YouTube is launching its first original animated series, the adult comedy “Paranormal Action Squad” featuring three top YouTube gaming creators — Vanoss, SeaNanners and Mr_Sark — which will be available exclusively on the YouTube Red subscription service starting Nov. 16.
The show is helmed by Michael Rowe, who’s written for TV shows including “Futurama” and “Family Guy,” and produced by 3BlackDot, the digital studio whose investors include Legendary Entertainment.
It’s the latest attempt by the Google-owned video giant to lure viewers to the $9.99-per-month YouTube Red service, as well as provide an incentive for YouTube stars to stay in the family by funding their bigger-budget programming concepts. The three YouTubers have a collective reach of more than 25 million subscribers: VanossGaming (whose real name is Evan Fong) has 19 million, SeaNanners (aka Adam Montoya) has 5.6 million and Mr_Sark (Scott Robison) has 1.1 million.
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The eight-episode comedy follows two paranormal enthusiasts, Paul (voiced by SeaNanners) and Eddie (Mr_Sark), who along with their squad-mates and their enthusiastic, owl-headed neighbor Vanoss, have made it their mission in life to uncover the mysteries of the ghostly universe. In each episode, this team of ill-equipped paranormal investigators will fight the supernatural for desperate clients while trying not to make things worse.
YouTube Red provides ad-free video access, including original series and movies, along with other perks. The service is currently available in the U.S., Australia, New Zealand and Mexico, with plans for additional international expansion next year.
Mr_Sark released a teaser of the new series:
