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Pork and Konjac is an animated sitcom created by Elliot Strange and Sajeet Convoy, co-developed by Wallace Wolodarsky and Mike Scully for FXX. The series stars Julie Rei Goldstein, Stephanie Hsu, Julia Wolov, Wyatt Cenac, Olivia Thirlby and Charlie Day.

In spite of favorable reviews, the show was pulled from the network in early 2025 and later from streaming.

Premise[]

The series centers on Alex, a trans woman who finds herself at odds with the world, being a moderate in spite of her associations. In trying to confront issues reasonably and understand others, she tends to make things worse whether intentionally or not. She is aided by her friend Mace, who tends to encourage more negative habits. She was formerly embroiled with the far right and while she attempts to display some growth, old habits tend to slip through that make either look bad. Other characters include Colleen who previously appeared in The Halloween Kids and Anthony, a school guidance counselor and egomaniac. They would later be joined by Alyson and Drew, opponents to either of the four characters.

The first season saw Alex moving into a house slated for demolition along with three other roommates, each going about their lives and taking part in developments that occur with or without their influence. They would occasionally run afoul of liberal activists Alyson and Drew who complicate whatever they're doing for the day, and whom the former has an ongoing feud with Mace. Occasionally, the four would partake in social causes, including assisting in preparing an asexual wedding or fighting against a religious sociopath.

The second season would see Mace and Alyson mending their fractured ties, leaning more heavily into social issues and general discourse. Had the series continued, episodes would focus heavily on the Trump administration and Alex's personal identity.

Setting and Connections[]

Pork and Konjac takes place 23 years after the events of The Halloween Kids. Both series took place within the fictional suburban Butts County, located in Western Michigan. The Halloween Kids took place in Shelby, a dormitory community known for its fishing and culinary scenes, while Pork and Konjac takes place in the county seat Crocker, formerly Crockerton; over the years the citizens petitioned to shorten the name, the deal coming to pass on April 1st, 2009, though the Crockerton name was kept for the police and fire departments. Crocker had gone through a recession following the closure of the city's biggest employer, LifeLine Batteries, with other factories gradually closing over the years. Crocker houses Jarvik University, and to maintain the economy the town would turn their focus to appealing to college age residents and those seeking low income housing. Most Shelby residents would either move or commute to Crocker, many regulars in The Halloween Kids appearing occasionally, taking on various roles in the area.

Politics[]

Relating to the political content shown throughout most of the series, it reflects on the general nature of the city the characters reside in, from economic shifts to social attitudes.

Butts County was historically a liberal hotbed, having voted for progressive candidates Eugene V. Debs and Robert M. LaFollette in the 1912 and 1924 elections respectively. It became a reliably Republican county until 1960 where they voted for John F. Kennedy in 1960 and later Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, owed to shifts in the Republican party's views. Butts County would then on vote for Democratic candidates with some exceptions; the county would vote for Richard Nixon in 1968, owed to dissatisfaction with Johnson's approach to the Vietnam War, though they would later vote for his opponent George McGovern in 1972. The county would repeat this pattern in 1976, voting for Gerald Ford then voting for Carter in 1980. Though he didn't win the county, George W. Bush scored the highest percentage of any Republican candidate, though this was owed to concerns over Al Gore's environmental platform dividing residents.

Opening Theme[]

The opening theme to Pork and Konjac features lyrics set to an instrumental for Monster Magnet's Space Lord. The opening theme was recorded as something of a joke, but after they received clearance to use it, it would appear on the series proper. The opening sets to introduce the characters.

Cast[]

  • Julie Rei Goldstein as Alex Savadove: A transsexual woman, Alex developed feminine traits when she was a child, but was unable to act on them due to family and close friends downplaying her feelings. After graduating from college and moving to the city, Alex gained the confidence to transition. Alex had elected not to under go reassignment surgery and had kept her original name due to fear of permanence. She tries to take the high road when it comes to sensitive topics, just to live a normal life, but the pressures faced by transsexuals see her fall into that cycle of disparagement on a regular basis. Due to the election of Donald Trump and the general outline of Project 2025 seeking to harm transsexuals, Alex considers de-transitioning fearing for her life, ending the series on a cliffhanger.
  • Stephanie Hsu as Mae Sung-Ri (Mace): A former alt-right grifter with a popular at the time YouTube channel. Mace, in spite of having some left-leaning views and being generally apolitical, had fallen to the right back in 2016. The loss of friends she knew for years, the onslaught of protests and general negativity led her to speak out against them in order to let off angst, not knowing of the consequences to Trump's inauguration. Mace would later abandon her right wing past after 2020 and had sought to redeem herself, managing to become friends with Alex and rebuild some good faith. The 2024 election however would see her potentially drift back to the right, but this was due to an influx of influencers guilting others who had either not voted or voted for Trump not of their own free will. Beyond that, Mace makes it a point to not bring up politics if it isn't necessary, she would typically give people the benefit of the doubt and look deeper into things in order to get the right context, only to be lambasted if she indirectly validates a negative side. Early outlines indicate she is Alex’s girlfriend, but this is now shown in the series proper.
  • Julia Wolov as Colleen MacPherran: Alex's roommate. Colleen works at Planet Fitness and is considered the breadwinner of their shared space. Colleen is sarcastic but generally laidback, and not above influencing others to do devious things. She was a high school dropout, owed to her inability to remain awake during most classes and animosity toward a cruel teacher. Unable to face her family fearing they would disown her, Colleen would run away from home and gradually become a junkie, later finding outlets to keep her sober before confronting her trauma that led her down the path in the first place. Colleen previously appeared in The Halloween Kids in a recurring role.
  • Wyatt Cenac as Anthony Jelnick: A school guidance counselor with sociopathic tendencies, living in an apartment next to Alex and Colleen's. Having been brought up in a religious cult, after breaking from his learned behaviors he would escape from the compound he was living at and would lead a bust against it. Anthony had developed a resentment toward religion due to trauma from his upbringing and would generally antagonize devotees who share similar behaviors. In spite of this, Anthony does not consider himself an atheist, though many consider him a gatekeeper when it comes to how people express their fate. Beyond that, Anthony is ironically the more sensible of the group, typically being the first to call out what seems like a bad idea conceived by anyone in his circle.
  • Olivia Thirlby as Alyson Weil: A leftwing activist. Alyson is generally judgmental of those who don't share her views, while being arrogant over her own beliefs. She is the leader of a social club dedicated to left wing causes, one that shifts locations each episode, though she is the only one who takes its mission seriously. She and Mace are rivals, having previously fallen out while the two were in college, but by the second season both are working to mend their ties as she and the others would integrate with the group.
  • Charlie Day as Drew Horowitz: A Eugene, Oregon native. Drew first appeared in episode six and would later become a recurring character. In spite of his interests and appearances, Drew is a metal fan and frequently plays more obscure songs from the genre. He is generally insecure about his sexuality, owed to trauma when expressing himself to his family, easily provoked at the smallest cracks made against him. Though assuming he was gay, he would later determine he was asexual due to his inability to be intimate.

Production[]

Strange developed the series alongside comic book artist Sajeet Convoy. The creation of the series was owed to a promise made by Strange to Convoy when the latter worked as a voice actor for the short film Wolf Catchers; when Convoy became an adult and gained experience they would work on a show together. Wanting to continue an older project, The Halloween Kids, Strange would attempt to get involvement from key writers and producers to avoid potential legal issues. Strange would contact Wallace Wolodarsky and Mike Scully, those who previously co-developed The Halloween Kids, to assist in the development of Pork and Konjac. Wyatt Cenac, Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein would be brought on as writers, the former helping develop the series bible for Pork and Konjac and providing the voice for one of the main characters, and the latter two writing the teleplays for a majority of the episodes.

Writer Shadi Petosky was brought on as a consultant for the show’s trans lead Alex. Strange and Petosky would initially clash regarding the extent of the character’s sexuality portrayed and the overall character; Strange wanted to focus on the personality and have the character appear less flashy, while Petosky wanted to make her sexuality more obvious. Due to the direction the series would ultimately take in pre-production, Petosky would step away from the series though she would state it was on amicable terms. She would remain credited as a consultant and would co-write the episode Investation with actress Julie Rei Goldstein.

When looking for networks to air the series, Strange aimed for FXX, wanting to go for premium channels with less restrictions. Certain international rights are held by Sony Pictures Television, who co-produced The Halloween Kids via their now dormant Adelaide Productions label.

Episodes[]

Season 1
# Name Description
1 Pilot Alex acquires a house, unaware she is sharing it with three other guests. Learning a businessman is attempting to buy the house to expand an apartment complex, the gang steals a Chihuahua owned by Mace's bitter mother for ransom.
2 Date Vape The gang protests the opening of a smoke shop in their neighborhood. Alex learns more about Colleen's past as a drug addict.
3 Magic Words Using a trick taught to her by Colleen, Alex would go on a journey that would see her gaining control of the city.
4 Differences Alex gets into an online feud with a movie reviewer relating to either's stance on J.K. Rowling, and it would get to a point both would meet in real life.
5 Small Claims, Big Egos Alex and Alyson get into a fender bender. Due to either's insurance claims expiring, both take it to court and do what they can to get the other to pay for the damages.
6 Save Stinky's Anthony and Alex promote a wellness project, where students would take pictures of a toy at restaurants with unhealthy meals, and wind up angering Alyson and her group after the project would lead to the potential closure of a local restaurant, one where they host their meetings.
7 Obey the Shirt Anthony attempts to help the son of a Jehova's Witness family, especially as they stifle his sociality, with the final straw coming when they refuse to take him to a hospital when he falls ill. Anthony winds up forming a mob to drive the family out of town.
8 Doom Stroll Alex, Mace, Anthony and Colleen travel to Wyoming for a sabbatical, where they would find themselves in the middle of a trafficking plot after accidentally getting undercover agents killed.
9 Shelby Alex attempts to reintegrate a woman who awakens from a 24 year coma. The woman would discover her son became an established asexual author and is planning to be part of his county's first asexual marriage.
10 Serial Squatter An elderly woman claims to have lived in Alex's house and attempts to convince them to let her live there until she dies, the group unaware she is a wanted criminal.
Season 2
# Name Information
1 Talk and Think Alyson becomes depressed after getting ousted from her group when a new member ousts her, with Mace and Alex attempting to help her get back in.
2 Sweet, Sweet Subtext Colleen teams up with members of Alyson's group to create a fan made She-Hulk comic series, but the publisher they work with wants to stray away from their depictions.
3 Decentralized Conflict Mace discovers her old YouTube channel was hacked by a cryptocurrency front, and the group plot to drain the hacker's funds as revenge.
4 The Theorem The gang oversee the real time degradation of a hangout spot as the owner allows unsavory individuals to visit and drive away the regulars. Not wanting it to happen again, the group attempt to drive away those types from another spot, causing a fight.
5 The Four Year Plan A serial killer is terrorizing Crocker, with Alyson becoming a target. Among the suspects include former Manson Family members who are attending a promotional tour.
6 J.K. Got me Rolling Facing eviction after their apartment complex gets bought out, Alex and company attempt to join Alyson's group hoping to find shelter. For their initiation they are tasked with raiding a Harry Potter theme park where they would happen upon a treasure hunt.
7 Investation Alex and friends travel to Shelby to visit the former's parents, where they deal with Alex's abusive machine obsessed father. The family seeks to move in with Alex after claiming to have lost money in investing in political causes, Alex not realizing they blew their money through scam investments which they attempt to put her money toward as payback for her defiance.
8 Over Dar Alex and company acquire the rights to a wellness channel after a miscommunication, and make an enemy out of a devoted actress.
9 Miracles Happen (Like Shit) The gang attempts to help a man who opened a business on a loose hope get back on track, but in doing so enable him to think more critically and lead him out of his rut.
10 Attack of the Killer Stache The gang are put up against the head of their police precinct who is seeking to militarize members.

Reception[]

Pork and Konjac received generally mixed reviews, On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the series overall holds a 54% approval rating with an average rating of 6 out of 10 based on 21 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Though not without good performances and the occasionally thoughtful story, it is all buried beneath bad optics." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the series a score of 60 out of 100 based on 10 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". The series has been compared to South Park, with many deeming it to be a more left-leaning version of that series.

Cancellation[]

In December of 2024, it was announced that Pork and Konjac was not going to be renewed for a third season. In January of 2025, the series was removed from FXX's rotation, later getting pulled from streaming the next month. It has been speculated that the series was cancelled due to its political subject matter, with the third season intending to directly focus on the second Donald Trump administration, with another theory centering on the show's trans lead, in relation to Disney's removal of episodes or storylines centering on trans individuals.

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