Few animated series successfully capture the minds of adults and children alike, but Archibald’s Next Big Thing seems capable of doing just that. Created by and starring Tony Hale, the series is based on a children’s book written by the former Veep star, and follows a cute chicken dude named Archibald Strutter (voiced by Hale, of course) on various adventures. The series comes from DreamWorks Animation, and features an awesome roster of guest stars, including a few of Hale’s old pals from Veep: Julia Louis-Dreyfus is on deck as a “brilliant astronaut monkey with an unfortunate fear of space,” along with Gary Cole and Sally Phillips. Here’s the official synopsis and cast details for the new animated series, which premieres sometime this year on Netflix:
Inspired by the critically acclaimed children’s book from Hale, Tony Biaggne and Victor Huckabee, Archibald’s Next Big Thing follows the adventures of Archibald Strutter, a simple chicken who ‘yes-ands’ his way through life. Though living in the moment often leads him astray, Archibald always finds his way back home. Archibald’s Next Big Thing is a fresh comedy about one chicken’s joy for life and celebrating the journey, not just the destination. The series is created and executive produced by Hale, executive produced by Eric Fogel (Descendants: Wicked World), and was developed for television by Drew Champion (Game Talk Live) and Jacob Moffat (Tiny Tiny Talk Show).
The cast includes Hale as “Archibald,” a cheerful and curious young chicken who embraces life to the fullest; Adam Pally (The Mindy Project) as “Sage,” Archibald’s older brother who adores the outdoors; Chelsea Kane (Baby Daddy) as Archibald’s sister “Loy,” a science whiz and master inventor; Jordan Fisher (To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before 2) as “Finly,” Archibald’s singing, dancing and all-around-artistic brother; and Kari Wahlgren (Spirit Riding Free) as “Bea,” Archibald’s best pal and sidekick who speaks in a language only he can understand. Academy, BAFTA and Golden Globe-nominated Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl) rounds out the cast as the playfully sarcastic “Narrator.”
Other series guests include RuPaul, Casey Wilson, Christine Baranski, John Michael Higgins, Marc Maron, Joel McHale, Chris Parnell, Rob Riggle, Alan Tudyk, and “Weird Al” Yankovic.