TV's latest animated hero has the wealth of Scrooge McDuck, the pigment of Garfield, and the demeanor of Peter Griffin. He also happens to be our POTUS.
Meet Our Cartoon President, a scathing animated political comedy series inspired by President Donald Trump. The 10-episode show, which will premiere on Showtime on February 11, is executive produced by Stephen Colbert, who has devoted many of his Late Show monologues to criticism of the current administration.
Unveiling the first trailer during the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour on Saturday, Colbert made it clear that Our Cartoon President isn't trying to paint Trump as a bumbling but harmless Homer Simpson type; there's a serious statement underpinning the satire.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
"I don’t think there’s anything normal about his behavior as a cartoon,” the talk show host told Entertainment Weekly. “The subjects we’re picking are dark enough that reflect the stakes of truly cartoonish behavior in the actual 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.”
As the trailer demonstrates, major players in the Trump Administration, including Attorney General Jeff Sessions, will be featured alongside family members like Don Jr. and Eric, whom co-executive producer R.J. Fried likened as "our Beavis and Butthead." The younger Trump children, Tiffany and Baron, will not be included, while already ousted officials like Steve Bannon and Omarosa Manigault-Newman have been scrapped as characters.
Colbert hopes to keep the show topical by having an opening scene that is created at the last minute as a response to whatever's happening in the news. Were the show to premiere this week, for instance, a cold open might focus on the claims laid out in Michael Wolff's new book, Fire and Fury.
"There’s nothing in that book that’s not in our show, and we just guessed,” Colbert said. “The great thing about the Trump Administration is whatever you imagine, you’re right.”
Will Our Cartoon President make its way into Trump's TV schedule? We won't have to wonder long. Whether it's CNN or Saturday Night Live, POTUS isn't shy about tweeting his TV snap judgments.
Read These Stories Next: