The genius behind one of the best animated comedies on TV is taking his talents online.
Dan Harmon, the man who gave us Community and Adult Swim’s Rick and Morty, is working on a new series, this time for Youtube’s subscription channel, YouTube Red. The show combines two things Harmon apparently loves best – comedy and gaming. It follows a “newly formed team of eSports players trying to make it to the top in the cutthroat world of competitive gaming,” and judging from the company Harmon’s recruited for the show, expectations have been set high. Along with Rick and Morty‘s Sarah Carbiener and Erica Rosbe who are being tasked with writing and running the new show, Harmon’s brought on YouTubers Arin “Egoraptor” Hanson and Dan Avidan, known to their millions of followers as the Game Grumps.
Hanson and Avidan’s own popular Youtube channel has capitalized on the surging popularity of eSports – if that term doesnt sound familiar, eSports are what’s causing the NFL to lose their figurative sh*t over lowered ratings this year. Basically, eSports is sports for gamers. The Game Grumps’ channel featured Hanson, Avidan and guest hosts playing video games and then commentating on their experience playing said video game.
And if you think that sounds boring and you’re wondering how in the hell they’re going to make a half hour sitcom interesting and funny enough to justify a $9.99 subscription to YouTube Red, know this — the world of eSports is insane. Televised live tournaments, match fixing, performance enhancing drugs (think Adderall and Ritalin, not steroids) — they’ve all been known to take place in the eSports universe.
With Harmon helming what may be the first show to ever focus on the sport of gaming, we’re in for a wild, funny ride.