On the same day Disney Branded Television announced an impressive development deal with Big City Greens creators Chris and Shane Houghton, the brothers took the stage at the TCA Winter Press Tour for a panel that spotlighted six Disney Television Animation shows. Their new deal isn’t limited to kids animation but also includes live-action and series aimed at adults through 20th Television Animation. Big City Greens is currently in its 4th season and quickly approaching its 100th-episode milestone, plus a feature-length film is coming to Disney+ this summer, and the Greens will host another NHL Big City Greens Classic this year in partnership with ESPN.
(Disney/PictureGroup)
“It has lots of opportunities for us to expand what we do at Disney Branded Television,” Shane commented on the development deal. “Working with some of the 20th Century Animation folks, we're going to be very excited to get into that. But I mean, on Big City Greens… We have always focused on just telling really funny stories. And we try to entertain ourselves first. And as it turns out, we're adults, so I think that should work okay in adult animation as well… It's really all about the characters, the storytelling, and I think that transcends whether you're working in kids television or adult animation, as long as it's funny, great characters, that's the core.”
Like Phineas and Ferb before it, Big City Greens has a large following of adults without kids. “Our favorite compliments that Chris and I receive for Big City Greens is when we have an adult come up to us, and maybe they're a parent, maybe they're not, but the parents will say, ‘Hey, after my kids go to sleep, I still watch Big City Greens.’ It's almost like it's a secret or something.” Part of the secret to their wide-sweeping success is making a show that makes them laugh. “That's what we go for, just pure entertainment. Hopefully, there's a lot of comedy, a lot of heart. It's doing what Disney does best.”
“You put something out in the world with a certain intention, and you never quite know how it's going to be received or the effects it might have,” Chris shared about the eight-year journey with Big City Greens, which was greenlit in 2016 and premiered in 2018. “One of the things we've heard about was from kids from adopted families feeling really tied to Cricket, which is something we never set out to do, but certain adopted kids really resonated with that character.” The series follows the Greens as they uproot their lives in the country to live on a small farm in the middle of a large city, a fish-out-of-water story that indirectly tapped into the whirlwind of emotions that come with being adopted.
“We've actually heard of people who were in the hospital, like hospitals are always playing Big City Greens," Shane shared. “Yeah, shoutout to that,” Chris interjected before Shane continued. “People will say the TV was on, they didn't have the remote, and they're, like, I guess I'm watching Disney Channel. But then, they fall in love with the show.”
Wherever you watch, Big City Greens is guaranteed to entertain, not only through its quirky sense of humor and unique situations, but also with its heart and storytelling. The first five episodes of the fourth season are now streaming on Disney+. Stay tuned to Laughing Place for news on future episodes, the upcoming feature film, and the next NHL Big City Greens Classic.