The 'Bless the Harts' Cast Is Packed With Celebs — Including Kumail Nanjiani As Jesus
byRebecca Patton
FOX
Fox's newest animated comedy follows a southern family who have a lot of heart — quite literally, since the show is called Bless the Harts. Creator Emily Spivey appears in the series as a character named Louise, but it's the celebrity voice cast who anchors Bless the Harts. For Spivey, it was about bringing her hometown of High Point, North Carolina to life onscreen.
"I've been wanting to do a show about my hometown forever," she told Animation Magazine, explaining that when she was approached to create an animated series, The Andy Griffith Show (which is also set in North Carolina) and King of the Hill immediately came to mind. While Greenpoint — where Bless the Harts takes place — isn't a real town, it's likely an amalgam of Greensboro and High Point, which are both nestled between Winston-Salem and Raleigh-Durham.
And it's clear that Bless the Harts is coming from a place of love and affection. "I love that we're doing small stories about these characters that have so much fun," Spivey continued. "We want to laugh with them, not at them ... my favorite thing is being able to watch something and then relate to it, and say, 'Oh, that's me!'"
With such a personal project, Spivey likely took extra care to pick out the cast. Here are the celebs she trusted to do her story justice.
Jee Young Han — Binh Ly
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Han worked with one of her Bless the Harts co-stars before, when she appeared in an episode of 2018's Forever alongside Maya Rudolph. She's also appeared in Santa Clarita Diet and the Bryan Cranston comedy Why Him?, as well as held small roles in various TV shows. In February, it was announced that Han will star inupcoming NBC comedy Like Magic, Variety reported.
Mary Steenburgen — Crystal
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Per Deadline, Steenburgen's Bless the Harts character is "a longtime 'frenemy' of Betty." However, the actor is perhaps best known for playing Nancy Huff in Step Brothers (and being married to Ted Danson). Steenburgen also won an Oscar in 1981 for her supporting role in Melvin and Howard, and has received Golden Globes nomination for her performances in Ragtime and Goin' South, among others. Recently, she appeared in TV shows like On Becoming a God in Central Florida, The Last Man on Earth, and Curb Your Enthusiasm.
In addition to co-starring in Comedy Central's series The Other Two, Tarver has also played characters in Bajillion Dollar Propertie$, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Chris Kelly's 2016 dramedy Other People. Here, he plays a character named Randy, who Deadline described as being "the town weirdo."
Spivey got her start writing for MADtv in 2000, and has since worked for legendary comedies like SNL and Parks and Recreation. In 2011, she created the short-lived NBC comedy Up All Night, which starred Christina Applegate, Will Arnett, and Maya Rudolph. Most recently, she penned the screenplay for Wine Country, which she starred in alongside Rudolph, Amy Poehler, Rachel Dratch, and Tina Fey.
Nanjiani is known for his roles in Silicon Valley, The Big Sick (which he wrote with his wife, Emily V. Gordon), and the 2019 buddy comedy Stuber. In Bless the Harts, he plays none other than Jesus himself, who talks to Jenny while she works shifts at Last Supper.
Holly Hunter — Marjune Gamble
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Speaking of The Big Sick, which Holly Hunter appeared in, the Georgia native plays Marjune Gamble in Bless the Harts.
The show may be animated, but fans can rest assured that these characters are being voiced by an A-list comedic cast who look to imbue their onscreen counterparts with gravitas, good-natured quips, and lots and lots of humor.