Sit Down, Shut Up with Us

Thursday, March 26, 2009
7:00 pm PT
Los Angeles

The cast and creative team of Fox’s new animated series Sit Down, Shut Up gathered at the Los Angeles Paley Center for a premiere screening of their first episode. Series producers Mitchell Hurwitz, James Vallely, and Josh Weinstein joined voice actors Henry Winkler, Cheri Oteri, Nick Kroll, and Tom Kenny for their first opportunity to view the episode in its entirety with a live audience.
 
Judging from the ceaseless laughter erupting from the audience throughout the screening, the high school–set comedy with animation painted over live-action backgrounds will be a welcome addition to Fox’s  “Animation Domination” comedy block when it premieres Sunday, April 19.
 
Sit Down, Shut Up stands out among the network’s current animated series because its main characters aren’t members of a quirky family with a father who is always getting into trouble (see The Simpsons, Family Guy, and American Dad). This series focuses on the dysfunctional faculty and staff at a high school in a small Florida fishing town as they strive to do anything . . . but teach.  
 
Given Sit Down's Arrested Development pedigree (both shows share producers Hurwitz and Vallely and cast members Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Winkler), audience questions turned to the possibility of an Arrested Development movie. Hurwitz noted, “We hope to start writing it in May . . . and if everything goes alright we’ll begin filming at the end of the year.” Welcome news indeed!