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Central Park (TV series)

Central Park is an American musical animated sitcom created by Loren Bouchard, Nora Smith and Josh Gad for Apple TV+, using the same art style as Bouchard's previous series Bob's Burgers.[2] The series premiered on May 29, 2020, and revolves around a family living in Central Park in New York City who must save it from a greedy land developer.

In March 2021, the series was given an early third season renewal and the second season premiered on June 25, 2021.[3] The third and final season premiered on September 9, 2022.[4]

On December 3, 2023, Josh Gad revealed that the show had been cancelled after three seasons.[5]

Premise

Told through the eyes of a fourth wall-aware busker narrator, named Birdie, the musical series tells the story of the Tillerman–Hunter family who live in Edendale Castle in Central Park. Patriarch Owen (the dorky manager of the park), his wife Paige (a journalist always stuck with writing fluff pieces who hopes to write a real story), their daughter Molly (loves drawing comics about herself and a boy she has a crush on) and their son Cole (an emotional young boy who loves animals). Their lives change when an elderly heiress and entrepreneur named Bitsy Brandenham and her frequently abused assistant Helen plot to buy up all the land in Central Park and turn it into more condominiums, shops, and restaurants as a way of getting back at the world. The Tillermans must also deal with their issues and save the park.

Cast

Main

Recurring

Guest

Introduced in season one

Introduced in season two

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (2020)

Season 2 (2021–22)

Season 3 (2022)

Production

Development

Central Park was developed by 20th Television and was initially eyed for the Fox Broadcasting Company, which had been looking to create more animated series. The Walt Disney Company subsequently announced its intention to acquire 21st Century Fox, the parent of 20th Century Fox Television, excluding the Fox broadcasting network. After the Fox network decided to pass on Central Park, 20th Century Fox Television, which was about to change ownership, began shopping the project, sparking a heated bidding war among Apple, Netflix, and Hulu.[10] On March 12, 2018, Apple announced it had given the production a two-season straight-to-series order consisting of twenty-six episodes in total. The series was created by Loren Bouchard, Nora Smith, and Josh Gad. Executive producers for the series include Bouchard and Gad with Kevin Larsen serving as producer. Production companies involved with the production include Bento Box Entertainment and Brillstein Entertainment Partners, and 20th Century Fox Television distributes and owns the show.[11][10][12][13][14]

On July 27, 2018, it was announced that Regina Hicks was joining the series as an executive producer and co-showrunner alongside Bouchard and Gad.[11] Still, credits show her only being listed as a consultant. Former King of the Hill writer Sanjay Shah and former The Office writer Halsted Sullivan serve as the series' showrunners.[15] On March 10, 2021, Apple TV+ renewed the series for a third season ahead of the second-season premiere and the second season premiered on June 25, 2021.[3] Loren Bouchard said seasons two and three will consist of 29 episodes and an additional 115 songs.[16] The third season premiered on September 9, 2022, with the first three episodes available immediately and the rest debuting on a weekly basis until the season finale on November 18, 2022.[4] On December 3, 2023, Josh Gad announced that Central Park was cancelled after three seasons.[5]

Casting

Alongside the initial series announcement, it was reported that Gad, Leslie Odom Jr., Tituss Burgess, Kristen Bell, Stanley Tucci, Daveed Diggs, and Kathryn Hahn had been cast as series regulars.[10][17][18][19] On July 24, 2020, Emmy Raver-Lampman was cast as Molly Tillerman, the mixed-race protagonist originally portrayed by Bell.[7]

Controversy

In June 2020, Bell, who is white, announced that she would no longer provide the voice of Molly, who is biracial, in the second season of Central Park. Molly's role would be recast with a person of color, and Bell would instead voice a new role.[20] Loren Bouchard had defended this casting at a January 2020 TCA panel, stating that Bell "needed to be Molly, she was always going to honor that character. We couldn't make Molly white or Kristen mixed race, so we had to go forward."[21] Bouchard apologized for that statement in June 2020.[22] The following month, Raver-Lampman was recast to voice the role of Molly.[7] Bell returned to the show in season three in the role of Abby, Paige's sister and an aspiring actress newly arrived in New York.

Music

Each episode includes about four original musical numbers sung by the cast. In total, the first season alone includes 46 original songs. Gad joked he had to "beg, plead and barter to get four songs an episode."[23] The songs in the first two episodes were written by several songwriters, including Elyssa Samsel and Kate Anderson (the songwriters for Olaf's Frozen Adventure), Bouchard, Smith, Davis, Sara Bareilles, and Brent Knopf. Samsel also plays the violin for Birdie's solos.[24] Songs in the first season were written by such artists as Fiona Apple, Meghan Trainor, Cyndi Lauper, Alan Menken and Glenn Slater, Darren Criss, Utkarsh Ambudkar and Aimee Mann. The songs from the first two episodes were made available by Hollywood Records on streaming services the day the show premiered.[25] Among songwriters announced for the second season include cast members Diggs and Gad, as well as Rufus Wainwright, They Might Be Giants, Ingrid Michaelson, returning songwriter Rafael Casal, John Cameron Mitchell, Tank and the Bangas, and Don't Stop or We'll Die.[26]

Track listing

Reception

Critical response

Central Park has received acclaim from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds an approval rating of 94% based on 47 reviews, with an average rating of 7.4/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "With warmth, wit, and a pitch perfect ensemble, Central Park is a joyously hilarious musical love letter to the Big Apple."[27] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 81 out of 100 based on 13 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[28]

On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season has an approval rating of 100% based on 17 reviews, with an average rating of 7.8/10. The website's critical consensus states, "Featuring more stellar songs and a tenderhearted focus on family, Central Park is even more delightful in this reprise.[29] On Metacritic, the second season has a weighted average score of 82 out of 100 based on 4 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[30]

Accolades

Notes

  1. ^ Known as 20th Century Fox Television for the first season.

References

  1. ^ "Disney Launches 20th Television Animation, Promotes Veteran Exec Marci Proietto to Run New Unit Responsible for 'The Simpsons' & 'Family Guy'". March 30, 2021.
  2. ^ Evershed, John (2020). Adult Animation Finally Breaking Free of its Comedy Shackles (PDF) (Report). High Concentrate, LLC in Squarespace. p. 26. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 3, 2020. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Hibberd, James (March 10, 2021). "Apple's 'Central Park' Gets Early Season 3 Renewal". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 10, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Behzadi, Sofia (July 18, 2022). "'Central Park': Kristen Bell Returns As New Character; Season 3 Premiere Date & First-Look Images Released". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Gad, Josh (December 3, 2023). "Sadly, it's done". Threads. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  6. ^ Lenker, Maureen Lee (June 24, 2020). "Central Park to recast Kristen Bell's biracial character with Black actress". Entertainment Weekly.
  7. ^ a b c Petski, Denise (July 24, 2020). "'Central Park': Emmy Raver-Lampman Joins Apple Series In Recasting For Mixed-Race Character Originally Voiced By Kristen Bell". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  8. ^ @lorenbouchard (March 12, 2021). "@orangemo8 Hi! Returning as new character in season 3" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  9. ^ Behzadi, Sofia (July 18, 2022). "'Central Park': Kristen Bell Returns As New Character; Season 3 Premiere Date & First-Look Images Released". Deadline. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  10. ^ a b c Andreeva, Nellie (March 12, 2018). "Animated Comedy 'Central Park' From 'Bob's Burgers' Creator & Josh Gad Lands 2-Season Pickup By Apple With Star Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  11. ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (July 27, 2018). "Regina Hicks Inks Overall Deal With 20th Century Fox TV, Joins 'Central Park' Apple Animated Series As Co-Showrunner". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  12. ^ Holloway, Daniel (March 12, 2018). "Apple Orders Animated Comedy 'Central Park' From 'Bob's Burgers' Creator". Variety. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
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  15. ^ "SXSW Schedule. Central Park".
  16. ^ Loren Bouchard [@lorenbouchard] (March 10, 2021). "Seasons 2 and 3 of Central Park mean 29 more episodes, and something like 115 new songs. 115! The people who make this show dazzle me with their talent and ambition and will. Apple and 20th have shown their will too. I'm honored to be a part of something with this much chutzpah" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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  20. ^ Thorne, Will (June 24, 2020). "Kristen Bell Will No Longer Voice Mixed-Race Character in Apple's 'Central Park'". Variety. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  21. ^ Haithman, Diane (January 19, 2020). "'Central Park' Exec Producer Takes Heat for Voice Casting Choices – TCA". Deadline. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  22. ^ @lorenbouchard (June 24, 2020). "Our statement today. My deepest apology for getting this decision wrong originally, and for fumbling through a non-…" (Tweet). Retrieved June 25, 2020 – via Twitter.
  23. ^ Nakamura, Reid (May 31, 2020). "'Central Park': How Josh Gad and Loren Bouchard Assembled 'The Avengers of Musical Theater' for Apple TV+ Series". The Wrap. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
  24. ^ Spencer, Ashley (June 23, 2021). "Meet the Women Who Give 'Central Park' Its Sunny Sound". The New York Times. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  25. ^ Harnick, Chris (May 29, 2020). "Central Park Is Here to Give You New Music by Sara Bareilles, Darren Criss and Many More". E! Online. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
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  30. ^ "Central Park: Season 2". Metacritic. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
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External links