By Kevin Yedman
Underground comic series The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers is getting the animated TV series treatment from the producers of King of the Hill and American Dad, as well as the co-creators of Silicon Valley and the co-creators and stars of Workaholics. The first season of the new series will consist of eight, 22-minute episodes that will be executive produced by Mark Canton (Power) and Courtney Solomon (American Haunting), while Alan Cohen and Alan Freedland will serve as showrunners.
An underground, counterculture comic series dating back to the late ‘60s, The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers was created by Gilbert Shelton and first appeared in the Austin, Texas newspaper, The Rag. The series centered on three characters, Freewheelin’ Franklin Freek, Phineas T. Phreak, and Fat Freddy Frekowtski, and their seemingly never-ending pursuit of bliss — or to put it another way: recreational drugs. In the process, the Furry Freak Brothers and Shelton managed to develop quite the cult following, one that resulted in the property being translated into numerous different languages and selling more than 40 million comics worldwide.
Now, The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers property is set to get a new lease on life by becoming the next potential adult animated hit. And with the talent that’s behind it already, along with the animation studios Starburn Industries and Pure Imagination Studios (the folks behind Rick and Morty, The Simpsons, and Lego Batman), the series stands a good chance at connecting with audiences looking for something a little different and more than a little offbeat. In an official press release, Workaholics stars and co-creators Adam Devine and Blake Anderson had this to say:
“We connected so much to these characters. They’re just trying to enjoy life while understanding the world around them, and the adventures they go through along the way had us fully giggling while simultaneously making us think. When the opportunity arose to get involved not just as talent but also on a creative level, we jumped at the chance and also WEED, man!”
While an official network or streaming service has yet to be named, there’s a good chance that will be announced when the series’ showrunners and talent head to San Diego Comic-Con 2019 with a panel on Friday, July 19. With any luck, some of the details will include a first look at the animated Freak Brothers in action as well.
