Heartwarming hilarity with a bucket load of empathy seems to be the common thread for Levy’s projects, and “Standing By” is no exception. According to the logline, the series is a “satirical look into the lives of a group of eternally bound, disgruntled guardian angels and the lessons they’ll eventually learn from not only the dysfunctional humans they’re in charge of protecting but also each other.” As it turns out, the angels who float above the clouds are no more perfect than the humans they observe. In the press release, Levy described the main gang as “a team of judgmental, gossip-starved guardian angels.”
“Standing By” will be putting that dysfunction on display, exploring the melodrama of their everyday lives as they themselves learn what it means to become better. Based on that premise, I’m expecting a biting, satirical edge with a gooey, warm center beneath all the snark. The series is part of Hulu’s push into adult animation, a slate that also includes the 20th Century-produced hit, “Solar Opposites.”