As a mouthy, thick-thighed toucan once said, “Nothing belongs to anyone!”
On Friday, Adult Swim announced it would revive Lisa Hanawalt’s beloved Netflix series Tuca & Bertie for a 10-episode Season 2 set to premiere on the cable network in 2021. Lead voice actors Tiffany Haddish, Ali Wong, and Steven Yeun will reprise their roles as Tuca, Bertie, and Bertie’s extremely nice boyfriend Speckle with Hanawalt once again taking the creative helm.
“I’ve been a fan of Adult Swim shows since my teens, so I’m thrilled to bring my beloved fowl to the party and be a new voice for a fresh decade of absurd, irreverent, yet heartwarming adult animation,” Hanawalt said in a statement via The Wrap.
Netflix’s decision to cancel the series last summer — despite rave reviews from critics and subscribers alike — inspired petitions, think pieces, and some choice words from Hanawalt.
“Everyone is still glowing over the reviews and articles and feedback…T&B is critically acclaimed and has repeatedly been called one of the best new shows of the year,” Hanawalt tweeted upon the show’s cancelation in 2019. “None of this makes a difference to an algorithm, but it’s important to me and the way I want to continue making art in this world.”
Netflix failed to give a reason for the series’ cancellation (which came less than three months after the show debuted), but said in a statement: “We’re grateful to Lisa, and her fellow executive producers Raphael Bob-Waksberg, Noel Bright, Steven A. Cohen, and EPs/stars Tiffany Haddish and Ali Wong, along with all of the writers and animators for sharing the funny and dynamic female bird duo of Tuca and Bertie with the world. While Tuca & Bertie won’t have a second season, we’re proud to feature this story on Netflix for years to come.”
Season 1 of Tuca & Bertie is likely to stay with the streaming service for the foreseeable future, but the series’ revival does mark an exciting next step in “uncanceling.”
The second deal of its kind (following scripted sitcom One Day At A Time‘s move from Netflix to Pop TV), Tuca & Bertie‘s rescue gives renewed faith that our favorite shows can live to stream another day. Even when they struggle to nest the first time around.