Apple TV+ has order a 10-episode series based on cartoonist Nathan Pyle’s wildly popular Strange Planet webcomics.
The Strange Planet series follows the everyday adventures of a group of genderless blue aliens, who refer to themselves as “Beings” as they explore earth, or at least a planet very much like earth, and seek to understand things such as sunburns, (which they call “Star Damage”) birthdays, dreams, pets, roller coasters, and so many more seemingly mundane things, with their unique perspectives, that are viewed in humorous or profound ways.
Joining creator Nathan Pyle is Rick and Morty creator Dan Harmon. As one of the co-creators of that show, Harmon is no stranger to science fiction and alien worlds, so it will be interesting to see where this show goes, because, even though there may be some similarities in their settings, Harmon’s style of humor is almost the exact opposite of Pyle’s.
Where Pyle is thoughtful and introspective, finding humor in the mundane, and is generally pretty wholesome and completely family friendly, Harmon’s style is wildly over-the-top, raunchy, violent, gory, and completely in-your-face. That’s not to say there is nothing redeeming in Harmon’s style of humor; Rick and Morty can have an occasional introspective moment but not enough that you could call it wholesome, and it is absolutely not family friendly.
On the whole though, I think I am still going to be cautiously optimistic because someone like Harmon has to be aware of how important a creator’s vision is in the success of a show. Something like Rick and Morty could easily be watered down and muted by executive meddling, but the fact that he and co-creator Justin Roiland have pretty much been allowed to do whatever they want has really made their show what it is today and is the reason that they have been so successful.
Despite how tonally opposite Pyle and Harmon’s styles are, if Harmon lets Pyle do what he does best and makes the show just as wholesome and warmly humorous as his comics are, I think Strange Planet could be another big huge hit in the making for Apple TV.
What do you think about this news? Are you a fan of the Strange Planet webcomics? Will you be checking out the new series?
Edited by: Kelly Conley
