The creative team behind the long-running adult animated series Big Mouth is ready to introduce audiences to a whole new set of characters dealing with very adult problems. Only this time, the characters have fur, antlers, and paws instead of awkward teenage hormones.
Netflix has officially announced that Mating Season, a new adult animated romantic comedy from the minds at Brutus Pink, will premiere globally on May 22, 2026 . The show moves the action from the human world of seventh graders to the animal kingdom, where bears, raccoons, deer, and foxes navigate the messy world of love, sex, and relationships.
Mating Season Release Date and Streaming Details
The eight-episode series will be available to stream on Netflix starting May 22, 2026 . Subscribers in all regions including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and India will be able to watch the show on that date. Netflix typically releases new episodes at 12:00 a.m. Pacific Time on premiere day.
The announcement arrived on February 13, 2026, perfectly timed for Valentine’s Day weekend. Netflix’s press release teased the romantic theme with a playful poem: “Roses are red / Violets are blue / Mating Season is coming May 22… / How about you?”
This marks the first major animated project from the Big Mouth creators since their flagship series concluded its eighth and final season in 2025 .
The Voice Cast and Their Animal Characters
Nick Kroll, who co-created Big Mouth and voiced numerous characters including Nick Birch and the Hormone Monster Maury, leads the voice cast as a raccoon named Ray . Kroll’s involvement ensures the new series maintains the same comedic energy that made Big Mouth a hit for eight seasons.
Zach Woods, known for playing Gabe in The Office and Jared Dunn in Silicon Valley, voices a bear named Josh . Woods brings his signature style of awkward, well-meaning characters to the animal kingdom.
June Diane Raphael, who appeared in Grace and Frankie and voiced various characters in Big Mouth, takes on the role of a deer named Fawn . Raphael’s character is described as having melodic charm and emotional depth, likely serving as a key romantic figure in the series .
Sabrina Jalees, a comedian and writer who has appeared in Black Mirror and The Great Canadian Baking Show, voices a fox named Penelope . Jalees brings sharp wit and comedic timing to the confident fox character .
The Plot: What is Mating Season About?
Mating Season shifts the setting from the suburbs of New York to the woodland animal kingdom. The official logline describes it as “an adult animated romantic comedy – set in the animal world – about love, sex, relationships, and the universal need to find a partner and perpetuate the species” .
The show stars “bears, raccoons, deer, foxes and a host of other horny, lovable forest critters” as they figure out romance without the safety net of human social rules . While Big Mouth focused on the chaos of puberty and the arrival of Hormone Monsters, Mating Season deals with adults who already know what they want—they just have trouble getting it.
The four main characters represent different approaches to love and mating:
- Ray the raccoon serves as a central figure around whom much of the emotional weight of the story revolves
- Josh the bear brings social awkwardness and eager energy that contrasts with Ray’s more grounded personality
- Fawn the deer offers emotional complexity and likely serves as a romantic interest
- Penelope the fox provides quick comedic timing and self-aware humor
The Brutus Pink team explained their approach in a statement: “After eight incredible seasons telling stories about growing up, we’re excited to tell stories about actual grown-ups. Who happen to be animals. Who are also cartoons” .
The Creative Team Behind the Series
Mating Season comes from the same creative collective that built Big Mouth. Mark Levin, Jennifer Flackett, Andrew Goldberg, and Nick Kroll—together known as Brutus Pink—created the series and serve as executive producers .
The animation production comes from Titmouse, the studio behind Big Mouth, The Venture Bros. , and Star Trek: Lower Decks. Chris Prynoski, Shannon Prynoski, Antonio Canobbio, and Ben Kalina executive produce for Titmouse .
John Derderian, Vice President of Animation Series at Netflix, praised the creative team’s track record: “Big Mouth broke new ground in the world of adult animation with heart, humor and total chaos—they took the awkwardness of adolescence and turned it into something universal and deeply human” . He added that with Mating Season, the team brings “that same bold and hilarious creativity into the animal kingdom” .
How Mating Season Connects to Big Mouth
While Mating Season exists in a different world from Big Mouth, it shares the same comedic DNA. Both shows tackle adult topics with unflinching honesty and humor, but Mating Season focuses on grown-up relationships rather than adolescent discovery.
Big Mouth ran for eight seasons on Netflix from 2017 to 2025, earning the streamer its first Emmy nomination for Outstanding Animated Program . Maya Rudolph won four Emmy Awards for her voice performance as Connie the Hormone Monstress .
The series featured 222 guest stars over its run, including Cynthia Erivo, Megan Thee Stallion, Hugh Jackman, Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Seth Rogen, Martin Short, Jeff Goldblum, and Jean Smart . It also released 74 original songs, with tracks like “Totally Gay,” “Life is a F***ed Up Mess,” and “I Love My Body” becoming fan favorites .
Big Mouth accumulated over 375 million views during its run, establishing itself as one of Netflix’s longest-running original series .
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What Fans Can Expect from the New Series
The show’s humor will likely feel familiar to Big Mouth viewers, but the animal setting allows the writers to explore relationship dynamics in fresh ways. Without human social conventions, the characters operate on instinct—which creates plenty of awkward, funny situations.
The series is described as a romantic comedy, suggesting it will balance crude humor with actual romantic storylines. The animal characters bring their own natural instincts and behaviors into the mix, adding another layer of comedy to the dating scenarios.
Netflix has not yet released a trailer, but promotional materials typically arrive about two to three months before premiere dates. Fans can expect a first look sometime in March or April 2026 .
The show joins Netflix’s growing slate of adult animation, which includes hits like Bojack Horseman, F Is for Family, and Inside Job. With the Big Mouth creative team at the helm, Mating Season has the potential to become another long-running success for the streamer.
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