Humans beware. Pizza vendors and cab drivers aren’t the only sorts that decorate the streets of New York City. The demons, flesh-eating zombies, and alcoholic wizards of Comedy Central’s “Ugly Americans” return Oct. 6 to shock, entertain and challenge viewers in its second season.

Created by Devin Clark, the show details the romantic relationship between one human Mark Lilly, voiced by Matt Oberg, and his half-demon boss Callie Maggotbone, voiced by Natasha Leggero. The plot events of “Ugly Americans” unfold amidst the sweeping cultural integration between the human and non-human residents of the Big Apple.

As a mature cartoon with a large portion of the plot action set in the Department of Integration, “Ugly Americans” bridges childhood and adulthood and expresses implicit social reflection while providing a stream of witty and often dark humor.

“Cartoons in general have an ability to satirize certain subjects more than live action does, and I think it’s a good opportunity to be able to comment on society,” Leggero said in a recent interview with the Badger Herald.

The show’s purpose reaches beyond just entertainment value to allude to a range of issues from immigration to the objectification of women.

“We’re not always going for the cheap laugh but trying to say something bigger about lots of different issues through comedy,” Leggero said.

Despite the menagerie of creatures and outrageous plot events featured on “Ugly Americans,” (when was the last time a zombie ate your toe?) the show portrays occupational trends more realistically than first-time viewers might expect.

“I think that my character being […] woman and being Mark’s superior is going to become more and more common as the years progress,” Leggero said. “I think women are really coming into their own and are going to be in charge and we’re seeing glimpses of it in every field including comedy.”

Characters like Callie strike a personal chord with the actors and actresses who voice them, allowing for more realistic portrayals.

“I really relate to Callie,” Leggero said. “In my love relationships in the past when I was in my early twenties, I was very heartless. I’m not sure why […] I upset a lot of men. ”

By establishing personal connections with the characters, “Ugly American” actors add their own personal flavor to the show.

“Once we get out the lines as written we can improvise,” Leggero said. “The writers and the creators are very open to that. So, that’s always nice, especially because you know the character so well […] It is you in a way. You’re able to make it even more personal with your improvisation.”

Besides using the big city atmosphere to address aspects of society that provoke viewer reflection, the setting creates a melting pot of characters that also simulates the growing diversity of the United States. Risqu? humor aside, “Ugly Americans” teaches viewers that commonalities abound, even where they seem least likely.

“I think if there’s any real point of view of the show it’s that once we get to know these people who are second rate, take a vampire or a swamp creature,” Oberg said, “you realize they are more similar to you than they are different.”

The style of humor explored in “Ugly Americans” affords the show enough flexibility to incorporate the visual likenesses of titans who have polarized modern pop culture. Character Blayke sparkles in the sun. Twi-hards, sound familiar?

In the new season, fans can look forward to learning more about the characters’ pasts, watching as existing relationships develop, and laughing at the increase in racy humor that colors the show.

Fans of “Ugly Americans” know that despite the title, the show has a knack for revealing striking truths in society.

“I think perhaps there’s beauty in the truth, and if by depicting these people and their situations in an ugly, twisted way it illuminates the truth in their situation, [then] that is beauty according to Keats,” Oberg said.

Leggero agreed. “In Buddhism, the lotus flower is a beautiful flower but it can only bloom in the dirt and in the mud, so I think that a lot of times that’s the best way to illuminate certain truths.”

Amidst the bustle of New York City and predictions of the impending apocalypse, the characters of “Ugly Americans” deliver both lessons and laughs with flair.