An upcoming HBO Max comedy series is the perfect revival of a Netflix award-winner that ended in 2018. HBO Max and DC Studios have officially begun production on their next eight-episode series, The People v. Gorilla Grodd, a true-crime-inspired mockumentary that is effectively a revival of Netflix's hit comedy series American Vandal. Releasing a decade apart, the two shows have a remarkable amount in common beyond being created by Dan Perrault and Tony Yacenda.
2017's American Vandal put a unique comedy spin on the true-crime genre, which had seen a major uptick in the prior years through shows like Making a Murderer. Instead of solving murders, kidnappings, and the world's greatest heroes, Peter Maldonado and Sam Ecklund uncover the truth behind high school pranks: some vulgar vandalism on faculty cars in Season 1 and a laxative spiking in Season 2.
Unfortunately, Netflix canceled American Vandal in October 2018, just one month after Season 2, revealing to Variety that the mockumentary would not return for Season 3, despite its massive critical success. The streamer thanked the creatives for "bringing their innovative comedy to Netflix" and the fans for "[embracing] its unique and unconventional humor."
American Vandal seemed popular and became an award-winning hit, holding a stellar 98% critic and 91% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and even picking up an Emmy nomination, so why was it canceled so quickly? Well, the comedy was produced externally by CBS Television Studios, Funny or Die, and 3 Arts, and Netflix was eager to prioritize shows made internally.
Despite Variety's report that "other platforms have expressed interest in continuing the series," American Vandal never found a new home. HBO Max and DC Studios are now reviving the concept and style through a comic-book lens for their next live-action show, The People v. Gorilla Grodd.
Dan Perrault hinted at The People v. Gorilla Grodd's similarities to American Vandal when he told The Direct that it is "comfortable territory" for him and Tony Yacenda, noting their experience in the "crime mystery comedy" genre:
"Well, it's comfortable territory for Tony Yacenda and I. We've worked in this crime mystery comedy for a very long time... There's definitely tools from that toolkit that we can apply here that I don't think has been seen in the superhero genre thus far."
Interestingly, in both The People v. Gorilla Grodd and American Vandal Season 1, the accused is played by Jimmy Tatro, is voicing the DCU's hyper-intelligent ape. Just as Sam and Peter did for American Vandal's accused d*** drawer Dylan, Jimmy Olsen promises to unravel the "lesser-seen side" of Grodd in a fictionalized press release announcing The Daily Planet's new documentary.
When it came to Dylan, he had a reputation as a slacker and prankster at school, so everyone was quick to accuse him of vandalizing the teachers' cars, leading to his suspension despite his adamant denial of guilt. The same will be true for Grodd, who has spent the last five years in prison for "the murder and brain consumption of his father, King Grodd:"
"Gorilla Grodd has long claimed his innocence in the murder and brain consumption of his father, King Grodd — a crime he was convicted of in March 2021 and has remained incarcerated for ever since... 'Everyone thinks they know Grodd: the power-hungry gorilla who killed his father for the throne of Gorilla City,' said Perry White, managing editor of the Daily Planet and the documentary’s supervising producer. 'But once you start to look beneath the fur, you start to realize there’s a lot more to that primate.'"
The first look at The People v. Gorilla Grodd from set photos showcased a much more well-mannered take on Grodd attending college and singing in an a capella. It seems that, just as American Vandal explored both the prankster and better-natured Dylan on the path to revealing his innocence, Jimmy Olsen will dive into Grodd's whole life before concluding whether he killed Gorilla City's monarch.
This isn't DC Studios' first time taking direct inspiration from another show for a DCU original, as Lanterns clearly draws on True Detective, while the reportedly scrapped Paradise Lost was meant to be Game of Thrones-like. However, by all accounts, The People v. Gorilla Grodd will be the first to revive one from another streamer, as the others were similarly HBO originals.
3 More Shows DC Studios Needs to Copy for James Gunn's DCU
Sherlock - John Constantine
Just as Lanterns took True Detective and gave it a sci-fi coat of paint, the Benedict Cumberbatch-led Sherlock is a perfect match for John Constantine. Both are long-coat-wearing British detectives whose minds are their greatest weapons, but Constantine comes with a cinematic dose of occult threats.
He is similarly known for his unpredictable nature and anti-social attitude, and he even has his own John Watson in the London cab driver Chas Chandler. Constantine could similarly use shorter episode counts and longer runtimes to explore supernatural cases and villains, with a higher budget for each.
Doctor Who - Mr. Terrific
DC Studios is reportedly developing a Superman spin-off for Edi Gathegi's Mr. Terrific, and a Doctor Who-esque format may be the way to go. Doctor Who has been running for 60 years, and stars the Doctor as he takes on traveling companions and ventures across time and space, exploring and saving lives, usually with a "villain of the week" format rather than a serialized story.
Both The Doctor and Mr. Terrific are the smartest people in their respective worlds, and fans may have even gotten a taste of what Doctor Who could look like with Gathegi's superhero at the helm in Superman. The segment in which he and Lois Lane go to the PlanetWatch campsite, enter a pocket dimension, and rescue prisoners has all the allure of a Doctor Who episode, and Mr. Terrific has even been known to venture through time and space in the comics before.
Agents of SHIELD - Checkmate
Before the days when superheroes were all over TV thanks to streaming, Marvel Television launched its first major live-action outing with Agents of SHIELD. The seven-season epic takes place in the MCU (although its canon status is disputed) and follows a group of SHIELD agents going on missions around the globe.
The concept is perfect for an ongoing TV show featuring Checkmate, the group formed at the end of Peacemaker Season 2, including John Cena's Christopher Smith, as well as others from the 11th Street Kids. Checkmate could encounter new and familiar faces from the DC mythos, crossing over with other major releases and expanding the mythos in excitingly fresh ways.
