new show

You know, if anyone other than H. Jon Benjamin were involved with this show, I'd say a cartoon about a crime-fighting ass was a really stupid idea. And when I say "crime fighting ass" I don't mean TJ Hooker, I mean an actually human butt who works as a sniper for the police department. A trailer for the new series Assy McGee, which kicks off on November 26 on Adult Swim at 11:30 pm, can be viewed after the jump. I completely lost it when Assy, right before launching a missile at a blimp, says, "Adios ... blimp." That's just what I would expect from a talking ass who takes the law into his own hands in order to rid the city of criminals and murderers. He's like Dirty Harry, if Dirty Harry were a butt.

The show was created by Benjamin, Matt Harrigan (voice actor for Aqua Teen Hunger Force and 12 Oz Mouse) and Carl W. Adams. John Glaser of Late Night with Conan O'Brien is a writer for the show, along with the three creators. The schedule currently has the series set for a six-episode run. It has a visual style somewhat similar to Minoriteam, but less static and more fluid.

When I first heard this, my initial reaction was 'Good grief, not another behind the scenes of entertainment show.' Thankfully, that's not the case here. Along with his producing partner Adam McKay, Will Ferrell has sold a new series called P.E. to HBO. According to those mysterious 'sources', this is one of HBO's richest development deals to date.

The story is of a burnt out major league pitcher who returns to his hometown to work as a P.E. teacher. Along with the struggles of dealing with his new life out of the limelight, he also has to face up to those people he turned his back on when he became successful. P.E. will be written by Jody Hill, Ben Best, and Danny McBride who were discovered after their indy film, The Foot Fist Way, screened at Sundance.

[ via Netscape ]

Family Guy director Dan Povenmire has created a new children's series for the Disney Channel titled Phineas and Ferb. The new series, which is currently in production and will debut next year tells the story of two step-brothers, the energetic and talkative Phineas, and Ferb, who mostly remains silent. They also have a pet platypus who works as an undercover agent, though neither of the brothers are aware of that. The two spend their summer creating inventions and building insane things, such as the world's largest popsicle. Vincent Martella, who plays Greg on Everybody Hates Chris, will provide the voice of Phineas. Perry the Platypus will be voiced by Dee Bradley Baker, who also voices Klaus the goldfish on American Dad.

I never watched Absolutely Fabulous. I'm sure it was a fine show, I just never watched it. Nevertheless, I know some of you would be interested to know that Joanna Lumley and Jennifer Saunders, stars of the hugely popular series, are teaming up once again for a seven-episode series being produced for both the BBC and BBC America (so we'll actually get to see it here, too). The series, which has no title yet, was created by Saunders and will focus on a women's club attended by gossipy types. If I didn't know the Ab Fab girls were behind this I think that plot synopsis would send me screaming in the other direction. The show, which has no airdate yet, will also star Dawn French, who worked with  both Lumley and Saunders before Ab Fab.

Will there ever be a new Voltron series? More importantly, why can't anyone come up with an original idea anymore? Well, I'll lament that on my own time. Let's focus on the (non-existent) new Voltron animated series. The original Voltron was a staple of many a Saturday morning TV diet in the early 80s, and fans began to salivate when it was announced last year that a brand new series was in pre-production. Unfortunately, that's the last anyone has heard about it. The flow of information simply stopped and no one is quite sure exactly what the deal is. However, Kick Start Productions still lists Voltron as "in production" on its Web site. I'm rooting for the show to make it to the air, though my enthusiasm is diluted somewhat by the fact that revamping old shows rarely makes for good television.