Exclusive: We Talk All Things Duncanville Season Three With The Show’s Creators

 

John Schwarz: I feel like Duncanville season one was very focused on how Duncan is with his family. Season two seems to put more focus on Duncan and his relationship with his friends. How do you find that balance of episodes with episodes that focus on the hilarious Harris family with that of the hilarious kids cast?

Mike and Julie Scully: We love both worlds of Duncan’s life and we go where the stories take us. In Season 3, we’ll see stories that not only feature his friends, but there’s also two storylines for Wiz Khalifa’s character, Duncan’s teacher Mr. Mitch.

JS: One of my favorite aspects of Duncanville is that it doesn’t forget that it’s a cartoon. Duncan has had his hair set on fire, the town has been flooded, etc. When scripting the series, are these ideas initially in the script or are some of these gags thrown in later? 

MS/JS: It’s a combo. We have a basic rule that you should never be able to do the same episode in live action. There should be something that would’ve been impossible or too expensive to film. Or would’ve ended in a flurry of lawsuits. The emotions and character conflicts should be able to play in any genre, but the execution is different. There needs to be a reason your show is animated, even if it’s just the ability to get in a character’s head and play out fantasies.

JS: What’s the most fun aspect of producing an animated series versus a live-action series?

MS/JS: Setting characters on fire. Seriously, the laws of gravity and logic are a lot more flexible in animation. There are still rules, but they’re loosely enforced. You get to use a different part of your brain in animation than live action.

JS: How do the animators get involved with Duncanville? Like The Simpsons, the series employs hilarious background gags and such, how much leash do you give the producers on getting another laugh or giggle out of a scene?

MS/JS: Everything is pretty scripted, but the animators will sometimes bring a joke or an emotional scene to life in a way that’s much better than what you envisioned. This season, they will see Duncan get quite sick while indoor skydiving and it wound up looking pretty hilarious.

JS: What can fans expect from season three that maybe you couldn’t do in prior seasons of Duncanville?

MS/JS: The family goes full Q-Anon! Nah. In addition to the storylines featuring Duncan’s friends and Mr. Mitch, we also added a work husband for Annie, played by Bowen Yang from SNL and his husband, who becomes Jack’s friend, played by Andrew Rannells. They’re in two episodes. We also added Bradley’s mother in two episodes, played by Bebe Neuwirth.

JS: The cast is one of the strongest in animated TV, how much have their live-action personas maybe influenced their animated characters? Where does ad-libbing fit in?

MS/JS: They’re amazing. They add so much to their characters. Ad-libbing is always welcome with a cast this funny, and we definitely have some, but that tends to happen more on shows where the actors are in a room together recording a scene because they’re playing off each other and scenes or jokes can come from that energy. We definitely have fun on the show with Wiz’s well-known love of weed.

JS: What’s it like working with Amy Poehler on Duncanville and how has the dynamic evolved since season one?

MS/JS: We’ve known each other ten years since working together on Parks & Rec, so it’s very easy. She’s always game to try anything and sometimes puts funny spins on lines you didn’t see coming, particularly Duncan’s endless exasperation at his parents talking to him. This season, you’ll also see Amy as Annie doing an hilarious impression of Carmela Soprano.

JS: What are some episode premises that fans can look forward to in the upcoming season?

Duncan will accidentally make a huge donation to a gamer’s livestream (voiced by gamer Ninja) and it winds up with Duncan and his friends on an island being hunted Fortnite-style. We’ll see a flashback to a teenage Annie and Jack getting arrested in the 90’s and Jack will discover how she sold him out to the cops.

JS: Are you allowed to delve into any potential guest stars in the upcoming season of Duncanville?

MS/JS: Ninja, Dave Grohl, Joan Jett, Jason Schwartzman, Joan Jett, Rachel Dratch, John Dimaggio, Paula Pell, Diedrich Bader, a cameo from Jake Tapper and more.

JS: With a movie inspired by The Simpsons already having done well, a film for Bob’s Burgers coming out in a few weeks, do you think everyone involved at Duncanville would maybe like to venture into the feature film aspect of the show and if so how would you approach this?

MS/JS: Would love it! We’re just trying to make it to Season 4 for now.

Duncanville premiers this Sunday Night @ 730 pm ET/PT only on FOX. The first episode is entitled “Gamer Vs. Gamer” and guest stars Ninja. In it, Duncan and his friends visit a Twitch star’s private island, only to end up hunted in a viral event for charity. Meanwhile, Jack and Annie look through a photo album and realize Jack spent a night in jail that Annie didn’t know about. Below is an exclusive clip for the upcoming episode:

Synopsis:

From Emmy Award and Golden Globe winner Amy Poehler and Emmy Award winners Mike and Julie Scully, comes DUNCANVILLE, an animated family comedy centered around a spectacularly average 15-year-old boy, his family and friends. In the series, DUNCAN (Poehler) can see adulthood on the horizon: money, freedom, cars, girls…but the reality is more like: always being broke, driving with your mom sitting shotgun and babysitting your little sister.

Duncan’s mom, ANNIE (Poehler), a parking enforcement officer who dreams of someday being a detective, lives in perpetual fear that her teenage son is one bad decision away from ruining his life and will do anything to stop him from doing so. Duncan’s father, JACK (Emmy Award winner Ty Burrell), husband to Annie, is a classic-rock-obsessed plumber who’s determined to be a better dad than the one he had. He’s constantly posting wonderful things about his family on Facebook and annoyed that his kids won’t friend him.

Duncan’s 12-year-old sister, KIMBERLY (Riki Lindhome), is awkward, emotional and can hold grudges forever, while waiting patiently for revenge. She’s all emotions all the time and nobody’s problems are bigger than hers. JING (Joy Osmanski), Duncan’s six-year-old sister, likes to shout “Watch me!” before executing the world’s slowest cartwheel.

Duncan hangs with his friend and class clown, BEX (Betsy Sodaro), his stylish and swaggy friend, YANGZI (Yassir Lester), and his reckless, unsupervised friend, WOLF (Zach Cherry). MIA (Emmy Award nominee Rashida Jones) is Duncan’s on-again, off-again crush, who never met a cause to which she wouldn’t dedicate her life; and MR. MITCH (Golden Globe nominee Wiz Khalifa), is their cool teacher/guidance counselor/occasional school nurse.