Fox has released a new look at its upcoming comedic police procedural, Grimsburg, which stars actor Jon Hamm, of Mad Men fame. Hamm will portray Marvin Flute, a police detective who returns to his hometown to reconnect with his estranged family.
Grimsburg is a "darkly funny" animated series that delves into themes of family, atonement, and the secrets that everyone harbors. It is also believed to be a modernized love letter to the classic detective genre.
Catlan McClelland and Matthew Schlissel created the forthcoming American animated sitcom for Fox's Animation Domination Sunday lineup. Chadd Gindin (The Santa Clara Diet, The Millers) is serving as showrunner.
Grimsburg is set to debut on January 7, 2024. The series received a second season renewal earlier this month, well ahead of its premiere.
In addition to Hamm, the show also stars Erinn Hayes (Childrens Hospital, Medical Police) as Harmony Flute, Rachel Dratch (SNL) as Stan Flute, Alan Tudyk (Young Justice, American Dad) as Dr. Rufis Pentos, Kevin Michael Richardson (The Batman, Futurama) as Det. Greg Summers, and Greg Chun (One-Punch Man, Mob Psycho 100) as Lt. John Kang.
"Grimsburg’ is yet another clear example of our strong commitment to, and intense focus on, upholding the high bar of standards any show must exceed in order to reside under the Animation Domination banner,” said Michael Thorn, president of entertainment for Fox Entertainment during the annual French trade show, MIPCOM.
He continued, "Of course, having Jon Hamm’s talent and star power front and center is a great place to start. Equally important, everything we’re seeing with ‘Grimsburg’ – from the very first scripts and show bible to animatics and preliminary cuts – makes us believe we have a winner on our hands that beautifully complements our animation brand."
However, animation fans have been quick to point of similarities between Grimsburg and Sledge Hammer, an underrated late-80s satirical police sitcom that ran for two seasons on ABC.
In Grimsburg, Marvin Flute (Jon Hamm) may be the greatest detective ever to catch a cannibal clown or correctly identify a mid-century modern armoire. But there’s one mystery he still can’t crack — his family. Now that he's back in Grimsburg, a town where everyone has a secret or three, Flute will follow every lead he’s got to redeem himself with the ex-wife he never stopped loving, even if it means hanging out with the son he never bothered to get to know.