Earlier in the year, news broke from the animation world that Fox was developing an animated series based on Bloom County the beloved 1980s comic strip that is the brainchild of comic writer and cartoonist Berkeley Breathed and responsible for bringing widespread recognition to his talent. No update has since come from the project until now. The project has added Tim Long to serve in multiple capacities including as a co-writer, co-showrunner, and executive producer alongside Breathed who will be heavily involved in the onscreen treatment.
Long, a multiple Emmy-winning veteran writer is best known for his extensive contributions to the Fox animated franchise The Simpson which shares similar themes with Bloom County. Breathed himself announced Long's addition to the project with a Bloom County-themed artwork introducing Mr. Tim Long as a "professional." His stint at The Simpson has lasted for two decades and counting and in that time, he has also served as executive producer for the family animated series as well as the consulting writer on The Simpsons Movie (2007). Long has also written for late-night talk shows, Politically Incorrect, and Late Show with David Letterman. He penned the script for the 2020 feature film, The Exchange and his works extend off the screens to the printed pages of The New York Times and The New Yorker. Long will be juggling his new responsibility with his work on Molly Shannon's HBO series which is currently in development, as well as the Broadway adaptation of Steven Spielberg's The Goonies.
In keeping with its original formula, the Bloom County animated series will satirize the American lifestyle and culture as influenced by politics and societal norms and will feature talking animals. The stories will be told through the eyes of "a collapsed lawyer, a lobotomized cat, and an overly-carbonated penguin immigrant" who are all dressed in briefs and occupy the world's last boarding house in a city called "FlyWayThe@%!#OVER."
The Bloom County comic strip from which the series will be based had a successful 9-year run from 1980 to 1989. The strip had originally begun as The Academia Waltz which Breathed wrote for The Daily Texan during his student years at the University of Texas. The work would later attract the attention of The Washington Post who hired Breathed to develop the strip for national syndication. After its original run, Breathed revived the series in 2015, this time online, posting daily episodes on Facebook. This will not be the first time that Breathed's written work is receiving an onscreen treatment. His other writings including A Wish for Wings That Work, Edward Fudwupper Fibbed Big, and Mars Needs Moms have all had their time onscreen. He is also known for other comic strips Opus and Outland which have each garnered a loyal following.
Bloom County animated series is still at the developmental stage at Fox and is yet without a release date, however, chances are that it will share a similar Sunday lineup slot at the network as fellow animations The Simpsons and Family Guy.