Television

Netflix’s TUCA & BERTIE Trailer Is For the Birds

by Lindsey Romain
Apr 18 2019 • 10:35 AM
Netflix’s seminal animated series BoJack Horseman has gone a long way to make cartoon animals relatable, and now the streaming service is doing it again with the friendship comedy Tuca & Bertie, a show about two best lady bird friends and their transition to adulthood in the big city.

The series comes from BoJack producer Lisa Hanawalt and follows two 30-year-old birds, played by Tiffany Haddish and Ali Wong. Netflix released the first trailer for the series, which looks hilarious, awkward, and perfectly on-the-nose. (Er, beak.)

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The show follows a similar format as other series about transitioning female friendships, like HBO’s Girls and Comedy Central’s Broad City. But because this is an animated world from the creators of BoJack Horseman, it’s also got a surrealist edge, even apart from the whole “being about birds” thing. The colors are vibrant, the city jagged and manic, and the antics and supporting characters look out of this world. (What is with that plant-headed woman?)

And yet the trailer still feels familiar to real life, with Tuca and Bertie navigating adult relationships, ageism, and harassment.

“I’m an adult woman,” says Wong’s Bertie, shortly before she’s cat-called in the park. “I deserve to be treated like a person, and not an object. So get out of my space or I’ll break your face!”

The dynamic between the two friends should also be a treat, since Tuca (Haddish) is described as a “cocky, carefree toucan,” and Bertie as an “anxious, daydreaming songbird.” The supporting voice cast is also a major attraction; Steven Yeun, Richard E. Grant, Tig Notaro, Nicole Byer, Reggie Watts, and Tessa Thompson will all lend their voices to the show.

According to Deadline, Tuca & Bertie will have its global premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival before the 10-episode first season lands on Netflix May 3.

Images: Netflix