Wilfred the pot smoking dog to return

The cult tv series Wilfred is set to return to television after a long hiatus and I for one can’t wait.

Many dog owners insist their pets have human traits.  Some even claim they can talk.  But few could say their dog smokes bongs, eats nachos, plays pool and can discuss his fear of abandonment in detail.  Sarah’s dog, Wilfred, can.

The idea for Wilfred came when long-time friends Adam Zwar and Jason Gann were mucking around, telling each other stories and acting them out. “That’s just what our daily conversation is, doing different impersonations of people or dickheads that we’ve encountered,” Gann says. Zwar told the story of a bloke he knew who went home with a girl to find her dog on the couch eyeing him suspiciously, and Gann began improvising from the dog’s point of view.  “What are you hoping to do with my missus?”

As television’s most unsociable mutt, there isn’t much that Wilfred actually enjoys. “Pot, nachos, shitting, rooting, sleeping… he’s a very cynical egg,” says Zwar. “Most of all he loves giving Adam shit.  That’s his favourite pastime, but at the same time he would be devastated if Adam left.  It’s a classic case of Sarah being the single mother and the little kid giving the new boyfriend shit.  He’s always testing him and making his life miserable.  But he would be devastated if he left.”

Zwar says the dynamic of the relationship between Wilfred, Sarah and Adam is what keeps the stories going. The dog is devoted to Sarah, and ferociously jealous of her new boyfriend Adam, whose presence ‘ruins’ an otherwise happy house.

Zwar and Gann are just finalising production of the next series, due to air on TV early next year.  It’s been a while since the first series became a cult hit on SBS in 2007, so fans will be really hanging out for Wilfred’s return.

At this stage the series is set to return in early 2010 – we’ll keep our ear to the ground and let you guys know the details when they come to hand.