Scavengers Reign (original) (raw)
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2023 American animated series
| Scavengers Reign | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Adventure Drama Science fiction Horror |
| Created by | Joe Bennett Charles Huettner |
| Starring | Sunita Mani Wunmi Mosaku Alia Shawkat Bob Stephenson Ted Travelstead |
| Composer | Nicolas Snyder |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 12 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Joe Bennett Charles Huettner Chris Prynoski Ben Kalina Antonio Canobbio Sean Buckelew James Merrill |
| Editor | Jason Klein |
| Running time | 23–27 minutes |
| Production companies | Titmouse, Inc. Green Street Pictures |
| Original release | |
| Network | Max |
| Release | October 19 (2023-10-19) –November 9, 2023 (2023-11-09) |
Scavengers Reign is an American adult animated science fiction television series created by Joe Bennett and Charles Huettner for the streaming service Max, based on their 2016 short film Scavengers.
Max announced the series in June 2022 and it premiered on October 19, 2023. The show received critical acclaim for the acting, plot, animation, and atmosphere. In May 2024, the series was canceled after one season and acquired by Netflix, which also decided not to renew it.
The series follows the survivors of the damaged interstellar cargo ship Demeter 227 who are stranded on Vesta, an alien planet bustling with flora and fauna but filled with dangers. Initially the survivors are separated into three groups: commander Sam and horticulturalist Ursula, cargo specialist Azi and her robot companion Levi, and the isolated crewman Kamen, who travels with a telepathic creature named Hollow. Local life displays unusual complexity, symbiotic levels and extraordinary life cycles. Usual borders between plants, animal, intelligence and highly organized life are unclear. Over time, the survivors' paths converge towards the crash-landed Demeter.
Voice cast and characters
[edit]
Sunita Mani as Ursula, a crewmember in the Demeter's horticulture lab; stranded on Vesta with Sam.
Wunmi Mosaku as Azi Narine, a cargo specialist on the Demeter; stranded on Vesta with Levi.
Alia Shawkat as Levi, a robot from the Demeter; stranded on Vesta with Azi.
- Shawkat also plays Fiona, the Demeter's robotics engineer, who is Kamen's estranged wife.
Bob Stephenson as Sam, commander of the Demeter; stranded on Vesta with Ursula.
Ted Travelstead as Kamen, a crewmember on the Demeter who is struggling in his career and in his marriage with his wife Fiona; while stranded on Vesta he forms a bond with Hollow, a telepathic and telekinetic creature. Co-creator Bennett stated that Kamen's presence has "introduced human greed and gluttony into this animal kingdom,"[1] which causes Hollow to become more sinister.
Chris Diamantopoulos as a station tech on another Demeter ship.
Okieriete Onaodowan as a station chief on another Demeter ship.
Sepideh Moafi as Mia, a passenger on the Demeter who forms a romantic connection with Azi.
Skyler Gisondo as Charlie, a passenger in cryofreeze on the Demeter.
Pollyanna McIntosh as Kris, the leader of a scavenger group from another planet; intends to loot the Demeter.
Freddy Rodriguez as Terrence, a member of Kris's scavenger group.
Dash Williams as Barry, the youngest and least experienced member of Kris's scavenger group.
Masha King as Mascha, a healer that Ursula and Sam meet in their travels on Vesta; part of a group that was stranded on Vesta many years prior.
James Kyson as John, Mascha's husband.
Joe Bennett and Charles Huettner created the original 2016 Scavengers short film for Adult Swim,[3] where it aired as part of the Toonami block and later made available on Huettner's YouTube channel. The eight-minute animated short, with backgrounds inspired by Moebius, contains no dialog and depicts a pair of humans engaging in an intricate series of interactions, like a Rube Goldberg machine, with the planet's lifeforms. From 2018 to 2019, Bennett and Huettner expanded the concept into a series pilot that did not go forward at Adult Swim, though the show was later picked up by HBO Max.[4] The 12-episode series was produced over two years by Titmouse, Inc. and Green Street Pictures with a crew including international animators working remotely from locations including Mexico, Spain, Portugal and France.[5]
In May 2024, the series was canceled by Max after one season.[6] Netflix acquired the series, which was released on the platform on May 31 in the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, and New Zealand.[6] Netflix reportedly considered renewing the series,[6] but in November 2024, Bennett confirmed that this would not be the case.[7] He also released a trailer on his social media that showcased what was planned for the second season had it been produced.[8]
Max announced the series in June 2022[9] and it premiered on October 19, 2023.[10] Three episodes were released weekly until November 9, 2023.[10]
The series has received critical acclaim. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the series has a 100% approval score with an average rating of 8.7/10, based on 22 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Disturbing and wondrous, Scavengers Reign presents a vividly realized world that beckons exploration by its marooned characters and television viewers alike."[11] James Poniewozik of The New York Times called it "a lush, magnificent, hypnotic story of human survival in a place that feels, in a way that sci-fi planets only occasionally manage, truly otherworldly."[12] Andrew Webster of The Verge deemed it to be "equal parts beautiful and brutal, and it might be the most original piece of science fiction of the year", and compared the art style to Jean "Moebius" Giraud."[13]
For the 76th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, the series was nominated for Outstanding Animated Program[14] and won an Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation for background design.[15]
- ↑ Edwards, Belen (November 9, 2023). "'Scavengers Reign's alien ecosystems are things of beauty". Mashable. Archived from the original on November 9, 2023. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
- ↑ "Shows A-Z – Scavengers Reign on Max". The Futon Critic. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
{{[cite web](//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite%5Fweb "Template:Cite web")}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ Huettner, Charles (May 30, 2019). Scavengers. Retrieved July 6, 2024 – via YouTube.
- ↑ Spry, Jeff (October 1, 2023). "Savage Planet: How 'Scavengers Reign' Creators Evolved Their Acclaimed Short into a Thrilling Sci-Fi Series". Animation Magazine. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
{{[cite web](//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite%5Fweb "Template:Cite web")}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ White, Abbey (October 23, 2023). "How Max's 'Scavengers Reign' Created an Animated Series Like "Nothing You've Ever Seen"". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 30, 2023. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- 1 2 3 Hailu, Selome (May 10, 2024). "'Scavengers Reign' Season 1 Heads to Netflix After Cancellation at Max, Season 2 Not Yet Greenlit (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
- ↑ Webster, Andrew (November 5, 2024). "The Scavengers Reign may be over". The Verge. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
- ↑ "Scavengers Reign Studio Releases S2 Teaser with No Renewal Confirmed". Animation Magazine. November 5, 2024. Retrieved May 30, 2026.
- ↑ Rice, Lynette (June 15, 2022). "HBO Max Orders 'Scavengers Reign' To Series; Adult Animated Sci-Fi To Premiere In 2023". Deadline. Archived from the original on June 15, 2022. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
- 1 2 Spry, Jeff (October 19, 2023). "Astronauts embark on a surreal survival odyssey in new series 'Scavengers Reign' (exclusive)". Space.com. Archived from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
- ↑ "Scavengers Reign: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
- ↑ Poniewozik, James (October 18, 2023). "Review: 'Scavengers Reign' Is a Gorgeous, Hypnotic Space Trip". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 24, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
- ↑ Webster, Andrew (October 12, 2023). "Max's Scavengers Reign captures the beauty and terror of a truly alien world". The Verge. Archived from the original on October 31, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
- ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (July 17, 2024). "Canceled 'Scavengers Reign' Makes Case For Season 2 With Animated Program Emmy Nomination". Deadline. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
- ↑ Milligan, Mercedes (August 14, 2024). "Creative Arts Emmys Announce 2024 Animation Awardees". Animation Magazine. Retrieved August 14, 2024.