Hulu has once again met up with Justin Roiland for another animated comedy show following the ongoing popularity of both Rick and Morty and Solar Opposites. Roiland's latest project, The Paloni Show! Halloween Special!, goes back to his roots as an animator. Originally pitched for Fox's Animation Domination as the wild and off-kilter comedy series The Paloni Family Comedy Show, the show has been reworked as a Halloween variety special highlighting up-and-coming animators and their spooky shorts. Per Deadline, the show arrives on the streamer on October 17.
Roiland's rejected pitch focused on a family dedicated to hosting a comedy variety show out of their house with their bizarre neighbors, including a violent old lady and the eerily-named Mustard Girl, popping in to star. The show was headed by the oldest sibling and hopeful variety show host Leroy alongside Grandpa Jo and Leroy's younger brother Marty, the latter two of which seem to be precursors to Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith respectively. In order to distinguish itself for Hulu, the family dynamic has changed with Leroy sticking around as the oldest sibling voiced by Roiland while Zach Hadel (Smiling Friends) voices his temperamental, fast-talking little brother Reggie whose anger often disrupts the show and distracts him from hosting. The family is rounded out by Pamela Adlon (Better Things) who plays the middle child Cheruce who's bitter that her brothers don't take her ideas for the special seriously.
Alongside the main family, The Paloni Show! Halloween Special! also features Vatche Panos as Little Long Legs and Kari Wahlgren as Aunt Stephanie whom Deadline reports is "the Paloni’s selfish and gullible aunt who feels that motherhood has robbed her of her best years." The special will seemingly follow a similar structure to Roiland's original pitch for Fox with the family attempting to host a variety show from their living room with bizarre comedy interlaced with spooky shorts from the selected animators.
It's fitting that Roiland would use one of his failed pilots as the frame to showcase other animators in the same boat he was in at the beginning of his career. Much of his signature comedy is present in the original 2009 pilot presentation, but it wouldn't be until 2013 that he got his big break opposite Dan Harmon with Rick and Morty. Since then, he's been on top of the animating world and at the center of Hulu's animation catalog.
Roiland executive produces the special alongside Ben Bayouth who's known for acting in and writing for Blark and Son as well as penning an episode of The Boys Presents: Diabolical. 20th Television Animation produces the show.
The Paloni Show! Halloween Special! airs on October 17. In the meantime, check out the video below from this year's San Diego Comic-Con to see Roiland and the rest of the Solar Opposites team discuss the future of the hit alien comedy.