Meet the Big City Greens characters, from mischief-loving Cricket and his one-of-a-kind sister Tilly to their hardworking dad Bill and feisty Gramma Alice. Creators and brothers Chris and Shane Houghton based the show on their own childhood in rural St. Johns, Michigan, and many of the characters, pets, and places come straight from their real family and neighbors.
I sat down with Chris and Shane to hear the stories behind the characters. Here’s who’s who, plus the real-life inspiration behind them.
The Green Family
The Greens are a country family who end up in the Big City after Bill loses the family farm in their small hometown of Smalton. They move in with Gramma Alice, who has held onto her own little farm right in the middle of the city.
Cricket Green
Cricket (voiced by Chris Houghton himself) is a scampy, rebellious 10-year-old who gets into a lot of misadventures. His natural curiosity drives him. He’s hungry for knowledge and new things and usually getting into trouble. A door that says “Do not enter” would be the first place Cricket would go.
Tilly Green
Cricket’s older sister is a little odd, but sweet. She definitely marches to the beat of her own drummer. She has strong opinions to share. She is confidently quiet, but can get into just as much trouble as Cricket does. You’ll almost always see her with Saxon, a doll she made out of an old sack.
Gramma Alice
Gramma is sweet and sour. She loves her grandkids and her son, but she’s feisty! She won’t let anyone get away with anything.
Bill Green
Bill, Cricket and Tilly’s dad, is a single father and a bit overwhelmed. Every father Chris and Shane knew growing up worried about their farms, their crops, the weather - and Bill follows in that mode, but he’s doing all right.
Nancy Green
Nancy is Cricket and Tilly’s mom and Bill’s ex-wife. She’s a former biker with a rebellious streak, and she joins the story after the family is already in the Big City. Even though she and Bill are divorced, they’re still good friends, and she’s a big part of the kids’ lives. She eventually takes over running the family farm back in Smalton.
Friends and Neighbors in the Big City
Remy Remington
Cricket’s new best friend in the city is everything Cricket is not. Remy comes from a wealthy family and lives a sheltered, carefully scheduled life. He’s an only child, upbeat and fun-loving but short on confidence, and he quickly becomes like a member of the Green family.
Gloria Sato
Gloria starts out as a barista at Big Coffee, where she becomes Cricket’s friend and co-worker. She dreams of saving enough money to move to Paris. After losing her job and her apartment, she moves in with the Greens, and together they open the Gloria + Green Café.
Chip Whistler
Every good story needs a villain, and Chip is it. He’s the scheming manager of the Wholesome Foods supermarket and the Greens’ biggest rival. A running gag on the show is that his plans usually end with a chipped front tooth that makes him whistle when he talks.
Vasquez
Vasquez is Remy’s loyal and very protective bodyguard, who keeps an eye on him while his parents are away.
Andromeda
Tilly’s best friend is a conspiracy theorist who believes in aliens, the supernatural, and government cover-ups.
The Animals of Big City Greens
Just like the Houghtons’ childhood yard, the Green family farm is a little country oasis full of pets and animals. A few you’ll see often:
- Phoenix is the Green family’s dog, named after the Houghtons’ real childhood dog.
- Melissa is the family’s goat.
- Lucy the cat is based on the Houghtons’ real cat, who lived to be 21 years old, and she looks just like her too.
In a few episodes, the farm animals even get speaking voices of their own.
Big City Greens Voice Cast
| Character | Voiced By |
|---|---|
| Cricket Green | Chris Houghton |
| Tilly Green | Marieve Herington |
| Bill Green | Bob Joles |
| Gramma Alice | Artemis Pebdani |
| Nancy Green | Wendi McLendon-Covey |
| Remy Remington | Zeno Robinson |
| Gloria Sato | Anna Akana |
| Chip Whistler | Paul Scheer |
| Vasquez | Danny Trejo |
| Andromeda | Nicole Byer |
Co-creator Shane Houghton gets in on the fun too, voicing Wholesome Greg, one of Chip’s employees at Wholesome Foods.
The Real People Behind the Characters
The series was created by comic book creators and brothers Chris and Shane Houghton and is inspired by their own rural childhood growing up in St. Johns, Michigan.
So, are Big City Greens characters based on real people? Many of them are!
Before the series premiere, I had a chance to sit down with Chris and Shane Houghton to hear a bit more about their childhood, how it inspired “Big City Greens” and some of the characters, stories, places and even animals are directly pulled from their life.
Chris and Shane Houghton explained how they grew up together in rural Michigan and then both went away to college in big cities. That experience of being thrown into a new environment and having to make their way in a new and very different place served as inspiration for “Big City Greens”. Funny stories and experiences from their childhood make their way into episodes of the show and so do the people.
Chris and Shane shared with us some specific tidbits from their childhood that actually served as inspiration. As an example, they described how the character Gramma Alice is just like their own Grandma with a gruff exterior but was warm and gooey inside. She would give them a $5 bill and when they said “Thanks, Grandma”, she’d reply “Shut up and put it in your pocket!”
Even the animals from their childhood made their way into “Big City Greens”. While their dog, Phoenix, didn’t end up being a German Shepherd in the show, he is still a character. The cat Lucy is inspired by their cat who lived to be 21 years old, and looks just like her in the show too. Just like the Houghton’s childhood yard, “Big City Greens” is filled with pets and animals, like a little country oasis.
The garage in “Big City Greens” is called “The Old Garage” and this picture shows what Chris and Shane’s family called The Old Garage when they were kids. The photo was given to the show’s art director and ended up in the series.
Big City Greens Voice Cast
| Character | Voiced By |
|---|---|
| Cricket Green | Chris Houghton |
| Tilly Green | Marieve Herington |
| Bill Green | Bob Joles |
| Gramma Alice | Artemis Pebdani |
| Nancy Green | Wendi McLendon-Covey |
| Remy Remington | Zeno Robinson |
| Gloria Sato | Anna Akana |
| Chip Whistler | Paul Scheer |
| Vasquez | Danny Trejo |
| Andromeda | Nicole Byer |
Co-creator Shane Houghton gets in on the fun too, voicing Wholesome Greg, one of Chip’s employees at Wholesome Foods.
Whether you’re a country kid or a city kid, I think everyone can find something to love about Disney Channel’s “Big City Greens” debuting Monday. It’s a story about a funny country boy who moves with this family to the big city and get up to all kinds of mischief while the family is just trying to get by in their new life.
As of 2026, “Big City Greens” is now in it’s 5th season and it has been announced that a 6th season should be on its way!
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