Universal Basic Guys

Universal Basic Guys is an American animated sitcom created by Adam and Craig Malamut that premiered on September 8, 2024, on Fox. The show centers around a group of South Jersey factory workers who are enrolled in a universal basic income pilot program when their jobs are taken over by AI-powered robots, and left with a monthly income and a lot of free time to get into trouble. In May 2025, ahead of the second season premiere, the series was renewed for a third season. The second season premiered on September 28, 2025.

Plot

Mark and Hank Hoagies are two guys who used to work in a factory until they were dismissed upon their positions being replaced by AI-powered robots. With a monthly income and a lot of free time upon joining the universal basic income pilots program, they end up getting into trouble and a lot of misadventures with the people they know getting involved in some what.

Cast and characters

Main

• Adam Malamut as
• Mark Hoagies, a proud, carefree and idiotic middle-aged man with a frat-boy persona who often causes trouble wherever he goes whenever he feels slighted. To make matters worse, he's too stubborn to listen to good advice and follow proper procedures
• Hank Hoagies, Mark's simple-minded but sensible younger brother who is well-liked by most people because of his stark contrast to the impulsive Mark. He is also Mark's partner-in-crime and loves hot-dogs.
• Mernft Man, one of Mark's friends, who has connections with the underworld. In the "Go Fund Mernft" episode it's revealed his real name is Scott Myfrynski.
• Artie Muldonich, one of Mark and Hank's fellow laid off co-workers at the factory. Known for his vast collection of junk metals and spare parts, Mark will often recruit Artie for one of his ill-conceived home improvement projects such as digging his own well or building Mark a robot suit.
• Talia Genevieve as Tammy, Mark's down-to-earth wife who works as a nurse and was married once before. Tammy shares custody of her teenage son with her ex-husband, who is Darren's primary caretaker.
• Fred Armisen as David, Mark and Tammy's neurotic neighbor and a wannabe author who often gets caught up in their antics

Recurring

• Craig Malamut as various minor characters
• Ally Maki as Andrea, David's stern and domineering Asian-American wife with whom he often has unnecessary dramatic confrontations
• Brandon Wardell as Darren, Tammy's emotionally withdrawn teenage son and Mark's stepson who often visits her and Mark, while ex-divorced husband has primary custody. Darren spends most of his time playing video games.
• Tommy Pope as Steve DelVecchio, Mark's obnoxious rival who is much more successful and seizes any opportunity he can to gloat to Mark about it
• Jon Glaser as the Jersey Devil, the legendary mythical winged creature whom Mark and Darren befriend and later plays on Mark's short-lived hockey team called The Goofballs
• Joe Lo Truglio as Mr. Bouchard, a childhood friend of Mark, who is now Darren's high school history teacher.

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (2024)

Season 2 (2025–26)

Production

Development

In November 2022, it was announced that Game of Zones creators and executive producers Adam and Craig Malamut were set up on an animated series on Fox, called Universal Basic Guys/The Hoagie Bros. The series is produced by Leith Hill Productions, Fox Entertainment and Sony Pictures Television, with Bento Box Entertainment providing the animation. In May 2024, the series was retitled to Universal Basic Guys and renewed for a second season ahead of its debut in the fall. Dan Lagana serves as an executive producer and the showrunner for the first season while Rob Rosell is an executive producer and the showrunner for the second season. In May 2025, ahead of the second season premiere, the series was renewed for a third season.

Casting

On July 25, 2024, at San Diego Comic-Con, it was announced that Adam Malamut, Talia Genevieve, Fred Armisen, and Ally Maki were cast in starring roles.

Broadcast

The series premiered on September 8, 2024, on Fox. The second season premiered on September 28, 2025.

In Canada, the series airs on Citytv and is available to stream on Citytv+.

In the UK, the series is broadcast on ITV2, with streaming previously available on ITVX.

Reception

Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 29% approval rating with an average rating of 6/10, based on 7 critic reviews. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 41 out of 100 based on 5 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.

Ratings

Season 1

Season 2

Notes

References

External links