# Central Park (TV series)
**Central Park** is an American animated musical comedy series created by [Loren Bouchard](https://www.edgepedia.org/loren-bouchard), Josh Gad, and Nora Smith for Apple TV+, following the Tillerman family, who live in and help run New York City's Central Park while fighting a hotel heiress's attempt to buy the park and turn it into condominiums.[1](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/news/2020/01/apple-reveals-central-park-a-new-animated-musical-comedy-from-emmy-award-winner-loren-bouchard-to-debut-in-early-summer-2020/) It premiered on May 29, 2020, ran for three seasons, and was confirmed canceled in December 2023.[2](https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/loren-bouchard-on-central-park-appletv) • [3](https://playbill.com/article/josh-gads-animated-musical-series-central-park-cancelled)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Genre and format | Animated musical comedy; each episode is built as a Broadway-style musical with original songs[2](https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/loren-bouchard-on-central-park-appletv) |
| Creators | Loren Bouchard, Josh Gad, and Nora Smith; produced for Apple by 20th Century Fox Television[1](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/news/2020/01/apple-reveals-central-park-a-new-animated-musical-comedy-from-emmy-award-winner-loren-bouchard-to-debut-in-early-summer-2020/) |
| Premiere | May 29, 2020, exclusively on Apple TV+[2](https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/loren-bouchard-on-central-park-appletv) |
| Run | Three seasons: 13, 16, and 13 episodes; canceled after season 3[4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/central-park) • [3](https://playbill.com/article/josh-gads-animated-musical-series-central-park-cancelled) |
| Main cast | Josh Gad, Leslie Odom Jr., Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn, Tituss Burgess, Daveed Diggs, Stanley Tucci, and Emmy Raver-Lampman[5](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/originals/central-park/cast-crew/) |
| Critical reception | Metacritic Metascore 81 ("universal acclaim") from 18 critics; season 1 Tomatometer 94% on Rotten Tomatoes[6](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/central-park/) • [7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/central_park/s01) |
| Awards | Four Primetime Emmy nominations and two Kidscreen Awards wins among other nominations[6](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/central-park/) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and characters
The series centers on Owen Tillerman (voiced by [Leslie Odom Jr.](https://www.edgepedia.org/leslie-odom-jr)), the manager of [Central Park](https://www.edgepedia.org/central-park), who lives in the park with his wife Paige ([Kathryn Hahn](https://www.edgepedia.org/kathryn-hahn)), a journalist for a small local paper, and their two children, Molly (Kristen Bell) and Cole (Tituss Burgess).[8](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/central-park) The family's antagonist is Bitsy Brandenham (Stanley Tucci), a wealthy hotel heiress and real estate developer who, with her long-suffering assistant Helen (Daveed Diggs), wants to buy the park and open it up for development as condominiums.[1](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/news/2020/01/apple-reveals-central-park-a-new-animated-musical-comedy-from-emmy-award-winner-loren-bouchard-to-debut-in-early-summer-2020/) • [8](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/central-park)
[Josh Gad](https://www.edgepedia.org/josh-gad) voices Birdie, a street performer who serves as the show's narrator and [Greek chorus](https://www.edgepedia.org/greek-chorus), opening the series with a tribute to the park itself.[8](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/central-park) • [9](https://time.com/5838264/central-park-apple-tv-plus-review/) The Apple TV+ cast list also credits [Emmy Raver-Lampman](https://www.edgepedia.org/emmy-raver-lampman) among the principal voice cast.[5](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/originals/central-park/cast-crew/)
## Origin and production
The show began as a pitch from Josh Gad, the Tony-nominated actor known for *The Book of Mormon* and for voicing Olaf in the *Frozen* films, to Loren Bouchard, creator of *Bob's Burgers*: an animated series with an all-star cast in which every episode would be a full-on Broadway-style musical with different composers for each one, and with themes about families, growing up, and civic engagement.[2](https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/loren-bouchard-on-central-park-appletv) Bouchard and Nora Smith, both *Bob's Burgers* veterans, joined Gad as writers and executive producers.[1](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/news/2020/01/apple-reveals-central-park-a-new-animated-musical-comedy-from-emmy-award-winner-loren-bouchard-to-debut-in-early-summer-2020/) Apple ordered the series from Bouchard and 20th Century Fox TV, and announced it in January 2020 for a summer debut.[10](https://www.awn.com/news/bouchards-central-park-lands-apple) • [1](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/news/2020/01/apple-reveals-central-park-a-new-animated-musical-comedy-from-emmy-award-winner-loren-bouchard-to-debut-in-early-summer-2020/)
**Music.** Kate Anderson and Elyssa Samsel, known for *Between the Lines*, served as the series' resident songwriters, with guest songwriters including [Sara Bareilles](https://www.edgepedia.org/sara-bareilles), Ingrid Michaelson, Danny Elfman, Robert Lopez, and [Kristen Anderson-Lopez](https://www.edgepedia.org/kristen-anderson-lopez).[3](https://playbill.com/article/josh-gads-animated-musical-series-central-park-cancelled) Critics highlighted the songs as a defining strength; Time's review described a show "studded with original show tunes that juxtapose heartfelt emotion and bathroom humor."[9](https://time.com/5838264/central-park-apple-tv-plus-review/)
Showrunning credits differ between sources: Apple's press materials list Sanjay Shah and Halsted Sullivan as showrunners,[5](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/originals/central-park/cast-crew/) while Playbill reports that [Steven Davis](https://www.edgepedia.org/steven-davis) and [Kelvin Yu](https://www.edgepedia.org/kelvin-yu) served as showrunners and executive producers.[3](https://playbill.com/article/josh-gads-animated-musical-series-central-park-cancelled)
## Release and cancellation
Season 1 premiered on Apple TV+ on May 29, 2020, followed by a second season in 2021 and a third and final season beginning in September 2021.[3](https://playbill.com/article/josh-gads-animated-musical-series-central-park-cancelled) Season 1 ran 13 episodes, season 2 ran 16, and season 3 ran 13.[4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/central-park) In December 2023, Gad confirmed on Threads that the series had concluded, replying to a fan asking about its return with "Sadly, it's done."[3](https://playbill.com/article/josh-gads-animated-musical-series-central-park-cancelled) Animation World Network likewise reported the cancellation after three seasons.[11](https://awn.com/news/apple-tv-cancels-central-park-after-three-seasons) In the third season, Bitsy continues her pursuit of the park, Owen launches a promotional campaign to win the public over, and Paige lands her first book deal.[12](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/originals/central-park/)
## Reception
The first season was met with strong critical reviews. Metacritic assigned a Metascore of 81, labeled "universal acclaim," based on 18 critic reviews, with 17 positive and one mixed; the same site records four Primetime Emmy nominations and two Kidscreen Awards wins.[6](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/central-park/) Rotten Tomatoes reported a 94% Tomatometer for season 1 from 47 reviews, with a critics' consensus calling the show "a joyously hilarious musical love letter to the Big Apple."[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/central_park/s01) RogerEbert.com's review called it "a glorious gift for comedy and musical fans" and "one of the best shows of 2020."[6](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/central-park/) User scores were lower: Metacritic recorded a 6.0 user score from 50 ratings, and Rotten Tomatoes a 73% Popcornmeter for season 1.[6](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/central-park/) • [7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/central_park/s01)
Reviewers also noted the show's civic themes. Time described its egalitarian politics as hard to miss, framing a park where homeless people sleep on benches surrounded by multimillion-dollar dwellings as a metaphor, defended by a dorky, multiracial middle-class family for whom the park is a haven.[9](https://time.com/5838264/central-park-apple-tv-plus-review/) Common Sense Media rated the series appropriate for ages 11 and up, noting adult themes and language, and praised its diverse voice cast.[8](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/central-park) AppleInsider identified it as both Apple TV+'s first adult-oriented animated show and its first musical show.[13](https://appleinsider.com/articles/20/05/29/review-central-park-an-animated-musical-triumph-for-apple-tv/amp/)
## References
1. [Apple reveals "Central Park," a new animated musical comedy from Emmy Award winner Loren Bouchard, to debut in early summer 2020, Apple TV Press (January 19, 2020)](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/news/2020/01/apple-reveals-central-park-a-new-animated-musical-comedy-from-emmy-award-winner-loren-bouchard-to-debut-in-early-summer-2020/)
2. [Elevating the Underdog: Loren Bouchard on Central Park, RogerEbert.com (June 1, 2020)](https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/loren-bouchard-on-central-park-appletv)
3. [Josh Gad's Animated Musical Series Central Park Cancelled, Playbill (December 4, 2023)](https://playbill.com/article/josh-gads-animated-musical-series-central-park-cancelled)
4. [Central Park - watch tv show streaming online, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/central-park)
5. [Central Park - Cast & Crew, Apple TV Press](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/originals/central-park/cast-crew/)
6. [Central Park Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/central-park/)
7. [Central Park: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/central_park/s01)
8. [Central Park - Parents' Guide & TV Review, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/central-park)
9. [Central Park Is a Sweet, Rude Love Letter to Public Spaces From the Team Behind Bob's Burgers, Time (May 2020)](https://time.com/5838264/central-park-apple-tv-plus-review/)
10. [Bouchard's 'Central Park' Lands at Apple, Animation World Network](https://www.awn.com/news/bouchards-central-park-lands-apple)
11. [Apple TV+ Cancels 'Central Park' After Three Seasons, Animation World Network](https://awn.com/news/apple-tv-cancels-central-park-after-three-seasons)
12. [Central Park, Apple TV Press](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/originals/central-park/)
13. [Review: 'Central Park' an animated musical triumph for Apple TV+, AppleInsider (May 29, 2020)](https://appleinsider.com/articles/20/05/29/review-central-park-an-animated-musical-triumph-for-apple-tv/amp/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Sitcom and comedy series › Animated sitcoms and animated comedy series › Adult animated sitcoms*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license