Fuse moves into original animation

Sugar & Toys features a mix of cartoon and live-action sketches

Youth-skewing US cable channel Fuse Media has greenlit its first animated series as well as renewing a trio of its previous original commissions for new seasons.

Fuse will enter the scripted animation genre with Sugar & Toys, which will see Carl Jones and Brian Ash (Black Dynamite, The Boondocks) deliver a new, less innocent twist on traditional Saturday morning cartoons.

The 10×30’ series, produced by This is Just a Test and 245 Enterprises, will premiere in mid 2019, fusing adult comedy, social commentary and music culture into a mixture of cartoon and live-action sketches.

Fuse is also renewing T-Pain’s School of Business for an 8×30’ second season with hip-hop artist, comedic personality and business mogul T-Pain, as he explores innovative, unique and off-the-wall start-ups created by millennial entrepreneurs. Citizen Jones is the prodco.

Complex x Fuse from Complex Networks has been renewed for a fourth run, featuring athletes and celebrities reviewing food, trends and the burning questions of the day.

Finally, Big Boy’s Neighborhood, the televised version of iHeartMedia’s nationally syndicated radio show, has been renewed for a 100×120’ second season.

The network targets a young audience with a mixture of music and culture-focused content.

Chief content officer J-T Ladt said: “Our platforms are fast becoming destinations for hard-to-reach, young viewers that demand content that takes a stand by tapping into their passions and values through the musicians and influencers we feature in our series.

“We are excited to be entering into the impactful animation space in a big way with the provocative Sugar & Toys while renewing our franchise series that are breaking audience records across all our platforms.”