‘Exploding Kittens’ Animated Series (And Game!) Coming To Netflix Starring Tom Ellis & Lucy Liu

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*Checks calendar*… Nope… We’re definitely passed April 1st… So I guess I’ll file this under announcements I didn’t think I’d be making today! Netflix has ordered an animated series, along with a mobile game, based on the hugely popular ‘Exploding Kittens‘ card game, with Tom Ellis and Lucy Liu amongst the people providing the voices!

For the first time, Netflix will launch both a mobile game and TV series from the same franchise. Exploding Kittens – The Game, will be an exclusive version of the beloved mobile game which will launch on Netflix in May 2022, followed by an adult animated comedy series coming in 2023. The series is set to feature the voice talent of Tom Ellis (Rush, Lucifer), Abraham Lim (Clickbait, The Boys), Lucy Liu (Shazam, Elementary), Ally Maki (Wrecked, Toy Story 4), Mark Proksch (What We Do In The Shadows, Better Call Saul) and Sasheer Zamata (Woke, Home Economics).

If you’re curious about what on earth the actual premise of the animated series will be (and how could you not be intrigued!) ‘Exploding Kittens’ will feature the eternal conflict between Heaven and Hell as it reaches epic proportions when both God and the Devil are sent to Earth… in the bodies of chunky house cats. Well, of course… That makes puuurrfect sense (sorry…) No news on if Ellis has been employed as the Devil again in this instant, or if he is voicing another character.

The series comes from (clearly somewhat disturbed minds of…) showrunners Shane Kosakowski (‘You’re the Worst’, ‘The Muppets’, ‘Archer’) and Matthew Inman (The Oatmeal comics). It is executive producers Mike Judge (‘King of the Hill’, ‘Beavis and Butt-Head’), Greg Daniels (‘Upload’, ‘Parks and Recreation’) and Dustin Davis of Bandera Entertainment. Peter Chernin and Jenno Topping exec produce for the Chernin Entertainment Group, with executive producers and creators of the Exploding Kittens franchise, Elan Lee and Inman.

“Netflix is the only service that could bring Exploding Kittens to life in both a series and a game,” said Matthew Inman, Exploding Kittens Chief Creative Officer and creator of The Oatmeal. “We actually launched Exploding Kittens on Kickstarter as a weekend project, but our community has been the heart and soul of the company over the past six years. The new series and game will give our fans new ways to connect and interact with the franchise.”

Exploding Kittens – The Game retains the same classic gameplay where players draw cards aiming to avoid the Exploding Kitten. Plus, fans will enjoy two new exclusive cards: Radar, which reveals to players the position of the Exploding Kitten closest to the top of the card deck, and Flip Flop, which reverses the order of the cards in the deck. Future cards and game mechanics will be themed around the animated series so friends and families can play with their favourite characters and bring the show to life. With both single and multiplayer options, the game will be available to Netflix members without additional fees or in-app purchases.

“The co-development of a game and animated series breaks new ground for Netflix,” said Mike Moon, Netflix Head of Adult Animation. “And we couldn’t think of a better game to build a universe around than Exploding Kittens, one of the most inventive, iconic and original games of this century! Netflix is the perfect place to explore this growing franchise and we are so fortunate to be working with this incredible team!”

“Our goal is to offer our members great entertainment they’ll love in whatever format they may enjoy – whether it be a game or an animated series,” adds Leanne Loombe, Head of External Games, Netflix. “As we expand our mobile games catalogue, we’re excited to partner with the Exploding Kittens digital team to bring this enjoyable game to all age groups, including a few exciting updates exclusively for our members.”

‘Exploding Kittens‘ the animated series, does not yet have a premiere date, but if you want to keep track of this or any other shows, you can add them via our Never Miss system, and you’ll be notified when they get a UK premiere date.