NOW ENTERTAINMENT Sept.00 8 - -14, Month 00,2024 2023
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Layoffs give two brothers the opportunity to find purpose in the series premiere of animated sitcom “Universal Basic Guys,” airing Sunday, Sept. 8, on Fox. Mark and Hank Hoagies in “Universal Basic Guys”
Cover Story The pursuit of happiness: ‘Universal Basic Guys’ search for purpose By Sarah Passingham The future is now, and every day it feels like someone’s career becomes a redundancy to some new technological advancement. Brothers Mark and Hank Hoagies, voiced by Devin Halliwell (“Hustlers Gamblers and Crooks”) and Adam Malamut (“The Champions”), lose their jobs at the local hot dog factory when robots are brought in to replace them in the series premiere of the animated comedy “Universal Basic Guys,” airing Sunday, Sept. 8, on Fox. “Universal Basic Guys” premieres alongside a returning grown-up animated sitcom staple in Fox’s Animation Domination Sunday night block of programming. Following the new series’ premiere, “Bob’s Burgers” returns to continue its 14th season after a summer break, with a new episode that sees the Belcher family get an invitation to Rudy’s (Brian Huskey, “Veep”) father’s
birthday party, where they find him insecure about how he measures up to one of his guests. The series voice cast also includes H. Jon Benjamin (“Archer”) as Bob Belcher, John Roberts (“Gravity Falls”) as Linda Belcher, Dan Mintz (“Adventure Time”) as Tina Belcher, Eugene Mirman (“Delocated”) as Gene Belcher and Kristen Schaal (“What We Do in the Shadows”) as Louise Belcher. Created by two real-life brothers, Adam and Craig Malamut (“Game of Zones”), “Universal Basic Guys” explores the lives of a sibling duo who trade one version of the working class dream for another when layoffs gain them entry to a new universal basic income program. When Glantontown Hot Dog Factory closes down its manned operations in favor of a fully automated production line, to adjust for the significant rise in unemployment, a pilot program provides each resident with
a monthly income of $3,000 with no strings attached. With enough to live off of from the universal basic income program and a lot of time on their hands, the Hoagies brothers spend their days in search of purpose in a world that has stamped them as redundant. Acting on their whims, the brothers have a lot to learn about their varied ventures. The pursuit of meaning leads the brothers to such endeavors as hunting deer with sophisticated equipment to reconnect to their primal instincts, football stadium management and dangerous exotic pet ownership. Who knew you could just buy a championship football ring on eBay? Not every step they take is on the right path, and at least one attempt at a new direction sends Mark to the hospital after his face is ripped off by a former lab chimp. The voice cast of “Universal Basic Guys” includes “Un-
stable” and “Portlandia” actor Fred Armisen as David, Ally Maki (“The Big Door Prize”) as Andrea and comedian and voice actor Talia Genevieve as Tammy, Mark’s wife. Fox, the home of the Animation Domination, put its weight behind the newest addition to its Sunday night block of animated series when the network renewed “Universal Basic Guys” for a second season back in May, ahead of the series premiere. “From Episode 1 of this terrific new comedy, Adam and Craig Malamut turn the Hoagies’ everyday life on its head in such an original way that we immediately ordered a second season,” Michael Thorn, president of Fox Television Network, said in an announcement of the sophomore season greenlight. Plus, the flagship series of Fox’s animated sitcom block, “The Simpsons” is back for its Season 36 premiere on Sunday, Sept. 29.
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