What do you get when you combine the mastermind behindBob’s Burgersand the voice of Olaf the snowman?
The new AppleTV+ seriesCentral Park, the brainchild ofBob’s BurgersproducersLoren Bouchardand Nora Smith andFrozenstarJosh Gad.
The animated series follows a lovable family that lives in the titular New York City landmark.
Credit: Apple TV
Bouchard describes his first meeting with Gad as “a blind date.”
“Musicals are something I’ve loved a lot,” he tells EW.
I’ve also always loved animated musicals.
The classic golden Disney movies are musicals; music and animation go together really well.
What we didn’t know was just what it means to do a real musical.
Josh brought all these real capital-M musical people."
Those musical people include Tony winners Diggs and Odom, and another Broadway darling in Burgess.
“I certainly pulled from my theater roots to make Cole more expressive.”
“So you’re in bed and you’re going to read it in the morning in the booth.
It requires full commitment.
And then they draw it and make it funny.”
For Bouchard’s part, switching to a fully musical format required entirely rethinking the writing process.
“It’s a whole different thing if you’re talking about four songs per episode.
You’re really reorganizing what the meat is in the sandwich.
What’s the core?
It is the songs.
It shifts from being comedy first to being a musical first.
But you really do need the songs to be the tentpoles that hold everything else up.”
This meant in addition to the cast and writers, they required a songwriting team.
Gad brought in Kate Anderson and Elyssa Samsel, whom he’d worked with on aFrozenholiday special.
They formed the core of the team, which quickly expanded to include guest artists on every episode.
The score itself jumps genres, ranging from standard musical theater fare to hip-hop to pop ballads and more.
Bouchard recognizes that it may be an odd time to be debuting a series about a crowded public space.
“Optimism is really important to me.
“Civic life has to be nurtured and taken care of and public spaces and all that.
I like pushing myself to think about the things I take for granted.”
Perhaps Gad sums it up best.
“I really think Central Park is the great equalizer,” he says.
Central Parkpremieres May 29 on AppleTV+.
