‘Captain Fall’ Trailer Teases the New Absurdist Animated Series From ‘Norsemen’ Creators!! Check It Out!!

From Jon Iver Helgaker and Jonas Torgersen, creators of the cult Norwegian comedy series Norsemen, comes Captain Fall, a new animated show for adults about a “gullible” young man who finds himself at the center of a shady smuggling operation. Captain Fall was first announced in 2020 and was given a 20-episode order by the streamer. The 10-episode first season will debut on Netflix next month.

Helgaker and Torgersen had earlier said that Captain Fall was first pitched as a live-action show, but Netflix felt that it would be better suited to the animation medium. They admitted that making the switch from live-action to animation was daunting, and expressed gratitude for the team of experts in the field of cartoons that Netflix surrounded them with. And by the looks of the trailer, they’ve been able to retain the absurdist tone that they’d mastered on Norsemen. In an interview with Variety in 2020, this is how Helgaker and Torgersen described the show: “It’s like if The Love Boat, Ozark, and The Truman Show had a cartoon baby.” They said that the 2-D animation style is inspired by films such as The Iron Giant, and the iconic Belgian comic strip “The Adventures of Tintin,” whose creator Hergé was known for pioneering the famous “ligne claire” drawing style.

The Show’s Absurdist Tone Could Be an Acquired Taste

The trailer opens with an action scene that involves a bunch of kids being mercilessly hit by tasers, teasing the show’s edgy humor. We then cut to our hero Jonathan Fall, who has just scored the worst grades “in the history of the naval academy.” Described as a “wet-behind-the-ears, yet good-hearted” man, Jonathan doesn’t seem too bothered by his terrible grades, and it seems like he’s used to being mocked by his family. The only reason he gets a job at all is that a sinister cartel wants a fall guy at the helm of affairs. Jonathan drools in his sleep as his shipmates battle pirates and other militia, completely clueless about the mess he’s gotten into. He even poses for incriminating pictures with criminals. Meanwhile, hardened detectives begin to suspect what the cartel is up to, as the walls close in on Jonathan from all sides. The trailer ends with Jonathan getting decked by a child soldier, and remarking with genuine surprise, “Wow, so strong!”

The voice cast for the show, due out on July 28, includes Jason Ritter (Matlock, Accused, Raising Dion) as Jonathan Fall, Christopher Meloni (Man of Steel, 42, Law & Order: Organized Crime) as Agent Steel, Lesley-Ann Brandt (Lucifer, Spartacus) as Liza, Anthony Carrigan (Barry, Fatherhood) as Mr. Tyrant, Alejandro Edda (Narcos: Mexico) as Pedro, Adam Devine (The Out-Laws, The Righteous Gemstones) as Tanner and Trond Fausa (Oppenheimer, Norsemen, Lilyhammer) as Nico. You can watch the trailer here, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.