‘Big City Greens’ Creators Chris & Shane Houghton Offer a Sneak Peek at the Disney Hit’s 100th Episode

Chris and Shane Houghton’s charming and big-hearted series Big City Greens will be celebrating its 100th episode next week. The show, which debuted on June 18, 2018, centers on the Green Family (siblings Cricket and Tilly, their dad Bill and their Gramma Alice), who had to leave their farm in the country and adjust to life in the big city.

We had the chance to catch up with the always friendly brothers to find out about the plans for the big 100th episode, and check out some first-look images from the Greens’ milestone adventure:

Animation Magazine: It seems just like yesterday when we chatted about the premiere of your show! How do you guys feel now that the show is about to debut its 100th episode? 

Chris Houghton: It’s incredible. Reflecting on 100 episodes, I’m overcome with a tremendous amount of gratitude. I’m thankful to our hardworking crew, many of whom have been with us since the beginning. I’m thankful for our hilarious cast, our amazing overseas partner studios, and the tremendous amount of support Disney has shown the series over the years. But there’s no one we owe thanks to more than the fans of Big City Greens. We never could have made it to 100 episodes without them.

Shane Houghton: As of April 25th, Chris and I have been in series production of Big City Greens for a full nine years! Wild! Making it to 100 episodes is a huge milestone. We are thrilled, honored, and grateful that our audience has supported the show for so many years and continues to grow. When we were first developing Big City Greens back in 2014, the execs would always ask if we thought this series could run for 100 episodes, so in a way, this is a milestone we’ve been shooting towards for over a decade.

What is the biggest lesson you have learned along the way?

Chris: When making a decision, it’s helpful to gather input from others but ultimately, trust your gut.

Shane: Hold on, let me consult Chris … Yeah, trusting your gut is good advice.

What are the big plans for the 100th Episode celebration?

Shane: Disney TVA has planned a celebration in the studio where we the crew will celebrate with the rest of the productions and have the 100th episode playing on a loop in the theaters. Recently at Disney’s Bring Your Kids to Work Day, there was a packed advance screening of the 100th episode for the kids who were on the Disney lot that day. Our personal plans? Take another dose of that special serum that allows us to go another 100 episodes.

We put as much of the celebration as we could into the episode. The episode itself is a celebration of all the things we think Big City Greens does well. Hopefully we touch on all the things fans like about the show. It’s got a huge cast, lots of jokes, and some really touching moments. We were able to add an additional three minutes to the total runtime for an extra packed episode of fun. Mark Hamill guest stars as a very fun and goofy new character, and I got to voice my dream character: a giant chicken.

Chris: Yup, we’ll all gather and toast to the 100th episode! … Then get to work on the next episode.

What can you tell us about future episodes of the show?

Shane: After “One Hundred,” we roll right into another half-hour special, all about the return of BCG baddie, Chip Whistler! After that, we’ve got a Downton Abbey-esque episode with Tilly’s stuffed potato sack, Saxon; Wayne goes to the Big City; Gramma fights some porch pirates; The Greens get swole at the gym! The season finale is a very special pairing of two episodes… In “Rehashed History” we revive the only shelved episode from season one, previously titled “Hands-On History.” There has been some online fan buzz around the episode since it’s the only “lost” episode. We thought it was time to dust it off and present it as the historical artifact it is. The second episode of the finale is a fun and emotional story where Cricket learns something about his genesis.

Chris: Fans of Chip Whistler are in for a treat with the episode, “Chip’s Revenge”! The very last episode of season 4 is a big swing and I love how it turned out. Shane wrote the script and I was blown away when I first read it. It inspired me to write a new end credit song for the season finale.  Also, season 5 is shaping up to be one of our funniest seasons ever.

Who is the most famous fan of the show (that you know of?)

Shane: If they’re a famous fan of the show and we know of it, we’ve cast them! A lot of the times we cast folks and then find out they love the show when they come in to record. Many have kids and love that they can watch something together that they both enjoy. Jeffery Dean Morgan voices Wolf Fang, and it turns out he was a huge fan. Dan Stevens voices Saxon in an upcoming episode, and turns out he loves the show as well. Later in Season 4, we also have other creators of shows that we’re fans of appearing as guest stars including Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack (the creators of Smiling Friends) and J.G. Quintel (creator of Regular Show).

The only famous person who we’d love to cast is Bob Iger! Bob, come do a voice!

What is your take on the state of animation in 2025? 

Chris: The industry is definitely in a tough spot. Between YouTube, video games and social media, the landscape is more competitive than ever. Plus, the business model shifted from cable to streaming which is a very different beast. It’s one of the main reasons we’re producing so much short-form content and new partnerships with Big City Greens.

I hear you managed to tackle the scary topic of AI in one of the episodes?

Shane: Like a lot of things in our lives, we tackle the issue of AI in an upcoming Season 4 episode, “Spinned Off.” In the episode, Gwendolyn Zapp (BCG‘s delusional billionaire and tech genius) uses her company, BigTech, to use AI to create custom TV shows based on Big City citizens. Gwendolyn sums it up best in the episode by saying, “Finally, we can end humanity’s long nightmare of creating art!”

Any great piece of advice for aspiring creators of animated shows?

Chris: There’s a lot of doom and gloom talk right now, but remember that chaotic times also bring opportunities. Hollywood will always be in the business of making stuff that captures the attention of as many people as possible. That’s it. If you can help do that, you’ll find success.

Shane: We’ve found that great, long-lasting TV shows are all about great characters and being funny. This isn’t a new concept, but one that has been around since the dawn of television. We’re just lucky enough to have created enduring characters that millions around the world find charming, relatable and funny.

Big City Greens episode “One Hundred” premieres May 3 on Disney Channel and May 7 on Disney+.