Chipotle Mexican Grill launched the first episode of its original comedy series, "Farmed and Dangerous" on Feb. 17 on Hulu and Hulu Plus.
The series contains four episodes and stars Ray Wise ("Twin Peaks") and Eric Pierpoint ("Parks and Recreation"). The show focuses on how companies in the agriculture industry manage perceptions of their practices while taking a satirical look at the situation, according to CBS News.
Mark Crumpacker, Chipotle chief marketing and development officer and executive producer of the show, said the goal of the series is to make customers think more about the source of their food, CBS News reported.
"It's not a show about Chipotle, but rather integrates the values that are at the heart of our business," Crumpacker said. "The more people know about how food is raised, the more likely they will be to choose food made from better ingredients- like the food we serve at Chipotle."
Chipotle has experience with online videos, according to TIME.com. Chipotle produced two short animated films about sustainable farming, receiving almost 20 million hits on YouTube. The short films featured songs by Willie Nelson and Fiona Apple, and inspired Chipotle to launch their new online show, with concepts starting over two years ago.
"Farmed and Dangerous" focuses on Buck Marshall, played by Wise, a man who twists the truth of certain aspects for factory farms, according to USA Today. Animoil, a client of Marshall's, feeds cows petroleum-based animal pellets to save on costs. The dilemma with this practice is that the pellets unfortunately cause cows to explode.
Neal Burns, professor of advertising at the University of Texas, stated "Farmed and Dangerous" could have a greater impact on helping viewers understand the practices and beliefs of Chipotle, TIME.com reported.
"I could produce an award winning ad for a restaurant. You wouldn't be affected by the ad. You'd go to Yelp," Burns said. "It's appropriate for our times. It's going to help establish a sense of fondness and [that] eating there is the right thing for me to do."
Want to see more? Check out the video below, courtesy of YouTube.
