Comedy Starring Martin Freeman and Daisy Haggard
Continues Its Bittersweet Look at the Madness of Modern Parenthood
“Ally, Paul et al. handle everything with the sharp-edged humour, pathos and empathy that’s become the show’s calling card”
Michael Starr, New York Post
“remarkably resonant… Over two seasons, FX’s dark comedy Breeders has excelled at portraying the tough realities of parenthood. Its third, thankfully, is no different… feels even more incisive and well-rounded upon its return… remains one of the most grounded family comedies on air right now.”
Saloni Gajjar, The A.V. Club
“beyond comedy and towards something rare… Simon Blackwell, Chris Addison and Freeman himself have given us not only a couple we can honestly believe in but also a drama for modern times”
Euan Ferguson, The Observer (UK)
“The Poster Child For Pandemic Comedy Television”
Peter White, Deadline
“This dark comedy series about the challenges of child rearing couldn’t have come at a better time.”
Peter Libbey, The New York Times
“riotously funny”
Kelly Lawler, USA Today
LOS ANGELES, July 19, 2022 – Breeders, the comedy series that explores the challenges of modern parenting, has been renewed for a fourth season on FX, it was announced today by Nick Grad, President, Original Programming, FX Entertainment.
The series starring Martin Freeman and Daisy Haggard concluded its third season on FX this week and all seasons are available to stream on Hulu. Breeders will soon be available on Star+ in Latin America and Disney+ under the Star banner in all other territories.
“Breeders has given us the special opportunity to watch the ‘Worsley’ family grow with each season and FX is thrilled to order a fourth season that will bring the next chapter of this hilarious yet brutally honest take on being a parent in today’s world,” said Grad. “Our thanks to creators Simon Blackwell, Chris Addison and Martin Freeman, the entire creative team, Daisy and the cast, the crew and everyone at Avalon, FX Productions and Sky. Their efforts are what guide and sustain Breeders and we are happy to be part of that extended family.”
The series was commissioned by Jon Mountague, Director of Comedy, Sky Studios and Tilusha Ghelani, Commissioning Editor, Sky Studios, for Zai Bennett, Managing Director of Content, Sky UK and Nick Grad, President of Original Programming at FX Entertainment.
In Season 3, which concluded this week on FX and is available to stream on Hulu, Breeders continues its bitter-sweet look at the struggles of modern parenthood, starting just days after Season 2 ended, as the Worsley family reels from teenaged Luke (Alex Eastwood) punching his dad, Paul (Martin Freeman). Paul’s moved out and is staying at his mother-in-law Leah’s (Stella Gonet) house. He should be lonely but actually the simpler life has its appeal. Eventually, though, amends with Luke must be made. Meanwhile Ally (Daisy Haggard) has her own problems – with work, with her early menopause and with her increasingly strained relationship with her newly adolescent daughter, Ava (Eve Prenelle). Gallows humor and large glasses of wine only go so far in quelling the angst…
Breeders is produced by Avalon and FX Productions for FX and Sky. Academy Award®-nominee and double Emmy® Award-winner Simon Blackwell is showrunner. Breeders is created by Blackwell, double Emmy Award and Directors Guild of America Award winner Chris Addison and Emmy and BAFTA®-winning Martin Freeman, who also stars alongside Daisy Haggard who received a BAFTA® nomination for her role in the show last year. Executive producers are Blackwell, Addison, Freeman, Richard Allen-Turner, Rob Aslett, David Martin, Jon Thoday, Toby Welch and Michael Wiggs.
Some other things press has said about Breeders in the USA:
“9.5 on the buzz meter”
Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter
Top 5 Shows To Watch in Quarantine
Los Angeles Times
“FX’s Breeders smartly upends its status quo in season 2 finale…This introspective twist is a smart game-changer for Breeders. As dryly comical as the show has been with its sitcom humor, deadpan delivery of one-liners by the two leads, and a spectacular supporting cast—Joanna Bacon and Allun Armstrong as Paul’s parents Jackie and Jim are extraordinarily funny—the subject matter has always been quite poignant…The finale successfully revamps Breeders’ original comedic scope by tightening its more weightier themes.” Grade: A
Saloni Gajjar, The A.V. Club
“Expect clutter, vomit, exasperation, and cutting one-liners”
Keith Phipps, Rolling Stone
“Us Musts: a show about loving your kids but also wanting to murder them? How pandemicky!”
Us Weekly
“While “Breeders” was dreamed up as a darkly honest, unfiltered comedy for the best of times, a person can only imagine how relatable it must be in a time when schools and day cares are closed and parents – the lucky ones, I should say – are stuck working at home with children who have no concept of the pressures bearing down on adults.”
Melanie Mcfarland, Salon.com
HOW BREEDERS EXPLORES PARENTING BETTER THAN ALMOST ANY OTHER SHOW
“unique and raw comedy… extremely relevant and truthful… What is so brilliant about Breeders is that it delves into the edgier, more unknown side of parenthood… brought a sense of belonging and connectivity to the audience”
Sophie Collins, MovieWeb
“It’s so funny and it’s so real, I feel parents everywhere will relate…we love the show and guys, you will love it too”
Lara Spencer, Good Morning America
“Brilliant show…I think the show is great, I loved the first season and I’m really excited to devour the second season and all of its honesty”
James Corden, The Late Late Show
THE MOST ANTICIPATED SERIES COMING BACK THIS YEAR
“terrific comedy-drama”
Louisa Mellor, Den of Geek
“Breeders” ends its sophomore season on a game-changing dramatic note”
Michael Starr, New York Post
“Breeders is everything I love in a show in that it makes me both laugh and cry, and often simultaneously. The performances from Daisy Haggard and Martin Freeman were exceptional in Season 2, and that’s perhaps even more true in tonight’s season finale on FX… Few shows are able to truly capture the balance between the horrors and highlights when it comes to parenthood, marriage, and simply getting by, but Breeders has certainly found the sweet spot in the heart and humor of this show.”
Lea Palmieri, Decider
10 TV COMEDIES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED BUT NEED TO BINGE ASAP
“Ally’s funny one-liners and the chemistry between her and Paul that creates a dynamic worth watching… tender moments… witty script”
Alexandra Whittington, Collider
“When a TV show pops a plot twist that makes you suspect its creators hid a GoPro somewhere on your body, it can make for must-see TV. “Breeders,” a set-in-London parental comedy now in its second season, is one of those shows….it will be fascinating to see where Season 2 is headed”
Scott L. Powers, Chicago Tribune
THE ONE SHOW YOU SHOULD BINGE-WATCH NOW HAS 91% ON ROTTEN TOMATOES
“critically-beloved… should be your next binge-watch…feels like a spiritual successor to FX’s You’re The Worst…as someone who has zero intent on having kids (don’t tell my own parents), I can say that the show definitely works for me.”
Henry T. Casey, Tom’s Guide
“the real-life approach in the plots is what sets this show apart from familial sitcoms full of precocious children and clueless parents…mines the complexities of parenting with deft pivots that veer between relatable drama and pointed humour”
Dave Gil de Rubio, Long Island Weekly
“FX’s Breeders goes where most comedies wouldn’t in its sad but honest season 2 finale… That all of this emotional truth can play out alongside a running stream of great one-liners is testament to the strength of the writing and of the cast, led by Freeman and Haggard, who are totally bilingual when it comes to comedy and drama. It’s a painful finale that leaves a season of comedy on bravely uncomfortable ground.”
Louisa Mellor, Den of Geek
“Cheers to Breeders for producing a couple we’ve grown to adore. As a flawed and frantic London couple struggling to raise two kids and retain their sanity, Martin Freeman and Daisy Haggard feel even more riotously relatable in the FX dramedy’s consistently addicting second season”
Damian Holbrook, TV Guide
“hilarious”
Entertainment Tonight
“Each episode feels like a slice of life, complete with laughs, tears, sarcasm….In the hands of [Martin] Freeman, [Daisy] Haggard, [Simon] Blackwell and [Chris] Addison, it makes for wry, amusing and relatable television…..Rating: ★★★★ Very good”
Diane Gordon, Collider
Some other things the press said about Breeders in the UK:
“brilliant, and series 3 is thankfully no different… perfectly captures the pains and strains between parents and their children”
Frances Taylor, Radio Times
“Daisy Haggard and Martin Freeman’s comic timing remains as sharp as a piece of underfoot lego”
Victoria Segal, The Sunday Times
“parenting series feels almost subversive…outwardly cynical, secretly sentimental… Both funny and searingly truthful… already been a hit on America’s FX network.” ★★★★
Ed Power, The Telegraph
“Martin Freeman and Daisy Haggard excel in parenting sitcom with bite…Smart, spiky and hilarious” ★★★★
Morgan Jeffery, Radio Times
“terrific: dark, fresh, brutal, funny…Simon Blackwell and Chris Addison have managed the near-impossible by creating a parenting comedy that is not twee and makes the tired tropes of sleep deprivation and school-catchment obsession funny.” ★★★★
Carol Midgley, The Times
“biting social satire…intriguing…The writing is sharp and witty…perfectly formed wisecracks and zingers… Martin Freeman (also the lead), Chris Addison and Simon Blackwell are like three mad scientists let loose in the telly labs” ★★★★
Sean O’Grady, The Independent
“crafted to perfection, Blackwell supplies a steady stream of laugh-out-loud lines and Freeman and Haggard immediately gel as a finely tuned double act playing off each other with exquisite timing” ★★★★
Mark Wareham, The Mail On Sunday
“adopts the knife-edge tone that defines the best modern TV comedy”
Tom Faber, The Financial Times
“Breeders whizzes by, all zingers and howlers.” ★★★★
David Sexton, The Evening Standard
“on its sharpest-ever form” ★★★★
The Daily Mail
“relentless brilliance… as poignant as it is downright hilarious, and this new series is the best yet… Paul’s mum Jackie (played by Joanna Bacon) might just be the funniest character on TV” ★★★★★
Boyd Hilton, Heat
“This tale of modern parenting has to be one of the bleakest comedies on television. Its saving grace is that it is also one of the best. Freeman stars as dad Paul, with the equally excellent Daisy Haggard as wife Ally…The third series opener was a nicely judged back and forth from the past to the present…Breeders can make you wince, but it knows exactly when to dispense the hugs as well.”
Alison Rowat The Herald
“Breeders has evolved into something pithier, more nuanced…From the double episode opener of this third, 10-part series, there is an intricate cat’s cradle of plots”
Barbara Ellen, The Observer
“really good dialogue, in fact it’s damn near perfect, I mean it’s funny, it’s serious, it’s just such a great show”
Steve Wright, BBC Radio 2
“Amazing”
Paul Flynn, Grazia
“Doesn’t pull any punches…it’s genuinely laugh-out-loud funny”
Kate Noble, The Sun
“Refreshingly truthful parenting comedy” ★★★★
Ian Hyland, The Mirror
Follow Breeders on social media:
- Facebook: www.Facebook.com/BreedersOnFX
- Instagram: www.Instagram.com/BreedersOnFX
- Twitter: www.Twitter.com/BreedersOnFX
- https://www.fxnetworks.com/breeders
About FX
FX, a division of Disney General Entertainment, is a multiplatform brand that develops, produces, commissions and markets original programming for Hulu and the FX and FXX linear channels in the U.S., and Star+ in Latin America and Disney+ in all other international territories. The FX brand mark appears above the title across its entire slate of originals. Over the past two decades, FX has been responsible for some the most-critically acclaimed and award-winning shows on television. Some of the brand’s current and legacy titles include the dramas American Horror Story, American Crime Story, The Americans, Damages, Fargo, Justified, Nip/Tuck, Pose, Rescue Me, The Shield and Sons of Anarchy; the comedies Archer, Atlanta, Better Things, DAVE, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Reservation Dogs and What We Do in the Shadows; and a growing slate of docuseries and documentary films.
About Avalon
Avalon is a multi-award-winning talent management, television production and live promotion group with offices in London, Los Angeles and New York. Avalon, Artist Rights Group (ARG) and The Agency represent a prolific roster of artists including comedians, actors, presenters, writers and directors. Avalon’s numerous ground-breaking returning television shows currently in production include: Not Going Out (BBC), the UK’s longest running sitcom on air; Taskmaster (Channel 4), the BAFTA-winning hit entertainment format showing in 100 countries; multi Emmy-winner, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO); The Russell Howard Hour (Sky), the network’s most successful entertainment show launch since 2010; Starstruck, a new sitcom from the 2018 Edinburgh Comedy Award winner Rose Matafeo (HBO Max/BBC); Everything’s Gonna Be Okay, from creator Josh Thomas (Freeform); Breeders, a sitcom starring Martin Freeman and Daisy Haggard (FX/Sky); a new series of the iconic British satirical puppet show, Spitting Image (BritBox UK); and multiple comedy specials for Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max and Netflix. Other landmark Avalon shows include BAFTA winning and multi Emmy nominated Catastrophe (Amazon Prime Video/Channel 4), Fantasy Football League (BBC/ITV), multi BAFTA-winning TV Burp (ITV), and Workaholics (Comedy Central USA). Avalon also distributes its catalogue of programmes to over 150 countries worldwide. Avalon has produced many globally successful podcasts and is at the top of the UK iTunes chart with the multi-award-winning Shagged. Married. Annoyed by Chris and Rosie Ramsey.
About Sky
Sky is Europe’s leading media and entertainment company and is proud to be part of Comcast Corporation, a global media and technology company that connects people to moments that matter. Across six countries, Sky connects 23 million customers to the best entertainment, sports, news, arts and to our own award-winning original content.
Following the launch of Sky Glass, we now offer customers our strongest ever line-up of products and services. As well as the new streaming TV with Sky inside and everything integrated, customers can enjoy the award-winning Sky Q with all your favourite channels and apps in one place, and with Sky Go you can now access an even better experience on your devices. Sky TV has new channels, new shows and new deals with Peacock, Paramount+ and more. Sky Mobile was voted Best Pay Monthly and Best Value Pay Monthly network by Uswitch, and with Sky Broadband we’re offering our fastest speeds yet.
Building on the success of Sky Originals like Chernobyl, Gangs of London and Brassic, we are doubling our investment in original content by 2024 through Sky Studios. Our new TV and movie studio, Sky Studios Elstree, is expected to create over 2,000 new jobs and generate an additional £3 billion of production investment in the UK over the first five years alone. Sky News provides impartial and trustworthy journalism for free, Sky Arts is the UK’s only dedicated free-to-air arts channel making the arts accessible for everyone and Sky Sports, our leading sports broadcasting service, brings customers some of the biggest and best global sporting events from the Premier League to Formula 1 and everything in-between. Sky Cinema is the home of Sky Original films with brand new films launching every month alongside an unrivalled range of the latest cinema releases and on demand library.
We believe that we can be a force for good in the communities in which we operate. We’re committed to being Europe’s first net zero carbon entertainment company by 2030 and we’re proud to be a Principal Partner and Media Partner of COP26 – the UN Climate Change Conference. We take pride in our approach to diversity and inclusion: we’ve been recognised by The Times and Stonewall for our commitment to diversity, and we’ve set ambitious 2025 targets to continue to increase diversity and representation. We’re also committed to investing £30million across our markets over the next three years to improve our approach to diversity and inclusion, and to tackle racial injustice.
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FX Contacts:
John Solberg
Jesse Hiestand
Avalon contact:
Victoria Wedderburn
Dan Lloyd
Sky contact:
Dominic Collett
