City Island, the acclaimed civics-centered show starring Watts (a little lightbulb with big ideas) returns to PBS Kids with a colorful second season on July 5. The sophomore season features 20 new shorts with 585 new characters and over 400 locations, and will include timely topics like news media and fact-based reporting, advertising and the internet. The series stars Kimia Behpoornia and Kimiko Glenn and the new episodes feature notable stars such as Rosie Perez, Ali Stroker, Vanessa Bayer, Julio Torres and Rachel Bloom. The new season also includes two special musical episodes, “Theater Street” and “Holidays,” written by comedian Rachel Wenitsky.
We had the chance to catch up with show creator and animation veteran Aaron Augenblick (founder of New York’s Augenblick Studios and its Future Brain Media spinoff) and exec producer Dan Powell (Inside Amy Schumer, Fantasmas; co-President of TV & Film Production at Future Brain) to find out more about what to expect from this charming and inspiring toon this summer.
Animation Magazine: Congrats, guys, on the launch of the new season of City Island and all the recent developments. Can you tell us a bit about what’s new and exciting about the second season?
Aaron Augenblick: In the first season of a show, we tend to focus on establishing the world and the characters. Everything is brand new! What’s exciting about a second season is that we’ve laid all the groundwork so we can play more. We can dive a lot deeper. In the new episodes, we see Watt direct his own movie, we go inside the Internet, and have multiple musical episodes. There are some really wild new visuals. In addition, we expanded our civics curriculum to include a lot of important new topics.
Dan Powell: PBS KIDS had us expand the curriculum to focus even more on media literacy, which was an interesting challenge given the younger demographic.
What lessons did you learn from the first season that you took to the new episodes?
Aaron: Creating a fully formed story in three minutes was one of our biggest challenges in the first season. We landed on a very traditional approach in a short format. We have a three-act structure with an investigation arc for most of the episodes. Even though City Island is a kids show, we approach it like a procedural! Once you have a strong structure, it opens you up to experiment with everything else.
Dan: It’s very important to us that the show be funny and there was definitely a learning curve regarding the kind of jokes you can put into a show for a very young audience. Figuring out those parameters in Season 1 made it easier in Season 2.
What do you love about this show and what animation allows you to do with the subject matter?
Aaron: A lot of things! On the one hand, I love that we have a surreal show which feels inherently cartoony. Like a lot of my favorite “cartoons” (Fleischer, Looney Tunes, Muppets), any element from our world can be alive and fodder for gags. Like the Roger Rabbit rule: you can do anything you want, so long as it’s funny! On the other hand, I love that we have a show with a number of fully-formed personalities, where their actions feel motivated. Watt especially feels like a real kid to me, I understand his likes and dislikes. It’s always a magical moment when it feels like the characters tell you what they want to do, not vice versa.
Dan: I love that we have seasoned comedy actors in most of the roles — Kimia Behpoornia, Kimiko Glenn, James Adomian, James III — and guest stars like Julio Torres, Ellen Cleghorne, Rachel Bloom, Rosie Perez and more. This would be an incredible cast for an adult animated series, but we have them on our PBS KIDS show.
What were your biggest challenges?
Aaron: We’re very ambitious, and rarely repeat ourselves. For us, the world of City Island is so rich that we’re drawn to keep exploring the city and meeting new characters. That means a lot of hard work from all of our staff. I never wanted City Island to be a traditional sitcom where we keep coming back to the same house or schoolroom. It’s more of an adventure show. As an animator, I’m usually drawn to the directions that feel the most exciting and experimental.
Dan: Probably the budget. It’s public television — the aforementioned voice cast is definitely doing it for the love of the show.
What is your take on the current climate for TV animation?
Aaron: It’s definitely a strange time for animation throughout the industry. It seems like all of the financial models are shifting and we’ll be in a very different place in five years with the way animation is produced in the world. Our company is shifting as well, with an increased emphasis on creative development and original IP. All that being said, the only thing that remains consistent is that audiences still love watching animation. We’re happily creating animation in a number of different ways, in a variety of formats.
Dan: I am a firm believer that there is a significant gap between the demand for animation and the current supply, due to cost-cutting and other austerity measures taken by the mainstream media companies. I am hoping that the infrastructure begins to emerge for high quality independent episodic animation, even if that means direct-to-consumer distribution.
What do you hope young viewers will take away from the second season of City Island?
Aaron: There are a few themes this season that feel very relevant for kids in the world today. For example, we have an increased focus on media literacy, and the way kids can be critical thinkers in a media saturated environment. We also have an episode about creating art as a means of self-expression. We dive even deeper into what it means to exist in a community. It’s a challenging time for kids around the world, and hopefully we’re making a show that’s fun to watch but also meaningful for our viewers.
Dan: I have two children who love the show even though they have already aged out of the target demo. I just want the kids and parents who watch City Island to enjoy it as much as we enjoy making it, and for them to take joy from watching episodes over and over.
It’s hard to believe that the Augenblick Studios was founded 25 years ago! What would you say has been the secret to your longevity and success in this unpredictable, competitive business?
Aaron: For me, it has been by staying small and surrounding myself with incredibly talented people. I’ve always thought of my studio more like an artist’s collective than a big corporation. Most of my decision making is inspired by where I find the most artistic inspiration and creativity. For better or worse, I run my studio by instinct! When I started out making “adult animation,” I never thought that 25 years later one of my favorite shows I’ve ever made would be for kids! I try to pivot constantly and gravitate towards interesting projects. It’s been a rollercoaster ride, but I love it.
Dan: I saw a clip recently where Conan O’Brien advised that heaven is getting to do the thing you love with people you love. I love making television (for all ages) and I love working with Aaron and his team, so City Island fits both criteria.
Check out a new trailer below, featuring the full-length version of City Island‘s theme song created and, never-before-heard performed by Tunde Adebimpe; composer, actor and lead singer of Grammy-nominated Brooklyn band TV on the Radio. The preview also features brand-new clips from Season 2, including a first look at characters voiced by guest stars Rachel Bloom, Ali Stroker and Rosie Perez.
The series stars Kimia Behpoornia (Abbott Elementary) and Kimiko Glenn (Orange Is the New Black). Season 2 includes 20 new shorts with 585 new characters and over 400 locations. These stories will expand the show’s civics-centered stories to include timely topics like news media and fact-based reporting, advertising and the internet. The S2 premiere follows the recent launch of the new animated music video series City Island Sings, which premiered May 29 on PBS KIDS.
City Island Season 2 premieres on PBS Kids nationwide on July 5. For more info, visit pbs.org/show/city-island.
