USC Comedy Festival: Spotlight on Big Mouth Panel Recap

 

 

 

The School of Cinematic Arts, USC, is currently hosting their fifth comedy festival. The events include some of the biggest names in comedy discussing some of Hollywood’s greatest projects. Highlights already included Bill Hader receiving the Masters of Comedy Award, with more on the way.

For fans of animation, there is one panel that stands out on the impressive docket of guests. The Spotlight on Netflix’s Big Mouth gives viewers a chance to see the show from the perspective of the writers and producers of the ground-breaking series.

After a re-watch of episode one of season four, moderator and media studies professor J.D. Connor brought together the powerhouses behind Big Mouth. Included in the panel were co-creators Mark Levin, Jennifer Flackett, and Andrew Goldberg, as well as executive producer Kelly Galuska.

Much of the lighthearted discussion about the Netflix series focused on the direction of the uncomfortable comedy that brings Big Mouth to life. A keyword repeated multiple times by all the guests was honesty

The show’s success comes from being open about the universally shared challenges of puberty. It does so without shying away and being in tune with what is occurring in the world today.

Which lead to one of the biggest stories that came out of season four, the changing of the guard for the voice of Missy Foreman-Greenwald. The fourth season gave the timid character some major growth in discovering her culture and self. And with that came the decision for Jenny Slate to graciously move on from voicing the character of colour.

The producers admit that the change was already on the table long before the Black Lives Matter Movement that propelled many other voice actors to step away from characters of colour. 

However, season four, and the George Floyd tragedy gave the show the perfect opportunity to make the shift. 

Particularly one specific scene where Missy faces a mosaic of herself in her reflection through broken glass. Which became the exact moment Missy found her new voice.

Despite the humorous and sometimes disturbing silliness of the show, Big Mouth takes its responsibilities quite seriously. The creators discuss how the series is aimed at an adult audience but they are aware that many teenagers find themselves watching. There is an educational property to the series that helps to guide the next generation and show them not to be afraid or embarrassed about the changes they are going through.

Additionally, when the series takes on diverse characters like transgender, they have been proactive in bringing writers on who share those experiences. Also, much of the show’s inspiration comes from having discussions with teenagers who are currently living in this world.

Although there were not any major reveals of what to expect for season five of Netflix, the method of approach was on the table. After landing the significant three-season deal after the third season, the writers were careful not to build too large of an arc. Instead, each season has been treated with its own themes and arcs. Which allows the audience the gratification of having the stories find a conclusion. And the lives of the characters move more naturally as they progress through school.

Not only that but it sounds like a major amount of work has been completed on the upcoming spin-off series, Human Resources. The new series purposefully utilizes much of Big Mouth’s cast and crew. Having two shows to work on back-to-back means that there is always work for those behind the scenes. The good news for fans is we are about to have twice the number of laughs as these shows start releasing at opposite ends of the year.

While we await the announcement of the release dates at least we can get panels like this one that gives us insight into one of the best animated comedies available.