General · EdgepediaOctober 3, 20266 min read

The Bravest Knight

The Bravest Knight is an American animated children's television series that premiered on Hulu on June 21, 2019, based on Daniel Errico's children's book The Bravest Knight Who Ever Lived. It follows Sir Cedric, a former pumpkin farmer who became a knight and married the prince of his dreams, as he recounts his adventures to his adopted 10-year-old daughter Nia, who is training to become a knight herself.¹ The series centers a two-dad family and has been described as one of the first children's television series with an openly gay main character.²

Key fact	Detail
Format	2D animated children's series produced by Big Bad Boo Studios; created by Daniel Errico and directed by Shabnam Rezaei³
Premiere	Five episodes on June 21, 2019; the remaining eight of the 13-episode first season arrived October 11, 2019⁴
Main cast	T.R. Knight as Sir Cedric, Wilson Cruz as Prince Andrew, Storm Reid as Nia, Bobby Moynihan as Grunt the troll¹
Guest voices	RuPaul as Stanley the Big Bad Wolf, Wanda Sykes as Mona the Mayor, Christine Baranski as the Dragon, Teri Polo as the messenger raven Saylor⁴
Milestone	The first-ever Hulu Kids' Original series³
Award	Season 1 received the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Kids & Family Programming³
Season 2	13 episodes released December 13, 2024 on Hulu and CBC Gem³

Spoilers

Premise and format

Each episode follows a consistent structure: the grown Sir Cedric tells his daughter Nia a story from his younger days, and the episode's main plot is an adventure from his youth that carries a social-emotional lesson, which Cedric sums up for Nia at the end.⁵ The lessons center on honor, justice, and compassion, with the stated message that knighthood is much more than slaying dragons.¹ Violence is toned down; heroes more often use their wits to escape danger than fight, and kindness is presented as an important aspect of courage.⁵

The central family is interracial and formed through adoption: Cedric is a White man married to Prince Andrew, a Latino man, and their adopted daughter Nia is Black. The characters' identities are not discussed within the show; they are simply accepted as part of the story.⁵ Cedric's sidekick Grunt, a purple troll, encounters prejudice from other characters, and one episode features Stanley the Big Bad Wolf, a male wolf who wears a dress and bonnet, voiced by RuPaul.⁵

The opening theme song was written and performed by the Grammy-nominated musician, songwriter, and activist Justin Tranter.¹

Origin

Errico's book The Bravest Knight Who Ever Lived begins like a conventional fairytale: a young knight battles a dragon to rescue a prince and princess, but instead of marrying the princess, the knight marries the prince.⁶ The Advocate suggested in 2015 that it may be the first children's book to feature a hero who just happens to be gay.⁷ Errico, a New York City-based author and producer, had earlier worked as a mechanical engineer and at an investment bank brokerage firm in New York before turning to children's media full time.⁸

Getting the story produced took years. Errico said most networks he approached were resistant to an LGBTQ protagonist, telling him they could support it privately but not publicly because the market would not accept it or there would be protests.⁶ In an interview with Toon Boom, he said he spent a long time trying to get the project picked up and "honestly couldn't even give it away for free." A call with Hulu changed that; the streamer wanted more content of this kind and was willing to publicly support it.⁹

Hulu first streamed an eight-minute short film based on the book, and Shabnam Rezaei, co-founder and president of Canada's Big Bad Boo Studios, watched it and was moved by the ending, in which the prince and the knight marry. Errico then approached Rezaei's studio to help develop the concept into a full series and pitch it to Hulu.¹⁰ Hulu ordered 13 episodes in May 2019.¹¹

Production and cast

Big Bad Boo Studios produced the series, with Errico serving as executive producer and writer, involved in every aspect of its creation.⁶ Rezaei, who also directed, said her goal is to put color on television and advocate for people whose voices are not being represented; she noted that a nephew of hers has two dads, making the project personal for her.¹⁰

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation's Welcoming Schools program worked with the show's creators to develop the characters and help them navigate topics about their family structure and the adoption theme. Ellen Kahn, the HRC's senior director of programs and partnerships, said the story is affirming for children adopted by parents of a different race or ethnicity.¹²

T.R. Knight, who voices Sir Cedric, said that when he was growing up he never saw himself represented on screen, and that being part of something sharing a message of love and inclusion was an opportunity anyone would accept.¹² Bobby Moynihan improvised much of Grunt's timing and gags in the voice booth, according to Rezaei.¹⁰

Reception and significance

The first five episodes launched in June 2019 to critical acclaim, and the series was a finalist for the MIPCOM Diversify TV Excellence award.⁴ Season 1 later received the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Kids & Family Programming.³ Common Sense Media gave it a Common Sense Selection designation, praising its star voice cast and messages about courage, compassion, and living an authentic life.⁵

The series also drew opposition. A fierce battle played out on its Facebook page between critics on the religious right in the United States and its liberal defenders, even as the show received critical plaudits.¹³ According to a 2020 Windy City Times article, it was said to be the sole mainstream TV show aimed at very young children to center chiefly on a family that includes queer members.¹⁴

As part of the launch, for every stream of the show until July 20, 2019, Hulu donated $1, up to $50,000, to The Trevor Project, which provides suicide prevention and crisis intervention services for LGBTQ youth.¹⁰ Big Bad Boo handled international distribution, with Rezaei reporting discussions with about 50 channels and expecting interest from Western Europe, Scandinavia, parts of Latin America, the U.K., and Australia.¹⁰

A second season of 13 episodes, greenlit by Disney-owned Hulu and the Canadian public broadcaster CBC Kids, premiered on December 13, 2024 on Hulu and CBC Gem, adding guest voices including Alan Cumming, Wallace Shawn, Cynthia Nixon, Jane Lynch, Margaret Cho, Nina West, Nasim Pedrad, and Ali Stroker.³^•¹⁵

References

Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Animated television series (individual series) › Children's animated adventure and fantasy series › Fantasy and magical series

Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026

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