Dan Levy To Co-Write & Star In ‘Standing By’ Guardian Angels Animated Comedy Presentation At Hulu

EXCLUSIVE: Schitt’s Creek co-creator, executive producer and star Dan Levy is getting animated for a follow-up to his Emmy-winning series. Hulu has ordered a presentation for Standing By, an animated comedy from Levy, writer-director Ally Pankiw and 20th Television Animation. Levy also will voice one of the lead characters in the project, which falls under Levy’s overall deal with ABC Signature. (Both ABC Signature and 20th Television Animation are units of Disney Television Studios.)

Written/executive produced by Levy and Pankiw, Standing By is a satirical look into the lives of a group of eternally bound, disgruntled guardian angels and the lessons they’ll eventually learn from not only the dysfunctional humans they’re in charge of protecting, but also each other.

Levy will voice Carey, the newly deceased, cynical spotter to the group who had a lonely, isolated life in New York City.

Standing By is part of Hulu’s push into adult animation as the streamer is looking to expand its original slate anchored by hit Solar Opposites, also produced by 20th Television Animation.

Levy and Pankiw first met when Levy hired Pankiw as a writer on Season 3 of Schitt’s Creek. The final season of the series went on to set multiple records at the 2020 Emmys, including most wins in a single season for a comedy series, with Levy tying the record for most wins by an individual in a single season. He took home four trophies, for Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, Writing, Directing as well as sharing in the show’s Outstanding Comedy Series win. Levy is repped by WME, MGMT Entertainment and Morris Yorn Barnes Levine.

Writer-director Pankiw is a director and executive producer on NBC’s comedy pilot Someone Out There. She most recently directed the six-episode Netflix series Feel Good. Pankiw is repped by WME, Partizan and Hirsch Wallerstein Hayum.