WATCH: ‘The Freak Brothers’ find themselves in jail in this clip
CHICAGO - Nothing harshes your mellow like a trip to the clinker. Unfortunately, that’s exactly where "The Freak Brothers" find themselves in this clip from Tubi’s new original animated series.
The premiere of the series, which boasts an all-star cast, is the streamer’s most-watched episode. Since its debut on Nov. 14, "Pilot" has ranked #1 in total viewing time (TVT), and garnered 80% more viewers than the platform’s second-ranked series.
Based on Gilbert Shelton’s cult classic 1960s comic, "The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers," the series follows three hippie stoners who smoke a magical strain of weed in 1969 and fall into a 50-year slumber, only to wake up in the 2020s. In this clip from the show’s premiere, laid-back Freewheelin’ Franklin Freek (Woody Harrelson), paranoid idealist Phineas T. Phreakers (Pete Davidson), man-child Fat Freddy Freekowtski (John Goodman), and his sarcastic cat Kitty (Tiffany Haddish) find themselves locked up by the San Francisco Police Department.
WATCH: "The Freak Brothers"
There these old-school stoners meet a new generation of weed connoisseurs. Chuck (Adam Devine) and Charlie (Blake Anderson) have an entrepreneurial spirit that’s second to none. It’s just too bad they don’t quite have the smarts to match. Busted for illegally selling weed in a state where weed is legal, Chuck brags that he told the cops, "Hey, man, if you don’t need a license to drive, why do you need a license to sell schwag?"
"Oh these boys are hella dumb," Kitty tells the Freak Brothers. "Y’all may have found some people stupider than you."
But, hey, at least they can always live by Freewheelin’ Franklin’s philosophy, "Dope will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no dope."
The first three episodes of "The Freak Brothers" are streaming now (for free!) on Tubi. New episodes of the eight-part series debut on Sundays.
These blazing hot stoner comedies are streaming (for free) on Tubi
Oliver, Stoned (2015): When the world’s biggest stoner loses an expensive car, he has to steal an ice cream truck and round up his wacky friends to get it back. Who knows? He might just find himself — and some love — along the way. Rated TV-MA. 92 minutes. Dir: Tom Morris. Featuring: Seth Cassell, Brea Grant, Robert Curtis Brown, Ryan Malgarini.
Cheech & Chong: Puff Puff Laugh (2010): Original stoner icons Cheech & Chong host this hilarious comedy special filmed at Just for Laughs in Montreal, the largest international comedy festival in the world. Rated TV-MA. 45 minutes. Dir: Shelagh O'Brien. Featuring: Cheech Marin, Tommy Chong, Bill Burr, Jay Malone, Noel Fielding.
Highway (2012): This rollicking road trip comedy follows two stoner brothers on the hunt for a "marijuana nirvana." Let the uncouth hijinks begin! Rated R. 77 minutes. Dir: Coke Daniels. Featuring: Devin The Dude, Lil Duval, Gary Owen, Erik Estrada, Keith David.
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Tubi is owned by the FOX Corporation.
About the writer: Caroline Siede is a film and TV critic in Chicago, where the cold never bothers her anyway. A member of the Chicago Film Critics Association, she lovingly dissects the romantic comedy genre one film at a time in her ongoing column When Romance Met Comedy at The A.V. Club. She also co-hosts the movie podcast, Role Calling, and shares her pop culture opinions on Twitter (@carolinesiede).