Netflix’s “Mating Season,” a new animated series from the creators of “Big Mouth,” opens with a deliberately disgusting joke and a rom-com premise—then struggles to find the deeper purpose that made its infamous cousin resonate. Still, the voice cast and fast
By the time “Mating Season” rolls into its first season’s end, the show has already made one thing abundantly clear: its idea of relaxation involves “Mice-flix,” a shoebox stage, and a level of puberty-adjacent gross-out that would make many viewers flinch.
In one scene, Fawn (June Diane Raphael) asks what her friends are watching. Josh (Zach Woods) answers with “Some show called ‘Big Mouse. ’” and the episode immediately pivots into a mouse Hormone Monster coaxing a rodent version of Andrew into jacking off. When that happens, “Mating Season” cuts to the audience’s horrified faces. Penelope (Sabrina Jones) calls it “disgusting.” Josh doesn’t hold back either, saying, “God, they should arrest whoever made this.”.
Then the kicker arrives. “Honestly, I think it’s pretty clever,” says Ray—the raccoon voiced by Nick Kroll—before the credits roll.
“ Mating Season” is built from the same DNA as “Big Mouth.” It comes from the same creators—Mark Levin. Jennifer Flackett. Andrew Goldberg. and Kroll—and it shares the animation studio Titmouse. Both are Netflix original series, both lean on fast-paced, soft-hearted sitcom energy, and both arrive with starry voice casts. But where “Big Mouth” found a higher calling in talking about puberty’s embarrassment and shame. “Mating Season” doesn’t land the same kind of mission.
The new show sits in a rom-com world of anthropomorphic animals, with characters treating dating like a messy, comedic sport. Josh is a sensitive bear searching for true love. Ray is a horn-dog raccoon who wants sex all the time. One wonders if Ray is missing out on life’s simple pleasures. and also whether he’s repressing deeper feelings while chasing his primal id. Their female friends mirror relationship worries of their own: Fawn. a deer (“a female deer”). struggles to meet a decent man and has recurring issues with women—fighting off a scarcity mindset and falling for a super-nice lady’s fiancé. Penelope. a fox. doesn’t have the highest self-esteem and is still reeling from a bad break-up with a hound voiced by Abbi Jacobson.
The problem is how closely the writing follows familiar human rom-com rhythms. Animals experimenting with dating apps and attending an ex’s wedding isn’t enough on its own to make the series feel fresh. The jokes land in the same spirit and cadence as “Big Mouth,” only with an animal filter swapped in. Even “Big Mouth” poked fun at Netflix—yet its gags seemed to require more than changing “Net” to “Mouse.”.
Still, the show doesn’t coast on imitation. Raphael nails the line delivery. Woods gets room to unleash his wild side at times (even when he’s usually trapped in a beta bear). and Jalees helps make her put-upon fox endearing and entertaining. Kroll continues to have fun tossing out foul one-liners. and the guest cast brings memorable moments from Clancy Brown. Drew Tarver. Maria Bamford. Pamela Adlon. and Timothy Olyphant. among others.
The premiere episode is where the pitch sounds most promising. Josh gets dumped for sleeping too long after post-hibernation. a scenario that would be cruel to humans who like to hunker down on the weekend. In the animal kingdom. though. it’s framed as fair play—she’s got needs. Josh isn’t meeting them. and she accuses him of “sleeping through life” on a figurative level to underline the point.
But after that setup, “Mating Season” doesn’t stretch far beyond familiar rom-com machinery. Josh’s seasonal arc becomes finding a new mate before the next hibernation. yet the episodic stories settle into cliches without enough contrast from the animal perspective to offer real enlightenment to the human audience. It starts to feel like the same kind of experience you get from a divertingly funny “Big Mouth” season—but one that doesn’t quite carry the same weight.
The result is a series that earns its “disgusting” label—yet doesn’t generate the kind of spark that makes viewers reach for bigger stakes. There’s nothing here that would stir the passion to call the cops, or even animal control.
Grade: C
“Mating Season” premieres Friday, May 22 on Netflix. All 10 episodes will be released at once.
Netflix Mating Season Big Mouth Titmouse Mark Levin Jennifer Flackett Andrew Goldberg Nick Kroll June Diane Raphael Zach Woods Sabrina Jones Abbi Jacobson Clancy Brown Drew Tarver Maria Bamford Pamela Adlon Timothy Olyphant