Bloom County animated series in the works at Fox

Move over Garfield, because a new cat is coming to town. A Bloom County animated series is in the works at Fox, based on Berkeley Breathed’s comic strip of the 1980s.

Per Deadline, Bloom County centers on a failed lawyer, a lobotomized cat named Bill, and a penguin in briefs and a fruit hat named Opus. The group lives in the world’s last boarding house in a forgotten place deep in the dandelion wilds of FlyWayWayOver country.

Breathed will co-write and executive produce the series, which is et up at Fox Entertainment, Bento Box Entertainment, Miramax, Spyglass Media Group, and Project X Entertainment.

Bloom County premiered in a student newspaper called The Daily Texan before making the move to nationally syndicated publishing in the Washington Post. Bloom County was a highlight of the publication from 1980 to 1989 before being continued in Outland and Opus in the following decades. Breathed then brought the series back via Facebook in 2015.

“At the end of Alien, we watched cuddly Sigourney Weaver go down for a long peaceful snooze in cryogenic hyper-sleep after getting chased around by a saliva-spewing maniac, only to be wakened decades later into a world stuffed with far worse,” Breathed said. “Fox and I have done the identical thing to Opus and the rest of the Bloom County gang, may they forgive us.”

“I was introduced to the brilliance of Berkeley Breathed and Bloom County as a teenager. His signature blend of satire, politics, and sentiment hooked me. Plus, I love Opus,” added Michael Thorn, President of Entertainment, Fox Entertainment. “Today, Berkeley’s smart and hilarious take on American culture is more relevant than ever. And, together with Bento Box, we’re thrilled to bring his unique ensemble of characters and social commentary to broadcast television.”

Are you a fan of Berkeley Breathed’s Bloom County comic strip? Who do you think would win in a fight? Garfield or Bill? Would you eat the fruit off of Opus’ head if he offered you some? Let us know if you’re excited for Breathed’s Bloom County to come to Fox in the comments section below.