Garfield Is Coming Back to TV on Paramount+ — With a Surprising Voice Actor

A new Garfield animated series is coming to Paramount+ with Lamorne Morris from New Girl as the voice of the cat. Here is everything about the series and why this casting is perfect.

Paramount+ and CBS Studios have confirmed a new Garfield animated television series for the streaming platform, with New Girl star Lamorne Morris — whose specific combination of quick-witted energy, expressive physicality in live-action performance, and the specific deadpan register that Garfield's worldview requires — cast as the voice of the iconic orange tabby.

Garfield's cultural history: Jim Davis's creation has been in continuous publication since 1978, making it one of the longest-running comic strips in history with approximately 260,000 daily newspaper syndications at its peak. The character — defined by an almost philosophically comprehensive laziness, an obsessive love of lasagna and sleep, and a specific contempt for Monday mornings — has generated multiple animated television series (the 1988-1994 CBS Saturday morning show remains the most fondly remembered), two theatrical animated films, and decades of merchandise.

For Lamorne Morris's specific casting logic: Morris's work as Winston Bishop on New Girl demonstrated his specific facility with characters whose apparent casualness conceals specific intelligence and timing precision. Garfield requires the exact quality of delivery that makes laziness genuinely funny rather than merely static — the specific inflection that makes 'I hate Mondays' a complete comic statement rather than a worn cliché.

For the Paramount+ platform: the streaming service has been building an animated programming slate alongside its live-action content, and Garfield's specific multigenerational appeal — parents who watched the 1988 series introducing it to children who encountered the 2024 theatrical film — creates the specific family viewing audience that streaming platforms serve best.

For the series' creative direction: full production details beyond the voice casting haven't been disclosed, but the specific choice of a streaming-first animated series rather than another theatrical film suggests a format decision about Garfield's sustainable commercial home in 2026 and beyond.