WarnerMedia announced HBO Max had ordered two seasons of “Clone High,” a third season of “Close Enough,” as well as two new original series titled “Velma” and “Fired on Mars” during a virtual panel at the Television Critics Association 2021 Winter Press Tour. The titles will significantly bulk up HBO Max’s slate of adult animated shows, which have become increasingly popular on streaming services in recent years. The “Clone High” reboot has been expected. MTV announced that it was rebooting the cult hit comedy series in July 2020, though a distributor wasn’t announced at the time. The original show centered on a high school populated by famous historical figures such as Abraham Lincoln, Joan of Arc, and Gandhi and was lauded as one of the greatest animated series of all time by IndieWire in 2018.
The reboot hails from Bill Lawrence and “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller, all of whom co-created the original “Clone High.” Lord and Miller will return as executive producers and writers and Lawrence will return as an executive producer with Erica Rivinoja (“South Park,” “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”), who wrote on the original “Clone High” and will serve as the new seasons’ showrunner. The “Clone High” reboot is produced by MTV Entertainment Studios. HBO Max also announced that it had ordered “Velma” and “Fired on Mars.” Per WarnerMedia, “Velma” is the origin story of Velma Dinkley, the unsung and under-appreciated brains of the Scooby-Doo Mystery Inc. gang. The series aims to unmask the complex and colorful past of one of America’s most beloved mystery solvers. Executive producer Mindy Kaling will voice the titular character. Charlie Grandy, Howard Klein, and Sam Register also serve as executive producers. As for “Fired on Mars,” WarnerMedia described the show as an existential workplace comedy set on the Martian campus of a modern tech company. Pete Davidson voices a character and executive produces with Carson Mell (“Silicon Valley”) and Dave Sirus. WarnerMedia also announced that “Close Enough,” J. G. Quintel’s adult animated comedy that premiered on HBO Max in July 2020, will be getting a third season. The show focuses on a married couple, their five-year-old daughter, and their divorced best friends all living together on the east-side of Los Angeles. “Close Enough” Season 2 is slated to premiere February 25 on HBO Max. “It is a tremendous privilege to build on the 100-year plus legacy of cartoons at this company. We can draw a straight line from our hundreds of childhood hours spent watching Bugs outwit Elmer to the current slate of adult-animated projects we are building here at HBO Max and we think fans will agree,” Suzanna Makkos, HBO Max’s EVP of original comedy and adult animation, said in a statement. “We are proud to introduce this distinctive group of series from a wide range of diverse creators that will form a first stop destination for animation lovers everywhere.”
A handful of other adult-animated series are in development at HBO Max, including Sean Solomon’s “Hello Paul,” which centers on a neurotic millennial cat whose intense job and freeloading mouse roommate stress him out, as well as the Michael B. Jordan-produced “Obi,” which focuses on a 30-year-old man-child chasing his dream to become an artist while navigating adulthood with his friends. Ed Helms is also executive producing “Uncanny Valley,” which will tell the story of three awkward domestic helper robots who kill their human owners and try to assume their identities. “Cover,” Brian Michael Bendis and David Mack’s adaptation of their DC comic book series, is also in development. “Cover” is billed as an espionage thriller and conspiratorial love letter to the comic book industry. HBO Max is also home to popular licensed series like “Rick and Morty,” “The Boondocks,” and “South Park.” Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
