Mother Up! is a Canadian/American animated television series starring Eva Longoria, that streamed on Hulu in the United States and aired on City in Canada for a single season from 2013 to 2014. The show chronicles the misguided attempts at parenthood of a disgraced music executive who transitions from the big city to suburbia. After she resigns from her job and her husband leaves her, Rudi Wilson becomes a single mother raising her two children, Apple and Dick, and must learn mothering duties. Longoria stars as the main character and serves as executive producer. Mother Up! premiered on November 6, 2013, with new episodes released on Wednesdays. It made its Canadian television debut on City on January 23, 2014, with new episodes aired on Saturday nights. The show was developed by Rogers Media and co-produced by Canadian companies Breakthrough Entertainment and Bardel Entertainment, in association with U.S.-based Mass Animation. The show marked Hulu's second foray into animated programming after The Awesomes. It was pitched as "Family Guy for women". The Mother Up! theme song, on the Canadian version of the show, was written by Warren Bray & Odario Williams of Grand Analog and Maiko Watson, formerly of Sugar Jones.
Characters
Wilson family
Rudi Wilson - The main character, a former music executive whose reputation is almost ruined after a scandal involving shooting kids in Central America with her client 2Bit. She preserves her reputation by transferring all of the blame to her boss, yet at the price of her job and her life in the city. Now she must live as a single suburban mother, despite being a terrible one.
Dick Wilson - Rudi's son, a loner whose only friend is Agnes Chu. He constantly gets bullied by Travis. In episode 1, Rudi throws him a 10th birthday party although Sarah says Dick and Apple's birthdays aren't for months, so Dick is probably 9 years old during the first season.
Apple Wilson - Rudi's daughter, she is quite imaginative, and longs for her mother's attention. In episode 6, Rudi says Apple is 5.
Jeffrey Wilson - Rudi's former husband, father of Dick and Apple.
Chu family
Mrs. Suzi Chu - One of the series' other antagonists; Jenny's friend. She drives her daughter Agnes to excessive studying.
Agnes Chu - A girl in Dick's grade, only she's in the gifted class. She attends sports camp every summer as her parents want her to be well-rounded. In episode 6 her mother says she is the youngest female Chess Master in the world and Rudi estimates that Agnes is 10 years old.
Neighbours
Sarah - Rudi's friend and neighbor, a married mother of one. Sarah is very impressed by Rudi's high-power lifestyle and celebrity friends, and is easily convinced to "pick up the slack" in Rudi's parenting. Rudi plainly takes advantage of Sarah's good nature, but she takes the abuse like a trooper, in the name of friendship and for the good of Apple and Dick. In her heart she admires Rudi's life and attitude.
Fergus - Sarah's son ; Apple's friend.
Greg - Rudi's friend and other neighbor, a widowed father of one. Greg sees himself as a helper and potential suitor to Rudi, who walks all over him, but his eternal optimism fuels their friendship. He likes to do odd jobs for her and the community it also implied Greg is scared of his stepson Joel.
Joel - Greg's stepson. He hates adults, especially his stepdad Greg, perhaps because he misses his real dad. His mother died, so Greg inherited custody of him. Joel is a misanthropic goth/emo with extremely violent and anti-social tendencies, in sharp contrast to his easy-going, gregarious stepfather. He plays violent video games - only banned ones - while wearing diapers so he can play for long periods of time.
Faculty
Principal Moxley - Head of staff at the kids' school. In Episode 6, she threatens to call Child Protective Services because Rudi let Apple walk across the tightrope on school grounds, but backs down after Rudi says she will tell the police, the media, and the school's insurance company about the tightrope.
Nurse Higgins - The school's nurse and head of the drama department. She enjoys explaining diagnoses and stories in a theatrical manner, with costumes.
Miss Belfonte - Apple's teacher.
Ernesto - The school janitor; Miss Belfonte often hits on him.
Others
Jenny - Rudi's enemy and one of the series' antagonists. She disapproves of Rudi's parenting, and is resentful that Rudi is the only person who ever stood up to her. Her child attends the same school as Dick and Apple.
Travis - Son of one of Jenny's friends; a school bully who beats up Dick.
2Bit - A rapper; Rudi's former client, he constantly needs Rudi's help when he needs inspiration or if he's too full of himself, so he visits her often. To sign him with Mass Exploitation Records, Rudi went child-hunting with him, which is why she had to move to the suburbs.
