Posted in: TV | Tagged: Sam & Max

Sam & Max: Elijah Wood Is Pitching an Animated TV Series Reboot

Among Us star Elijah Wood believes now is the perfect time to revisit the Steve Purcell franchise, Sam & Max, as an animated series.

Published Sat, 13 Jun 2026 13:37:07 -0500

by Tom Chang

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Article Summary

Elijah Wood says Sam & Max is a prime candidate for a TV animated reboot as game adaptations keep booming.
Wood praised the Steve Purcell franchise’s distinct art style, saying Sam & Max would translate perfectly to animation.
Sam & Max began as a 1987 comic, became a cult-hit 1993 LucasArts game, and later expanded through Telltale titles.
The 1997 Fox Kids Sam & Max animated series lasted one season, making a modern revival feel especially timely now.

It's safe to say we're approaching a golden age of video game adaptations for TV and film, with the success of various IPs like Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Mario Bros, Resident Evil, Tomb Raider, and The Last of Us, and many upcoming projects along the way. Elijah Wood, who stars in one such adaptation, the ensemble animated series Among Us (based on the Innersloth franchise) on Paramount+, is well aware of the phenomenon. Speaking to Screen Rant, the Lord of the Rings franchise star explained why Sam & Max, originally a comic book series but better known for its popular video game adaptation, is one of LucasArts' more popular non-Star Wars franchises and deserves another look as a TV series.

Sam & Max: Elijah Wood Pitched TV Animated Series Adapt Reboot — Cr: lev radin/Shutterstock.com and Nelvana

Among Us Star Elijah Wood Pitching a Sam & Max Animated Series Reboot

When it came to ideas for other franchises that could translate themselves to crossover success, Wood said that the Steve Purcell franchise has "a really great art style" that could "lend itself to an animated series." The duo consisting of Sam, an anthropomorphic Irish Wolfhound, and Max, an anthropomorphic "hyperkinetic, three-foot rabbity thing," made their comic debut in Sam & Max: Freelance Police in 1987, published under Fishwrap Productions. The first game of the franchise was Sam & Max Hit the Road in 1993, with Bill Farmer voicing Sam and Nick Jameson as Max, becoming a cult success.

There would be renewed interest in expanding their Sam & Max adventures into seven more titles, moving the franchise to Telltale Games in 2005, with David Nowlin voicing Sam and William Kasten voicing Max for the bulk of the run. There were new games from 2007 to 2024, which also dealt with another transition to Skunkape Games (with Telltale filing for bankrupcy in 2018) with Save the World (2007), Beyond Time and Space (2008), The Devil's Playhouse (2010), Save the World Remastered (2020), This Time It's Virtual (2021), Beyond Time and Space Remastered (2021), and The Devil's Playhouse Remastered (2024).

There was a short-lived animated series on Fox called The Adventures of Sam & Max: Freelance Police, developed by Canadian studio Nelvana, which aired a single season of 24 episodes before ending its run in 1998. The violence was toned down to cater to Fox Kids' younger audience, with Harvey Atkin voicing Sam and Robert Tinkler voicing Max. Despite its warm reception, a second season was never commissioned. While Shout! Factory acquired the DVD rights of the series; it's now out of print. Perhaps now is a good time to bring it back. For more, including co-star Yvette Nicole Brown's connection to Wood in the gaming world before acting, and why she would like to see a new adaptation of Assassin's Creed, you can check out the interview here. Among Us is now available to stream on Paramount+.

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