New York Times bestselling author Nathan W. Pyle muses about his graphic novel’s unimagined potential, unleashed as a 2D animated adult comedy with the help of Emmy Award winner Dan Harmon, now streaming.
Wednesdays, those famous “Hump Days,” have become a bit less tedious, at least through September, with last week’s Apple TV+ debut of the new 2D animated series Strange Planet. Co-created and executive produced by Emmy Award winner Dan Harmon (Rick and Morty, Community) and New York Times bestselling author Nathan W. Pyle, the show, produced by Apple Studios and ShadowMachine, premiered its first three episodes last Wednesday, August 9 - new episodes roll out weekly - on Wednesdays! - through to the season finale on September 27, 2023.
Based on Pyle’s New York Times #1 bestselling graphic novel and social media phenomenon of the same name, Strange Planet takes a hilarious and perceptive look at a distant world not unlike our own. Set in a whimsical world of cotton candy pinks and purples, relatable blue beings explore the absurdity of everyday human traditions.
The series is executive produced by Academy Award winner Alex Bulkley (Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio); Emmy Award winner Corey Campodonico for ShadowMachine (BoJack Horseman, Tuca & Bertie); Lauren Pomerantz (Saturday Night Live, The Ellen DeGeneres Show); Emmy Award winner Amalia Levari (Over the Garden Wall, Harvey Beaks); Steve Levy (Rick and Morty, Community); and Taylor Alexy Pyle.
AWN caught up with Pyle, who shared a bit about the who’s, what’s, and wtf’s that goes into creating such a project.
Though his webcomic and graphic novel generated a large following, Pyle had no idea of the untapped potential that lay in his work, nor that his creative path would lead to Harmon and, ultimately, Apple TV+. “I had no idea it was possible!” he shared.
His road to Apple began, of course, as all things Hollywood do, with a meeting… then more meetings. “I knew Dan and Steve [Levy] were ideal partners for this because of what they said in our meeting - they brought up the simple idea that conflict between beings could arise from exemplary honesty, which would create a wrinkle for the show that would provide endless material. Taylor [Taylor Alexy Pyle is Nathan’s wife and Co-Founder and Head of Operations at Nathan W Pyle Inc.] and I went into pitch meetings with Dan and Steve’s infinite ideas and Alex Bulkley’s practical brilliance, and we knew in our meeting with Apple TV+ that we found wonderful potential together.”
In shifting from comics to episodic storytelling, Pyle described how his comedic and visual style translated from one medium to the other, “The comics were simply hinting at a larger, cohesive Strange Planet, and then the animated series gave me a chance to learn how to flesh it out.”
Harman and Levy prodded Pyle with dozens of questions about details of the world, which he says, “was like taking a flashlight into a poorly lit, undefined space, and with the help of experts, I could see the architecture forming around us.”
He also notes that moving from his small operation to full-size animated series production didn’t rob him of creative control in ways that can, and often do, happen in similar circumstances. “Credit to everyone involved that they wanted to make something true to the source - and they assisted in proactive ways that I wouldn’t have even known how to ask for,” he shares. “For instance, once I saw the skill of the artists - they draw the beings better than I can! It really makes it easier to let go.”
While shifting and adapting comics into animation proved challenging, Pyle sang the praises of the results, adding, “Most rewarding is creating a world that one can imagine stepping into! I really want to visit this Strange Planet place now. And, I imagine, a common answer, but the most challenging is letting go of fun ideas that don’t fit as you refine the finished product.”
“Dan is incredibly generous with his teaching and always wanted to see this made!” Pyle goes on to reveal. “He knows just about every TV show and movie. One time I mentioned a show he hadn’t yet seen, and as I described the first episode, Dan proceeded to guess (correctly) where they took the story from there. It was truly impressive!”
Looking forward to what’s to come in Season 1, Pyle shares, “We explore the emotionally advanced beings who inhabit the planet, and we are introduced to new beings each episode. We learn answers to some questions, but new mysteries remain!”
Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.
