With Super Team Canada, which premieres today (May 16), Calgary-born comedy veterans and series creators Joel H. (The Simpsons, Crash Canyon) and Robert Cohen (The Ben Stiller Show, The Simpsons) tell Playback Daily that they were looking to create something entirely Canadian as a “love letter” to the country.

The superhero comedy marks Crave’s first animated original series and began its journey to the Bell Media service with a pitch to one of its future stars Will Arnett.

“What we said to Will when we first approached him is we wanted to do this as a 100% Canadian entity and pitch it in Canada,” says Robert. “It wasn’t ‘if Canada says no, we’ll go elsewhere’ … we can make this with Canadian animation, Canadian talent and Canadian editors and it’s all because we know that this country has world-class talent, and that’s what got Will excited in the beginning.”

The fully-assembled team saw Arnett and his prodco Electric Avenue suiting up, along with Thunderbird Entertainment’s Vancouver-headquartered Atomic Cartoons boarding as a producer on the project. Super Team Canada was then pitched to Bell Media, which bought the now Crave Original.

The adult animated series follows six Canadian superheroes tasked with saving the world from a variety of villainous threats, including giant evil robots and an unemployed octopus. Along with Arnett, Super Team Canada features the voices of Cobie Smulders (Sharp Corner), Charles Demers (Beat Bugs), Brian Drummond (Death Note), Veena Sood (Children Ruin Everything), Ceara Morgana (Flourish) and Kevin McDonald (The Kids in the Hall).

Robert is series showrunner and an executive producer alongside brother Joel, Matthew Berkowitz, Thunderbird and Atomic’s Jennifer Twiner McCarron and Kristin Cummings, with Electric Avenue’s Arnett and Marc Forman. Thunderbird Distribution is handling international sales with U.S. and U.K. deals soon to be announced.

The release of the series follows soon after the brothers were tapped for executive producer roles at the Canadian division of L.A.-based prodco GRAiNEY Pictures, as the two say they see growing opportunity within Canada.

“The Canadian dollar and tax credits make Canada more attractive for productions which seem to be looking to lower budgets in any way possible,” said Joel. “We see and hear this while working in the U.S. and are constantly and more frequently approached by U.S. networks and studios trying to take advantage of these incentives.”

Joel also notes that, since the announcement of their appointments at GRAiNEY, the two have been approached by properties that recognize the opportunity in Canada or are interested in working with the brothers creatively.

“You need to be very nimble these days to get things made, anywhere you are,” adds Robert. “People are realizing that Canada is a great way to do it … whether it’s fully produced [in Canada] or a coproduction.”

The brothers will be heading to the Banff World Media Festival in June where GRAiNEY is preparing to launch a new lineup of projects.

“We are unifying with projects that we really believe in, that we think can fit what the market currently says it’s looking for,” says Robert. “But also ones that we’re excited about that you can make in or with Canada.”

Robert also says that their positions at GRAiNEY would not impact the production of a Super Team Canada season two, if the series were to be renewed.

Image courtesy of Atomic Cartoons