Interview with Royal Crackers Creator Jason Ruiz and Executive Producer Seth Cohen

Join Swimpedia in our conversation with Royal Crackers creator Jason Ruiz and executive producer Seth Cohen, as we discuss everything from how Succession inspired the series to their focus on character-driven storytelling. 

Royal Crackers, which is premiering three episodes this Sunday night at 11:00 PM and next day on HBO Max, centers around the Hornsby family and their business. With the patriarch and founder of Royal Crackers, Theodore Hornsby Sr., incapacitated, it is up to these dysfunctional individuals to keep the company afloat. If you’re looking for an early preview, check out the first episode right now, “Crumbling Empire,” as well as the trailer for the season below. 

Plus, if you like what you see, we’re happy to inform you that the series has already been greenlit for Season 2!

Swimpedia: Hi, Jason! Hi, Seth! How are you both doing?

Seth Cohen: I’m good, how are you?

Jason Ruiz: It’s nice to meet you, great!

Swimpedia: Not too shabby! Thank you for taking the time to meet with me, the Swimpedia team is excited about the opportunity to promote your upcoming show. Working together as a team, we've compiled a list of questions that will definitely help our followers learn more about both of you and get them excited about the three episode premiere this Sunday.

Jason Ruiz: Awesome.

Seth Cohen: All right.

Swimpedia: So to start, how did Royal Crackers come together? What was the pitch like?

Jason Ruiz: Um, the idea started because I called Seth and I asked him if he wanted to make something and we started developing an idea together. And at the time, I think I was watching Succession Season 2, it was on at that time, and I was laughing at the idea of doing a show that was about like, a family business. And the fit, it was treated with the same like intensity and desire as Succession, but it was about a measly, crappy company that nobody really gave a shit about. And that just really made me laugh. And I was like, okay, that could be a really fun, kind of just a, you know, flip on Succession. And then, you know, started to fill it with things that I really cared about and loved, like, the nu metal stuff. And, you know, the character of Stebe was like, sort of based on my own kind of battle with assertiveness, and, you know, or lack thereof. And, and just sort of filling it with my own kind of, like, struggles and, and the pitch was pretty much that I mean, I had drawn some characters, and Seth and I discussed them and kind of figured out, like, who we wanted to be in the show in terms of, like, what characters we wanted, and, we just went in with, like, a little pitch packet with just character designs, descriptions, and, that is our pitch. And, you know, that was kind of just the springboard, like the show's evolved into, you know, its own thing now, but that was the starting point.

Swimpedia: Awesome! Yeah. So what has it been like working with Titmouse, Inc. and Adult Swim?

Jason Ruiz: Amazing, incredible. Adult Swim, have just like, you know, I can speak only very limited because I had one experience before Adult Swim, with Fox. And it was not good. It was not a good experience. And, so this one, though, is incredible. They, I mean, they let us do the show that we want to do truly, truly, it really, like, I have no, I can't point the finger in any direction if this show bombs and fails horribly. I can't be like, well, they made me do this. Like, no, that's, those were our decisions that are on the screen. And, we're really proud of it. And that, I mean, that's the most important thing in the world to me. Like, I've had the opposite. I don't ever want to do that again. And, so yeah, they've been incredible. And Titmouse has been amazing. They're like–the team on this show has been, I mean, I say it often but it's not disingenuous when I say they're just, they're second to none. I mean, they really care about the show. And they really care about these characters and telling their stories the right way, and giving them the care that they in my mind deserve. And they do an amazing job of just putting their heart and souls into it. So we're very lucky on all fronts with that.

Swimpedia: And considering the Season 2 pick up, it seems like Adult Swim is definitely on board with the decisions you and your crew are making.

Jason Ruiz: Seems so!

Swimpedia: Which, congratulations!

Jason Ruiz: Thank you.

Swimpedia: So my next question is, well, who made the decision to make the show 22 minutes as opposed to 11 minutes, as is typically common with Adult Swim? Did that impact the way you constructed the episodes? Or how long you want the series to go?

Jason Ruiz: You go, Seth.

Seth Cohen: It was always going to be 22. I think in recent years, Adult Swim has sort of been more open to that. And for sure, for the stories that Jason wanted to tell, 11 is just such a big challenge and ordering. You know, it's a big request. It's really hard to do. I'm always amazed at how much story you can get in 22 minutes, but 11 minutes in order to get people to really empathize, sympathize, want to be around these characters, it's really hard. It's, you can do sketch, and great sketch, in short bits. But if you want people to buy in and care, it needs to be a little bit longer. And that's always what sort of what Jason's after.

Jason Ruiz: You know, but I, you know, there's some I mean, Smiling Friends is a masterpiece. I mean, those guys are incredible. Like, yeah, I'm, I love what those guys are doing.

Seth Cohen: Yeah, you want the right length for the story that you're trying to tell.

Swimpedia: Right, yeah. Awesome! So, from what we've seen from the first episodes of the series, it features both realistic business plotlines, as well as some more outlandish stories. How do you find that balance between the two?

Jason Ruiz: We don't really I mean, like, I'm down to tell any, I'm telling–I'm down to tell the craziest story, as long as it retains the character’s integrity, they don't get sold out for like a joke, even if it's a good joke, like, you know, the characters come first. And protecting them comes first. And making sure that it's set in the world that we've created. Like, I'm not, I know a lot of people are, but I'm not a big fan of like the Treehouse of Horror episodes of The Simpsons, because you're watching an episode that is like, basically like a dream sequence. It's like so far removed from the characters, and you know, what they're actually going through or, you know, telling a story that's true to them. So, we're okay with doing the Treehouse of Horror episode where it dives into genre and goes insane. It does still like kind of maintain the reality as we've created it in the show. But beyond that, I mean, like, we try to go as crazy as we possibly can within those parameters.

Seth Cohen: And I think sometimes the business stuff really slips away. It's only useful when it acts as a catalyst for something from the character. So I will say that there has been times that I've gotten scripts where the business speak is so wrong, that it's funny because this group is so not if I called up and I said, well, this is actually you know, it's a preferred stock Class A SEC filing, that’s like, that's the wrong show dude.

Swimpedia: Leave that to Succession!

Seth Cohen: Yeah, exactly right. Nobody, nobody wants that. What are the dividends gonna be like? So I think it's kind of funny that they don't care that much. It's only like, how can we put these characters in motion? To sort of want opposite things, you know?

Jason Ruiz: Mhmm.

Swimpedia: And then, lastly, we like to end our interviews with a question about lesser known projects that the creators have worked on and I know Jason, you kind of touched upon Murder Police earlier in the interview, which sadly most of us haven't seen. We've heard that it may have aired in some international markets such as India, not sure about that one. But, we’re wondering if you could tell us more about that?

Jason Ruiz: Are you telling me that it did air in India?! Or are you asking me?

Swimpedia: More so asking.

Jason Ruiz: Oh, I have no clue. Yeah, I don't have the faintest clue. I have it on a like an account somewhere that's like got it, but nobody will ever see it. That thing will never see the light of day, if I have anything to do with it.

Swimpedia: Fair enough!

Jason Ruiz: Royal Crackers is the one I'm very proud of and it feels like it's my voice. I can't say the same for Murder Police.

Swimpedia: Oh, that's awesome. You've had that opportunity–this opportunity with Royal Crackers is not like the previous one!

Jason Ruiz: By the way, it all feels good now. Like you know what I mean? Like, all of that feels like good fortune. I'm glad I went through that experience. I'm grateful for it. It’s made this experience so much richer and more valued to me and I take it more seriously than I did that show. And you know, I learned a lot from it. So it's it I'm grateful for you know, Murder Police and the experience it was. So yeah, but no, no one will ever see it if I can help it.

Swimpedia: Duly noted. All right. Well, thank you, Jason. Thanks Seth, so much. Also Seth, I just want to say I love Son of Zorn!

Seth Cohen: Oh, dude!

Swimpedia: I showed–I made like so many of my friends watch that show every chance I got.

Seth Cohen: Dude, you know what, you have ones that like, you know, it's cliche to be like, that's the one that got away. If they had given us–as soon as Trump got–we were Trump before Trump, we would have had a big, dumb, loud, stupid orange character on first. And that show was really hard to–it was–see, they thought they were getting a cheaper show, because it's like half animation and half live action.

Swimpedia: Yeah!

Seth Cohen: But really, you're getting a show that cost double. But–plus we had Jason Sudeikis, that's the one that I'm like, ahhh.

Swimpedia: I thought that the live action cast was so strong too, like Tim Meadows. Like just so good.

Seth Cohen: So good. I know, you know, well, one of the lucky bounces we got on this show is you really want to do a Season 2, because Season 1 is all learning. Right? You make, you can make a great Season 1 and I think we have, but really Season 2, you don't have to do any of that like, well, how would this guy act or what is the show or where are the parameters and so you want to have that second bite at it. So that's one that we didn't, but ahhhhh.

Jason Ruiz: I don’t know if we're talking about Royal Crackers or Son of Zorn.

Seth Cohen: Well, we got a second season of Royal Crackers. So...

Jason Ruiz: Yeah.

Seth Cohen: Keep it going baby.

Swimpedia: Yeah, and very excited for it. Well, again, congratulations to both of you and looking forward to the premiere on Sunday!

Seth Cohen: All right. Thank you.

Jason Ruiz: Thank you.