Krapopolis could spawn Fox’s next iconic animated figure to sit alongside Homer Simpson, Bob Belcher and Peter Griffin, according to the network’s President of Scripted Programming Michael Thorn.
Dan Harmon’s show has been handed an unprecedented season three renewal prior to airing a single episode and been pushed back to the 2023-24 season, news revealed yesterday afternoon by Deadline. Fox is in London this week shopping the title to international buyers.
Speaking to Deadline prior to a Krapopolis screening for dozens of international buyers, Michael Thorn said his team had “found the voice of the characters, concept and comedy exceptionally quickly.”
“We’re so bullish about the work that we want to support and its ability to find an audience and succeed,” said Thorn. “While [a third season order] is atypical, it was a no-brainer for us with Krapopolis.”
“If we dream big,” Thorn added, he predicted one of the central characters could feature on “the Mount Rushmore of animated figures” alongside Fox icons such as Homer Simpson, Bob Belcher and Peter Griffin.
Thorn was speaking alongside Fernando Szew, the head of Fox’s fledgling international distribution company Fox Entertainment Global (FEG), who said “we see something very special” in Rick and Morty co-creator Harmon’s animation. Krapopolis is set in mythical ancient Greece and tells the story of a dysfunctional family of humans, gods and monsters that try their hand at running the world’s first cities.
Szew talked up the show’s chances of finding international buyers, pointing to a global adult animation renaissance and the fact that it features a prestigious international cast such as Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham, The IT Crowd’s Richard Ayoade and Toast of London creator Matt Berry.
At today’s Screening event at the Charlotte Street Hotel, Fox also presented Joel McHale comedy Animal Control.
Moving forwards, Thorn said buyers will see “further growth in animation” from Fox and its Bob’s Burgers label Bento Box, plus “a signature drama or two” and a “potential companion to Animal Control,” although he wouldn’t be drawn on what the latter would look like.
Thorn reeled off a number of recent Fox talent deals such as those struck with Justin Adler and Marc Cherry, adding, “We’re creating a curated slate of partners to help us grow our creative ambitions.”
“We’re not high volume and see this focused approach as being a strength of ours,” he said. “We’re very deliberate about the shows we collectively decide to greenlight and the hope is that our next wave will include another round of signature shows like Animal Control and Krapopolis.”
FEG is also “exploring” international co-production opportunities and Szew has taken several meetings during his time in the English capital.
Since launching at Mipcom Cannes nearly six months ago, the international response to FEG has been “phenomenal,” he said.
“For the first time since the Disney sale [in 2019], we are bringing a strong international and partnership approach to conversations around content,” he added. “Carrying forth the Fox brand means so much to the international community and we have come out of the gates with open arms.”
Internally, Szew said he has spent the past few months “focusing on centralizing the conversation within Fox,” working closely with Fox Entertainment CEO Rob Wade and President Unscripted Programing Allison Wallach, who has just been promoted to take Wade’s old post. Former Maverick USA boss John Hesling has been brought in to run Fox Alternative Entertainment in Wallach’s place.
Non-scripted remains a distribution priority, added Szew, as he flagged a flurry of Gordon Ramsay shows including the recently-launched Next Level Chef.
“There are lots of exciting aspects to our programing above and beyond scripted and animation,” he said.