| Chicago Party Aunt | |
|---|---|
| Genre |
|
| Created by | Chris Witaske Jon Barinholtz Katie Rich |
| Based on | The character by Chris Witaske |
| Voices of |
|
| Music by | Nathan Whitehead |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 (2 parts) |
| No. of episodes | 16 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producer | Whitney Loveall |
| Editor | Matt Steinauer |
| Running time | 22–28 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | Netflix |
| Release | September 17, 2021 (2021-09-17) – December 30, 2022 (2022-12-30) |
Chicago Party Aunt is an American animated sitcom created by Chris Witaske, Jon Barinholtz, and Katie Rich for Netflix.[1] Inspired by Witaske's Twitter account, the series follows the antics of a middle-aged sports-loving louche sharing an apartment with her 18-year-old nephew.[2]
On July 27, 2021, Netflix gave a 16-episode series order to Chicago Party Aunt. The series is created by Chris Witaske, Jon Barinholtz, and Katie Rich inspired by the eponymous Twitter account by Witaske. Witaske, Barinholtz, and Rich were expected to executive produce alongside Ike Barinholtz, David Stassen, Will Gluck, Richard Schwartz, Chris Prynoski, Antonio Canobbio, and Ben Kalina. The production companies involved with the series are 23/34, Olive Bridge Entertainment, and Titmouse, Inc.[1]
Upon series order announcement, it was reported that the voice cast includes Lauren Ash, Rory O'Malley, RuPaul Charles, Jill Talley, Ike Barinholtz, Jon Barinholtz, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Rich, and Witaske.[1]
Chicago Party Aunt was released in two parts, with the first eight episodes on September 17, 2021,[1] and the remaining eight episodes on December 30, 2022.[3]
Part 1 of Chicago Party Aunt received generally mixed reviews from critics. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 43% approval rating with an average rating of 7.50/10, based on 7 critic reviews.[4] Metacritic gave the series a weighted average score of 56 out of 100 based on 4 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[5] For Part 1, Daniel Fienberg from The Hollywood Reporter stated that "too often the show consists of local references, funny pronunciations, and then a semisweet ending that fails to land convincingly."[6] Reviewing the series for Chicago Sun-Times, Richard Roeper gave a rating of 3/4 stars and said, "The fun-loving reveler from Twitter is surrounded by so many lovable characters, we can forgive all the Fridge and Malort references."[7]
Part 2 received more positive reviews. Rendy Jones from Paste stated that while the show needs more laughs and suffers from the same problems a lot of Netflix adult animation has, and Diane's raunchy behavior is retained, "the episodic plots organically test her ability to mature and embrace change in her life. I don’t think I’ve seen an adult animated series follow a woman’s attempt to find affordable healthcare so she can get a breast implant removal surgery procedure done to better her health, and I give this show kudos for approaching that humorously and thoughtfully."[8] Andrew Munnik from Comic Book Resources stated that Part 2 is "blazing a new trail for LGBT+ representation in television."[9] Johnny Loftus from Decider recommends Part 2, stating that "it's easy, especially with such a low-intensity run-time. Chicago Party Aunt generates some laughs with its feel for the city’s slang. But it’s the toon’s consistently excellent voice cast that really keeps it in the game."[10]
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part 1 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | "Chicago Party Aunt" | Joey Adams | Chris Witaske & Jon Barinholtz & Katie Rich | September 17, 2021 (2021-09-17) | ||||||||
| 2 | "Helicopter Aunt" | Anna Hollingsworth | Jon Barinholtz | September 17, 2021 (2021-09-17) | ||||||||
| 3 | "Ribs for Her Pleasure" | Andy Thom | Katie Rich | September 17, 2021 (2021-09-17) | ||||||||
| 4 | "Tailgate Jailgate" | Joey Adams | Jessica Lamour | September 17, 2021 (2021-09-17) | ||||||||
| 5 | "Halloweener Circle" | Anna Hollingsworth | Ike Barinholtz & David Stassen | September 17, 2021 (2021-09-17) | ||||||||
| 6 | "Twenty-Six Point Tattoo" | Andy Thom | Emily Walker & Mike Kosinski | September 17, 2021 (2021-09-17) | ||||||||
| 7 | "The Beefys" | Joey Adams | Chris Witaske | September 17, 2021 (2021-09-17) | ||||||||
| 8 | "Emergency Contact" | Anna Hollingsworth | Theresa Mulligan Rosenthal | September 17, 2021 (2021-09-17) | ||||||||
| Part 2 | ||||||||||||
| 9 | "Doppel Änger" | Andy Thom | Theresa Mulligan Rosenthal | December 30, 2022 (2022-12-30) | ||||||||
| 10 | "St. Patrick's Day" | Joey Adams | Jon Barinholtz | December 30, 2022 (2022-12-30) | ||||||||
| 11 | "Go Scratch" | Andy Thom | Chris Witaske | December 30, 2022 (2022-12-30) | ||||||||
| 12 | "Swing and a Ms." | Anna Hollingsworth | Mike Kosinski & Emily Walker | December 30, 2022 (2022-12-30) | ||||||||
| 13 | "Empire State of Mind" | Joey Adams | Jessica Lamour | December 30, 2022 (2022-12-30) | ||||||||
| 14 | "Tits Up, Tits Out" | Anna Hollingsworth | Katie Rich | December 30, 2022 (2022-12-30) | ||||||||
| 15 | "Breaking Balm" | Andy Thom | Amy Schwartz | December 30, 2022 (2022-12-30) | ||||||||
| 16 | "Lotion Commotion" | Joey Adams | Chris Witaske & Jon Barinholtz & Katie Rich | December 30, 2022 (2022-12-30) | ||||||||
