Netflix

Netflix Just Nabbed the Spiritual Successor to an Adult Swim Cult Classic

Netflix Just Nabbed the Spiritual Successor to an Adult Swim Cult Classic
Image credit: Legion-Media

Adult animation is the new arms race: with Hulu’s Futurama and King of the Hill roaring back, Netflix is gearing up for a big swing to cash in on the boom.

Netflix is doubling down on adult animation and, interestingly, doing it with the crew that just broke big on a different platform. If you liked last year’s surreal HBO Max breakout 'Common Side Effects,' Netflix just picked up a new animated workplace comedy from that same creative braintrust.

Meet 'Dealies'

Variety first reported that Netflix has ordered 'Dealies,' an adult animated comedy from creators Joe Bennett and Ted Travelstead. Bennett co-created 'Common Side Effects,' and the new show is being produced with Green Street Pictures — the shop behind that series and the much-loved (and much-mourned) 'Scavengers Reign.'

There’s no release date yet, but Netflix did drop a first-look image and this official logline, which tells you exactly what kind of weird we’re in for:

"A savant salesman. A gentle gladiator. A quiet virtuoso. A summoner of the divine. And the poor soul who hired them. All part of the staff at Dealies, a big box store. They are masters of the delicate alchemy of trade. Prophets of enterprise. And occasionally they do some actual work."

So yeah — retail drudgery meets mythic flair. If 'Common Side Effects' was your vibe, this sounds like a natural follow-up lane for the team.

Who’s making it (and where you’ve seen their stuff)

Green Street Pictures is quietly becoming one of the most interesting houses in adult animation. They were behind 'Scavengers Reign,' the cult sci-fi stunner that started on HBO Max and later popped up on Netflix, only to get the axe after one season anyway. Frustrating, yes — but that resume is why Netflix calling them up for 'Dealies' makes sense. Also in motion: season 2 of 'Common Side Effects' is already underway.

Streaming is hungry for cartoons made for grown-ups

Hulu has been feasting on revivals — 'Futurama' and 'King of the Hill' both came back to big, very nostalgic numbers. Netflix clearly wants more in that zone, and picking up a workplace comedy from the 'Common Side Effects' crew feels like a savvy play rather than another me-too anime push.

Meanwhile, Adult Swim keeps doing its thing

For everyone who still watches animation on actual TV, Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim is not going anywhere. 'Rick and Morty' returned for season 9 last month, and there’s a new spin-off, 'President Curtis,' arriving this summer. The block has crept out of the graveyard shift into late afternoons, but there’s still no standalone Adult Swim channel. Toonami remains part of the lineup too. Decades in, it’s still a fixture.

  • Netflix orders 'Dealies,' an adult animated comedy set in a big box store
  • Created by Joe Bennett and Ted Travelstead; produced with Green Street Pictures
  • Netflix shared a first-look image; no release date yet
  • Green Street also made 'Scavengers Reign' (debuted on HBO Max, later hit Netflix, canceled after one season)
  • 'Common Side Effects' premiered on HBO Max last year; season 2 is in the works
  • Context: Hulu’s adult animation revivals are thriving; Adult Swim just launched 'Rick and Morty' season 9 and has 'President Curtis' coming this summer

Bottom line: Netflix saw the momentum from 'Common Side Effects' and grabbed the team for something new that leans funny, odd, and very retail. If the pitch sounds grandiose for a store job… that’s the joke.