AMC has announced some new cast members for its upcoming stop-motion animated series, Ultra City Smiths, which was created by Steve Conrad (Patriot,Perpetual Grace), who serves as showrunner, and produced by Stoopid Buddy Stoodios (Robot Chicken, Crossing Swords).
The story follows an “investigation into the disappearances of a local magnate, with two detectives fighting against citywide corruption as they try to unravel the case. The twist is that the entire cast are baby dolls refitted as grown-up characters starring in a whodunnit, so it’s hardly going to be a gritty hard-boiled noir.”
The recently revealed cast members include Kristen Bell (Queenpins, The Woman in the House) as Donella Pecker, Dax Shepard (Parenthood, The Ranch) as Congressman Chris Pecker, Alia Shawkat (Seach Party, Duck Butter) as Little Grace, Tim Meadows (Schooled, No Activity) as Deputy Mayor Jeff Thumb, Terry O’Quinn (Lost, Patriot) as Captain Krieger, Debra Winger(Terms of Endearment, Shadowlands) as Trish McSapphire, Luis Guzmán(Shameless, Traffic) as Rodrigo Smalls, Julian Barratt (Truth Keepers,Killing Eve) as The Most Dangerous Man in the World, Sunita Mani (Evil Eye, Save Yourselves!) as Detective Jaya Mukherjee, and Tom Waits (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, The Dead Don’t Die) as The Narrator.
They join the previously announced Jimmi Simpson (Westworld, Black Mirror), Da’Vine Joy Randolph (Dolemite Is My Name, The United States vs Billie Holiday), John C. Reilly (Moonbase 8, Ralph Breaks the Internet), Bebe Neuwirth (Chicago, Cheers), Jason Mantzoukas (Big Mouth, Infinite), Damon Herriman (Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, Underground Railroad), Melissa Villaseñor (Saturday Night Live, Toy Story 4), Kurtwood Smith (That 70’s Show, Robocop), Tim Heidecker (Moonbase 8, Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!), Chris Conrad (Patriot, Perpetual Grace, LTD) and Hana Mae Lee (Patriot, The Babysitter: Killer Queen).
Conrad said in a statement, “I’m grateful that this group of actors, who could work with whomever they choose on whatever they choose, chose to work with us.”
The first two episodes of the series will premiere on AMC+ on July 22nd with subsequent episodes dropping weekly, every Thursday. The six-episode first season will air on AMC this fall.