Award-winning TV writer and SFF author

Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street Season 2 is Now Streaming

Thirteen new episodes of Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street were released on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, October 30th for your viewing pleasure. We began planning season 2 way back in December 2014 and it’s a huge relief to finally be able to send these episodes out into the world. It’s a little nerve-wracking too. After all, we have a whole season one to live up to. Sophomore efforts are famously precarious. But I think somehow, despite setting the bar very high, we managed to clear it. Maybe with room to spare.

Last season we were finding our characters and exploring the kind of stories we would tell. This year, we were able to more clearly define the theme of our season. We had to acknowledge that our kids were growing and getting older. They weren’t children, they weren’t quite adults. That tension, when we were at our best, is where we focused our stories.

This year we watch as Gortimer takes a tentative step toward adult life, retreats, and then grapples with the new dynamic of a potential girlfriend. Ranger isn’t ready for change, but change is happening all around him anyway. Mel seemingly reaches the limits of her abilities and finds she cannot simply push on as she used to. And a tragic event toward the end of the season forces Gortimer, Mel and Ranger to confront their fears of what the future holds for each of them.

Of course, we still bring the fun. Gortimer gets cloned. Ranger develops a dangerous case of static buildup in his hair. And Mel’s brain explodes. Par for the course on Normal Street. Our kids act their spleens out. Our animators have created dazzling and inventive sequences to illustrate our stories-within-stories (which we call “storybombs” in the writers room). Our sets, costumes, cinematography are glorious. The music is rapturous. This show is loved so much by the people working on it that it shows in every frame. I hope it’s as fantastic an experience for the viewer to watch as it was for us to create.

Celebrating the Launch

To celebrate the start of Gortimer S2, Amazon teamed up with Just Jared Jr. to throw a party. I think our cast had fun…

gortimer-gibbons-cast-just-jared-jr-fall-fun-day-07

There was no avoiding the red carpet but I made it through alive. I was disappointed not to get photos alongside the cast. I’m sure no one knew why they were taking pictures of me.

David Anaxagoras attends Just Jared Jr.'s Fall Fun Day celebrating Season 2 of Amazon Prime's "Gortimer Gibbon's Life on Normal Street" on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision for Just Jared/AP Images)

Sloane was all over the party. I think he was born on a red carpet.

#RiOMG #gortimeramazon

A photo posted by Sloane Siegel (@sloanesiegel) on

Media Coverage

I’ll leave you with a few highlights from the very positive media response regarding Gortimer’s return. I’m especially fond of the thoughtful and deeply felt review from Decider ( links below).

Amazon’s ‘Gortimer Gibbons’ is Singular, Joyful and Important – Just Like Childhood
Decider
“For the teens or pre-teens who watch it, I hope this show at least plants a seed whose roots take hold before they’ve rocketed past play and imagination. I hope they see, in 30-minute doses, an admittedly fantastical world that is still somewhat attainable, where friends take care of each other and nobody has their face stuck to a screen; where kids their age are thoughtful and smart and imperfect, but never in a hurry to grow up.”

What’s on TV this weekend, Oct. 29-Nov. 1
San Francisco Chronicle
October 28, 2015
“The second season of Amazon’s ‘Gortimer Gibbons’ Life on Normal Street’ is available for streaming today. It’s an inventive and terrific kids’ show that grown-ups may want to watch as well.”

Gortimer Gibbon Returns to Amazon For An Excellent Season 2
Channel Guide
October 30, 2015
“It’s a series that treats kids as intelligent consumers of media. The plotlines are complex, the acting is superb, and unlike most tween-targeted TV, it isn’t pandering for cheap laughs. It’s what tweens should be watching … and demanding.”

Finally, here’s a fun interview with Sloane Morgan Siegel, Ashley Boettcher, and Drew Justice from Justine Magazine.

And now I’m looking forward to a few days respite before people start asking me about season 3.

What are you still doing here? Go watch Season 2 of Gortimer!

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  1. mamagotcha Avatar

    Thank you for all your work to bring this wonderful world to life! I noticed that the Wikipedia page for Gortimer says that there are more episodes for S2 in the works. Is that just wishful thinking on the parts of your dedicated fans (of which I am one), or are there really more Normal Street stories on the way? Any word on S3? Fingers crossed!