Koala Man follows middle-aged dad Kevin and his titular not-so-secret identity, whose only superpower is a burning passion for following rules and snuffing out petty crime in the town of Dapto. We spoke to creator Michael Cusack about how the show came to be. 

Interview with creator Michael Cusack

Koala Man hails from creator Cusack, whose shorts on YouTube led to a meeting with Rick and Morty’s Justin Roiland, paving the way for the series on Hulu. 

The animated series is set in Australia. When asked about the process of bringing this Australian hero to American audiences, Cusack said it went really well.

“The really fun part was the American writers and the showrunners were really inspired by what we, the Australian writers, would say. It would just throw out something and say, that’s normal everyday life in Australia, but the Americans would be would run with it and find it more interesting because it was new,” said Cusack. “And so it was a really good collaboration and dynamic and at the end of the day. It was never to make the show feel like it was getting Hollywood, you know what I mean?”

Koala Man on Hulu

Koala Man follows middle-aged dad Kevin and his titular not-so-secret identity, whose only superpower is a burning passion for following rules and snuffing out petty crime in the town of Dapto. Though it may seem like any other Australian suburb, forces of evil both cosmic and man-made lie in wait to pounce on unsuspecting Daptonians. On a quest to clean up his hometown, and often roping his frustrated family into his adventures, Koala Man stands at the ready. He’ll do whatever it takes to defeat villainous masterminds, supernatural horrors, or worse: jerks who don’t take their rubbish bins down on the proper days.

The series stars some of the best-known talent from Australia and New Zealand. Hugh Jackman plays Big Greg, Sarah Snook voices Kevin’s wife, Vicky McKay, and comedian Demi Lardner stars as their daughter Alison.

When asked how he ultimately ended up with the current cast, Cusack said, “I have no idea. I don’t know. We completely lucked out because Hugo Weaving is like one of my favorite actors of all time. So even getting him to do the various parts, like he just plays a character who says like one line, that could have been like anyone really. But he came and did it. And he researched one of the characters he plays in the finale and really put a lot of work into that. And you know, Hugh Jackman was incredible.”

The charm of the series

Part of the charm of the series is the fact that Kevin is an ordinary man who might have some delusions of grandeur. But those delusions are rooted in good intentions. Kevin’s family also brings warmth and depth to his character. He might be up to silly things, but having the support of his family makes the show endearing to watch. The show is funny and ridiculous in a fun way, The twist and turns from the pilot episode will have audiences excited for more.

Cusak said, “I just thought it it would be funny if he definitely has no superpowers. Like he’d be a middle-aged man and wouldn’t be like in a Gotham or a New York or something. I just mean the smallest suburb of Australia. So that’s how Koala Man kind of was born, from that idea. And you know, the fact that he’s still kind of balancing family life, and his kind of villains are sometimes just kids that are graffiti-ing.”

All eight episodes of Koala Man season 1 are now streaming on Hulu.

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