If Scooby Doo ever taught us anything as kids, it’s that ghouls and goblins are usually just curmudgeon old men who hate other people having fun. But what if those ghouls and goblins weren’t always just a person with a mask? That’s where Psi Cops comes in. The Canadian-based animated comedy looks to bring some paranormal punch to Adult Swim when it premieres on July 7.
Created by Bart Batchelor and Chris Nielsen, Psi Cops follows detectives Kydd and Felixx, who work as paranormal investigators at Psi Cops, a covert agency that specializes in explaining the unexplained. Kydd and Felix might not seem like much… well, that’s because they aren’t. But the duo are determined to investigate everything from alien sightings, ghostly encounters, and the occasional demonic presence.
Bubbleblabber sat down with Batchelor and Nielsen to talk about the show’s distinctive look, the difference between American and Canadian TV, and whether or not we really are alone in the universe.
Matthew Swigonski: The art style is pretty unique in the show. Was there a direct inspiration behind it?
Chris Nielsen: One of the more driving factors behind it was that we wanted to come up with something that was A.) super unique and B.) also live within the comedy workspace and sci-fi sort of realm. So we landed on this because it let us kind of play around with a lot of our hallmarks. Which is kind of like the old janky 3D stuff that we did with shows like World Doctors. But then kind of bring it to kind of something that you could call a little bit classier, more sitcom sort of animation, and be able to dance between those two worlds.
So we kind of landed on this space where we can have these 3D characters that we put in 2D puppets and animate them like a 2D show like Archer, or something like that. But then be able to fully break out and do cool 3D action scenes whenever we need to. Or make them animate broken fingers or something whenever we want to.
Bart Batchelor: Yeah, absolutely. And then as for the aesthetic itself, we chose the Daz 3D animation software because they have characters that aren’t being used in mass pop culture right now. But I mean, Daz’s stuff looks awesome. And an easy way to create a unique look is to just choose Daz or Maya, just as a way of standing out. And then we did over top of all that, it’s The X Files. We’re in Vancouver. We wanted to lay down the Pacific Northwest, creepy, foggy, old-growth, forest vibe to it.
Matthew Swigonski: So when you develop projects, do you have a certain aesthetic in mind? Or do you wait until the story leads you to a style?
Bart Batchelor: Good question. That’s a good question.
Chris Nielsen: That is a very good question. I mean, just trying to go over some in my head, I think there’s sometimes a gist of inspiration. But we’re really more comedy-driven first. So the writing and the story and the concept are the first initial things that we put out there, and then we’ll try to find a look or something that complements that without getting in the way.
Bart Batchelor: And we do make those choices. Like Tuck and Ranger wasn’t meant to be a broken animation show. So knowing that we’re not thinking of a software that’s fun to break. Psi Cops we made the choice early on that this is going to be a broken show. Fingers can look weird, they can flip all over the place. So we’re like, “Okay, we have to choose a software and a look that complements that.”
Matthew Swigonski: The show debuted in Canada last year. And now it is about to premiere in the US. Can you describe what it feels like to have so many more eyes on the show?
Chris Nielsen: Cannot describe it. I cannot describe it. I’ve tried. I’ve tried a lot.
Bart Batchelor: Yeah, the premiere is Sunday (July 7). We’re really proud of the show. There are 24 episodes and I think that every one of them is special and exciting. I mean, Canada is awesome. But Canada’s small. Canada’s access to things is limited. Anything that we pick up in Canada is usually because someone in the US liked it and put it on Reddit or something. So we don’t feel like enough people got to see the show in Canada. We’re so excited to finally just get it out. We’re immensely excited to get it out to a larger audience.
Matthew Swigonski: Canada has churned out so many great shows recently, such as Letterkenny and Schitt’s Creek. How does it feel to be among these Canadian shows making an impact on U.S. media?
Bart Batchelor: Man, we’re really hoping that our show picks up and it can reach any one of those guys’ levels. But it is kind of interesting to create. We’ve learned that we’re actually pretty lucky to be able to create stuff in Canada. Our client, Corus, and specifically, Kathleen Meek, who kind of oversees the whole show. She just let us do what we wanted. I think it’s because [Psi Cops] is smaller, and it’s more chill.
Think about Letterkenny. That is such a strong voice. That is such a unique [show]. Anyone that would have interrupted that would have ruined the show. [Jared Keeso] obviously just got to be himself and make his show the way he wants. And I think that’s kind of a product of being somewhere smaller where the stakes are lower. They’re just like, “Yeah, let these creatives be weird and have fun.” And then you get to come up with something that has a strong voice. So we’re hoping that comes through and people in the U.S. Like it.
Matthew Swigonski: You kind of touched on it, but can you maybe tease what viewers who maybe aren’t used to your brand of humor can expect from the show?
Bart Batchelor: Right! We’ll say that like no episode is ever gonna go the way you expected. And if it starts to go the way you expected, it’s gonna stop, and it’s gonna go in another direction and another 5 different directions after that.
Chris Nielsen: If it does go the way you expect, seek help [laughs].
Bart Batchelor: We got 24 episodes. 24 separate cases of the paranormal. There’s just so much fun. If you’re like, “Man, I really don’t like vampires.” Don’t worry. Next week there’s going to be ghosts, and after that it’s goblins. Just unlimited cases of the paranormal.
Chris Nielsen: In terms of the tone of the show and kind of what sets it apart is that we strive for a rapid-fire dialogue. It’s got a pace and a rhythm to it that is quite unique. And I think I’ve heard some people talk about it like, “I need a couple of episodes to get my bearings, but then I just wanted more.” And now, here we are. We’re watching it, and it’s been a year and a half since we finished making it. And we’re like, is this too slow? Is this show way too slow? Do we need to go ten times faster in season 2?
Bart Batchelor: Our goal with this was the pace. The fastest cuts per minute at the time was Fury Road. And I can’t remember what their exact cuts per minute were, but we tried to double it. [Laughs] That was our goal.
Matthew Swigonski: Do either of you guys believe in the paranormal?
Bart Batchelor: I had this question asked to me, and I said no until the woman I was sitting with asked, “Not even other dimensions!? And I’m like, “Okay.”
Chris Nielsen: [laughs] Oh, it’s the dimensions that do it for you.
Bart Batchelor: Yeah, then she’s like, “These other dimensions. What if that’s kind of what ghosts are?” And all of a sudden I believe in everything [laughs]. One conversation over a beer and I went from a nonbeliever to a full believer.
Matthew Swigonski: That’s all it takes sometimes.
Chris Nielsen: Oh, yeah, depending on how many beers I’ve had, my opinion will change too. I think I’m a big alien booster. They gotta be out there. We’re gonna find them. They’re probably watching us. They’re probably watching our show. I hope they like it.
Psi Cops premieres on Adult Swim on July 7.