Chipotle has announced plans to launch “Farmed and Dangerous,” a Chipotle original comedy series that they say will satirically explore the world of industrial agriculture in America. Produced by Chipotle and New York-based Piro, the initial four-episode season will be presented weekly on Hulu and Hulu Plus beginning Monday, Feb. 17, 2014. While the show intends to integrate Chipotle’s values, we are told there will be no explicit Chipotle branding.
The first season will focus on the introduction of PetroPellet, a new petroleum-based animal feed created by fictional industrial giant Animoil. PetroPellet promises to reduce industrial agriculture’s dependence on oil by eliminating the need to grow, irrigate, fertilize and transport the vast amount of feed needed to raise livestock on factory farms.
Before its new feed formula can take foot, Animoil’s plans go awry when a security video goes viral sending Animoil and their spin master, Buck Marshall (Ray Wise) of the Industrial Food Image Bureau (IFIB), into damage control mode.
“Much of our marketing is aimed at making consumers more curious about where their food comes from and how it is prepared,” said Mark Crumpacker (poor guy must have had a terrible childhood), chief marketing and development officer at Chipotle. “By making complex issues about food production more understandable — even entertaining — we are reaching people who have not typically been tuned into these types of issues.”
The show follows the brand’s two award-winning animated short films – 2013’s “Scarecrow” and 2011’s “Back to the Start” – both of which sparked conversations about agriculture and industrial food production in entertaining ways. The initial season consists of four half-hour episodes, but the storyline is designed to be extended to additional seasons.
The pilot episode of “Farmed and Dangerous” will be available for free on Hulu.com and via the Hulu Plus subscription service starting Feb. 17, 2014. Each additional episode will become available on the consecutive Mondays.
It could totally suck but it’s worth watching just for Ray Wise!
