# Animals. (2016)

> An adult animated comedy following the awkward, morally ambiguous lives of New York City's rats, pigeons, and bedbugs.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/57645

## Facts

- Seasons: 3
- Episodes: 30
- Episode runtime: 28 min
- Status: Canceled
- Genres: animation, comedy
- Created by: Phil Matarese, Mike Luciano
- Network: HBO
- Cast: Jason Mantzoukas, Nathan Fielder, Mike Luciano, Phil Matarese, Katie Aselton, Zach Woods, Rachael Ray, Jon Daly
- TMDB rating: 7.3/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4953128/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: mild
- Tone: deadpan, awkward, melancholic, cynical, wry

## What critics say

Audiences rate the animated comedy positively for its absurdist take on urban life through the eyes of city animals, with a sharp, awkward humor.

## Synopsis

Animals. (2016-2018) is an American adult animated comedy created by Phil Matarese and Mike Luciano for HBO, produced with the Duplass Brothers. Phil Matarese and Mike Luciano voice the central characters Phil and Mike, with Katie Aselton voicing Mom and Rebecca, and guest voices from Nathan Fielder, Jason Mantzoukas, Cobie Smulders and Emilia Clarke. Across three seasons of ten half-hour episodes each, the show follows downtrodden non-human residents of New York City, where lovelorn rats, gender-questioning pigeons and aging bedbugs navigate small talk, romantic disappointment and midlife crises. Each episode is built from short, loosely connected vignettes of everyday urban friction, letting the characters' moral ambiguity and existential worries play out in a city that has no place for them. The tone is deadpan and awkward, with a dry, melancholy undercurrent beneath the jokes, and the animation sits in a grubby, lived-in version of Manhattan streets and apartments. Its mix of cynical humor and sad honesty will appeal to fans of BoJack Horseman and Rick and Morty, and viewers who enjoy the bleak comedy of Undone will find resonance here. The series was canceled after its third season, leaving its ongoing storylines unresolved.

## Shows like Animals.

- [Long Story Short (2025)](https://ember.film/tv/176477)
- [Undergrads (2001)](https://ember.film/tv/3372)
- [Mike Tyson Mysteries (2014)](https://ember.film/tv/55168)
- [Tim and Eric's Bedtime Stories (2014)](https://ember.film/tv/63503)
- [Strange Planet (2023)](https://ember.film/tv/127203)
- [China, IL (2011)](https://ember.film/tv/36428)
- [I Am Not an Animal (2004)](https://ember.film/tv/87)
- [Difficult People (2015)](https://ember.film/tv/56256)
- [The Shivering Truth (2018)](https://ember.film/tv/72323)
- [Carol & the End of the World (2023)](https://ember.film/tv/154993)

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