After making a go at latenight viewing as a segment in Fox’s ADHD programing block, “Golan the Insatiable” is gearing up for its spot on the network’s primetime lineup.
Starting Sunday, the TV series will expand from 15 minutes to a half hour and appear in the same weekly lineup as Fox staples “Family Guy” and “The Simpsons.”
Dave Jeser and Matt Silverstein, who developed “Golan” for TV along with Joshua Miller (author of the online novel that inspired the ADHD series), say that this was something that was always on the horizon.
“It was always part of the plan for one of these 15-minute shows to kind of grow and be a big boy show,” said Jeser. “It is also a family show and it felt like a great fit for animation night on Fox.”
Not that the added word count is a problem.
“It is easier to write for a half-hour show because the stories are more complex, and there are more writers, and it was in a better playground for us writers and a lot more fun,” Jeser described.
Along with the time change, the series has upped the star wattage with its cast members. Robb Riggle now plays the darklord Golan (previously voiced by Miller in the 15-minute version), who leaves an alternate dimension and arrives in Oak Grove, Minnesota. There, he is summoned by macabre 9-year-old Dylan Beekler (now voiced by Aubrey Plaza) to bring mayhem to her lackluster town.
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As the monster-child friendship develops, the duo’s adventures tackle surviving shame, standing up to school bullies and crying nipples. Yes, you read right.
“A lot of it has to do with trying to fit in and trying to be one of the cool kids and being what is considered normal. Dylan is an outcast and is looked down by the popular girls and we did a lot of stories about her,” said Silverstein. “She tries to kill them, but also just being who she is and believing in herself. There are a lot of those kind of feel good messages throughout the show.”
Silverstein also noted that this show’s focus on strong female characters makes it stand out from other Fox animated series. While the title character is Golan, the storyline circles around the lives of Dylan, her sister Alexis, and their single mother Carole Bleeker.
“Golan the Insatiable” premieres at 9:30 p.m. May 31 on Fox. Exec producers are Jeser, Silverstein, Hend Baghdady and Nick Weidenfeld. Miller serves as co-exec producer.
