16 Hudson
16 Hudson is a Canadian animated series, produced by Big Bad Boo about four friends, Lili, Sam, Amala and Luc, living in a small apartment in a big city. The series was created by Shabnam Rezaei and based on the fifteen-episode miniseries Lili & Lola from 2015. 16 Hudson gained international recognition in October 2021 by winning the MIPCOM Diversify TV Award in Cannes, France, up against Disney and the BBC.[1] Prior to the release of the first season were prequel episodes about Lili and Lola. Seasons 1 and 2 had 39 episodes each. Season 1 aired from 2019 to 2020, while season 2 aired from 2020 to 2021. The third season, which aired from 2021 to 2022, had 21 episodes. The series was renewed for a fourth season, which premiered on October 26, 2025.[2]
Synopsis
[edit]Tells the story of neighbors who recognize their differences, similarities, and go on adventures together, as friendships are strengthened. Holidays such as Norooz, Diwali, and Chinese New Year are celebrated by the series characters.[3][4]
Episodes
[edit]Prequel (Season 0)
[edit]| No. in series | Title | Original release date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Light Bulb" | TBA |
| 2 | "Small" | TBA |
| 3 | "Lili Picasso" | TBA |
| 4 | "Lili Detective" | TBA |
| 5 | "Norooz" | TBA |
| 6 | "The Four Season" | TBA |
| 7 | "The Music Box" | TBA |
| 8 | "Thanks But No Thanks" | TBA |
| 9 | "Baba's Ice Cream Part 1" | TBA |
| 10 | "Baba's Ice Cream Part 2" | TBA |
| 11 | "Lola's Fancy Dress" | TBA |
| 12 | "Movie Night" | TBA |
| 13 | "Story Time" | TBA |
| 14 | "Trouble in Pardis" | TBA |
| 15 | "Snow Day" | TBA |
Season 1
[edit]| No. in series | Title | Original release date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Home Remedies" | August 18, 2018 |
| 2 | "Twice the Magic" | August 23, 2018 |
| 3 | "The Tooth Fairy" | August 28, 2018 |
| 4 | "Amala's Big Dig" | August 30, 2018 |
| 5 | "Huggle Day" | September 4, 2018 |
| 6 | "Long Gone Dugong" | September 7, 2018 |
| 7 | "Lili's Skating Badge" | TBA |
| 8 | "Super Rainbow Macaron" | TBA |
| 9 | "Toothbrush #3" | TBA |
| 10 | "Ivan From Outer Space" | TBA |
| 11 | "Best Frenemies" | TBA |
| 12 | "Luc's Super Shoes" | TBA |
| 13 | "Fix-It Sam" | TBA |
| 14 | "I Heart Lucy" | TBA |
| 15 | "Treehouse Trouble" | TBA |
| 16 | "Double Dad's Day" | TBA |
| 17 | "Monkey King" | TBA |
| 18 | "Dress Up Mess Up" | TBA |
| 19 | "Lemonade" | TBA |
| 20 | "The Last Samosa" | TBA |
| 21 | "Stick to It" | TBA |
| 22 | "Finders Keepers" | TBA |
| 23 | "Apples, Raisins, & Onions, Oh My!" | TBA |
| 24 | "What a Spectacle" | TBA |
| 25 | "Chinese School of Rock" | TBA |
| 26 | "Mr. K" | TBA |
| 27 | "An Henri in Need" | TBA |
| 28 | "Mountain Lyin'" | TBA |
| 29 | "Where's Daddy" | TBA |
| 30 | "Sticky Fingers" | TBA |
| 31 | "Big" | TBA |
| 32 | "Tree's Company" | TBA |
| 33 | "Whose Side Are You On?" | TBA |
| 34 | "L-A-T-E" | TBA |
| 35 | "My Pal Lionel" | TBA |
| 36 | "You Snooze, You Lose" | TBA |
| 37 | "Lucky Sam" | TBA |
| 38 | "The Light Fantastic" | TBA |
| 39 | "Lili's New Year" | TBA |
Season 2
[edit]| No. in series | Title | Original release date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Blob that Everyone Ate" | September 8, 2020 |
| 2 | "Lacrosse Purposes" | September 10, 2020 |
| 3 | "Picture Perfect" | September 15, 2020 |
| 4 | "Roof of the Brave" | September 17, 2020 |
| 5 | "Mezopitzonia" | September 21, 2020 |
| 6 | "Tickle Tornado" | September 24, 2020 |
| 7 | "Sam's Singing Smiles" | September 29, 2020 |
| 8 | "Jazzbot" | October 1, 2020 |
| 9 | "Operation Nanni" | October 6, 2020 |
| 10 | "Friendsgiving" | October 8, 2020 |
| 11 | "Luc's Very Bad Day" | October 13, 2020 |
| 12 | "Bird's Eye View" | October 15, 2020 |
| 13 | "Fair Game" | October 20, 2020 |
| 14 | "Act Smart" | October 22, 2020 |
| 15 | "Cool Eddie" | October 27, 2020 |
| 16 | "Unfair Fun Fair" | October 29, 2020 |
| 17 | "Thanks, But No Pranks" | November 3, 2020 |
| 18 | "Hudson We Have A Problem" | November 5, 2020 |
| 19 | "Cool to Be Kind" | November 10, 2020 |
| 20 | "Stone Soup" | November 12, 2020 |
| 21 | "Social Butterfly" | November 17, 2020 |
| 22 | "The Jig Is Up" | November 19, 2020 |
| 23 | "Smell You Later" | November 24, 2020 |
| 24 | "The Pit Crew" | November 26, 2020 |
| 25 | "Happy Tavalod to You" | December 1, 2020 |
| 26 | "Amala's No Talent Show" | December 3, 2020 |
| 27 | "The Tell Tale Robot" | December 10, 2020 |
| 28 | "The Great Race" | December 15, 2020 |
| 29 | "Octopus Pancakes" | December 17, 2020 |
| 30 | "Ritika T Butterfly" | December 22, 2020 |
| 31 | "Perky Pup" | January 5, 2021 |
| 32 | "Dirty Dishes" | January 7, 2021 |
| 33 | "Seaweed Sam" | January 12, 2021 |
| 34 | "Welcome" | January 24, 2021 |
| 35 | "Best Behavior" | TBA |
| 36 | "Follow The Leader" | TBA |
| 37 | "Luc's Feast" | TBA |
| 38 | "The Buddy Zone" | TBA |
| 39 | "Winter is the Best" | TBA |
"A 16 Hudson Christmas Tree", "The Feather", and "Moon Festival" are special episodes.
Season 3
[edit]| No. in series | Title | Original release date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Bloopians Are Coming!" | July 11, 2022 |
| 2 | "Nye-Nye Paints It Out" | July 18, 2022 |
| 3 | "Home Improvements" | TBA |
| 4 | "Spice Box" | TBA |
| 5 | "Out of Step" | TBA |
| 6 | "Home Games" | TBA |
| 7 | "Non Voyage" | TBA |
| 8 | "Lili's Big Adventure" | TBA |
| 9 | "Souvenir" | TBA |
| 10 | "Hands" | TBA |
| 11 | "Gathering Storm" | TBA |
| 12 | "Take Your Pick" | TBA |
| 13 | "The Perfect Room" | TBA |
| 14 | "Zero Bars" | TBA |
| 15 | "Passcode" | TBA |
| 16 | "The Great 16 Hudson Bake-Off" | TBA |
| 17 | "Bro-Bot" | TBA |
| 18 | "Putting Down Roots" | TBA |
| 19 | "Lucy Come Home" | TBA |
| 20 | "Bust a Move" | TBA |
| 21 | "16 Hudson Is..." | TBA |
Season 4
[edit]| No. in series | Title | Original release date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Super Surprise" | October 26, 2025 |
| 2 | "Who is the Super, Really?" | TBA |
| 3 | "Third Wheel" | TBA |
| 4 | "Lizard on the Loose" | TBA |
| 5 | "Wedding Planner" | TBA |
| 6 | "Who Does it Better?" | TBA |
| 7 | "Amanda's Best Holi" | TBA |
| 8 | "Bunny Blues" | TBA |
Production and broadcast
[edit]On March 27, 2015, it was announced that Big Bad Boo Studios had agreed to partner with TVOKids to begin developing the series, marking the fifth original program of the studio.[5] The following year, on October 11, 2016, the series was greenlighted by TVOKids for a one season order.[6]
The series began broadcasting its first season on TVOKids in August 21, 2018,[7] and Knowledge Kids since September 3, 2018, followed by French channels Ici Radio-Canada Première and TFO. The series also has aired on Amazon Prime in the U.S. since July 2020.[8][9] Big Bad Boo Studios launced a workship series for BIPOC people in December 2020, including creating a diverse writers room for the series.[10]
The first and second seasons each have 39 episodes which are each 7 minutes long.[11][7] A series of five ER (emergency room) shorts put out as PSAs in response to COVID-19. The third season saw the friends traveling to heritage countries like China and India and visiting relatives, with the series creator, Shabnam Rezaei, describing the episodes as "very special" and "a very Canadian story."[12] Previous seasons had introduced a refugee family from Kurdistan,[13][14] and was praised for emphasizing diversity among the cast[15][11] and its "non-traditional characters" like Luc, who has two dads.[16] This third season contains 21 episodes, each approximately seven minutes long, plus five more (total 10) ER shorts.[12][17] This brings the total episodes in the franchise to 124 episodes. The first five ER shorts, entitled "Lola's Sneezing School", "Washing Hands", "Coronavirus Game Show", "Social Distancing", and "Luc's New Hour" s released in April 2020. An additional five released in summer 2020 bringing the total to ten.[citation needed]
In September 2021, the series was nominated for the MIPCOM Diversify TV Excellence Award for Representation of Diversity in Kids’ Programming in the preschool category, competing against JoJo & Gran Gran and Mira, Royal Detective.[18] The same year, the cat character, Kensington "Kenny G", voiced by Marcus Mosely, had a spin-off series entitled ABC with Kenny G, also produced by Big Bad Boo Studios and created by Rezaei.[19][20] 16 Hudson also won two awards at the 2021 LEO Awards in July of that year and nominated for Awards of Excellence by the Youth Media Alliance.[21][22]
In July 2022, the series won an award at the Kidscreen Awards, for "Best Inclusivity" in Kids Programming.[23] In February 2023, the series episode "Spice Box" was nominated for an award for Best Writing in Animation by the Canadian Screen Awards.[24]
In May 2023, the fourth season was in production.[25] The fourth season premiered on October 26, 2025.[2] The season will have 21 episodes each of which are seven minutes long.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ Milligan, Mercedes (March 27, 2015). "Big Bad Boo, TVO Partner for '16 Hudson'". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on March 28, 2015. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
- ^ a b "TV Bytes: New Animated Series Seasons, Sales & Co-Pro Deals". Animation Magazine. October 17, 2025. Archived from the original on November 19, 2025. Retrieved October 17, 2025.
- ^ a b "16 Hudson". Big Bad Boo Studios. Archived from the original on September 30, 2025. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
- ^ Malyk, Lauren (January 15, 2019). "Big Bad Boo's 16 Hudson renewed for season two". Kidscreen. Archived from the original on July 11, 2023.
- ^ Milligan, Mercedes (March 27, 2015). "Big Bad Boo, TVO Partner for '16 Hudson'". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on May 14, 2025. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
- ^ Milligan, Mercedes (October 11, 2016). "TVO Kids Greenlights '16 Hudson' from Big Bad Boo". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on November 21, 2024. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
- ^ a b Zahed, Ramin (August 15, 2018). "Big Bad Boo's '16 Hudson' Lands in Canada". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on December 11, 2024. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
- ^ "Amazon US moves into 16 Hudson". C21 Media. July 22, 2020. Archived from the original on January 23, 2025. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
- ^ Milligan, Mercedes (July 28, 2020). "Global TV & Streaming Roundup". Archived from the original on August 12, 2025. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
- ^ Milligan, Mercedes (December 22, 2020). "Big Bad Boo Launches BIPOC Talent Workshops". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on February 9, 2025. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
- ^ a b Milligan, Mercedes (January 15, 2019). "Big Bad Boo's '16 Hudson' Gets Season 2 Greenlight". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on May 18, 2025. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
- ^ a b "16 Hudson Readies 3rd Season for Canada-Wide Premiere". Animation Magazine. January 31, 2022. Archived from the original on February 15, 2025. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
- ^ Zahed, Ramin (February 17, 2021). "Drawing on the Immigrant Experience: Big Bad Boo's '16 Hudson' Introduces a Refugee Family". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on January 23, 2025. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
- ^ Milligan, Mercedes (December 4, 2020). "'16 Hudson' Refugee Story Arc Set for Bilingual Launch in Canada". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on February 9, 2025. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
- ^ Milligan, Mercedes (January 8, 2021). "Children's Media Lab Report Explores Representation in Canadian Animation". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on February 13, 2025. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
- ^ Zahed, Ramin (September 20, 2019). "Pioneers of the Toon Frontier: Big Bad Boo's Inclusive New Series 'The Bravest Knight'". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on February 19, 2025. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
- ^ Milligan, Mercedes (September 30, 2020). "TVOkids Greenlights S3 of '16 Hudson' from Big Bad Boo". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on March 17, 2025. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
- ^ Milligan, Mercedes (September 30, 2021). "'Star Trek: Prodigy' to Premiere at MIP; Project Pitches & Diversify Nominees Announced". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on May 24, 2025. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
- ^ Milligan, Mercedes (July 9, 2021). "'ABC with Kenny G' Gets in Tune for NorAm Premiere". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on May 15, 2025. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
- ^ Milligan, Mercedes (November 26, 2019). "Big Bad Boo Greenlights '16 Hudson' Spinoff 'ABC with Kenny G'". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on April 20, 2025. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
- ^ Milligan, Mercedes (July 9, 2021). "2021 Leo Awards: Animation & VFX Winners". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on April 19, 2025. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
- ^ Milligan, Mercedes (April 19, 2021). "YMA Announces Awards of Excellence Nominees". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on August 12, 2025. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
- ^ Milligan, Mercedes (July 20, 2022). "'Trash Truck' Scores Four Wins at Kidscreen Awards". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on April 19, 2025. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
- ^ Milligan, Mercedes (February 22, 2023). "Canadian Screen Awards: 2023 Animation Nominees". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on August 11, 2025. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
- ^ "People on the Move: Jerry Diaz Joins Big Bad Boo, Lelash Joins Supercell, Sesame Workshop Ups Higgins & More". Animation Magazine. May 4, 2023. Archived from the original on February 10, 2025. Retrieved November 18, 2025.