Stephen P. Neary, the creator of HBO Max animated series “The Fungies!,” tweeted a string of statements Thursday voicing his heartbreak over the show being pulled from the streaming service.
“Last night during a figure drawing class I found out that ‘The Fungies!’ was getting pulled from HBO Max this week. I’m heartbroken but I want to take this opportunity to thank all the amazing artists and production folks for their hard work on this sincere, fever dream of a show,” Neary’s initial tweet said.
The show first premiered on HBO Max in August 2020 following its initial series greenlight for Cartoon Network in 2019. It followed a prehistoric metropolis called Fungietown and its fungi-looking inhabitants, along with occasional appearances from dinosaurs. Voice cast for the series included Neary, Sam Richardson, Jennifer Coolidge, Terry Gross and more. It ran for three seasons, with its final season premiering last December.
Neary continued his tweet thread with more insight into the tumultuous process behind the show’s development: “We worked so hard through the pandemic, and I hoped that diligence would be rewarded with support from the network. Was promised the show would air on Cartoon Network, which would drive views to HBO Max, but soon after launch, the show was pulled from the air without notice,” he said.
He also commented on HBO Max pulling other shows from its library, saying that other more well-known shows being purged from the platform makes it clear that “these are uninformed, money-driven decisions.”
Neary is a Los Angeles-based animator who has been working for Cartoon Network and WarnerMedia since 2013. He wrapped up his Twitter thread by assuring followers that he would continue working on other endeavors following the show’s shelving.
Check out Neary’s full statements below.
Last night during a figure drawing class I found out that The Fungies! was getting pulled from HBO Max this week. I’m heartbroken but I want to take this opportunity to thank all the amazing artists and production folks for their hard work on this sincere, fever dream of a show pic.twitter.com/hJ9DP1WvRd
— Stephen P Neary (@StephenPNeary) August 18, 2022