Avatar Kuruk: Wave of Chaos Is "Our First True Comedy," Bryan Konietzko Tells Esquire

Avatar Kuruk: Wave of Chaos will be a very different experience from the Avatar shows fans know, according to Esquire. "This is our first true comedy," co-creator Bryan Konietzko told the magazine in an exclusive by Eric Francisco, published October 9.

Esquire sums up the pitch as Freaks and Geeks in the world of Avatar, and Konietzko reaches for the same comparison. He describes the show as high school in spirit, though it isn't set in a high school. It follows Water Tribe kids traveling around the world. "They're just total screw-ups, and it's super fun," he said.

Esquire places the series 400 years before Avatar: The Last Airbender, in a peaceful and flourishing era with no wars. Kuruk has appeared in past Avatar shows and several comics, but he has long been portrayed as a tragic figure. Konietzko, who is fond of the character, told Esquire he felt Kuruk had been treated unfairly and wanted to flip that by showing how great he was. Our guide to Avatar Kuruk covers his story so far.

The comedy angle matches Konietzko's comments at the New York Comic Con panel. According to The Comics Beat, he said Wave of Chaos will be the most comedic Avatar show to date, a choice tied to Kuruk's life in peacetime.

Esquire counts it as the franchise's fourth series. Fellow co-creator Michael Dante DiMartino told the magazine that Avatar can go in many different genres, tones and styles, adding that the franchise has more than a hundred Avatars, half or more of which haven't been created yet. Our full Avatar cycle lists the ones we know.

Wave of Chaos has been ordered to series for Paramount+, and no release date has been announced. We're tracking every update in our Wave of Chaos news tracker.