''Dead End: Paranormal Park'' is an American animated

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

horror comedy Comedy horror, also known as horror comedy, is a literary, television, and film genre that combines elements of comedy and horror fiction. Comedy horror has been described as able to be categorized under three types: "black comedy, parody and spo ...

streaming television series created by Hamish Steele for

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

, which is based on the

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

s series ''DeadEndia'' by Steele and

Cartoon Hangover Cartoon Hangover is a Frederator internet television channel and adult animation division, part of the YouTube Original Channel Initiative, launched in February 2012. Frederator produced two animated series exclusively for the Internet: ''Bravest ...

Too Cool! Cartoons ''Too Cool! Cartoons'' is a series of adult animated shorts on the YouTube channel Cartoon Hangover. It was created by Fred Seibert and produced by Frederator Studios. The series premiered on April 4, 2013, with the short ''Our New Electrical ...

web short ''Dead End''. Produced by Blink Industries, the series premiered on June 16, 2022. A second and final season premiered on October 13, 2022. On January 13, 2023, Steele announced that the series had been canceled.

Premise

The series follows Barney and Norma, the newest employees at their local theme park, Phoenix Parks, a

Dollywood Dollywood is a theme park jointly owned by entertainer Dolly Parton and Herschend Family Entertainment. It is located in the Knoxville metropolitan area in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, near the gateway to The Great Smoky Mountains. Hosting nearly 3 ...

-esque park created by the famous celebrity Pauline Phoenix. Joined by Pugsley, Barney's childhood dog, and Courtney, a thousand-year-old demon, they discover the world of the Paranormal as well as learning new things about themselves.

Plot

Barney Guttman, voiced by Zach Barack, is the main protagonist of the series. He is a gay transgender teen boy who finds a new job as a security guard of Phoenix Parks. Barney has family problems. His grandmother doesn't accept the fact that he is trans. While it hasn't been made clear what his grandmother said to him, it was shown to be very hurtful. Barney's parents accept him for who he is, but do nothing when his grandmother begins verbally abusing him. Shortly after starting at his new job, Barney secretly moves in the Haunted House attraction with his dog, Pugsley. On the same day, Norma Khan is also starting her new job at Phoenix Parks as part of the security team. Norma is a 17-year-old autistic

Pakistani-American Pakistani Americans ( ur, ) are Americans who originate from Pakistan. The term may also refer to people who also hold a dual Pakistani and U.S. citizenship. Educational attainment level and household income are much higher in the Pakistani-Am ...

girl who is obsessed with all things Pauline Phoenix. Norma is very socially anxious, dreading social interaction and has been shown to have panic attacks when overwhelmed. After walking to the haunted house and entering, they meet Courtney, a demon who disguises herself as part of the attraction. Courtney is taking orders from Temeluchus, a member of the demon royal family. Temeluchus needs a vessel to interact with the world and tasks Courtney to bring them Barney. After Barney's dog Pugsley realizes this, he jumps in front of Barney and ends up getting possessed instead of Barney. He flies to an attraction in Camelot Creek to claim a throne. Barney's scared that Pugsley might get hurt, so he walks to the attraction. Norma follows him after doubting a bit. Norma gets an idea from an old Pauline Phoenix film where a demon soul is captured by taking a photograph. When they both arrive at Camelot Creek, Norma turns on the attraction and Barney hops in a boat for Temeluchus/Pugsley follow, Tempting the demon with his body as a vessel instead of his dogs. The plan works along fine, but then Temeluchus realizes the duo's plan turns the camera away from him using magic. Norma then succeeds in turning the camera back. They then capture the soul and head back to the haunted house. When they get to the haunted house, Barney and Norma give the photograph to Courtney, who is sad because Temeluchas promised to return her to her home, but happy not to be taking any more orders. Courtney realizes that part of Temeluchas is missing from the photo. Pugsley still has a bit of Temeluchus inside him, because of this he has gained the ability to talk, use magic and easily walk on two legs. There are more secrets and mysteries at Phoenix Parks, Will our new friends survive what they are in store for?

Cast and characters

* Zach Barack as Barney Guttman, an 17-year-old

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...

boy. * Kody Kavitha as Norma Khan, a 17-year-old

bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...

and

autistic The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

girl who works with Barney. *

Alex Brightman Alexander Michael Brightman (born February 5, 1987) is an American actor, singer, and writer. He is best known for his work in musical theatre, specifically as Dewey Finn in the musical adaptation of ''School of Rock'' and the title character ...

as Pugsley, Barney's

pug The Pug is a breed of dog originally from China, with physically distinctive features of a wrinkly, short-muzzled face and curled tail. The breed has a fine, glossy coat that comes in a variety of colors, most often light brown (fawn) or blac ...

. As a result of being possessed by a demon king called

Temeluchus Temeluchus (probably a garbled transliteration of the Greek Telémakhos; literally, "far-away fighter") is the leader of the tartaruchi, the chief angel of torment (and possibly Satan himself), according to the extracanonical ''Apocalypse of Paul ...

, he can speak and possesses magical abilities. ** Brightman also plays Temeluchus and The Watcher. *

Emily Osment Emily Jordan Osment (born March 10, 1992) is an American actress, singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Osment began her career as a child actress, appearing in numerous television shows and films, before co-starring as Gerti ...

as Courtney, a thousand-year-old demon. She has been banished from her home and hopes to find a way to return. * Clinton Leupp as Pauline Phoenix, a famous actress who is the former owner of Phoenix Parks. * Kenny Tran as Logan "Logs" Nguyen, a health and safety officer at the park. He is a gay

Vietnamese-American Vietnamese Americans ( vi, Người Mỹ gốc Việt, lit=Viet-origin American people) are Americans of Vietnamese ancestry. They make up about half of all overseas Vietnamese and are the fourth-largest Asian American ethnic group after Chinese ...

who develops feelings for Barney. *

Kathreen Khavari Kathreen Aziz Khavari ( fa, کاترین خاوری; born June 23, 1983) is an American actress, writer, and producer who first gained attention when her sketcBrain of Terror in which she played eleven different characters, went viral after it wa ...

as Badyah "Deathslide" Hassan, Norma's gentle and friendly best friend. She is

Iranian-American Iranian Americans are United States citizens or nationals who are of Iranian ancestry or who hold Iranian citizenship. Iranian Americans are among the most highly educated people in the United States. They have historically excelled in busine ...

and

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

. *

Michaela Jaé Rodriguez Michaela Antonia Jaé Rodriguez (born January 7, 1991), formerly known as MJ Rodriguez, is an American actress and singer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, Rodriguez attended several Performing arts, performing arts schools in her youth before being c ...

as Zagan, a vampiric demon, and Temeluchus' sister and fellow demon king *

Karen Maruyama Karen Maruyama (born May 29, 1958) is an American actress and comedian. Career Maruyama has appeared on television in supporting roles in a number of sitcoms, including recurring characters on ''The Jamie Foxx Show'', ''Strip Mall'', ''Suddenly ...

as Barborah Winslow, one of Pauline Phoenix's former hosts and current owner of Phoenix Parks. *

Patrick Stump Patrick Martin Stumph (born April 27, 1984), known professionally as Patrick Vaughn Stump, is an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Fall Out Boy, originally from Wilmette, I ...

as Josh, a security guard at the park. * Tucker Chandler as Patrick Guttman, Barney's younger brother. *

Kaitlyn Robrock Kaitlyn Robrock ( , born December 30, 1983) is an American voice actress best known as the current voice of Minnie Mouse for Disney, Felicia Sundew in ''Amphibia'', Tommy on the television series '' Mr. Pickles'' and ''Momma Named Me Sheriff'' ...

as Roxanne Guttman, Barney's mother. * Natasha Chandel as Swati Khan, Norma's mother. * Cee Nelson as Vince, one of Patrick's friends. *

Angelica Ross Angelica Ross (born November 28, 1980) is an American actress, businesswoman, and transgender rights advocate. A self-taught computer programmer, she went on to become founder and CEO of TransTech Social Enterprises, a firm that helps employ tra ...

and Samantha Jayne as Margie and Marly, an old Lesbian couple. *

Bill Farmer Bill Farmer (born November 14, 1952) is an American voice actor, comedian and impressionist. He has performed the voice of the Disney character Goofy since 1987, and has also been the voice of Pluto and Horace Horsecollar since 1990. Early li ...

as Chester Phoenix, one of Pauline Phoenix's ex-husbands. * Z Infante as Jules, a

non-binary Non-binary and genderqueer are umbrella terms for gender identities that are not solely male or femaleidentities that are outside the gender binary. Non-binary identities fall under the transgender umbrella, since non-binary people typically ...

ghost. *

Kemah Bob Kemah Bob is an American comedian. She achieved fame in the United Kingdom, and is best known for hosting '' It's a Sin: After Hours''. Early and personal life Bob grew up in Houston, Texas, and went to school in Waco, Texas. She has lived ...

as Henrietta, an orb ghost. *

Jamie Demetriou Jamie Demetriou (born November 1987) is an English comedian, actor and screenwriter. He is best known for his role as Bus Rodent in ''Fleabag'' and for creating, co-writing, and starring in '' Stath Lets Flats''. For the latter, he won Best Male ...

as Fingers, a serpentine angel resembling a giant arm sent from the fourth plane to watch over Pugsley. * Taylor Gibson as

Asmodeus Asmodeus (; grc, Ἀσμοδαῖος, ''Asmodaios'') or Ashmedai (; he, אַשְמְדּאָי, ''ʾAšmədʾāy''; see below for other variations), is a ''prince of demons'' and hell."Asmodeus" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chica ...

, a demon wrestler. *

Haley Joel Osment Haley Joel Osment (born April 10, 1988) is an American actor and voice actor. Beginning his career as a child actor, Osment's role in the comedy-drama film '' Forrest Gump'' (1994) won him a Young Artist Award. His breakthrough came with the psyc ...

as Danny, a fallen angel worker. * Piotr Michael as Pael, the Head Angel of the fourth plane.

Production, development, and release

On 17 August 2020, Steele explained how the show changed from its original iteration on Cartoon Hangover in 2014, and the graphic novels that followed it, stating that he is grateful for showrunners who fought for

LGBTQ ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...

characters in their shows, adding that there was "absolutely no pushback from Netflix about representation", while describing Barney as a trans male character. He also hoped that the show will help out "more trans creators getting their chance to tell their stories" while hinting at other LGBTQ characters in the show apart from Barney. In another interview, he was thankful to Netflix executives for letting them have diversity in the show while pushing for it, and pushing him to "tell the story I want to tell". He stated that all the scripts were reviewed by

GLAAD GLAAD (), an acronym of Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, is an American non-governmental media monitoring organization originally founded as a protest against defamatory coverage of gay and lesbian demographics and their portrayals ...

and said he couldn't wait for people to know Barney. Jen Rudin was a casting executive for the show. Julian Guidetti is the show's composer, and features original songs written by

. In January 2023, he revealed that the series was pitched to Netflix in 2019, and that the series wasn't a "word-for-word adaptation" of the comics he had written. The series was scheduled to premiere in 2021. The series was originally scheduled for a Fall 2021 premiere on Netflix. In August 2021, Steele noted the importance of trans representation in the series, hoped it took a stance against

transphobia Transphobia is a collection of ideas and phenomena that encompass a range of negative attitudes, feelings, or actions towards transgender people or transness in general. Transphobia can include fear, aversion, hatred, violence or anger tow ...

in the UK, and noted there are "multiple trans cast and crew". On 23 October 2021, Netflix reserved a trademark with the new name for the series: "Dead End: Paranormal Park". On 19 May 2022, the show's trailer premiered and confirmed the show would premiere on 16 June 2022. Mey Rude of Out stated that the trailer gives a "great look at the show" and said that the show features queer and trans characters, addressing these identities "through important storylines". The first season premiered June 16, 2022. In July 2022, after the show's release, Steele argued that the series was a

young adult animation In the United States, before the enforcement of the Hays Code, some cartoon shorts contained humor that was aimed at adult audience members rather than children. Following the introduction of the Motion Picture Association of America film rati ...

like ''

Infinity Train ''Infinity Train'' is an American animated television series created by Owen Dennis, previously a writer and storyboard artist on ''Regular Show''. four seasons have aired, plus a series of short episodes. The pilot for the series was released ...

'' and hoped for the expansion of the genre in the future. On 6 September 2022, a second season was confirmed to be released on October 13. The second season premiered on October 13. On 13 January 2023, Steele announced that Netflix has cancelled the series. On 17 January 2023, Steele wrote a guest column in ''

Gizmodo ''Gizmodo'' ( ) is a design, technology, science and science fiction website. It was originally launched as part of the Gawker Media network run by Nick Denton, and runs on the Kinja platform. ''Gizmodo'' also includes the subsite ''io9'', whic ...

'', saying that the cancellation meant that "the story cannot conclude on screen" and added that "politics of TV production" means that creators are "never guaranteed to end things on your terms", differentiating it from writing

webcomics Webcomics (also known as online comics or Internet comics) are comics published on a website or mobile app. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers, or comic books. Webcomics can be ...

and graphic novels.

Episodes

Season 1 (2022)

Season 2 (2022)

Reception

The series was received positively. David Opie of

Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...

argued that the series satiates the "endless need for adorable queer animation" and noting other animated series with queer-inclusive stories. Abbey White of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' said the series isn't "typical" for animated series, noted the "racially-, gender- and sexuality-diverse cast" and argued the series smashes genres and is "equal parts comedy, horror and coming of age." Ben Mitchell, the editor-in-chief of ''Skwigly'' called the series a "horror comedy...for younger audiences" and praised the well-developed characters and "incredible attention to detail" in production design. Reuben Baron of ''Paste'' called the series "groundbreaking" and argued that U.S. senators Roger Marshall,

Mike Lee Michael Shumway Lee (born June 4, 1971) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Utah, a seat he has held since 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party. Lee began his career as a clerk for the U ...

Mike Braun Michael Kent Braun (; born March 24, 1954) is an American businessman and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Indiana since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he previously represented the 63rd district in the India ...

Steve Daines Steven David Daines ( ; born August 20, 1962) is an American politician and former corporate executive serving as the junior United States senator for Montana since 2015. A Republican, he served as the U.S. representative for Montana's at-large ...

, and

Kevin Cramer Kevin John Cramer (born January 21, 1961) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator for North Dakota since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he represented North Dakota's at-large congressional district ...

demanded new content warnings because the series centers on a trans protagonist. Baron criticized the series for not capturing the "visual charm" of the DeadEndia comic and saying the series "tones down" some themes from the comic while praising the writing and treatment of autism in the series. Jade King of The Gamer argued that the series is "delightfully queer" and said it comes together in a "warm, comforting, and spooky animated adventure". She also praised the show's character development and said the show shouldn't be overlooked. Charles Pulliam-Moore of ''

The Verge ''The Verge'' is an American technology news website operated by Vox Media, publishing news, feature stories, guidebooks, product reviews, consumer electronics news, and podcasts. The website launched on November 1, 2011, and uses Vox Media' ...

'' called the series a "shining example" of what queer creators can do "when given the resources and freedom to tell their own stories", said its existence is evident in the impact of "other recent progressively minded cartoons" on modern animation and hoped that Netflix renewed the series. Kristy Puchko of

Mashable Mashable is a digital media platform, news website and entertainment company founded by Pete Cashmore in 2005. History Mashable was founded by Pete Cashmore while living in Aberdeen, Scotland, in July 2005. Early iterations of the site were a ...

called it a "kinetic and heartwarming adventure cartoon" which delivers on LGBTQ representation and is true to the source material. Barry Levitt of ''

The Daily Beast ''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. It was founded in 2008. It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief from 2018 to 2021. In a 20 ...

'' called the series a "incredibly fun journey" with bright and inviting "colors and charming character designs filling every frame" and said it is a "miracle" the series is coming out, with rising

transphobic Transphobia is a collection of ideas and phenomena that encompass a range of negative attitudes, feelings, or actions towards transgender people or transness in general. Transphobia can include fear, aversion, hatred, violence or anger tow ...

rhetoric.

References

External links

*
Dead End: Paranormal Park
on

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

Production website
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