New Animated Sitcom Celebrates South Jersey, Accents and All

Over the years, we have seen many shows based on the culture and themes of Philadelphia and North Jersey. But the writers seem to never get it right whenever popular Television and Streaming Programs highlight South Jersey.

Cherry Hill High School East Graduates Adam and Craig Malamut decided to create a show that would accurately portray the people in South Jersey.  Debuting on FOX with over Four Million live viewers on September 8th, this new Animated Comedy has already been renewed for a second season.

What Is This New Animated Sitcom Based On South Jersey?

Universal Basic Guys is a show featuring brothers Mark and Hank Hoagies who lost their jobs at the local Hot Dog Factory due to technological advances. As a result, the brothers begin receiving monthly "Universal Basic Income" checks worth $3,000 and the program follows along with their different adventures now they have no jobs.

One of the most popular Animated Comedy Shows on TV and Streaming, Universal Basic Guys is a fun depiction of South Jersey themes and the mentality of Philadelphia Sports fans.  Co-Creator Adam Malamut joined "GameNight with Josh Hennig" on 973 ESPN South Jersey and he spoke about how important it was for this program to be true to his South Jersey Roots:

"It has to be authentic to South Jersey. In fact, the show is Animated in Australia and I'm like 'no, no, that's not what the street signs look like here, it's gotta look like this' and (I'm telling them) 'This looks like way too cute of a downtown, okay? Where I'm from, you gotta have strip malls and stuff like that'."

"(The characters) go to PJs, which in our (fictional) world is TJ Wooderhan's and we got 'WoWos' which is our (fictional world version) of WaWa. For us, we wanted to overdo it and just lean into it because part of (who we are) is where we grew up and we wanted to get the accents the way we hear them"

On popular shows such as The Sopranos, Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and Jersey Shore, the portrayal of South Jersey has always been inaccurate and the Malamut Brothers recognized this. While they wanted to make a great Animated Sticom, it was important for them to be authentically South Jersey.

In my conversation with Adam Malamut, he talked about how Sports Talk Radio was part of his inspiration for the fictional brothers Mark and Hank Hoagies:

"I grew up listening to Sports Talk Radio back in the day...I listened late at night to all these (callers saying) 'You gotta run the ball' and all that stuff - The idea was to build this character and what happens when (Mark Hoagies), who is going to run his mouth a lot, has to actually try and do these certain things."

"Then Hank (Hoagies) is like the sweet, simple brother, sort of based on my little brother when he used to look up to me before he realized I was an idiot. (Hank Hoagies) is more of a Phillies fan, likes the Phanatic, he likes to eat hot dogs....There's a little more positivity to the vibe (of Hank's character), he's the happy Philly Sports Fan, happy to eat a hot dog at a ballgame while Mark (Hoagies) is like the angry 'I know everything' type (of sports fan); He's got a Philly Sports fan opinion about everything."

October 20th is the next episode of Universal Basic Guys with Mark and Hank Hoagies going to an Eagles-Giants game. The new episode is debuting the same day at the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants play for the 186th time in the history of their rivalry.

The Brothers Adam and Craig Malamut are self-taught animators who have received Sports Emmy nominations for their hit web series Game of Zones on Bleacher Report. New Episodes of Universal Basic Guys are Sunday Nights on FOX and streaming the next day on Hulu.

Universal Basic Guys has already been renewed for a second season so you can continue to follow the adventures of Mark and Hank Hoagies. Will the Hoagies join this list of the Best Fictional Characters from New Jersey?