1 Joke From The Vault - "Maurice On Mars" (Episode 1)

I’m off on vacation, so instead of sending five topical jokes each day, I’m sending one joke, episode, comic strip, or sketch, with some explanation of the process that led to its creation. If you notice any spelling errors, I’M ON VACATION, DAMN IT! AIN’T NOTHIN’ I CAN DO ABOUT THAT! WHY ARE YOU BRINGING THIS UP, NOW?

- Tim

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So, how the hell did I end up making a cartoon for Comedy Central? Many, I’m assuming, have wondered. First, let’s be clear; it wasn’t for the TV channel — it was Comedy Central’s Animated YouTube channel. And, back to the question, it certainly helped that I once worked there. It also helped that I’d written for two television shows by that point, the 2019 reboot of All That, and The Tonight Show. And it most certainly helped that it was pitched at a time when brands were eager to develop and promote Black content in the aftermath of the police murder of George Floyd.

I’ve lost track at the stunning amount of general meetings and vague opportunities that opened up in this period. And a little birdie named Grant Lindahl (who still worked at Comedy Central at the time and illustrated every issue of my Uncertain Life webcomic) tipped me off on the fact that there was a search for Black animation ideas. I had my then manager connect the dots, pitched the idea for Maurice on Mars, got the greenlight from then Vice President of Original Digital Development and Branded Entertainment, Steve Elliott and then… Viacom and CBS merged, leading to layoffs and reshuffling, meaning Maurice on Mars entered limbo.

It was my second experience with the stop and start nature of making anything in entertainment, but it was my first time dealing with that situation for a project that was all mine. I pitched the show in July or 2020 when I was working at The Tonight Show, and episodes launched June of 2022 when I was writing for a Nickelodeon sitcom called Warped! I put a lot of energy and thought into the Maurice on Mars pitch, which channeled a lot of my quarantine-era anxiety about where we’re going as a planet. It was also a bright spot for me compared to the grind of writing for late night. There was barely a hint of glitz or glamour as I continued writing jokes and games from home for celebrities I’d never meet. Maurice on Mars was the brand of escapism my brain needed.

Here’s a bit of how I pitched the show:

Months went by, and eventually, I learned Maurice on Mars would be moving forward. What I initially wrote as five, five-minute animated episodes would be boiled down to three. And episode one here is an interesting result of that consolidation, as many of the revelations in this episodes were originally intended as a finale of sorts.

What goes into making a cartoon? I dive into that and more about episode 1 of Maurice on Mars below for paid subscribers, but for more about the show in general check out my Fiction Science interview.