Few TV shows that premiered this summer have absurdist verve of “Praise Petey.” The new animated series on Freeform follows Petra “Petey” St. Barts, a wealthy NYC socialite who inherits a small town called New Utopia from her recently deceased father, realizes her Dad was a cult leader, and discovers all of New Utopia’s residents are brainwashed to follow her. What’s a girl to do? Figure out some way for New Utopia to return to normalcy, like making sure its citizens no longer participate in human sacrifices.
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With a voice cast led by “Schitt’s Creek” star Annie Murphy, Jon Cho, and Stephen Root, “Praise Petey” is on the fast track to becoming a must-watch animated series geared toward adults. And in an exclusive clip for the show’s latest episode, premiering tonight, The Playlist reveals a guest star for “Praise Petey”: Michael Cera. In the new clip, Cera plays a mentee in Bandit’s Little Einstein program who Petey runs into while searching for spiritual enlightenment to help her with her New Utopia-related problems.
Other voice cast for “Praise Petey” includes Kiersey Clemons, Christine Baranski, and Amy Hill. Former SNL head writer Anna Drezen serves as creator, writer, and executive producer on “Praise Petey”. Other executive producers include Mike Judge, Greg Daniels and Dustin Davis through Bandera Entertainment and ShadowMachine’s Alex Bulkley and Corey Campodonico, and Monica Padrick serve as executive producers. The series is produced by Disney Television Studios’ 20th Television Animation, with animation by ShadowMachine.
Here’s an official synopsis for “Praise Petey,” courtesy of Freeform:
Petey aka Petra begins the series as an NYC “It Girl” with everything figured out, until her well-curated life comes crashing down. As luck would have it, a mysterious gift from her deceased father gives her a new lease on life – taking over as leader of his small-town cult New Utopia. As Petey leans into her new role as a “girl boss,” she discovers what it means to be a leader and how to find her voice as she tries to modernize her late father’s small-town cult.
Check out the exclusive clip from the upcoming new episode of “Praise Petey” below.