HBO Renews Animated Series ANIMALS for Third Season

HBO has renewed ANIMALS. for a third season, it was announced today by Amy Gravitt, executive vice president, HBO Programming. Created by Phil Matarese & Mike Luciano, from Duplass Brothers Productions, the animated adult television series is currently in its second season, with the season finale scheduled to debut tonight, Friday, May 19 (11:30 p.m.-midnight ET/PT).

ANIMALS. focuses on the downtrodden creatures native to Earth's least-habitable environment: New York City. Whether it's lovelorn rats, gender-questioning pigeons or aging bedbugs in the midst of a midlife crisis, the awkward small talk, moral ambiguity and existential woes of non-human urbanites prove startlingly similar to our own.

Matarese and Luciano executive produce, write and direct all the episodes, and voice many of the characters on the show.

Guests on the first two seasons include: A$AP Rocky, A$AP Ferg, Jessica Chastain, Danny McBride, Mark Duplass, Demetri Martin, Jay Duplass, Nick Kroll, Chelsea Peretti, Tom Lennon, Jason Mantzoukas, Mitch Hurwitz, Jonah Hill, Emilia Clarke, Jason Alexander, Ice-T, Michael Rapaport, Harmony Korine, Katie Aselton, Lauren Lapkus, Ben Schwartz, Adam Pally, Gil Ozeri, Mary Holland, Erin Whitehead, Jon Lovitz, Ty Segall, Tim Heidecker, Jon Daly, Andy Dick, RuPaul Charles, John Early, Dan Harmon, Dino Stamatopoulos, Josh Fadem, Judy Greer, Michael Pitt, Vincent Pastore, Fred Armisen, Jim Rash, Tony Hale, Rachael Ray, Whoopi Goldberg, Big Boi, Killer Mike, Usher, Kesha, Neil Casey, Kim Gordon, Kurt Vile,Steve Zissis, Matt Walsh, Rob Corddry, Ike Barinholtz, Scott Aukerman, Molly Shannon, Adam Scott, Aziz Ansari, Ellie Kemper, Kumail Nanjiani, Marc Maron, Pete Holmes, Horatio Sanz, Cobie Smulders, Wanda Sykes, Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, John Witherspoon, Melanie Lynskey and Thomas Middleditch.

Among the recent critical raves for the show, Vulture called it "one of the funniest, most idiosyncratic shows on television," noting that the series "always fills a viewer with glee," while Decider described ANIMALS. as an "offbeat hidden gem" and "bitingly funny."

The animation for ANIMALS. was created with Dan Harmon's Starburns Industries, the studio known for the TV series "Rick & Morty" and the feature film "Anomalisa."

Season two credits: ANIMALS. was created by Phil Matarese & Mike Luciano; executive producers, Mark Duplass & Jay Duplass; executive producers, directors, writers, voices, Phil Matarese & Mike Luciano; co-executive producer, Jen Roskind; producers, James Fino, Joe Russo II, Kenny Micka.