Tuca & Bertie creator Lisa Hanawalt was "blindsided" by Netflix's cancelation, but she heard from Adult Swim "pretty much immediately"

Los Angeles Times

“I definitely felt blindsided by (the cancellation) because the reception to the show felt so positive,” says Lisa Hanawalt, in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. But Adult Swim quickly swooped in to attempt to save the show. “When Tuca & Bertie became available, I immediately got on the phone,” said Walter Newman, Adult Swim’s senior vice president of comedy development. “I probably overplayed my hand, but at the same time, I got emails from so many people in our company, asking ‘Hey, do you think this is a possibility? Can we get this?’ It was something that all of us were really invested in.” Newman, who was surprised that Tuca & Bertie became available, explained that the acquisition was “a competitive situation … so a lot of it, for us, was making sure Lisa Hanawalt chose us...We went after it because we love the show. Having watched the first season, I knew there was a lot more to do with Tuca, Bertie, Speckle and Lisa.” Still, Hanawalt admits feeling pessimistic amid all the uncertainty. “I just was kind of in limbo, not quite knowing if the show could be saved or not,” said Hanawalt. “I was a bit pessimistic at times. I had all these ideas for Season 2 that I was really excited about, and I wasn’t sure whether to save those ideas on the off chance that we could have another shot at it, or use those ideas in something else.” But in her time off, Hanawalt says she came "into this new season with a lot of energy and ideas. It was helpful to have space to think about (Tuca & Bertie) and what I wanted to do with them.” Tuca & Bertie premieres on Adult Swim on June 13.