how many seasons What We Do In the Shadows will ultimately go, but thank goodness Danny McBride is getting to work on adapting his own vampire comedy from Grady Hendrix’s book The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires.

18. While a return to pure comedy might seem unlikely for acclaimed horror director Jordan Peele, him taking on prank series Scare Tactics is a welcome dip back into comedy. Look for Peele to possibly revolutionize prank shows later this Fall on USA Network.

19. We’ll leave you with this: Free tickets to John Early @ The Bellwether on 9/17 anyone? Yes? Hit us up at thecomedybureau@gmail.com and we’ll see if we can hook you up.

TCB Debriefing 1/25/24-1/26/24: Jacqueline Novak, George Carlin/AI, Rachel Kaly, JFL Moontower Austin, Solar Opposites, Honey Don’t

January 26, 2024

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1. Over the last several years, we have had the expressed privilege of seeing the profound comedic mind of one Jacquline Novak fine tune what is now a transcendent victory lap of the most poetic defense of a certain type of fellatio (and female agency within sexual congress). The first iterations of Get On Your Knees started pre-pandemic, then, well, the COVID-19 pandemic happened, and then, after some time, Jacqueline embarked on and off again with this brilliant, most poetic hour of comedy, doused in heather gray, a simple canvas to Jackie’s exuberance and litany of philosophies behind blowjobs and everything else in the orbit of BJs. The special edition of Get on Your Knees is the culmination of years of Novak’s unstoppable enthusiasm, a true testament to her will as a performer and the splendor of this particular hour.

Even though we’ve seen it live three times already, we still laughed heartily right out the gate with “the Hound’s Way”. So, without further delay, please enjoy Jacqueline Novak: Get on Your Knees on Netflix now.

2. The George Carlin Estate is officially suing over the AI generated George Carlin special that came out earlier this month (NBC News). Undoubtedly, this will set precedent for AI generated comedy and, honestly, it only makes sense that Carlin is still setting benchmarks well after he’s left this mortal coil.

3. Rachel Kaly impromptu free-styling (or kind of just talking?) over a Hamilton karaoke after blistering rounds of crowd work is kind of pure joy. Please enjoy it here.

4. Moontower Just For Laughs Austin, MFJLA, the amalgamation of Moontower Comedy & Oddity Festival and JFL, just announced their 2024 line-up. What a world we live in where Andrew Schulz and Shane Gillis get a bigger font than The State. Badges are on sale right now.

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5. Last year, it was Harley Quinn, this year it’s Solar Opposites that have you covered if you’re apathetic about Valentine’s Day. Take a gander at the trailer for the Solar Opposites Valentine’s Day Special, set to premiere on Feb. 5th exclusively on Hulu.

6. If Aubrey Plaza, Margaret Qualley, and one of the Coen Brothers are making a comedy together, the question one might be wondering is how dark will this comedy be? Guess we shall see soon enough with Honey Don’t (Deadline).

7. We’ll leave you with this: Who knew that George Carlin and Taylor Swift would be fighting on a united front?

TCB Debriefing 7/21/23: Harley Quinn S4, Barbie Previews Best of 2023, Solar Opposites S4, Rick & Morty, Problemista, Danny Masterson

July 21, 2023

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1. Harley Quinn, over 3 seasons, has managed to give a hysterical redo to a character that Margot Robbie has already mastered in live action DCEU. It’s one of the most subversive and raunchiest animated series on TV and season 4 is just around the corner. Take your first gander at the fourth season with this trailer, then look for it to stream exclusively on Max starting Jul. 27th.

2. Greta Gerwig’s Barbie scores the best previews box office best all year thus far with $22.3 million take between Wednesday and Thursday (THR). Going from Lady Bird to Little Women to Barbie, could Gerwig follow the roads of Richard Linklater or Steven Soderbergh and put her stamp on nearly every film genre possible? If that happens, we hope her body of work still ends up being mostly comedy because she’s really damn good at that.

3. Solar Opposites gives a more extended look/listen at/to Dan Stevens replacing Justin Roiland as one of the principal aliens on the show, Korvo, and being fully self-effacing about the whole thing. To be honest, it’s kind of really working for us. See for yourself with the season 4 trailer here, then look for the premiere exclusively on Hulu come Mon. Aug. 14th.

4. Speaking of replacing Justin Roiland in things, Rick and Morty are just going to cast soundalikes and not try to justify a whole character/voice change (THR). Knowing that many of the unprecedented amount of episodes that have been ordered and written and have yet to be animated (along with their still being a WGA strike right now), that’s probably the best choice. Best of luck to whomever will have to deal with Rick and Morty‘s rabid fanbase.

4a. Oh, let’s not forget that there’s an anime version of Rick and Morty coming out from Japanese anime director Takashi Sano and Telecom animation. So far, Morty seems more heroic and Rick seems less drunk, but there appears to be just as much multiversal chaos as ever. Get your first look at Rick and Morty: The Anime here.

5. The highly anticipated a24 comedy/Julio Torres vehicle, Problemista, which had been slated for release in just a couple of weeks, has had its release paused due to the double strike (Indiewire). This is somewhat ironic considering there is so much in Problemista that highlights how hard it is to make a living being a creative (especially if you’re an undocumented immigrant).

6. Fresh off of getting convicted of sexual assault, Danny Masterson has been almost entirely omitted from That 70’s Show activation at Comic-Con (Deadline). Whenever they get to That 2020’s Show, they better write a joke addressing this.

6. Greta Gerwig and Christopher Nolan should do the next AMC screening pre-roll because of the wild popularity of Barbenheimer and it’s irrefutable display of the majesty of cinema as well as that Nicole Kidman one that been overplayed for awhile now (and people still keep gleefully clapping for it).

Solar Opposites Is Replacing Justin Roiland’s Character with Dan Stevens (and, Yes, That Means Korvo Sounds British Now)

June 20, 2023

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For decades, networks have tried switching up the talent of specific characters on their popular series, but futilely tried to do so without fans and viewers alike noticing too much. The Fresh Prince of Bel Air tried it with Aunt Viv and, more recently, Ayo Edebiri replaced Jenny Slate for the voice of Missy on Big Mouth. Solar Opposites is trying a whole new tactic, complete transparency, since the ousting of series co-creator Justin Roiland and his disturbing domestic abuse charges unveiled just months ago.

Korvo, the lead alien in Solar Opposites that used to be voiced by Roiland, will now be voiced by UK phenom Dan Stevens (who has done everything from Legion to a Beauty and the Beast remake) with his actual British voice. Even though Stevens is talented enough to nail Roiland’s often hardened American cadence, Solar Opposites has opted to have a clever plot device to essentially retcon Korvo as a posh, yet still angry, alien.

For our money, it kind of really works (though, we’re not sure what sort of precedent this is setting for other series down the line?) Get a taste of what’s to come for yourself with the new new Solar Opposites coming to Hulu on Mon. Aug. 14th here.

iHeart Podcast Union Gets Official Recognition; Production Teams for Rick & Morty and Solar Opposites File to Unionize

February 25, 2022

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Only a few months ago did the staffers at iHeart’s podcast arm announce that they were seeking unionization and a collective bargaining agreement. As of yesterday, Feb. 24th, the iHeart Podcast Union was officially recognized. This represents a huge step for the whole world of podcasting as well as the shows under the iHeart Podcast Union banner including How Did We Get Weird? with Vanessa and Jonah Bayer, Life Will Be the Death of Me with Chelsea Handler, Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, a number of Jamie Loftus audio projects/shows, and Will Ferrell‘s own imprint, Big Money Players. Perhaps, other big podcast networks will follow suit as podcasts have increasingly become the way to circumvent gatekeepers in order to build an audience/make a living/tour in comedy and elsewhere in entertainment.

Also on the comedy unionization front, the production teams behind adult animated hits Rick & Morty and Solar Opposites are both filing for collective bargaining agreements with The Animation Guild (via Deadline). Both Justin Roiland co-created shows have multiple seasons under their belt, at Netflix and Hulu respectively, and thusly require a dedicated team to crank out the episode orders that keep coming in. That includes production managers, production supervisors, design assistants, casting assistants, storyboard coordinators and office production coordinators and assistants. Unfortunately, the studios behind either show have not formally recognized either group as part of The Animation Guild yet.

We hope that the feeling that a wave of unionizing in and around comedy is, after these two steps forward, are more than just a feeling.

Solar Opposites Releases a “Super Red Band” Trailer for Season 2

March 25, 2021

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To entice viewers, some shows will release a red band trailer that is meant for adults only and is thus, usually released only online or, perhaps, with an R-rated movie in theaters (that thing we used to do so long ago).

Solar Opposites is the sort of a show that has enough explicit content to warrant a red band trailer and they have indeed released one. However, it would seem that they have gone above and beyond during their time at SXSW Online 2021 and unveiled a “super red band trailer” that really goes to town with language and gore. The alien family of Solar Opposites that have been stranded on Earth and cause chaos in the meantime really do one-up themselves for this super red band trailer (which might be the first of its kind?)

Watch it here, then look for season 2 of Solar Opposites to start on Hulu this Fri. Mar. 26th.

Solar Opposites Season 2 Promises BDE, Human Wine, and More

February 26, 2021

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The latest alien family on the block thought they were going to leave, but the Solar Opposites are very much staying on earth to incidentally (or very intentionally) wreak havoc here on this rock for season 2 of the Justin Roiland and Mike McMahan series.

Just from the looks of the trailer, there going to get way in over their intergalactic heads when it comes to trying to manipulate “big dick energy” and sourcing wine from “alternative sources” that lean way more to the unethical side of things. The chaos reigns once more with this dysfunctional alien family.

Get a taste of the wild ride that’s to come with season 2 of Solar Opposities here, then look for it to begin streaming on Hulu on Fri. Mar. 26th.

Comic Con Is Going Virtual This Year, Will Still Have Plenty of Comedy Panels, and Will Be Free

Something the size of world famous, annual San Diego Comic-Con obviously isn’t going to happen this year due to the pandemic. However, rather than just outright postponing, Comic-Con is going to try for virtual editions of their renowned panels that reveal insider info and details from creators and talent of movies, TV, comic-books, etc.

They’re calling it Comic-Con@Home and it’ll stream from Jul. 22nd-26th and, best of all, it’ll be free (or maybe not waiting to get into Hall H is better?). This virtual edition of SDCC will include panel discussion from What We Do In the Shadows, Bob’s Burgers, The Simpsons, Solar Opposites, Robot Chicken, Archer, Crossing Swords, Duncanville, Upload, The Boys, Superstore, Adventure Time, Infinity Train, Phineas and Ferb, Bless the Harts, American Dad!, Family Guy, Looney Tunes, and Bill & Ted Face the Music.

Look through the entire Comic-Con@Home schedule and get details on how to stream all of these events here.

Justin Roiland’s Latest Series “Solar Opposites” Gets a Teaser

March 26, 2020

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While you’re waiting for new episodes of Rick & Morty, well, actually, while you’re waiting for a lot of stuff to get back to the way they were, it’s nice to know that Rick & Morty co-creator Justin Roiland has a new animated series on the way, Solar Opposites, coming to Hulu.

In fact, Solar Opposites doesn’t seem to be all that far off from Rick & Morty (maybe living in one of the other universes within the Rick & Morty-verse). It follows an alien family trying they best they can to acclimatize to earth, but, of course, dealing with all the sorts of chaos Roiland has founded his entire career on. Intergalactic warfare, zombie outbreaks, a plethora of jauntily named fictional creatures, and plenty of family squabbling are all part of this new show.

See all of that and enjoy the teaser here, then look for the series premiere of Solar Opposites on Hulu, starting May 8th (even though we’ll probably be let out of our houses at that point).

Hulu Orders Two Seasons of Extraterrestrial Family Animated Comedy “Solar Opposites” from Rick and Morty’s Justin Roiland and Mike McMahan

August 28, 2018

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Hulu Orders Two Seasons of Extraterrestrial Family Animated Comedy “Solar Opposites” from Rick and Morty’s Justin Roiland and Mike McMahan

When it comes to adult animation with a intergalactic/interdimensional setting, Justin Roiland might just have cornered the market.

This latest series order by Hulu from Roiland and Rick and Morty writer/EP Mike McMahan will follow an alien family taking refuge on Earth from “better planet”. That seems right in their wheelhouse and, as an added bonus, the sweet voice of the hilarious Mary Mack will be behind one of the characters.

Please note that you’ve got around two years before this comes out. Good thing there’s a bunch of Rick and Morty coming up to keep you satisfied in the meantime.