FOX has formally ordered the all-new animated comedy Universal Basic Guys/The Hoagie Bros. (wt) from creators Adam and Craig Malamut (Sports Friends, Game of Zones, The Champions) for 2024. The series will be co-produced by FOX Entertainment and Sony Pictures Television, with FOX Entertainment’s Emmy Award-winning Bento Box Entertainment serving as animation studio, it was announced today by Michael Thorn, President of Entertainment, of FOX Entertainment.
In Universal Basic Guys/The Hoagie Bros., brothers Mark and Hank Hoagies suddenly find themselves with no jobs when the Glantontown Hot Dog factory switches over to automation. Lucky for them, the town started a radical Universal Basic Income pilot program, giving all residents of Glantontown $3,000 per month with no strings attached. Now, Mark, Hank, and the rest of their local buddies are once again kids in the summertime, overflowing with the perilous combo of free time and stupid ideas. This is a show about men trying to find purpose in a world where they’re no longer needed.
Regarding the order, Thorn said, “Adam and Craig are two of the boldest and most irreverent voices I know. This series’ distinct point of view could only come from a talented multi-hyphenate team that writes, animates, and voices their work like no one else. And in the tradition of the incredible creators who have been a part of our storied Animation Domination lineup, the Malamuts have an intrepid DIY mentality that has allowed them to create some of the funniest and most surprising characters we’ve seen in a long time.”
Universal Basic Guys/The Hoagie Bros. will be executive produced by Adam and Craig Malamut.
Adam and Craig Malamut are brothers from South Jersey who have been making animated cartoons together since 2012. The Malamut brothers are self-taught animators who write, direct, voice act, sound edit, compose music, and everything in between. Adam and Craig’s first animated show together was Sports Friends, which ran for two seasons on Yahoo Screen. This led to an exclusive in-house role at Bleacher Report, where they created seven seasons of Game of Zones. Throughout its run, Game of Zones received multiple Sports Emmy Award nominations and won numerous awards, including a Grand Clio, the highest honor at The Clio Sports Awards. During their time at B/R, Adam and Craig grew the animation department from just the two of them to a 25-person animation production team, allowing them to develop other hit series and focus on the creative parts of the process they do best. The Malamut Brothers were the major creative force behind Bleacher Report‘s other hit shows such as The Champions, Gridiron Heights and many other cartoons that became viral sensations shared by sports fans across the world. After six years at B/R, Adam and Craig decided it was time to move beyond sports and pursue their dream of creating an original animated series for television.
