Kristen Bell, Josh Gad & More Lend Their Voices in ‘Central Park’ Trailer (VIDEO)
Not since the late, great Central Park West have we been so excited for a show set on New York’s greatest lawn. And this one looks like it has just as much drama as that primetime soap footnote… only with way more songs!
Created by Bob’s Burgers‘ Emmy Award-winning executive producers Loren Bouchard and Nora Smith, along with Tony and Grammy-winning Josh Gad (Book of Mormon, Frozen), Central Park is Apple TV+’s new animated musical comedy series, set to bow on Friday, May 29.
The unabashedly creative cartoon centers on the Tillermans, a family who actually resides on the grounds of the titular Manhattan sprawling urban getaway, which has garnered the attention of hotel heiress Bitsy Brandenham, a hotel heiress hellbent on razing the park to build condos.
“For the premise of the show, we made one simple leap,” Bouchard told reporters at January’s Television Critics Association press tour. “We otherwise wanted to set it in Central Park… but we added this idea that ‘What if the general manager of Central Park, if he [or she] takes the job, or she takes the job, has to live in the park with their family?’ That was the leap that we made in order to just heighten it a little bit and have this family living in this little castle in Central Park.”
While the show clearly has the look of Bob’s Burgers, it has the heart of Broadway thanks to a voice cast that include Great White Way vets Gad, Hamilton alums Leslie Odom, Jr. and Daveed Diggs, and Kimmy Schmidt‘s belting powerhouse Tituss Burgess, who previously wowed crowds in The Little Mermaid, Jersey Boys and Guys and Dolls. In addition, Gad’s Frozen costar Kristen Bell, along with Kathryn Hahn and Stanley Tucci, are all on tap for series-regular roles. And yes, that is Tucci as the diminutive Bitsy.
Central Park‘s first three episodes premiere Friday, May 29 on Apple TV+. Subsequent installments will drop weekly thereafter.
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