Summary
- Exploding Kittens adult animation series showcases humor, mayhem, and animated cats in a biblical twist on divine characters.
- Television notables like Tom Ellis and Sasheer Zamata bring the characters of Godcat and Devilcat to life in a silly and chaotic way.
- The new Netflix show inspired by the tabletop card game has mixed reviews but remains true to the original game’s spirit of fun and absurdity.
Exploding Kittens unleashes Heaven and Hell on Earth in an irreverent adult animation series supported by a cast of television notables and veteran voice actors. What began as a tabletop card game of the same name created by Matthew Inman (creator of the webcomic The Oatmeal) and former Xbox game designer Elan Lee has since burgeoned into a trending Netflix TV show. Yet, the Exploding Kittens series doesn’t directly draw from its namesake, instead opting to adopt the game’s signature elements of humor, mayhem, and animated cats to a newly realized premise of biblical proportions.
Matthew Inman created and executive produced
Exploding Kittens
. Elan Lee also serves as an executive producer.
God and the Devil are sent from their respective beyond to mingle among mortals as house cats, and they can’t return nor regain their divine bodies until they have successfully lived up to their names. While Exploding Kitten’s newfangled premise received mixed reviews, with some citing it as a touch too much, it proved to be a great ode to the purpose of its namesake. Exploding Kittens’ story, sustained by the talented, comedic voice cast behind its cat and human characters, makes for silly and chaotic fun, just as the tabletop card game inspires.
Exploding Kittens Cast |
Role |
---|---|
Tom Ellis |
God/Godcat |
Sasheer Zamata |
Devilcat/Beelzebub |
Suzy Nakamura |
Abbie Higgins |
Mark Proksch |
Marv Higgins |
Ally Maki |
Greta Higgins |
Kenny Yates |
Travis Higgins |
Tom Kenny |
Craig |
David Gborie |
Aslandeus |
Carlos Alazraqui |
Chorgle |
Tom Ellis as God/Godcat
Date Of Birth: November 17, 1978
Actor: Tom Ellis was born in Cardiff, Wales. The actor got his first role in the last season of the BBC sitcom Kiss Me Kate. From there, Ellis appeared throughout the early 2000s in limited roles for series such as Nice Guy Eddie, Wild West, and Love Soup. Some sources cite his role as Dr. Oliver in the 2006 soap opera EastEnders as his breakout role, while others argue for his part as Gary Preston in the British sitcom Miranda. What’s indisputable is that Ellis is best known for playing the titular main character in the crime fantasy drama Lucifer.
Notable Movies & TV Shows:
Tom Ellis’ Movies/TV Shows |
Role |
---|---|
Players |
Nick |
Lucifer |
Lucifer Morningstar |
Isn’t It Romantic |
Hot Doctor (Todd) |
Miranda |
Gary Preston |
Merlin |
Cenred |
EastEnders |
Dr. Oliver |
Vera Drake |
Police Constable |
Character: Tom Ellis plays Exploding Kittens’ leading character, Godcat, and God before he gets trapped inside the body of a feline. He created the Earth, but his Board of Angels all agree that he’s stopped caring about the humans that inhabit it. Because of this, he is sent down to Earth as a house cat and forced to help bring the discordant Higgins family together in an effort toward redemption. Without his godly power, uniting the Higgins family proves more difficult than Godcat initially thinks.
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Sasheer Zamata as Devilcat/Beelzebub
Date Of Birth: May 6, 1986
Actor: As the daughter of a lieutenant in the US Air Force, Sasheer Zamata was born in Okinawa, Japan. Zamata was raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, and grew up to be a comedian, actress, and writer. She started her career writing, producing, and acting in various early 2000s shorts before breaking out as a cast member for Saturday Night Live. Zamata acted in 74 episodes of SNL from 2014 to 2017, afterward appearing in big comedy projects like The Last O.G., Tuca & Bertie, Woke, and Jerry Seinfeld’s Netflix movie Unfrosted.
Notable Movies & TV Shows:
Sasheer Zamata’s Movies/TV Shows |
Role |
---|---|
Unfrosted |
Beth Donovan |
Tuca & Bertie |
Kara |
Woke |
Ayana |
The Last O.G. |
Isis |
I Feel Pretty |
Tasha |
Saturday Night Live |
Various |
Character: Sasheer Zamata plays Godcat’s mortal enemy, Devilcat, also known as Beelzebub, in Exploding Kittens. Like Godcat, Devilcat is slacking on her duties, and, ultimately, she is sent up to Earth from Hell to improve her evil. She is the successor of what Hell regards as the greatest Satan ever, so her high-pressure task on Earth proves just as difficult as Godcat’s. When they’re not declaring all-out war on each other, Godcat and Devilcat come to realize they have a lot more in common than they’d like to believe.
Suzy Nakamura as Abbie Higgins
Date Of Birth: December 2, 1973
Actor: Suzy Nakamura hails from Chicago, Illinois. She first hit screens in an episode of Bruce Willis’ 1996 cartoon Bruno the Kid and has acted ever since, marking a nearly thirty-year career of performances in TV, movies, stage plays, web series, and commercials. Her early career consisted of supporting roles and guest appearances in popular TV titles like Curb Your Enthusiasm and The West Wing and movies like Treasure Island, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, and The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Later, she’d earn leading roles on ABC’s Dr. Ken and HBO’s Avenue 5.
Notable Movies & TV Shows:
Suzy Nakamura’s Movies/TV Shows |
Role |
---|---|
Avenue 5 |
Iris Kimura |
Inside Job |
Tamiko Riley |
Dead to Me |
Karen |
Dr. Ken |
Allison Park |
Horrible Bosses 2 |
Kim |
Modern Family |
Dr. Miura |
Curb Your Enthusiasm |
Assistant Manager |
Character: In Exploding Kittens, Suzy Nakamura plays the Higgins family matriarch, Abbie. Abbie is an ex-Navy SEAL whose grit and thirst for adventure make it hard to connect with her family. Abbie is skeptical of Godcat’s intervention plan, but as her cursory prayer for help reveals, she and her family could use his assistance.
Mark Proksch as Marv Higgins
Date Of Birth: July 19
Actor: Originally from Onalaska, Wisconsin, Mark Proksch pursued his claim to fame through the unconventional route. He first attracted attention for his parody character K-Stauss, a yo-yo master who appeared on several Midwestern local news broadcasts. The character unveiled his knack for comedy and was a launchpad for Proksch’s early career in Bob’s Burgers, Animal Practice, and The Office, in which he performed in the breakout role of Nate. Presently, Proksch enjoys a leading role as energy vampire Colin Robinson in FX’s critically acclaimed comedy horror series What We Do in the Shadows.
Mark Proksch’s performance in
What We Do in the Shadows
earned him a 2021 Critics Choice Awards nomination.
Notable Movies & TV Shows:
Mark Proksch’s Movies/TV Shows |
Role |
---|---|
What We Do in the Shadows |
Colin Robinson |
Ten Year Old Tom |
Dakota’s Dad |
Dream Corp LLC |
Randy Blink |
Better Call Saul |
Daniel ‘Pryce’ Wormald |
Portlandia |
Sean |
The Office |
Nate |
Character: Across from Suzy Nakamura’s Abbie, Mark Proksch voices the Higgins family patriarch, Marv Higgins. Marv is a nerdy, big box manager who goes with the flow of day-to-day living despite it not being all it’s cracked up to be. To offset the mundanity of life, Marv takes pleasure in tabletop games, quite like the one his show is inspired by.
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Ally Maki as Greta Higgins
Date Of Birth: December 29, 1986
Actor: Ally Maki hails from Washington but moved to Los Angeles, California, at 14 after being scouted by a talent agent. She started her career in L.A. as a musician and was signed to Columbia Records in the all-girl band “The Valli Girls” before landing her first acting role as Sasha in an episode of ABC’s sitcom My Wife and Kids. The occasion provoked a number of kid-friendly roles for Maki, who went on to feature in TV series and movies such as That’s So Raven, iCarly: iGo to Japan, Toy Story 4, and Cloak & Dagger.
Notable Movies & TV Shows:
Ally Maki’s Movies/TV Shows |
Role |
---|---|
The Big Door Prize |
Hana |
Toy Story 4 |
Giggle McDimples |
Cloak & Dagger |
Mina Hess |
Wrecked |
Jess |
New Girl |
Kumiko |
10 Things I Hate About You |
Dawn |
Character: Ally Maki’s career in kid-friendly projects served the actress well for her Exploding Kittens role as Abbie and Marv’s daughter Greta. However, Greta is no typical teenager; she is a genius who finds joy in science-oriented matters that are often radical and diabolical. Paired with the growing pains of adolescence, Greta is the most unhinged in the Higgins family dynamic.
Kenny Yates as Travis Higgins
Date Of Birth: October 29, 1984
Actor: Kenny Yates was born in Grand Forks, North Dakota. At 16, Yates started his career in the PBS live-action children’s television show Zoom. After performing in 80 episodes for Zoom seasons 2 and 3, Yates took a hiatus from acting for five years. He’d start back up in the late 2000s for small roles in movies, including Epic Movie, Meet the Spartans, and Vampires Suck, all of which he also served as a director’s assistant. From then on, Yates oscillated between behind-the-scenes and onscreen roles in various spoof, action, and horror movies.
Notable Movies & TV Shows:
Kenny Yates’ Movies/TV Shows |
Role |
---|---|
Final Wager |
Director |
ReBroken |
Ronnie |
Zoom |
Kenny |
Character: Kenny Yates rounds out Exploding Kittens‘ Higgins family in the role of Travis Higgins. Unlike his sister, Travis is consumed with trying to get internet famous so he can move past a childhood incident that went viral. Travis has ultimately given up on earning his family’s approval, opting instead to immerse himself in streaming and social media culture.
Exploding Kittens Supporting Cast & Characters
Tom Kenny as Craig – Tom Kenny plays Craig in Exploding Kittens, one of the angels on the board assigned to keep an eye on God. Kenny is best known for voicing SpongeBob SquarePants for the Nickelodeon franchise of the same name – though the esteemed voice actor has also shared his talent in roles for TV series such as CatDog, Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, Handy Mandy, Adventure Time, and hundreds more.
David Gborie as Aslandeus – David Gborie voices Aslandeus, the other angel assigned to keep God on track. Before Exploding Kittens, Gborie was featured in TV shows Royal Crackers, The Instigators, and A.P. Bio.
Carlos Alazraqui as Chorgle – Like Tom Kenny, Carlos Alazraqui is also a prominent voice actor in his own right, performing as characters in Rocko’s Modern Life, Camp Lazlo!, El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera, and The Fairly OddParents, among hundreds of others. In Exploding Kittens, Alazraqui plays Chorgle, an animatronic rat that Godcat has a hard time understanding isn’t real.