TUGS (2025 TV series)

Tugs (stylized as TUGS) is a British animated limited television series co-produced by ITV Studios and Talkdog Productions in association with HBO Max. It is a loose remake of the 1989 children's television programme Tugs, created by Robert D. Cardona and David Mitton, and was adapted by Adam Campbell-Sing, who also worked on the series as a writer and an executive producer.

A remake of the original series was announced in mid-2023, with Sing joining the series' production in 2024. Sing likened the series to a "revisiting" of the original series. Instead of continuing the story of the orginal series or creating a different story, Sing opted to update the original series with computer-generated graphics, with some minor plot changes and new characters. Animation was provided by New Zealand-based WETA Workshop; scenery and character models were animated through photorealistic imagery, while the actors' likeness were superimposed onto the models. Unlike the original series, which was set in the 1920s, the series is set in the present day and focuses on the exploits of two anthropomorphized tugboat fleets, the Star Fleet and the Z-Stacks, who compete against each other in the fictional Bigg City Port: "the biggest harbour in the world".

The series premiered on the ITV network in the United Kingdom on 22 September 2025, before concluding its 9-episode run on 17 November. In the United States, it became availiable for streaming on HBO Max on 25 September. The series recieved praise from both critics and fans of the original series, who commended its animation and performances, and faithulness to the original series.

Star Fleet

 * Pete Davidson as Ten Cents, a harbour switcher who works a wide variety of tasks.
 * Dave Bautista as Big Mac, Captain Star's de facto lead tug, a rude and stubborn harbour tug, and Warrior's older brother.
 * Brendan Gleeson as O.J., the sole remaining paddle-driven harbour tug, and the longest-serving member of the group.
 * Hugo Weaving as Top Hat, an uppity and snobbish railway tug.
 * Josh Gad as Warrior, a clumsy and dimwitted harbour tug, and Big Mac's younger brother.
 * David Schwimmer as Hercules, an ocean-going tug who is tasked with escorting large vessels to port, or answering distress calls at sea. He is in charge of large operations and important contracts.
 * Archie Yates as Sunshine, a small, optimistic harbour switcher and a recent boating school graduate who, like Ten Cents, performs various tasks.
 * Charles Dance as Captain Star, the narrator of the series, and the owner of the Star Fleet.

Z-Stacks

 * Édgar Ramírez as Zorran, Captain Zero's first tug, and the fleet leader of the Z-Stacks.
 * Penn Badgley as Zebedee, Captain Zero's second tug.
 * Bill Hader as:
 * Zak, Captain Zero's third tug, who sees himself as a potential leader of the Z-Stacks. Zak has been seen as a second-in-command to Zorran.
 * Zug, Captain Zero's fourth tug, who is a switcher towing barges and working on liner docking operations.
 * Captain Zero, a "self-proclaimed neo-nazi" who is the owner of the Z-Stacks.
 * Hong Chau as Zip, Captain Zero's fifth tug who serves as a switcher. In the original series, Zip was male; the character was changed to a female in the remake.

Other

 * Karan Soni as Grampus, a small submarine working for the Star Fleet on loan from the Navy.
 * Riccardo Scamarcio as Izzy Gomez, a large tramp steamer who regularly visits Bigg City Port to deliver food for other tugs from Puerto Grande.

Recurring

 * Lupita Nyong'o as Lillie Lightship, a lightship that is situated at Demder Rocks to warn shipping of potential hazards.
 * Jim Cummings as Bluenose, an obnoxious navy tug and Grampus' former superior.
 * Scarlett Johansson as Sally Seaplane, an ally of the Star Fleet, who have the contract to provide her fuel. Sunshine appears to have a slight crush on her.
 * Shea Whigham as Red Alert, the harbour's fire chief. He was unnamed in the original series.
 * Idris Elba as Johnny Cuba, an notorious, violent criminal, and tramp steamer with gangster qualities. He was once a good friend to Captain Zero's.

Episodes

 * 1) The Return

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