If you are looking for a new adult animated show, look no further than “HouseBroken” on Fox, created by Jennifer Crittenden, Clea DuVall, and Gabrielle Allan with executive producer Aaron Kaplan. This animated comedy follows a group of house pets and strays who have formed a therapy group.
Starring Lisa Kudrow, Nat Faxon, Will Forte, and Sharon Horgan, this cartoon series explores the character’s dysfunctional relationships. Inside and outside of the group, these animals deal with human behaviors, decisions, and emotions. This isn’t just a show about cats and dogs.
“HouseBroken” has been popular for Fox fans and is the second most-streamed animated series on Fox and Hulu. However, audiences overall have rated the show a 5.9/10 on IMDb and a 50% on Rotten Tomatoes. This might seem like a death sentence for the show, but Fox renewed “HouseBroken” for two more seasons. So, you’ll get to see plenty more of these wild characters.
Who Are the Main Characters of “HouseBroken?”
Made up of a variety of household pets and street animals, Honey’s therapy group is wildly diverse. Everyone comes from different walks of life and deals with problems viewers can relate to. The crazy antics and stellar voice actors make this show so entertaining.
Honey:
Voiced by Lisa Kudrow. Thinking of herself as a therapist like her owner Jill, Honey decides to put together a therapy group for the neighborhood animals. She is a standard poodle who has a certain set of expectations for her life. She is in an arranged marriage with Chief, a slobbery St. Bernard who loves to bark loud, fart, and eat garbage. Even though it’s hard to admit sometimes, she loves Chief anyway. After her friend, Big Cookie, dies, Honey has difficulties dealing with her grief. Though she thinks of herself as the therapist, she actually needs therapy herself. Not dealing with her problems leads to some poor decisions that affect everyone in the group, including Chief.
Elsa:
Voiced by Clea DuVall. Driven by the belief that she is a service dog in training, Elsa is a power-hungry corgi. She sees herself as second in command of the therapy group and takes her chance to lead in the episode “Who’s a Good Therapist?” Though she and Honey are best friends, they annoy each other thanks to Elsa’s constant need to be right. This becomes especially problematic once Elsa has to deal with the fact she might not be a service dog in “Who’s Afraid of Boomsday?”
Chief:
Voiced by Nat Faxon. Chief isn’t the smartest dog on the block. Like many St. Bernards, he likes to lounge around the house. That is until he gets “the zoomies.” His zoomies and tendency to eat socks cause conflict with Honey. The two are polar opposites, but somehow get along well enough for a hint of romance. While not part of Honey’s official therapy group, Chief is friends with some of the other members. He manages to make friendships wherever he goes, including with the veterinarian. Though he has no interest in joining Honey’s group, he manages to start his own in the backyard.
Shel:
Voiced by Will Forte. Shel is a sex-positive, polyamorous tortoise. He goes to therapy to discuss his intimacy issues and shoe fetish. What he doesn’t discuss are his narcissistic qualities or the fact that he has roommates. But therapy seems to work well for Shel. In “Who’s a Good Girl?” he finally finds love and begins a relationship with a croc named Lindsay. But, things take a turn for the worse when his long-lost love, Darla, returns after 15 years. What’s more, his former owner returns from college, putting a strain on his relationship with Lindsay.
Diablo:
Voiced by Tony Hale. After the death of Big Cookie, Honey asks Diablo to join the group. Problem is, she didn’t ask the rest, which leads to conflict this anxious terrier doesn’t need in his life. After Diablo bites a child in “Who Did This?” he causes a rift in the group. It’s bad enough he is stuck in the middle of a divorce. Diablo’s humans have decided to split up, but share joint custody of him. After a week of behavioral training and medication, he finally gets to choose who he wants to live with, his laid-back father or his mother.
Tabitha:
Voiced by Sharon Horgan. Trying to adjust to the not-so-glamorous life off the cat show circuit, Tabitha is an aging Persian cat. She used to be the prize of her household, but lately, she has to play second fiddle to a new kitten named Kit Kat. Disgusted by the attention Kit Kat gets from her owners, Tabitha decides to leave. Her owners probably won’t even notice. Moving to a local cat cafe, Tabitha begins to feel like her life is finally turning around again. Until she is almost cat-napped by an insane customer. With nowhere else to go, she reluctantly turns to The Gray One for help. But what started as a friendship becomes something more between this former beauty queen and The Gray One.
The Gray One:
Voiced by Jason Mantzoukas. The Gray One is a gray street cat with one eye and way too many roommates. Having to live in a hoarder’s home with at least 40 other cats, he envies the lives of the other pets in the group. This is especially true after getting to hang out with Chico at his home. Not only was there a surplus of food, but there was so much open space! The Gray One offers to let Tabitha stay at his house and things seem to go well at first. Though things get rough for the two in “Who’s a Bad Girl?” when Tabitha has to kill for her food and The Gray One accidentally calls her ugly.
Chico:
Voiced by Sam Richardson. If you ask him, Chico will not admit that he has attachment issues. However, this chunky orange tabby cat stress eats whenever his owner, Kevin, is out of the house. Chico is a codependent and a bit naive. But all his issues don’t revolve around his owner. After getting impregnated by a visiting cat, Chico gives birth to kittens during a therapy session. Kevin eventually gives the kittens up for adoption, leaving him and Chico at home together.
Tchotchke:
Silent but helpful, Tchotchke is a slow loris whose main form of communication is through a cocktail umbrella. Tchotchke also has a knack for music. They entertained the rest of the group with some organ music in “Who Done It?” Though they aren’t always the sweet quiet ones because they do occasionally wrestle with Nibbles when they get the chance.
Max:
Voiced by Tony Hale. Max lives the fancy life, he is George Clooney’s Berkshire pig after all. As a former actor, he is completely status-obsessed. However, his life soon falls apart the moment he realizes that he isn’t all that special. In the episode, “Who Are You?” Max realizes that there was another Max before him. He is a replacement pig!
There are also recurring characters from outside the therapy group. A psychopathic hamster named Nibbles is played by Bresha Webb. A wild coyote with a crush on Honey named Armando is played by Brian Tyree Henry. Honey and Chief’s owner, Jill, is played by Maria Bamford.
Who Made “HouseBroken?”
“HouseBroken” was created by the powerhouse team of Gabrielle Allan, Jennifer Crittenden, and Clea DuVall. Allan worked as a writer and producer on “Scrubs” and “Veep,” for which she won an Emmy. Crittenden also worked on “Veep,” but started her writing career on “The Simpsons.” DuVall is not only a voice actress on “HouseBroken,” but she has many acting, writing, directing, and producing credits to her name.
Where Can You Watch “HouseBroken?”
If you want to catch up on “HouseBroken” season one before season two airs, you can stream it on Fox or Hulu. You can also buy episodes through Amazon Prime Video or Apple TV.
What Ages Is “HouseBroken” Suitable for?
“HouseBroken” is an adult animated series. Rated TV-14 due to sexual jokes and references, as well as mild profanity. Parents should take this into consideration before allowing young children to watch.
Discover More About Your Favorite Movies and Shows on BuddyTV
Keep up to date with the latest news about the upcoming season of “HouseBroken” with BuddyTV. If you’re a fan of animated comedies, then check out BuddyTV’s articles about other great shows such as “The Great North” and “Duncanville.”
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
