My Dad the Bounty Hunter

My Dad the Bounty Hunter is an American animated science fiction adventure action-comedy television series by Everett Downing Jr. and Patrick Harpin for Netflix. The series premiered on February 9, 2023. Season 2 premiered on August 17, 2023.

The series received positive reviews for its relatable story, likable characters, social commentary, and portrayal of Black families. The first season was released in its entirety on February 9, 2023.

The series was cancelled after two seasons.

Premise
The series follows the story of Terry, who is followed by his kids, Lisa and Sean, who learn he is a bounty hunter, and drawn into a space adventure of sorts.

Main

 * Laz Alonso as Terry Hendrix / Sabo Brok; Father of Lisa and Sean and the husband of Tess, and secretly conceals his job as a bounty hunter named Sabo Brok from his children and his wife, Tess.
 * Yvonne Orji as Tess / Janeera; she is a doloraami and the wife of Terry and mother of Lisa and Sean. She is estranged from Terry. According to Downing Jr., the pigmentation of her character matches Orji in real life.
 * Priah Ferguson as Lisa; a half human-half doloraami Daughter of Terry and Tess and older sister of Sean. She is intelligent, sassy, quick witted, and when she sets her mind to anything, she is determined to finish it. Ferguson said that she had no say in the character design, but described Lisa as "so cute" and was impressed animators "even got her edges, the braids, [and] her baby hair".
 * JeCobi Swain as Sean; a half human-half doloraami Younger brother of Lisa and son of Terry and Tess. He is nerdy and can become anxious, causing his eye to twitch. According to Downing Jr., Sean's physical condition was inspired by his own daughter's condition.
 * Patrick Harpin as Blobby, also known as Meethal Raythox Bartholomew III, a liquid alien who becomes friends with the family in Season 2.

Villians

 * Jim Rash as Tim Fixer; he is the enforcer for the Endless Horizons Conglomerate (EHC). At the end of season 1 he was killed by the family and told them that the Conglomerate will get them.
 * Chelsea Peretti as Pam, the new devious head of the Conglomerate in Season 2, she claim that she change the organization to connect the universe and bring peace to people. However her real motives really to have all the kalatite will be the property of EHC. At the end of season 2, she was killed by Janeera.

Recurring
• Yvette Nicole Brown as KRS; a robotic assistant.

• Rob Riggle as Glorlox; a Loxian and Terry's former business partner and currently his rival until the end of Season 2, meaning that he is his business partner again for good.

• Maddie Taylor as Torga; she is part of Glorox's crew.

• Everett Downing Jr. as Bogdog; He is part of Glorox's crew and Sean's rival until the end of Season 2.

• Kari Wahlgren as Lootbat; she is part of Glorox's crew and Lisa's rival until the end of Season 2. Wahlgren also plays KRS during Season 1, it is currently unknown if she will play KRS again if there will be a third season coming up soon.

• Jamie Chung as Vax; she is the top bounty of Sabo.

• Leslie Uggams as Grandma; she is the mother of Terry and grandmother of his kids. She and Peanut are the only family members who hasn't been to space yet and who does not know anything about Terry's job or the family's alien allies and rivals except for Tim Fixer and it's currently unknown if she will if there will be a third season coming up soon.

• Janet Hubert as Empress Gurira, a ruler of Doloraam.

• Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Emperor Odoman, a ruler of Doloraam, husband of Gurira, and person who ordered Terry kidnapped.

• Thando Thabethe as Adja, a friend of Tess.

• Keith David as B'Caala, a tiger-like Vunaari man who was set to be married to Tess before she fled Doloraam at a young age with Terry.

Guest role
• Patrick Harpin as Darren and Reggie the Janitor.

• Devin Bright as Damian; Video gamer who plays Sean in episode 1.

• Wahlgren as Mike; Video gamer who plays Sean in episode 1.

• Rash as Video game announcer.

• Tim Meadows as Principal Lieb, the principal of the school Lisa and Sean attend on Earth.

• Ralph Ineson as Widowmaker, a bounty hunter, and gambler, who kidnapped Terry for the Doloraam royal family.

• Godfrey as Ja Boluu, a public defender who has a bad reputation.

• Venice May Wong as Halvey, a being that becomes friends with Sean and Lisa.

Production and release
On October 29, 2020, Netflix announced that My Dad the Bounty Hunter had begun development. At the time of the announcement, Polygon called it a "family-friendly take on The Mandalorian and said the show is "backed by a ton of Black talent".

The series was given an order for a 10-episode first season. The series came together after Downing Jr. and Harpin met at Sony Pictures Animation Studio, with Downing Jr. telling him that he wanted to do a story "with a Black family at the center as a love letter to my family", and they connected on "how real" 1980s sci-fi films were. The series was animated by the French animation studio, Dwarf Animation, Shakira Pressley was a writer for the series, as was Downing Jr. and Harpin. According to Rolling Stone, the series had a majority-Black writers room, which included writer Tomi Adeyemi, and is "a completely original story" rather than a IP. Juston Gordon-Montgomery was the story editor for the series, along with Alex Konstad as art director, and Andrew Chesworth as character design supervisor.

Before the show's premiere, Harpin told Animation Magazine that the show was crafted with the daughter of Downing Jr. behind, but was visually and narratively interesting to young fans, with an aesthetic reminiscent of Alien and The Last Starfighter which he and Downing Jr. liked. In the same interview, Downing Jr. stated that the show's production designer Yuki Demers was instrumental in the show's design, and that he was shown photographs of Black men and women to make sure the character designs were accurate. Harpin and Downing Jr. further argued that show's "cinematic approach to storytelling" was important, and that they encouraged "intentionally cinematic style" so that the storyboarders and animators could be more creative. Both also noted they discovered "unique opportunities" for the show's team during "quarantine and beyond", and praised interconnectivity of those working on the show.

In another interview with TV Insider, Harpin said they wanted to use 2D animation but it made more financial sense to do the series in 3D animation because they "wouldn't have to build all those sets", but kept flashbacks in 2D. Downing Jr. noted the importance of casting and that they wanted Priah to voice a character, while Harpin noted the challenges of recording lines because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Harpin and Downing Jr. also emphasized the importance of their show not talking down to kids, but in remaining honest and true, giving characters flaws. When asked about season 2, Downing Jr. said that they would like to "focus on mom" and give her "a shot in the captain's seat."

A trailer for the series was released on November 16, 2022. A second trailer was posted on January 12, 2023. The first season premiered on Netflix on February 9, 2023.

In an interview with the LA Times after the season one premiere, Downing Jr. and Patrick Harpin said that the show's inspiration "is personal", noted the family dynamics in the series and sci-fi influences including The Fifth Element, Star Wars, Outland, and "wild '80s stuff for kids". They also noted that the Conglomerate in the show is like the "space colonialism" written about by Frank Herbert. Harpin also told Rolling Stone that films like The Brother from Another Planet, The Incredibles, and Attack the Block were an influence on the series while both show creators said that The Goonies and E.T. were further inspirations. The voice actors Ferguson, Swainn, Orji, and Alonso also supported a possible live-action adaptation of the series.

In March 2023, Kai Akari, a director for the series, told Animation Magazine that many of on the show's crew are "now treasured friends" and was grateful to have relationships with those Akari worked with previously "on other projects".

The second season premiered on August 17, 2023.

Reception
The series received generally positive reviews from critics. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 8.1/10 based on six critics.

Megan Jordan of Rolling Stone argued that the series is an "Afrofuturist marvel" which tells a futuristic and relatable story that "center[s] Black characters while expanding the audience's imagination", provides thoughts of what the world could be "in true Black sci-fi fashion", and normalizes "Black heroism for future generations". Kenneth Seward Jr. of IGN described the series as a "delightfully charming, family-friendly space adventure" and an "action-packed romp through space" complete with corny moments, and "a slew of likable characters." He added that the series also hints at "various systemic issues" including forced labor, corrupt corporations, and the line between "willful ignorance and outright compliance". Max Gao of The A.V. Club described the series as an example of the "intergenerational appeal of high-quality animation", including callbacks and nods to "classic sci-fi films", and has a "positive portrayal of a loving Black family...and doesn't shy away from injecting bits of social commentary".

Karuna Sharma of Meaww described the series as setting the bar for "great animation and an even greater storyline", and praised the series for visualizing each emotion of the characters and called it a "great learning curve for children" who can see the show's world "in all its color and glory". Julie Sprankles of Scarry Mommy said that the series "channels the space adventure vibes from our childhoods", stated that the series is meaningful by "center[ing]...a Black family", and is grounded in "modern family dynamics". Diondra Brown of Common Sense Media described the series as "funny", with a "start-studded and diverse cast", and having some storylines with "mild violence and danger" but doesn't avoid "discussing important topics" and concluded it was an "absolutely fun watch for the whole family".