Created in 1986 as the mascot for a newsletter distributed by a chain of comic book stores in the Boston area, The Tick has been adapted for television several times over. Children of the 1990s will likely remember the Fox Kids animated series that starred the character, but Patrick Warburton also took on the role for a short-lived live-action sitcom that aired in 2001.
This time, it’s Peter Serafinowicz who’s donning the bright blue suit. While the English actor and comedian is not as well know in the U.S. as he is back in the U.K., he has recently appeared in several high-profile movies including Guardians of the Galaxy and John Wick: Chapter 2.
Serafinowicz stars opposite Griffin Newman, who has previously been seen in HBO’s Vinyl and the 2014 movie Draft Day. Newman plays Arthur Everest, an unassuming accountant who has his humdrum life turned around when he crosses paths with The Tick, who brings him on board as his sidekick.
Everest — who takes on the identity of The Moth, using a suit that gives him the power of flight — seems to spend much of the series getting used to the intricacies of being a superhero. Based on the array of different costumed villains seen in the trailer, he and The Tick amass quite the rogues’ gallery over the course of the season.
Amazon’s adaptation of The Tick was officially announced in early 2016, with a pilot airing on Prime last summer. It was only a matter of weeks before the company announced that the project had been picked up for a full series, alongside Jean-Claude Van Johnson and I Love Dick.
The first season of The Tick is set to become available via Amazon Prime Video on August 25, 2017, with nine half-hour episodes set to be uploaded at that time. If you can’t wait until next month, the pilot episode is ready and waiting right now.
