Premiere | April 2, 2023 |
Finale | Present |
Seasons | 2 |
Episodes | 20 |
Royal Crackers is an American adult comedy animated series created by Jason Ruiz for Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming block.
Synopsis[]
When the family patriarch is incapacitated, the Hornsbys will do whatever it takes to make their family business, a once-major conglomerate snack factory called Royal Crackers, successful again.
Production[]
The show is best known for it's extremely passionate crew, who believe in the show and push for it to succeed by posting about it on social media and generally promoting it. Among them are Kristina Bustamante, a board revisionist for the show, Evan Mann & Gareth Reynolds, two of the show's writers, and art director Jake Reed, who also runs a subreddit dedicated to the show.
Development[]
The show was created by Jason Ruiz, who also plays the shows main protagonist, Stebe. Previously, Ruiz created a short-lived animated series called Murder Police for FOX and appeared on episode of Key and Peele. The show was developed with the help of Seth Cohen, a TV writer and producer who is best known for his work on The Last Man on Earth and Paradise PD.
Writing[]
The show employs multiple staff writers who join Cohen and Ruiz in the writing room. Among them are Evan Mann and Gareth Reynolds, who previously worked with Cohen on The Last Man on Earth and also serve as the shows co-executive producers. Other notable writers for the show include David Doré and Marc M., best known for their work on Smiling Friends as actors, and Brittany Metz-Hobbs, a former VFX artist for Smosh. Brian Wysol, who previously created Hot Streets for Adult Swim, served as a writer on the first season, before leaving.
Ruiz based the show off of his own experiences living in Southern California, and incorporates his own Hispanic heritage and culture into the show via the soundtrack.
Animation[]
The show is animated by Titmouse, Inc., making it Adult Swim's first collaboration with the studio since Tigtone in 2019 (Coincidentally, Tigtone's co-creator, Benjamin Martian serves as the show's editor). Animation services for the show are provided by Inspidea in Malaysia.
Release and reception[]
The series premiered on April 2, 2023, with episodes releasing on MAX the following day. A second season was renewed on March 28, 2023, nearly one week before the show's premiere. The second season released on February 29, 2024, and, like with the first season, episodes released on MAX the day after their premiere. It is currently unknown whether a third season will be renewed.
The show received mixed to somewhat positive reviews from critics and audiences. Brittany Vincent of DECIDER panned the series, describing it as a "crass amalgam of forced pop culture jokes, terrible animation, an unlikable and unfunny characters, and some truly abhorrent plot points." Audiences have tended to lean more positively towards the show, praising its awkward and surrealist humor, character development, and writing.