Universal Basic Guys

Universal Basic Guys
Promotional release poster
GenreAnimated sitcom
Created byAdam Malamut & Craig Malamut
Showrunners
Voices of
Theme music composerAdam Malamut & Craig Malamut
ComposerAlejandro Valencia & René Garza Aldape
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes12
Production
Executive producers
  • Adam Malamut
  • Craig Malamut
  • Dan Lagana
  • Rob Rosell
EditorRamon Samson
Running time22 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkFox
ReleaseSeptember 8, 2024 (2024-09-08) –
present

Universal Basic Guys is an American animated sitcom created by Adam and Craig Malamut that premiered on September 8, 2024, on Fox.[1] The show centers around a group of South Jersey[2] factory workers who are enrolled in a universal basic income pilot program when their jobs are taken over by AI-powered robots, and left with a monthly income and a lot of free time to get into trouble.

Cast and characters

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Main

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  • Adam Malamut as Mark Hoagies, a proud but idiotic middle-aged frat-boy who often causes trouble wherever he goes whenever he feels slighted and to make matters worse, he's too stubborn to listen to good advice and follow proper procedures.
  • Craig Malamut as Hank Hoagies, Mark's younger and more simple-minded but also more sensible brother who's well-liked by most people and also his partner-in-crime who loves hot-dogs.
  • Talia Genevieve as Tammy, Mark's down-to-earth wife who works as a nurse and was married once before; she divorced and lost custody of her teenage son Darren, who often visits her and Mark.
  • Fred Armisen as David, Mark and Tammy's neurotic neighbor and a wannabe author who often gets caught up in their antics.

Recurring

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  • Ally Maki as Andrea, David's stern and domineering Asian American wife who he often has unnecessary dramatic confrontations with.
  • Brandon Wardell as Darren, Tammy's emotionally-withdrawn teenage son who often visits her and Mark since her divorced husband got custody of him and spends most of his time playing video games.
  • Tommy Pope as Steve DelVecchio, Mark's obnoxious, Italian-American rival who is very successful and seizes any opportunity he can to gloat to Mark about it.
  • Richard Doyle as Arthur, a friend of Mark and Hank’s who was also their co-worker at the hot-dog factory before getting laid-off but was also compensated by UBI.

Episodes

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No.Title [3]Directed byWritten byOriginal air date [3]Prod.
code		U.S. viewers
(millions)		Rating/share
(18-49)
1"Pet Projects"Nick SimpsonAdam Malamut & Craig MalamutSeptember 8, 2024 (2024-09-08)1BBHG034.03[4]1.2/12[4]
Wanting to one-up a birthday gift that one of Tammy's co-workers got, Mark and Hank buy her a sickly-looking chimpanzee, which soon rips off Mark’s face. David tries to help Murph when an exotic pet python he got tries to kill him.
2"Sunset Cruise"Martin CormierChris GarciaSeptember 15, 2024 (2024-09-15)1BBHG060.66[5]0.2/2[5]
Mark, Tammy, Hank, David and Andrea all take a cruise where each of them has their own adventure, Mark tries fishing to show up rival Steve DelVecchio, Tammy wants to do karaoke, David wants Andrea to take a break from work and Hank gets stood-up on a date.
3"The Devil You Know"Nick SimpsonAdam Malamut & Craig MalamutSeptember 22, 2024 (2024-09-22)1BBHG081.33[6]0.4/3[6]
Mark's attempts at bonding with his step-son Darren lead to them and Hank coming face-to-face with the Jersey Devil. David ends up receiving a sex-doll package belonging to Mark and he keeps trying to deny ownership to anyone who confronts him over it.
4"Guy's Day"Martin CormierDan LaganaSeptember 29, 2024 (2024-09-29)1BBHG070.71[7]0.2/2[7]
Mark and his friends attempt to join an exclusive men-centric country club. Tammy ends up discovering a secret about the wives of the men's club.
5"Jaws of Life"Katie DysonLucas GardnerOctober 6, 2024 (2024-10-06)1BBHG040.67[8]0.2/2[8]
After Tammy saves a man from choking, Mark tries to prove he is capable of being just as heroic, but he repeatedly humiliates himself in front of a bunch of firefighters. Tammy soon finds out that the guy she saved, Paul, has become obsessed with her. Mark is done trying to be a hero and Paul is saved by a certain firefighter who becomes his "new hero", at the restaurant is it soon revealed that the firefighter killed Paul with an ax after he invaded his home through the chimney.
6"Bird Cage"Andrew BowlerAdam Malamut & Craig MalamutOctober 20, 2024 (2024-10-20)1BBHG023.87[9]1.1/10[9]
While attending a football game, Mark's attempts at rubbing elbows with the football heads and with a fake Superbowl ring leads to him becoming the new coach and Hank becoming the new mascot. David tries to enjoy the game, but is quite out-of-touch with the fans.
7"Fight or Flight"Rania TabetLaura MoranOctober 27, 2024 (2024-10-27)1BBHG050.72[10]0.2/2[10]
Mark and Hank and Tammy take a plane to Florida to attend a relatives's funeral, but Mark accidentally gets the pilots killed and his attempts at taking over lead to him butting heads with ground control while Hank is forced to not board the plane when he is mistaken for a terrorist by Airport Security and Tammy fights with a rude passenger. David tries to bond with his phoneaholic niece and nephew (the children of Andrea's sister) to convince Andrea to consider parenthood.
8"Poconos"Rania TabetLucas GardnerNovember 3, 2024 (2024-11-03)1BBHG091.40[11]0.4/4[11]
David needs to write a new novel from scratch, so Mark lets him use his dead uncle's cabin in the Pocono Mountains for solitude to write the book, but Mark and his family end up taking a retreat to the cabin as well, distracting Davi. Eventually though, the Hoagies get trapped in a Jumanji-esque situation when they play a cursed board game.
9"Mr. Cupcake Man"Rania TabetLaura MoranNovember 10, 2024 (2024-11-10)1BBHG100.61[12]0.2/2[12]
Mark adopts a new children's entertainer persona, but overreacts due to hate comments and tries too hard that the resulting attention brings out the worst in him. Andrea plans to use Mark's newfound fame to help with a problem at her job.
10"Mark Men"Katie DysonChris GarciaNovember 24, 2024 (2024-11-24)1BBHG111.44[13]0.4/4[13]
Mark and Hank get a job at an advertising agency, Mark is being irresponsible and lazy while Hank gets a promotion. Tammy clashes with Murph when he attempts to cut the life line on a Russian mobster he in indebted to, but reconsiders it in order to save children's lives.
11"Sheet Shock"Nick SimpsonDan LaganaDecember 8, 2024 (2024-12-08)1BBHG123.44[14]0.9[14]
When Mark and Hank attempt to join the army, Mark's inability to not even make the bed leaves him traumatized. David befriends a veteran after the latter simply complimented him, but soon comes to believe that the veteran is crazy as his story sounds similar to different fictions, until he gets the real evidence.
12"Deer Stakes"Martin CormierAdam Malamut & Craig MalamutDecember 15, 2024 (2024-12-15)1BBHG012.29[15]0.6/5[15]
Mark and Hank goes on a deer hunting and they meet with their former colleague Doug, Doug is secretly a murderer and tries to murder them but Mark accidentally murders him with the crossbow. David struggles to stop a deer from eating his garden and gets help that works too well.
13"Water Ice Shoppe"TBATBADecember 29, 2024 (2024-12-29)TBATBDTBA

Production

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Development

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In November 2022, it was announced that Game of Zones creators and executive producers Adam and Craig Malamut were set up on an animated series on Fox, called Universal Basic Guys/The Hoagie Bros. The series is produced by Leith Hill Productions, Fox Entertainment and Sony Pictures Television, with Bento Box Entertainment providing the animation.[16] In May 2024, the series was retitled to Universal Basic Guys and renewed for a second season ahead of its debut in the fall.[17] Dan Lagana serves as an executive producer and the showrunner for the first season while Rob Rosell is an executive producer and the showrunner for the second season.[18]

Casting

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On July 25, 2024, at San Diego Comic-Con, it was announced that Adam Malamut, Talia Genevieve, Fred Armisen, and Ally Maki were cast in starring roles.[19]

Broadcast

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The series premiered on September 8, 2024, on Fox.[17][1]

Reception

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The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 20% approval rating based on 5 critic reviews.[20] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 41 out of 100 based on 5 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[21]

References

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  1. ^ a b Schneider, Michael (July 16, 2024). "Fox Reveals Fall Premiere Dates, Including the Return of '9-1-1: Lone Star' After Its Strike-Induced 15-Month Hiatus". Variety. Archived from the original on July 18, 2024. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
  2. ^ Rudnesky, Franki (September 8, 2024). "'Universal Basic Guys,' new FOX animated series, was created by South Jersey brothers". PhillyVoice. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Shows A-Z – universal basic guys on fox". The Futon Critic. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Pucci, Douglas (September 10, 2024). "Sunday Ratings: NFL Kickoff Weekend Scores Big Numbers for Fox, CBS and NBC". Programming Insider. Archived from the original on September 11, 2024. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Pucci, Douglas (September 17, 2024). "Sunday Ratings: Primetime Emmy Awards Reaches 3-Year High in Total Viewers". Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Pucci, Douglas (September 24, 2024). "Sunday Ratings: Series Premieres of Matlock on CBS and Rescue: Hi-Surf on Fox Get Ample Sampling". Programming Insider. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  7. ^ a b Pucci, Douglas (October 1, 2024). "Sunday Ratings: The Summit on CBS Gets Off to Slow Start". Programming Insider. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Pucci, Douglas (October 8, 2024). "Sunday Ratings: Sporting Events Uplift the Prime Times of NBC, CBS and FS1". Programming Insider. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Pucci, Douglas (October 22, 2024). "Sunday Ratings: N.Y. Liberty Wins Championship on ESPN in 25-Year Viewer High for a WNBA Finals Game". Programming Insider. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Pucci, Douglas (October 29, 2024). "Sunday Ratings: Cowboys-49ers on NBC Delivers Best Week 8 Sunday Night Football Audience on Record". Programming Insider. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  11. ^ a b Pucci, Douglas (November 6, 2024). "Sunday Ratings: NFL Continues to Prosper on Fox and NBC". Programming Insider. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  12. ^ a b Pucci, Douglas (November 12, 2024). "Sunday Ratings: Yellowstone Delivers Largest Multi-Network Premiere Night Audience To-Date". Programming Insider. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  13. ^ a b Pucci, Douglas (November 27, 2024). "Sunday Ratings: NBC Tops Prime Time, Fox with Weekend's Most-Watched NFL Window". Programming Insider. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  14. ^ a b Pucci, Douglas (December 13, 2024). "Sunday Ratings: '1923' Repurposed Premiere Benefits Out of 'Yellowstone' Original". Programming Insider. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  15. ^ a b Pucci, Douglas (December 18, 2024). "Sunday Ratings: 'Yellowstone' Series Finale Draws Combined 8 Million Viewers on Paramount and CMT for Initial Airing". Programming Insider. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
  16. ^ Otterson, Joe (November 7, 2022). "Game of Zones Creators Adam, Craig Malamut Set Animated Comedy at Fox". Variety. Archived from the original on July 9, 2024. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
  17. ^ a b Cordero, Rosy (May 19, 2024). "'Universal Basic Guys' Scores Early Season 2 Renewal; Fox Drops Teaser". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 10, 2024. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
  18. ^ "Fox Unveils Fall 2024 Premiere Dates, Launching a New Season Defined by Unexpected, Unforgettable Original Entertainment Fox Delivers Schedule Filled with All-new and Returning Dramas, Animated Comedies and Unscripted Series, Highlighted by the Series Premieres of Action-drama Rescue: Hi-surf from Legendary Executive Producer and Director John Wells, Mystery Drama Murder in a Small Town and New Animated Comedy Universal Basic Guys". FoxFlash (Press release). July 16, 2024. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  19. ^ Schneider, Michael (July 26, 2024). "Fox Surprises Comic-Con Attendee With $3,000 Prize at 'Universal Basic Guys' Panel". Variety. Archived from the original on August 7, 2024. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
  20. ^ "Universal Basic Guys: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
  21. ^ "Universal Basic Guys: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
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