A Preview of ‘Praise Petey’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Key Art for ‘Praise Petey’ Courtesy of Freeform.

This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist.
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The evolution of animated entertainment is quite the fascinating journey. For in its earliest days this medium really was quite mindless. Just a collection of unique images tied to a loose story, that would dazzle eyes and bring forth smiles. For it was a new form of entertainment that no one understood from a potential standpoint and that’s where things get interesting. Because eventually, the potential of this medium was discovered and that brought forth an animation revolution. Wherein storytellers used animation to tell powerful stories that truly encapsulated the limitless nature of our imagination and at the end of the 1990s another evolution come into play. 

In that, the folks that grew up with fluffier animated entertainment with some of the brilliance mixed in, decided the time had come to create animated stories that were geared toward adults and told more adult themed stories, with a comedic twist of course. Which gave life to many an iconic character and show, and this move, even brought forth timely stories about our world, and well… animation continues to evolve as the years roll on. For now, there are creators ready to bring forth animated comedy shows that offer fascinating explorations about life and the human condition, and it just so happens that a show in that vein, is about to make its debut on Freeform on Friday, and well… since we here at NTG have seen much of Praise Petey in advance, we thought it would be best to spotlight what makes this show so different and so successful in its endeavors to explore such matters, in a spoiler-free manner of course. 

Because there’s a lot that happens in this series that cannot be spoiled. But what we can tell you, is that it really does boast an ambitious plot that is filled to the brim with deeper meaning. For in this story, we are introduced to Petey, a New York City ‘IT’ girl that seemingly has it all. A great job, a great boyfriend and friends that are as loyal as can be. Or… so she thinks. Because one day, all of those elements fade away in a manner of minutes, leaving Petey to wonder what will come next for her in this life, and well… what arrives is quite the surprise. In that, her absentee father has recently passed, and he’s left Petey, a whole town in the south. A utopia of sorts. And that prompts Petey to head that way and obtain her inheritance… only for her to learn that this town has a lot of weird secrets, courtesy of her father and his designs for this town.

Which is a wonderfully original plot that allows for this story to explore so much. Such as the pain that is imparted upon us when the sins of our parents come back to haunt us, and how hard it is in this life to find our way when we are forced to hit the reset button… and of course… what it means to accept our family history and accept people who follow a vastly different lifestyle, and that’s just what you’ll find in Friday’s series premiere of the show. Which speaks to an animated series designed to push the boundaries of the format to really see what this type of story can do, and what’s wild… is that explores all of that… while making us laugh heartily. Because the jokes here are simply top-notch, and they are delivered with such precision and such perfect timing, that you will often find yourself wiping tears from your eyes and gasping for air at how funny they truly are.

Which really is a testament to the writing of this series, and the acting present here. Since both work in tandem flawlessly, and it also doesn’t hurt, that this series features some comedic heavies to voice the characters in this story. Since Annie Murphy (Petey), Stephen Root (Petey’s Dad), Christine Baranski (White St. Barts), and John Cho (Bandit) let loose their comedic chops to add gravity to the comedy, and really all of these elements make this show, refreshing, unique, intelligent and fun. And the best news of all… is that we are mere days of enjoying its wonder. Friday, July 21st at 10:00 pm ET will feature the back-to-back, two-episode premiere of Praise Petey (with episodes available the next day on Hulu), and we here at NTG cannot wait to geek out about it with all of you, nor can we wait to share our interview with Actor Stephen Root, as we continue to countdown the minutes to this magnificent new series.

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