The animation line-up on Fox features impressive titles such as The Simpsons, Family Guy, Bob's Burgers, and more. Recently a new addition has joined the list in the form of Duncanville, a new comedy from and featuring Amy Poehler (SNL, Parks and Recreation).
Duncanville is also co-created by five-time Primetime Emmy Award winner Mike Scully (The Simpsons, Everybody Loves Raymond) and Julie Thacker Scully (The Simpsons, Fuller House). The impressive voice cast on the series includes Amy Poehler herself pulling double duty as both the titular Duncan and his mother as well as Ty Burrell (Modern Family, The Incredible Hulk), Rashida Jones (Parks and Recreation, The Office), Yassir Lester (Black Monday), Wiz Khalifa (Mack and Devin go to High Scool), and more.
We recently had the opportunity to chat exclusively with both Yassir Lester and Mike Scully, which we have posted during March. Now we have an exclusive interview that we were able to complete with Julie Thacker Scully, writer and co-creator of Duncanville. Take a look at what she had to say below!
Joe: Hey, Julie! I really appreciate you taking the time to speak with me! I'd like to start off by jumping right in and asking - why Duncanville? What is it about this project that you believe in most?
Julie Thacker Scully: I believe in fun family entertainment. And a paycheck. This job provides both.
Joe: Duncanville has the feel of a lot of other comedy animation. The humor has hints of MacFarlane's wit while carrying a similar feel to Bob's Burgers. What shows do you feel have the biggest impact on the series?
Julie Thacker Scully: The Simpsons is a big influence on me and MIke. We both worked on it, and we like the sweet family center it has.
Joe: When writing for Duncanville do you do it with the actors and actresses in mind or do Amy and the rest of the cast work their magic on the scripts given to them?
Julie Thacker Scully: We outlined what we thought the characters should be before writing the pilot or hiring actors, and then we found amazing people to make those quirky traits come to life. We only knew that Amy would play both Duncan and his mom, Annie, when we started. The show is a good marriage between writing and daring actors willing to trust the crazy things we make them say.
Joe: What is it like to see Amy Poehler pull double duty voicing Duncan and his mother?
Julie Thacker Scully: One of my fondest memories of Duncanville will always be the table read of the pilot. It was a packed house and we wrote a scene where Duncan and his mother end up in an argument. Because it was so effortless, it took a moment for the room to realize that Amy was basically just arguing with herself - but once they did, there was a giant fun laugh of camaraderie that I won’t ever forget.
Joe: Do you have a favorite character on Duncanville?
Julie Thacker Scully: Whoever is making me laugh.
Joe: Do you feel your work on The Simpsons informs your work on Duncanville in any way?
Julie Thacker Scully: I just know that, for me, comedy works best if the problem is rooted in a real emotion. You can let your character go crazy as long as you believe the reason for their behavior. Give the audience something to connect with and they’ll take the ride with you.
What do you guys think of these comments from Scully? If you haven't checked out Duncanville yet, be sure to watch the trailers below!
Duncanville is a new Adult Animated series from the minds of Amy Poehler (SNL, Parks and Recreation), Mike Scully (The Simpsons, Everybody Loves Raymond), and Julie Thacker (Bojack Horseman) which follows the adventures of Duncan, an average 15 year old boy who is always one step away from making a bad decision. Join Duncan as he navigates through adolescense with the help of his family and friends.
Duncanville airs Sundays at 8:30 pm on FOX and streams the following day on Hulu.