OU Alum’s Animated Series “Haha, You Clowns” Finds Emotional Depth on Adult Swim
Adult Swim’s latest offering, “Haha, You Clowns,” which premiered October 19th and is now streaming on Max, is the brainchild of University of Oklahoma alumnus Joe Cappa. The animated comedy centers on the Campbell family – three teenage brothers and their father – as they navigate life in the wake of their mother’s passing, blending unconventional humor with surprisingly poignant themes.
Cappa explained that the series evolved organically from a short film into a more complex exploration of grief and family dynamics than he initially anticipated.”I’d have to voice it all myself, as I just was an introvert and didn’t like asking for favors,” he said, detailing the initial stages of production. “So I ended up just voicing all of these different characters that I was coming up with. I kind of came up with this idea that it would be three brothers who thought their dad was just the coolest guy ever. And to me, (it) sounded funny, and I was excited to kind of explore that and see where I could take it.”
Originally developed thru Adult Swim Smalls, the network’s incubator program for short films, the project gained momentum after test audiences connected with its unique characters and offbeat sensibility. The finished series made its public debut this summer at San Diego Comic-Con, an experience Cappa described as both nerve-wracking and validating. “That was the first time that I was able to watch one of the episodes with a big audience,” he recalled. “I was extremely nervous, but it seemed to go well… It didn’t really kick in until, like, I saw a photo and it’s got, like, that Comic-Con (background) behind me. And I was like, ‘this is crazy.I’m actually at Comic-Con.'”
For Cappa,the interplay between humor and sincerity is a hallmark of his creative approach. “I think it’s funny, but there’s also this sincerity to it,” he said. “These characters are sweet people, and so any sort of emotional moment that comes out of them interacting with one another-that’s what’s gonna happen when you have a house full of really sweet people talking to each other.”
cappa’s Denver-based studio now employs a team of approximately 50 animators and designers who contribute to the show’s unique visual style, a blend of traditional and digital techniques that creates a slightly imperfect, handmade aesthetic. He contrasted this with the early days of the project, when he single-handedly handled all aspects of production. “With the shorts, it really was just me-I wrote it, animated it, voiced it. My wife would do some voices, but that was about it,” he said. “Once it started going into production, I had a really great showrunner who kind of walked me through creating a TV show.”
Despite now living and working outside of Oklahoma, Cappa maintains strong ties to his creative roots in Tulsa and his formative experiences at OU. He credits his college education with fostering a balance between technical skill and experimentation-a skillset that continues to inform his professional work. “The funniest people I know and that I’ve ever encountered in life are my friends from college,from OU… They have always been sort of my litmus test for comedy and anything I make,I want to make them laugh,” Cappa shared.
Ultimately, Cappa hopes “Haha, You Clowns” will resonate with audiences by acknowledging the emotional honesty underlying its humor. “what’s worked for me is just kind of finally doing something that I was making for myself-making something that I wanted to see and not be too concerned about the audience that you’re trying to attract,” he concluded. “Just try to be as pure to yourself as possible, and it worked out for me for now.” The first episode of “Haha,You Clowns” premiered Oct. 19 at 11:45 p.m. ET/PT on Adult Swim and is now streaming on Max.
