Son of Zorn explained

Genre:	Sitcom
Voices:	Jason Sudeikis
Composer:	Leo Birenberg
Country:	United States
Language:	English
Num Seasons:	1
Num Episodes:	13
Producer:	Maria Melograne
Cinematography:	Michael A. Price
Camera:	Single-camera
Runtime:	22 minutes
Editor:	Katie Abel
Channel:	Fox

Son of Zorn is an American animated/live action sitcom created by Reed Agnew and Eli Jorné for Fox.^{[1] [2]} The series stars Cheryl Hines, Johnny Pemberton, Tim Meadows, Artemis Pebdani, and Jason Sudeikis as the voice of Zorn. Son of Zorn is a joint production by Agnew Jorné Productions, Lord Miller Productions, and 20th Century Fox Television. The series ran from September 11, 2016 to February 19, 2017.

Premise

The series takes place in an alternate world where traditional animated characters co-exist with real-world humans. Zorn is a barbarian warrior from the fictional island of Zephyria who moves to Orange County, California, to reconnect with his ex-wife and teenage son Alangulon, "Alan" for short.

Within the show, Zorn and things native to Zephyria are animated, following the style of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, while the rest of the world is live-action. The series' opening title cards are rendered in the style of fantasy cartoons of the 1980s such as He-Man and ThunderCats.

Cast

• Jason Sudeikis as the voice of Zorn, a barbarian warrior from the South Pacific fantasy island Zephyria of which he is the defender since 1971. He is Alan's father and Edie's ex-husband. As Zephyria's defender, Zorn and his allies defended it from threats that have included but are not limited to Glombeasts, Lava Monsters, Vampires, and Liberal Media. In Orange County, he gets a job in phone sales at Sanitation Solutions. Zorn is also a parody of He-Man.^[3]
  • Dan Lippert as Zorn's live action stand-in, whose performance is replaced by animation.^[4]
• Cheryl Hines as Edie Bennett, Zorn's ex-wife and Alan's mother.
• Johnny Pemberton as Alangulon "Alan" Bennett, the titular character who is the vegetarian half-Zephyrian son of Zorn and Edie.
• Tim Meadows as Craig Ross, Edie's fiancé and an online college professor and psychologist.
• Artemis Pebdani as Linda Orvend, Zorn's boss at Sanitation Solutions in Orange County. Linda is later demoted by Blake Erickson, although she returns to her original position in the series finale following Todd's resignation.
• Ellen Wong as Nancy. She is the crush of Alan and is a waitress at a restaurant.

Recurring cast

• Mark Proksch as Todd McDonald, Zorn's co-worker at Sanitation Solutions.
• Tony Revolori as Scott Schmidt, Alan's best friend.
• Clara Mamet as Layla Green, Alan's love interest.
• Rob Riggle as the voice of Headbutt Man, a hard-headed ally of Zorn from Zephyria. Headbutt Man has a daughter named Headbutt Girl and has previously lost his wife and son to the Zephyrian monsters that he and the rest of Zorn's allies fight. He is a parody of Ram Man.
• Nick Offerman as the voice of Dr. Klorpins, a furry goblin-like creature from the western part of Zephyria who is Zorn's doctor.
• François Chau as Nancy's father.

Production

The show was created by Reed Agnew and Eli Jorné^[5] who wrote the pilot episode while Eric Appel directed.^[6] Initially Agnew and Jorne were set to be co-showrunners, however after Fox ordered the series to air Agnew backed out and was made co-executive producer instead. At this point, Sally McKenna was brought in to replace Agnew; McKenna would later, in April 2016, become the sole showrunner after Jorne also left the project.^[7]

Artemis Pebdani and Tim Meadows' casting was announced in July 2015,^[8] with Jason Sudeikis, Cheryl Hines, and Johnny Pemberton's involvement announced the following November.^[9]

Cancellation

On May 11, 2017, the series was cancelled after one season ending the series on a cliffhanger.^[10]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds a 58% approval rating based on 38 critics, and a 6.3/10 rating. The critical consensus reads: "Son of Zorn earns points for originality, a talented cast, and intermittent laughs, but they aren't quite enough to prop up a gimmick that's still in search of a workable premise for an ongoing series."^[11] On Metacritic, the show holds a score of 57 out of 100 based on 19 critical reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".^[12]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Andreeva. Nellie. 'Son Of Zorn' Co-Creator/Co-Showrunner Eli Jorne Exits Fox Comedy. Deadline Hollywood. April 29, 2016. May 18, 2016.
2. Web site: 'Son of Zorn' premiere moves into post-NFL spot on FOX. https://web.archive.org/web/20160809154903/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2016/08/08/son-of-zorn-premiere-moves-into-post-nfl-spot-on-fox/. dead. August 9, 2016. Porter. Rick. TV by the Numbers. August 8, 2016. August 8, 2016.
3. Web site: Dowling. Amber. September 9, 2016. 'Son of Zorn' Review: An Animated Hero, Lost Among the Millennials. November 6, 2016. The Wrap.
4. Web site: Konerman. Jennifer. 23 September 2016. Meet the Actor Behind 'Son of Zorn's' Animated Hero. 14 February 2017. The Hollywood Reporter.
5. Snierson. Dan. First look at Jason Sudeikis' live-action/animated comedy Son of Zorn. Entertainment Weekly. 20 May 2016.
6. Web site: Fox Orders New Comedy 'Son of Zorn' Voiced By Jason Sudeikis. Variety. November 10, 2015. Debra. Penske Media Corporation. May 18, 2016. Birnbaum.
7. Web site: 'Son of Zorn' Co-Creator Exits Fox Comedy Over Creative Differences. Variety. April 29, 2016. Elizabeth. Penske Media Corporation. May 18, 2016. Wagmeister.
8. Web site: Petski. Denise. Jason Sudeikis, Cheryl Hines & Tim Meadows Lead 'Son Of Zorn' Cast. Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. July 29, 2015. May 18, 2016.
9. Web site: Andreeva. Nellie. Fox Gives Series Order To 'Son Of Zorn' Live-Action/Animated Comedy From 'Wilfred' Duo, Chris Miller & Phil Lord. Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. November 10, 2015. May 18, 2016.
10. Web site: Andreeva. Nellie. 'Making History', 'Son Of Zorn' & 'APB' Canceled By Fox After One Season. Deadline. 11 May 2017. Penske Business Media. May 11, 2017.
11. Web site: Son of Zorn . . 2021-05-12 .
12. Web site: Son of Zorn - Season 1 Reviews . Metacritic . 2021-05-12 .