[Annecy] Adult Swim Announce More 'Primal', 'Common Side Effects'

At this week's Annecy International Animation Festival all the biggest names in animation were in attendance. Among those holding panels previewing their forthcoming titles were Warner Bros Discovery.

As part of their panel, Adult Swim announced that a third season was in production of Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal. The series is produced by Cartoon Network Studios and has won five Emmys including Outstanding Animated program. Visionary director Genndy Tartakovsky is returning to direct the series.

The first two seasons told an emotional and action-packed story about a caveman who forms an unlikely bond with an "almost extinct" dinosaur. The second season was watched by nearly 4 million people on Adult Swim last year, ranking as a top 10 adult animated show on cable. On Max, Primal is the sixth most popular Adult Swim series since the platform launched.

"It’s happening!! Primal has become a contagious disease that I don’t ever want to cure. Every episode flows out like an unstoppable force beyond my control. Prepare yourselves Primal fans for Season 3 is coming!!!" said Tartakovsky.

"Most shows would have a hard time continuing after the main character is killed off, but this isn’t most shows. Leave it to Genndy and team to keep us all in suspense as Primal’continues its adventure," added Michael Ouweleen, president of Adult Swim.

Sam Register, President, Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios said: "When Genndy says he is not finished with Primal, our only job is to do everything possible to support that vision and give him the opportunity to tell more incredible and imaginative stories. I can’t wait to see where he takes us next."

Meanwhile, a new show was announced. Adult Swim has ordered new half-hour comedy Common Side Effects, created by Joe Bennett and Steve Hely, and executive produced by Mike Judge (Beavis and Buthead, King of The Hill) and Greg Daniels (The Office).

Common Side Effects follows former high school lab partners Marshall and Frances who stumble upon a conspiracy involving Big Pharma and the Government to suppress knowledge of a rare mushroom that may hold the secret to curing all the world's diseases.

"Tonally, this is like nothing else in animation right now, so we knew immediately that ‘Common Side Effects’ belonged on Adult Swim," says Michael Ouweleen,  "Mike, Greg and this entire team have such deep pedigrees in the comedy and animation worlds, and this new series will tackle everything from government corruption to the pharmaceutical industry through their unique and hilarious perspectives."

"From the moment we heard the idea for ‘Common Side Effects’ we knew it was the perfect tone for our animation brand," added Suzanna Makkos, executive vice president, original programming for Adult Swim and Max. “The series is based on a thought-provoking idea that is totally original and brought to life with complicated, larger than life characters. We look forward to introducing this special show to the world.”

Bennet was listed as one of Variety's  10 Animators To Watch in 2022, and will launch sci-fi series Scavenger's Reign for Max. His animated shorts also featured in FXX's Cake. Hely was co-executive producer on HBO's Veep,  and producer/writer on American Dad, 30 Rock and The Office.