The creators of Big Mouth are back. After eight seasons and 81 episodes of puberty-soaked chaos (2017–2025), Nick Kroll, Andrew Goldberg, Jennifer Flackett, and Mark Levin have returned to Netflix with a new adult animated series — this time swapping awkward teenagers for horny woodland creatures. Mating Season dropped on May 22, 2026, with all 10 episodes available to binge at once. But does it live up to its pedigree?
The short answer: it’s complicated — and funnier than its rougher moments suggest.
What Is Netflix Mating Season About?
Set in an unnamed forest where animals enjoy partial human civilisation while still being governed by raw biological instinct, Mating Season follows four friends navigating the messy, mortifying world of adult romantic life.
| Character | Animal | Voice Actor | Story Arc |
|---|---|---|---|
| Josh | Bear | Zach Woods | Freshly dumped after oversleeping hibernation; desperately needs to mate before the next one |
| Ray | Raccoon | Nick Kroll | Boundlessly enthusiastic, cross-species appetite for companionship |
| Fawn | Deer | June Diane Raphael | Repeatedly falls for entirely wrong partners, including a wolf who pees on everything |
| Penelope | Fox | Sabrina Jalees | Gay fox carrying unresolved feelings for a long-lost love; painfully clumsy social skills |
The premise — woodland animals with human-level romantic anxieties — is genuinely promising. And the season delivers: Canadian flashbacks, hallucinogenic horny goat weed trips, an agrarian sex cult, a tropical destination wedding, and a non-stop parade of enthusiastically humping animals.
What the Critics Are Saying?
The consensus is nuanced. Critics agree the show has real strengths — especially its voice cast — but it struggles to fully escape the long shadow of Big Mouth.
The good: The voice work is near-universally praised as excellent across the board. The show’s tightly structured episodes, which periodically converge at a local pub called The Watering Hole, give it a proper sitcom rhythm that works well. When Mating Season leans into clever comedy over shock value, it genuinely shines. Critics note it improves significantly as the season progresses and the characters find their own footing.
The mixed: Several reviewers found the writing inconsistently splits between conventional sitcom setups and sudden gross-out lurches, creating a jarring tonal whiplash. The dating storylines, while relatable, don’t always use the animal filter in ways that feel fresh or illuminating.
The consensus: Much like Big Mouth‘s spinoff Human Resources, Mating Season is enjoyable — sometimes very funny — but it doesn’t yet feel essential. It works best when it stops trying to be Big Mouth 2 and lets its characters be their own brand of adult idiots.
Should You Watch It?
If you loved Big Mouth and you’re in the mood for an adult animated sitcom with plenty of raunch, a surprising amount of heart, and the same creative DNA — yes, absolutely. The 10-episode first season is a quick, fun binge and gets genuinely better in its second half.
If you’re new to this brand of adult animation, be warned: this is decidedly TV-MA territory. Snail mucous jokes, orgies disguised as frog spawning, and Viagra-adjacent subplots are all on the menu. You know who you are.
🔗 Looking for more Netflix hidden gems and binge-worthy shows? Check out TechnoSports Entertainment for streaming reviews and OTT updates.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Show | Mating Season |
| Platform | Netflix |
| Release Date | May 22, 2026 |
| Episodes | 10 (all released at once) |
| Rating | TV-MA |
| Genre | Adult Animated Comedy / Romance |
| Creators | Nick Kroll, Andrew Goldberg, Jennifer Flackett, Mark Levin |
| IMDb Score | 7.8 / 10 |
🔗 Also read: Best Adult Animated Shows to Watch Right Now – TechnoSports
