The Second Best Hospital In The Galaxy (2024)

The Second Best Hospital In The Galaxy^[1] (formerly known as The Hospital^[2]) is an adult animated sci-fi comedy-adventure series created by Cirocco Dunlap for Prime Video.^[2] It debuted on February 23, 2024 on Prime Video.^[1]

Premise

From creator, showrunner and executive producer Cirocco Dunlap (Netflix's "Russian Doll"), the series follows Dr. Sleech (Hsu) and Dr. Klak (Palmer) —aliens, best friends, and intergalactically renowned surgeons—as they tackle anxiety-eating parasites, illegal time loops, and deep-space STIs.^[1]

Content

Seasons

Episodes

Main article: List of episodes

Cast and characters^[2]

• Keke Palmer as Dr. Klak, a brilliant, multi-eyed surgeon who spends her down time feeding her sentient plants, obsessively reviewing past failures, and watching hit show My Lover, My Clone with her best friend Dr. Sleech.
• Stephanie Hsu^[1] as Dr. Sleech, a reckless, co*cky surgeon whose main saving graces are her genius, her well-oiled lizard tail, and her unconditional love for her best friend Dr. Klak.
• Natasha Lyonne as Nurse Tup, a playful nihilist with chameleon flesh who thrives in the chaos of the Hospital. Nurse Tup expertly navigates every accidental apocalypse created by renegade doctors Sleech and Klak, and looks good doing it.
• Maya Rudolph as Dr. Vlam, a robot intern who has been alive for at least 20,000 years. She’s had every career you can think of—king, thief, stay-at-home mom of 500—and is a true testament to hard work. All you need to succeed is roughly 850 years of free time.
• Kieran Culkin as Dr. Plowp, a surgeon, an empath, and an adult experiencing puberty. He has a love-hate relationship with Sleech, constantly feels everyone’s feelings, and has four identical brothers with whom he shared an egg.
• Sam Smith as Dr. Azel, a galactically-renowned surgeon with ambiguous morals and six well-manicured feet.

Press Information

On November 18, 2018, Maya Rudolph and Natasha Lyonne signed a first-look television deal with Amazon Studios. Under the pact, the Emmy-nominated duo will create original series for the studio via their new Animal Pictures shingle for Amazon Prime Video. The deal extends Rudolph’s relationship with Amazon.^[3] The earliest concept for The Hospital was in January 2020 when Amazon Studios announced it was in development. The darkly comic animated series that marks the first project for Natasha Lyonne and Maya Rudolph’s Animal Pictures stemming from the first-look deal it signed with Amazon in November. Lyonne, Rudolph and Animal Pictures president Danielle Renfrew Behrens are executive producing along with Dunlap, the latter of which also wrote for Netflix’s Big Mouth and FXX’s Man Seeking Woman.^[4]

News of the series was first announced on May 23, 2022, with Amazon Studios handing a two-season order to The Hospital, an adult animated sci-fi comedy from Maya Rudolph and Natasha Lyonne‘s Animal Pictures. Rudolph and Lyonne also are set to star in the series, created by Cirocco Dunlap (Russian Doll), along with Kieran Culkin (Succession), Keke Palmer (Alice), Greta Lee (Russian Doll) and singer-songwriter Sam Smith (Spectre). Produced by Amazon Studios, The Hospital, which has been in development at Amazon since 2020, was set to premiere exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide. Dunlap also serves as showrunner and executive produces with Rudolph, Lyonne and Danielle Renfrew Behrens for Animal Pictures. Shauna McGarry (Bojack Horseman, Tuca & Bertie) executive produces with Shannon Prynoski (Fairfax), Chris Prynoski (The Legend of Vox Machina), Antonio Canobbio (Arlo the Alligator Boy), and Ben Kalina (Big Mouth) will executive produce from Titmouse. Artist Robin Eisenberg will co-produce and serve as production designer.^[2] Production on the series took place during the COVID-19 pandemic.^[5] Writing for seasons 1 and 2 ran concurrently, with Dunlap treating it as developing a single 16-episode series.^[6] Dunlap has also expressed interest in a third season that could further explore certain characters.^[7]

On December 18, 2023, Prime Video set February 23 for the premiere of The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy. Additionally, Oscar nominee Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All At Once) has joined the cast as a series regular, replacing Greta Lee.^[1] The series had been renamed to the current title as the name originated as a tagline for the show, before being turned into its title at Amazon's request^[1], something Dunlap agreed to.^[8]

Broadcast

The Second Best Hospital In The Galaxy debuted the eight-episode first season on Friday, February 23, on Prime Video.^[1]

Trivia

• The series was announced on May 23, 2022.^[2]
• The series' title was changed between May 2022 and December 2023.^[2][1]

Gallery

Posters

Videos

External links

• The Second Best Hospital In The Galaxy on its Official website
• The Second Best Hospital In The Galaxy on the Internet Movie Database

References