Watch prehistoric Anna Kendrick and Zac Efron discover booze, fire, and misogyny in Human Discoveries trailer
Aux Features TV
Ever since the long, long ago failure of Cavemen, a TV show that somehow managed to squander its limitless potential as a Geico commercial spin-off, audiences have had to do without a prehistoric comedy series. And yet now, an animated show called Human Discoveries coming this month from Facebook Watch, is ready to try once more to learn from past mistakes and evolve into a brand new vehicle for lots of gags about the things our ancestors didn’t know how to do that we take for granted.
Set 10,000 years ago, Human Discoveries stars Anna Kendrick and Zac Efron as Gary and Jane, a pair whose names are far less exciting than cartoon pals like Trog (Lamorne Morris), Ugg (Paul Scheer), and Minerva (Jillian Bell). As the trailer makes clear, most of the jokes are centered around early humans figuring out how to move beyond sheer survival to discover hallmarks of human society—like eating cooked meat, living alongside wild animals, and, uh, accepting the absurd confines of a rigidly defined patriarchy.
The jokes used in the trailer aren’t especially creative, excepting a pretty good bit that sees the characters doing keg stands on hollowed-out logs filled with “consequence-free” trash wine before waking up with brutal hangovers. But the talent attached to the show, which sees Kendrick and Efron joined by the reliably funny Morris, Scheer, and Bell as well as Ed Begley Jr., Stephanie Beatriz, and Lisa Kudrow as a talking deer, is enough to warrant more interest in a real fossil of a premise.
We’ll see for ourselves soon enough when Human Discoveries’ first three episodes premiere on July 16th at 9 p.m. EST/6 p.m. PST.
25 Comments
My mother always said that if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. “. . .”
↑ All the this
I love the talent attached to this, but… hard pass.I suspect that Facebook is throwing so much money at these folks that nobody could rightly turn down a part.
I can’t react to the idea of Facebook Watch with anything other than spiteful laughter. Fuck you Zuckerberg.
“Cartoonz 4 Adultz” really are a mixed bag in terms of art, huh? You can get something like Archer or Tuca & Bertie or you can get…this.
Isn’t everything?
I’ve been told so many good things about Big Mouth but I just haven’t been able to jump over the hurdle of that art style to actually watch it.
I’d probably take a peek if it was on Netflix but hard pass on a Facebook video.It felt like it was trying to copy Big Mouth in a way.
I’ll probably catch it on a pirate site…no way I’m signing up for Facebook for this.
I was an avid Facebook user for years since it launched while I was in high school. Though, in the last few months I’ve completely stopped using it. I don’t need a reason to go back lol.
I avoided using it for a few years, then I finally got tired of people hounding me to join (“But how do we talk you?” “I dunno…call me?”). I made it about 6 weeks before I got tired of all the Friend requests from complete strangers…this was right when people were finally realizing how bad Facebook was to pry into your private life, which is when I deleted my account.Glad to see I was right, all these years later!
I’ll probably catch it on a pirate site…no way I’m signing up for Facebook for this. Jeez, I’m tired. I read this as “catch it on a pirate ship” and found myself thinking that was, or should be, a thing you could do. I mean, hop a pirate ship on your next vacation to England or whatever and the pirates would show movies. Projected onto the mainsail. It would be like a cruise but the buffet is all hardtack, rum and limes.Plus after that you could pillage and loot and stuff.
Shit’s ugly
An animated series that’s this ugly needs either a stellar voice cast (and not just Hollywood actors slumming it) or good jokes and an entertaining story.This looks like it’s 0 for 3.
Good lord that’s some awful animation
– We have 10-dollars to make an animated show.
Okay, let’s spend 9 of it on voice actors, the publicity will be golden.
– What about the quality of the…
I said the publicity will be golden.
I’m going to stand out from the crowd“Soft pass?”
what the fuck is a facebook watch?!is it seriously a show you can only watch on facebook?
What exactly does a Vinn Diagram of “people who like watching shitty cartoons” and “people who like watching live mass shootings” look like?
that sounds fucking grim, but now i’m hoping vin diesel pops up now and again for a gravelly-throated threat, ‘pitch black’-style.
I am genuinely excited to watch this show!!! Great talent and already seems like it’ll be hilarious! Can’t wait!
But the talent attached to the show, which sees Kendrick and Efron joined by the reliably funny Morris, Scheer, and Bell as well as Ed Begley Jr., Stephanie Beatriz, and Lisa Kudrow as a talking deer, is enough to warrant more interest in a real fossil of a premise.It really, really isn’t.
I’m just gonna say it: Cavemen was pretty alright, and it really did show potential during its short run.
i cannot believe that everyone involved in this is comfortable releasing a show that looks like that. it looks bad for newgrounds.
Sunday nights on FOX?