Tuca & Bertie fans returning to Bird Town this summer might notice a few small changes. For one thing, we’ve done a bit of a time jump: While Bertie toils away at her home baking business, Tuca’s already recovered from a break-up with last season’s girlfriend, Kara, and is knee-deep in a new relationship—this time with a tree named Figgy.
Oh, and also, the express train (a giant snake with doors in its belly) is giving birth on the platform, its hatchlings eating everyone in town and then pooping them out. Could one liken this to the COVID-19 pandemic, which upended untold aspects of metropolitan life? You could call it that, but creator Lisa Hanawalt’s intentions are rarely that didactic.
Since its first season, Tuca & Bertie has charmed critics with its absurdist wit and frank exploration of difficult topics including sexual assault, PTSD, and addiction. And Season 3, which premiered Sunday on Adult Swim (and HBO Max), finds the animated series at its peak—or should we say beak? (Sorry.) This time around, our best bird friends, Tuca Toucan (Tiffany Haddish) and Bertie Songthrush (Ali Wong), are at transition points.
