Television Info

Saturday Night Live

2006-01-06T10:51:00.000-08:00

Saturday Night Live (SNL) is a weekly late-night 90-minute comedy-variety show from NBC which has been broadcast virtually every Saturday night since its debut on October 11, 1975. It is one of the longest-running network entertainment programs in American television history. Each week, the show's cast is joined by a guest host and a musical act.

The show has been the launching place for some major American comedy stars of the last thirty years. It was created by Dick Ebersol and Lorne Michaels, of whom, the latter ��xcluding a hiatus from Season 6 through Season 10��as produced and written for the show and remains its executive producer (Jean Doumanian producing most of Season 6, and Ebersol 7-10).

In January 2005, NBC renewed SNL's contract until 2012.
Saturday Night Live logo (2004 Season)
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Saturday Night Live logo (2004 Season)

Structure of the show

The show usually follows a standard format. It opens with a sketch, known as the cold opening, which begins without any announcement or titles, is often about politics or other current events, and always ends with someone saying "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!" The show then segues into the opening credits, which usually open with a shot of the Statue of Liberty and a montage of the cast members cut with various locations around the city. The opening credits are voiced-over by long-time NBC announcer Don Pardo. The show's theme music has been re-arranged many times, but always follows the same basic chord patterns.

Next is the opening monologue performed by the guest host(s), often followed by a TV commercial parody. The show continues with more comedy skits (sketches might feature recurring characters, running gags, celebrity impersonations, movie and TV spoofs, and skits parodying the news issues of the day), followed by a performance by the guest musical act. More recent shows have the second act divided by an animated short by Robert Smigel. The news parody segment Weekend Update marks the show's midway point. The second half of the program continues with more sketches, and in most cases a second performance by the musical guest. Some shows also feature filmed segments, often featuring cast members, or it may feature independent film shorts. In a few rare cases, a third musical performance by the week's musical guest is done at the end of the show, but in most instances this is just a goodbye segment by the host and musical guest. Also, in some reruns, shows have been edited to contain a mixture of skits, and do not follow this sequence.

History

* 1975 - 1980
* 1980 - 1985
* 1985 - 1990
* 1990 - 1995
* 1995 - 2000
* 2000 - 2005
* 2005 - Present
* Weekend Update

Cast

Current repertory players

* Darrell Hammond (1995-present)
* Chris Parnell (1998-present)
* Horatio Sanz (1998-present)
* Rachel Dratch (1999-present)
* Maya Rudolph (2000-present)
* Tina Fey (2000-present)
* Seth Meyers (2001-present)
* Amy Poehler (2001-present)
* Fred Armisen (2002-present)
* Will Forte (2002-present)
* Finesse Mitchell (2003-present)
* Kenan Thompson (2003-present)

Current featured players

* Jason Sudeikis (2005-present)
* Andy Samberg (2005-present)
* Bill Hader (2005-present)

For a full list of past and present cast, see Saturday Night Live cast.

Notable tenures

Although SNL has an often rapid turnover of supporting players (many of whom have appeared for only one season or less), some performers have had long tenures with the show. Few have broken the eight-year barrier. Among the longest serving repertory players are:

* Phil Hartman (8 seasons: October 1986 - May 1994)
* Kevin Nealon (9 seasons: October 1986 - May 1995)
* Tim Meadows (9遜 seasons: February 1991 - May 2000)
* Darrell Hammond (10 seasons and counting: September 1995 - present)

Cast member deaths

Although SNL is well-known as the launchpad for many successful careers, several cast members have died young:

* 1982: John Belushi was the first casualty from drug abuse
* 1984: Andy Kaufman, although not a cast member, was a frequent guest in the early years of the show. Died of a rare form of lung cancer
* 1989: Gilda Radner died after a year-long battle with ovarian cancer;
* 1994: Danitra Vance (a one-season cast member) died of breast cancer;
* 1994: Michael O'Donoghue (one of the original writers and featured players) who long suffered from severe chronic migraine headaches, died of a cerebral hemorrhage;
* 1997: Chris Farley died from drug abuse;
* 1998: Phil Hartman was the victim of a murder-suicide by his wife.

Contracts

SNL received some negative publicity in 1999 when it was leaked that, henceforth, actors joining the show would have to agree in their five-to-six year contract that, upon request, they would act in up to three movies by SNL Films, for fees of US$75,000, US$150,000, and then US$300,000; and also that, upon request, they would leave SNL and act in an NBC sitcom for up to an additional six years. This appeared to be a reaction to former cast members like Adam Sandler and Mike Myers going on to movie stardom.

Some agents and managers characterized these long-term contracts as involuntary servitude, saying that almost any young, undiscovered comic would immediately agree to any given set of exploitative contractual restrictions for the opportunity to launch their careers via the show. NBC publicly defended the new contracts, saying that SNL was doing a service to young comics by launching so many careers.

It was reported in 1999 that the starting salary for SNL cast members was US$5,000 per episode.

Production process

The following is a summary of the process used to produce the show. It is based in part on an August 2000 Writer's Digest article and an April 2004 Fresh Air interview with Tina Fey:

* Monday: The day begins with a topical meeting, identifying the biggest story for the show's opening. This is followed by a free-form pitch meeting with Lorne Michaels and the show's host for the week. According to an October 2004 60 Minutes segment on the show, throughout the week the host has a lot of influence on which sketches get aired. Following the meeting, writers begin to draft the two scripts each must produce.
* Tuesday: Starting in the afternoon, anywhere from 30 to 45 scripts are written, significantly more than will make it to air. Most writers work through the night. Once a writer's scripts are complete, he or she will often help other writers on their scripts.
* Wednesday: All scripts get a read-through. After the read-through, the head writer(s) and the producers meet with the host to decide which sketches to work on for the rest of the week, with Lorne Michaels and the host having the final say.
* Thursday: The surviving sketches are reviewed, word-by-word, by the writing staff as a whole (or in two groups in the case of co-head writers). Some sketches which survived the cut because of their premise but otherwise needed a lot of work are rewritten completely. Others are changed in smaller ways. Thursday is also the day that Weekend Update starts coming together, starting with the news items written by writers dedicated all week to the segment. This is also the first day the crew comes in for rehearsal. The music act is rehearsed as well as some of the larger more important skits.
* Friday: the show is blocked (staged). The writer of each skit acts as producer, working with the show's set designers and costumers.
* Saturday: With the show still far from finalized, the day begins with a run-through, with props, in front of Lorne Michaels. After the run-through, the cast and crew find out which of the sketches are in the dress rehearsal, and which are cut. The writer/producer deals with any changes. This is followed by an 8 p.m. dress rehearsal in front of a live audience, which lasts until 10 p.m. or sometimes later, and which contains around twenty minutes of material which will not make it to the broadcast. Lorne Michaels uses first-hand observation of the audience reaction to the rehearsal, and input from the host, to determine the final round of changes, re-ordering sketches as necessary. The show then begins at 11:29p.m. (11:35 or 11:45 in some markets).

The status of the show during the week is maintained on a bulletin board. Sketches and other segments are given labels which are put on index cards and put on the board in the order of their performance. The order is based on content as well as production limitations such as camera placement and performer availability. Segments which have been cut are kept to the side of the board. As the broadcast approaches, often the writer/producer discovers the fate of his or her segment only by consulting the bulletin board.

A 60 Minutes report taped in October 2004 depicted the intense writing frenzy that goes on during the week leading up to a show, with crowded meetings and long hours. The report particularly noted the involvement of the guest hosts in developing and selecting the skits in which they will appear.

When it's not live

SNL is one of the few shows on television to have its in- and off-season reruns aired out of its original broadcast sequence. The sequence of the in-season reruns (that is, encore shows that air during the season it originally aired) are usually determined by the episode(s)' popularity. So, for example, if by the midway point of the season in December, a show hosted by Robert DeNiro turned out to be the highest rated show of the season thus far, it would be the first show to be repeated when SNL begins airing its reruns during one of their live breaks. Shows usually air twice during a particular season, but often the highest rated shows of the season have a second encore show towards the end of the off-season.

Encore showings are not always identical to the original broadcast. Frequently, segments that did not work well during the original showing are replaced by alternate performances, or sometimes completely different skits that had been taped at the dress rehearsal that preceded the live broadcast.

From time-to-time, SNL airs compilation shows. Such shows will feature the best of a previous season (consisting of skits and musical segments specially selected by the producers), or of a particular cast member (such as Eddie Murphy or Adam Sandler) or guest (such as Tom Hanks), or centered on a particular theme (for example, Halloween, Christmas, or a major news event). Every election year, SNL airs a "Presidential Bash" featuring both classic and new skits involving Presidents and presidential candidates. The 2000 Bash was notable for having self-deprecating skits taped of the actual candidates (George W. Bush and Al Gore) rather than the players normally assigned to impersonate them.

When it's less than live

Over the years SNL has almost always been broadcast live on the east coast, in spite of the expletive spoken by Charles Rocket in 1981. The exceptions were shows hosted by Richard Pryor, Sam Kinison, and Andrew Dice Clay, which were broadcast on a seven-second delay.

During Eddie Murphy's last season, he was only available for part of the season, so they recorded a number of extra sketches featuring him that were broadcast in episodes he was not available for, according to the book Saturday Night: A Backstage History of Saturday Night Live by Doug Hill and Jeff Weingrad.

Some live shows may also be altered and edited for the West Coast (where it is broadcast at 11:29 p.m. Pacific Time, three hours after the live broadcast); in some cases recordings of sketches or performances from the program's dress rehearsal have been substituted for the later feed. When Sam Kinison delivered a comic monologue in 1986, NBC removed his plea for the legalization of marijuana from the West Coast broadcast.

Rights to SNL

NBC holds the copyright to every episode of the show made thus far. The syndication rights to the original incarnation (1975-1980) were originally acquired by Filmways Television (later Orion Television and MGM), while the syndication rights to the shows made from 1980 forward (that is, rerun rights beginning two years after its original NBC airings) have been held by Broadway Video, Lorne Michaels' production company.

The home video rights have also been scattered. Warner Home Video originally released several episodes from the original incarnation (1975-1980). Paramount released a "Best Of Eddie Murphy" video compilation in the 1980s (Murphy had a multi-picture deal with Paramount at the time). In the 1990s, Starmaker Entertainment held the video rights. Today, Lions Gate Home Entertainment handles the VHS and DVD releases of SNL under a new license with NBC.

For many years, both Comedy Central and E! Entertainment Television aired SNL reruns under license with Broadway Video and Orion/MGM (respectively). In 2003, full rights reverted completely to NBC, and the E! network acquired the exclusive syndication rights to the series.

The only episodes that have not been included in any syndication package (including the current deal with E!) are the prime-time special at Mardi Gras in New Orleans (the only time the show has originated outside of New York), and the infamous 1990 episode which Andrew Dice Clay hosted.

In Canada, episodes from 1975-1980 are aired in late night programming hours, weeknights on some Global Television Network owned stations such as CHAN and CIII.

Infamous moments

Since it is broadcast live, SNL has had several infamous events that were either unplanned or provoked sufficient controversy to receive media coverage:

* In 1977, musical guest Elvis Costello threw the show's schedule off by playing the song Radio Radio (see Banned From The Show, below).
* In 1980 writer Al Franken performed the sketch "A Limo for the Lame-o" which mocked NBC president Fred Silverman's failure to improve the network's ratings. NBC executives were furious, and the sketch was thought to be the reason why Franken was not considered to replace Lorne Michaels at the end of the season.
* In 1981, Charles Rocket, portraying the gunshot victim in a parody of the "Who Shot J.R." plot on the program Dallas, said, "I'd like to know who the fuck did it," during the live feed of the "goodnights" segment. Afterward, everyone except Eddie Murphy and Joe Piscopo were fired.
* In 1981, John Belushi invited infamous LA punks Fear to serve as musical guests for an episode. The band played some not ready for prime time numbers ("I Don't Care About You" and "Beef Balogna," among others) and invited members of the audience to come up on stage and mosh, prompting Belushi and various members of the crowd to trash the place.
* In 1988 a sketch set at a nudist colony used the word penis many times, culminating in a performance of the nudist club anthem, "The Penis Song." [1]
* In 1990, comedian Andrew Dice Clay was chosen to host; cast member Nora Dunn and scheduled musical guest Sin鐃�d O'Connor boycotted the show in protest, due to perceptions that his jokes were misogynistic.
* In 1992, Sin鐃�d O'Connor ripped up a photo of the Pope (see The Banned List).
* In 1994, host Martin Lawrence delivered a raunchy stand-up routine including jokes that had not been approved (see The Banned List).
* In 1994 a sketch in which host Alec Baldwin played a pedophile scoutmaster generated more hostile letters than any sketch in the show's history. [2]
* In 1997, during his Weekend Update Norm MacDonald fumbled with his words and then said, "What the fuck was that", not realizing what he had said. [3]
* In 1998, a TV Funhouse segment entitled "Conspiracy Theory Rock" aired. A parody of the public service Schoolhouse Rock cartoons of the 1970s, this segment vilified the "media-opoly" (buyouts of media stations by large corporations with whom they may have a conflict of interest) and those corporations' alleged use of corporate welfare to pay off and campaign for congressmen. The cartoon aired only in the original broadcast and was edited out of reruns, with Lorne Michaels claiming that the cut was made because he didn't feel the segment "worked comedically." Later, Harry Shearer said in an interview that the move was actually made because "he [Michaels] wanted to keep working at 30 Rock."
* In 2004, musical guest Ashlee Simpson became the first SNL performer to walk offstage when a pre-recorded backing track for the wrong song was accidentally played. It proved to viewers that Simpson had been lip synching, though the singer later claimed she was using the backing track due to an alleged throat illness. The incident was the subject of widespread coverage in the news and subsequent SNL skits.
* In 2005, musical guest System of a Down performed the song "B.Y.O.B.". At the end of the performance, guitarist Daron Malakian screamed, "fuck yeah!" which was missed by the censors.

Banned from the show

Over the years, SNL has banned both hosts and musical guests from re-appearing on the show whether it be for a complete lack of effort in performance or for unconventional or often arrogant behavior either on or off the set.

* One of the first hosts to be barred from performing again was Louise Lasser, who hosted at the end of the first season on July 24, 1976. Lasser was said to be going through personal problems at the time and was reportedly nearly incoherent throughout the broadcast. This episode was such a disappointment to producer Lorne Michaels, that it was also barred from syndication until as late as 2002.

* Charles Grodin was banned, in a way, in October, 1977, due to his clumsy performance. Grodin had missed rehearsal, and stumbled his way through the show. Many of his lines were ad-libbed. Grodin has never been asked back to host.

* Elvis Costello was banned from SNL for 12 years. On December 17, 1977, he was slated to perform with his group The Attractions. NBC and the show's producer Lorne Michaels didn't want Costello to perform "Radio, Radio," since it was an anti-media song. Costello defied them by beginning to play "Less Than Zero," stopping, telling the audience that there was no reason to do that song, and started playing "Radio, Radio." Besides the defiance, it also infuriated Michaels because it put the show off schedule. Costello was finally invited to come back and play in 1989, and even reenacted his act of defiance on the 25th Anniversary Show with the Beastie Boys in 1999.

* Frank Zappa had been banned from the show after his hosting stint on October 21, 1978. His acerbic and often misunderstood sense of humor made him more than unfavorable with the cast and crew. During his performance, he made a habit of reading cue-cards and mugging the camera. Many cast members (save for John Belushi) stood noticeably far from him during the goodnights.

* The April 24, 1979, episode of the show hosted by Milton Berle resulted in his banning due to his habit of upstaging other performers, overacting, mugging for the camera, insertion of "classic" comedy bits and his maudlin performance of September Song. This episode was also barred from rebroadcast for over twenty years (until February 2003 when an edited version was shown on E!) as Lorne Michaels felt that the broadcast, and Berle in particular, brought the show down.

* On November 13, 1982, host Robert Blake, who had been very uncooperative with the scripts that had been given him throughout the week (at one point, he even crumpled up a script presented to him by cast member and writer Gary Kroeger, and threw it back in his face), was also barred from performing on the show again.

* Another banning of sorts happened exactly one week after Blake's, when the show decided to leave the fate of a frequent guest in the hands of viewers. Andy Kaufman, who had appeared on the show periodically since its beginning in 1975, was on the chopping block. Viewers had to call a 900 number to decide if Kaufman should be allowed to stay, or be banned for life from the show. Viewers decided to kick him off and Kaufman never returned to the show. In truth, the idea was pitched to Dick Ebersol weeks before by Kaufman, and Ebersol used the idea after he had a fight with Kaufman. When Kaufman heard the news that he was banned, he felt betrayed.

* Steven Seagal, who hosted on April 20, 1991, has also been barred from hosting due to his difficulty in working with the cast and crew, who weren't afraid to make note of the occasion almost a year and a half later. During Nicolas Cage's monologue in a 1992 episode, Nicolas is speaking with Lorne backstage and says, "...they probably think I'm the biggest jerk who's ever been on the show!" To which Lorne replied, "No, no. That would be Steven Seagal." [4]

* Perhaps the most notable ostracism came in 1992, when Sin鐃�d O'Connor appeared on the program with host Tim Robbins. In her second set of the show, she performed an a capella version of Bob Marley's "War." At the end, she picked up a picture of Pope John Paul II, ripped it up, and shouted, "Fight the real enemy!" From the booth, Director Dave Wilson immediately turned off the "applause" cue. NBC received many complaints about this within a matter of minutes. At the end of the show, Robbins refused to even thank O'Connor��s is custom��or being the musical guest. O'Connor was given a verbal beating by many other celebrities and public figures, and her career went into a dramatic decline. To this day, NBC refuses to lend out the footage of the performance to any media outlet. They have also edited out the incident from the syndicated version of the episode (although, curiously, an unedited version has been screened on the Foxtel cable network in Australia). However, it was finally released in 2003, with an explanation from Lorne Michaels, on Disc 4 of the "Saturday Night Live - 25 Years of Music" DVD set.

* Comedian Martin Lawrence has also been banned from the show. His opening monologue on the February 19, 1994 episode included comments about female genitalia. The monologue has been completely edited out in the syndicated version, with just a graphic describing in general what Lawrence had said. The graphic also told viewers that it was a lively monologue and it almost cost many SNL employees their jobs. [5]

* After hosting eight times, former SNL regular Chevy Chase was banned from ever hosting the show again after the February 15, 1997, episode due to his verbal abuse of the cast and crew during the week. Chase became notorious for his treatment of certain cast members when hosting past episodes, particularly his remarks to openly gay cast member Terry Sweeney in 1985 when he suggested that a perfect skit for Sweeney would be one in which Sweeney plays an AIDS victim who gets weighed every week. Chase's abusive behavior during the 1985 episode and others are detailed in the Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live book.

* The latest victim came on May 10, 2003, when host Adrien Brody came out to introduce the musical guest, reggae musician Sean Paul, dressed in Rastafarian attire. Without any prior notice, he began speaking in a Jamaican accent and went on a tirade of sorts for close to 45 seconds before finally introducing the act incorrectly, misannouncing Sean Paul as "Sean John." Lorne Michaels is notorious for his dislike of improvisation and unannounced performances (as was also the case in Elvis Costello's incident), and therefore was furious with Brody for not obtaining clearance before performing this "monologue."

Frequent hosts

The following performers have hosted SNL at least five times:

* Steve Martin (13) -'I was just at home in bed, and I thought, "I'd like to do a cameo."'
* John Goodman (12)
* Alec Baldwin (11)
* Buck Henry (10)
* Chevy Chase (8)
* Tom Hanks (7)
* Danny DeVito (6)
* Elliott Gould (6)
* Christopher Walken (6)
* Candice Bergen (5)
* Bill Murray (5)
* Paul Simon (5 times, 10 total appearances, once with Illinois Senator Paul Simon)

Several special episodes of SNL have been compiled and aired that were "best of" episodes of several of these hosts, including Christopher Walken, Tom Hanks, and Alec Baldwin.

Last minute replacement hosts

* Nick Nolte was scheduled to host the December 11, 1982 Christmas episode, but he became too ill to host, so his 48 Hrs. co-star (and SNL cast member), Eddie Murphy took over as host. He became the only cast member to host while still a regular. Eddie Murphy opened the show with the phrase, "Live from New York, It's the Eddie Murphy Show!" The decision to have Eddie Murphy host was reported to have upset the rest of the cast.

* Martin Short was originally supposed to host the 1994 season premiere but backed out at the last minute. He was replaced by Steve Martin.

* Jon Stewart was originally supposed to host in February, 2000, but had to back out at the last minute. He was replaced by Alan Cumming. Stewart finally hosted the show in March 2002.

* Dana Carvey was supposed to host for the first time in April, 1994, but he had to back out at the last minute. He was replaced by Emilio Estevez. Carvey finally hosted six months later.

* Joe Pesci was originally supposed to host on May 9, 1992, but had to back out at the very last minute. He was replaced by Tom Hanks. Pesci finally hosted five months later.

* Ray Romano was originally supposed to host the show for the second time in April, 2002 but had to drop out due to a busy schedule. He was replaced by The Rock.

* Jim Carrey was originally supposed to host the 1999 Christmas show to promote Man on the Moon. He had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts and was replaced by his Man on the Moon co-star Danny DeVito.

* David Letterman was originally supposed to host the 1992-1993 season finale, but backed out due to his problems with NBC. He was replaced by Kevin Kline.

* Ben Stiller was originally scheduled to host on October 6, 2001, but he said it was "impossible to be funny at times like this" (shortly after 9/11). Seann William Scott hosted instead.

* Jennifer Garner was scheduled to host on January 15, 2005 but she had to cancel due to suffering from nerve damage from an injury she sustained while filming Alias. She was replaced by Topher Grace.

Recurring characters and sketches

Main article: Recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches

Below is a short list of some of SNL's most popular recurring sketches.

* Weekend Update
* The Coneheads (Dan Aykroyd, Jane Curtin, Laraine Newman)
* Samurai Futuba (John Belushi)
* Leonard Pinth-Garnell (Dan Aykroyd)
* Mister Robinson's Neighborhood (Eddie Murphy)
* Ed Grimley (Martin Short)
* Wayne's World (Mike Myers, Dana Carvey)
* Hans and Franz (Kevin Nealon, Dana Carvey)
* Church Lady (Dana Carvey)

* Matt Foley, Motivational Speaker (Chris Farley)
* Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey
* Stuart Smalley (Al Franken)
* Mary Katherine Gallagher (Molly Shannon)
* Mango (Chris Kattan)
* Celebrity Jeopardy! (Will Ferrell, Darrell Hammond)
* Jarret's Room (Jimmy Fallon, Horatio Sanz)
* The Falconer (Will Forte)
* Art Dealers (Fred Armisen and Maya Rudolph)

Movies based on SNL skits

The early days of SNL spawned a few movies and low-budget films. However, it wasn't until the huge success of Wayne's World that Broadway Video (Lorne Michaels' production company) became encouraged to feature more film spinoffs, with several popular 1990s sketch characters (and a few unlikely ones) becoming adapted into movies. Producers tried their luck with a revival of '70s characters The Coneheads, followed by movies based around Pat, Stuart Smalley, The Ladies Man, The Butabi Brothers and Mary-Catherine Gallagher. Some did moderate business but others bombed disastrously ��notably It's Pat and Stuart Saves His Family, with the latter losing US$15 million despite good reviews.

* Mr. Mike's Mondo Video (1979)
* All You Need Is Cash (aka The Rutles) (1979)
* The Blues Brothers (1980)
* Gilda Live (1981)
* Mr. Bill's Real Life Adventures (1986)
* Mr. Saturday Night (1992)
* Wayne's World (1992)
* Wayne's World 2 (1993)

* Coneheads (1993)
* It's Pat! (1994)
* Stuart Saves His Family (1995)
* A Night at the Roxbury (1998)
* Blues Brothers 2000 (1998)
* Superstar (1999)
* The Ladies Man (2000)
* A Mighty Wind (2003)
* Key Party' (2006?)

Trivia

* Steve Martin was a frequent guest host of the program and even had popular recurring characters. However, contrary to popular belief, Martin was never a regular member of the cast.
* Although Darrell Hammond holds the record for longest tenure of a Contract Player with 10 consecutive seasons (about 200 episodes), Al Franken has been credited for 12 seasons (1977-80) & (1985-94), although appearing only in a total of about 140 episodes as a Featured Player.
* Morwenna Banks holds the record for the shortest tenure of a Contract Player with only four episodes (April 1995 - May 95). The record for shortest tenure of a Featured Player goes to both Laurie Metcalf and Emily Prager, both appearing in only one episode (April 11, 1981).
* Eddie Murphy is the only person to have hosted the show while still a cast member; this occurred during season 8 (December 11, 1982), when Murphy filled in for a sick Nick Nolte.
* The cold opening occasionally varies from the traditional "Live From New York...", either to commemorate the season number (usually during season premieres) or to follow the consistency of a certain sketch. In 1981, the traditional cold opening was done away with entirely (returning the next season).
* Michael McKean and Dan Aykroyd are the only performers to appear as cast members, hosts, and as musical guests (McKean as David St. Hubbins from "This Is Spinal Tap" and Aykroyd as Elwood Blues from "The Blues Brothers.")
* Michael McKean and Billy Crystal are the only two people to join the cast after having hosted the show.
* 18 former cast members have later come back to host the show. Curiously, none of them female (Gilda Radner was scheduled to host in 1988, but was called off due to a writers strike, and died the following year).
* Harry Shearer and Brian Doyle-Murray are the only two cast members to work under both Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. Shearer in 1979 and 1984, and Doyle-Murray in 1979 and 1981. In addition, Doyle-Murray also worked under one-season Producer Jean Doumanian as a writer.
* The eldest host was Ruth Gordon, at age 80, in the episode aired on January 22, 1977.
* The youngest host was Drew Barrymore, at age 7, in the episode aired on November 20, 1982.
* The eldest cast member was Michael McKean at age 47 (1994-1995)..
* The youngest cast member was Anthony Michael Hall at age 17 (1985-1986).
* Kenan Thompson is the only cast member to date born after SNL's premiere in 1975.
* The highest rating audience (according to Nielsen) was for the episode aired on October 13, 1979 (Steve Martin/Blondie).
* Guest hosts who had previously auditioned for the show earlier in their careers only to be turned down include: Paul Reubens, John Goodman and Jim Carrey (1980); and Lisa Kudrow (1990).
* During the early years, the format of the show was not completely set in stone. For example, one early broadcast, hosted by Paul Simon, included a reunion with his former musical partner, Art Garfunkel. Only a few comedy sketches were featured during the episode, with others dropped in order to allow Simon and Garfunkel to perfom an extended musical set. On another occasion, Beat Generation author William S. Burroughs appeared on the program and read passages from his books, to mixed response.

* Prior to his stint on the show, Dennis Miller won a Gabriel Award for his work on "Punchline," a children's TV show. This is somewhat ironic, since Miller is known for his overuse of profanity.

* When Kevin Spacey hosted the show in 1997, one set of skits spoofed the screen tests of Star Wars. Spacey played Christopher Walken auditioning for the role of Han Solo. Walken really was considered for the role before Harrison Ford was chosen. Spacey also played Walter Matthau auditioning for Obi-Wan Kenobi and Jack Lemmon auditioning for Chewbacca.

* George Carlin was the show's first host. Instead of taking part in skits, Carlin performed snippets of his stand up comedy routines.

The Studio

Since the show's inception, SNL has been filmed from Studio 8H located on Floors 8 and 9 of 30 Rockefeller Plaza (usually nicknamed "30 Rock"). Due to the studio originally being a radio soundstage for Orchestra, the layout of the studio floor and the audience positioning, causes some audience members to have an obstructed view of many of the skits.

During the summer 2005 shooting hiatus, crews began renovations on Studio 8H. Starting fall 2005, the show will be broadcast in High Definition, a move that will ensure compliance with an FCC mandate to do so by 2007.

On the August 17, 2005 episode of Late Night with Conan O'Brian (also aired on NBC), Conan mentioned hearing furniture being moved around in the studio upstairs. When Conan asked if it was a rival show, someone mentioned that it was Saturday Night Live. Conan responded, "Saturday Night Live? It'll never make it." Late Night with Conan O'Brian is filmed in Studio 6A, on floors 6 and 7 of "30 Rock".

The offices of SNL writers, producers, and other staff can be found on the 17th floor of "30 Rock".

See also

* List of Saturday Night Live hosts and musical guests
* Kids in the Hall, which was also produced by Lorne Michaels
* Saturday Night Live commercial, a series of parody advertisements
* List of Saturday Night Live episodes

* A comprehensive episode list.

* MADtv, a similar series appearing on Fox and Comedy Central

Wikicities has an SNL Wikicity at SNLWiki

External links
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations by or about:
Saturday Night Live

* Official NBC website
* Summary of the series from the Museum of Broadcast Communications
* Directory > Entertainment > Television Shows > Comedies > Sketch Comedy > Saturday Night Live, from Yahoo!
* alt.tv.snl, Google's interface to a long-lived SNL fan's Usenet group
* SNL infos on IMDB

Fansites

* SNLRA, an extensive GeoCities-hosted ad-supported fansite
* SNL Archives and SNL Transcripts, extensive SNL fansites hosted by a Glendale, Arizona-based company
* Saturday-Night-Live.com, yet another extensive ad-supported fansite, maintained by a college student

Rowan & Martin's Laugh

2006-01-05T10:53:00.000-08:00

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In was a United States comedy television show broadcast for 140 episodes from January 22, 1968 through 1973 over the NBC network. The title Laugh-In was a play on a popular 1960s concept called a "love-in," where people would get together to protest war by singing songs and holding hands. Hosted by the comedy team of Dan Rowan and Dick Martin (Rowan played the exasperated straight man, Martin the horny, dumb guy), the show was characterized by a rapid-fire series of gags and sketches; many of them carried sexual innuendo, others were politically charged, and most were just silly.

A typical episode's format

* Shortly after the beginning of the show was a scene called The Cocktail Party, with all cast members plus assorted surprise celebrities dancing in a swinging 1960s party atmosphere, in between delivering one- and two-line jokes.
* "The Mod, Mod World" segment, with sketches based around a common theme, would be interspersed with footage of some of the female castmembers go-go dancing in bikinis, their bodies painted with gags. (This was usually done by Goldie Hawn, Judy Carne and Chelsea Brown; Ruth Buzzi and Jo Anne Worley popped up rarely, as did frequent guest star Pamela Austin. In the '69-'70 season, the chore was handled briefly by new castmembers Teresa Graves and Pamela Rodgers before the go-go dancing became the sole domain of uncredited extras.)
* The Farkle Family, a couple with a lot of kids - all of whom had flaming red hair and freckles just like the next-door neighbor (Ferd Berfle; played by Dick Martin). Father Frank never questioned this fact when he visited the Farkles. Most "plots" were cheap excuses to force the cast into horrendous tongue-twisters. Flicker Farkle, the youngest (played by Buzzi), had no lines except screaming "Hiiii!!!"
* "Laugh-In Looks at the News," a parody of a network newscast commenting on current events, "News of the Past" which lampooned historical events, and a segment on "News of the Future," predicting unlikely or bizarre future news stories to comic effect. (Rowan actually nailed some, mentioning "President Ronald Reagan" in a story from "1988, 20 years from now," eliciting laughter from the audience. Another prediction��hat the Berlin Wall would be destroyed in 1989��ikewise came true, although the followup gag that it would be "quickly replaced by a moat full of alligators" did not.) This was years before Saturday Night Live offered its own parody news.
* The Flying Fickle Finger of Fate award, noting dubious achievements by the government or famous people.
* Judy Carne was often tricked into saying "Sock it to me," which then led to her being doused with water or otherwise assaulted. "Sock it to me" became a catch phrase for the show. During the September 16, 1968, episode, Richard Nixon, who was running for President, appeared for a few seconds and asked the question, "Sock it to me?" According to the DVD liner notes, an invitation was extended to Nixon's opponent, Hubert H. Humphrey, but he didn't accept. Some people even credit that brief appearance for handing the very close election to Nixon that year.
* At the end of every show, Dan Rowan turned to his co-host and said, "It's time to say good-night, Dick," to which Martin replied, "Good-night, Dick" (reprising a bit from the old George Burns and Gracie Allen radio show). The show then featured various cast members opening panels in a psychedelically painted 'joke wall' and telling short jokes to one another. As the show drew to a close and the general applause died down, the sound of one person clapping continued even as the screen turned blank.

Memorable castmembers/guests and their running gags

* Arte Johnson portrayed a number of recurring characters, including:
o Wolfgang, the Nazi soldier, commenting on the previous gag by saying Verrry interesting, sometimes with additional comments such as "...but schtupit!" He would close each show by talking to Lucille Ball and the cast of Gunsmoke ��both airing opposite Laugh-In on CBS.
o Tyrone F. Horneigh, the dirty old man coming on to Ruth Buzzi (as Gladys Ormphby, an extremely drab old lady in a hair net who also frequented the Cocktail Party) seated on a park bench, who inevitably hit him with her purse. Both the Horneigh and Ormphby characters returned in the "Nitwits" segments of the 1977 animated television show "Baggy Pants and the Nitwits".
o Rosmenko, the Eastern European Man, who stood stiffly and nervously in an ill-fitting suit while commenting on differences between America and "The Old Country," such as "Here in America, is very good, everyone watch television. In Old Country, television watches you!" This predated a similar schtick by Yakov Smirnoff.
o Rabbi Shankar (a pun on Ravi Shankar), an Indian guru dressed in a Nehru jacket dispensing pseudo-mystical Eastern wisdom laden with bad puns.
o A man in a yellow raincoat riding a tricycle, crashing, and falling over.
* Los Angeles disc jockey Gary Owens standing with his hand cupped over his ear, giving announcements, often with little relation to the rest of the show.
* Henry Gibson holding a flower and reading offbeat poems.
* Henny Youngman telling one-liner jokes for no apparent reason. (Often, any corny one-liners would be followed by the line, "Oh, that Henny Youngman!")
* Lily Tomlin as the obnoxious telephone operator "Ernestine" ("We don't care. We don't have to. We're the phone company") and as a child named "Edith Ann" ("And that's the truth. Pbbbt!"). (Tomlin also famously performed Ernestine for Saturday Night Live, and Edith Ann on children's shows such as The Electric Company.)
* Alan Sues ("Big Al") as a clueless and fey sports anchor who loved ringing his bell, which he called his "tinkle."
* Goldie Hawn was the giggling dumb blonde who would say many a time: "I forgot the question."
* Jo Anne Worley would sometimes sing songs showing how loud her operatic voice was but mostly would detect "chicken jokes." Many times, during the Cocktail Parties, she talked about her boyfriend Boris (who was a married man).
* Flip Wilson, whose frequent character, the cross-dressing "Geraldine," originated the phrase "What you see is what you get."

Memorable moments and catchphrases

The show gave considerable publicity to singer Tiny Tim, an unusual-looking man with long hair who sang in a falsetto voice while accompanying himself on ukulele. Thanks to his appearances on the show, he achieved a hit single with his piercing version of the vintage 1920s song "Tiptoe Through the Tulips." Tiny Tim was later married on the Tonight Show to a woman known as Miss Vicky.

Other musical moments came in the first season with some of the first music videos ever seen on TV, with cast members appearing in film clips set to the music of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, the Bee Gees, the Temptations and the First Edition.

Cast members Lily Tomlin and Goldie Hawn later became noted film stars. Henry Gibson later starred in the Robert Altman film Nashville (which also featured Tomlin). Dave Madden, whose trademark on the show was to throw a handful of confetti while keeping a deadpan expression at the punch line of a joke, later played the role of Reuben Kincaid in the television sitcom The Partridge Family. Richard Dawson, who previously had a regular part in the sitcom Hogan's Heroes, went on to his defining role as host of the U.S. television game show Family Feud. Teresa Graves parlayed her one season on the show into the title role of the police drama Get Christie Love!

Besides the ones mentioned above, the show created other popular catch phrases:

* "I didn't know that." (Dick Martin's occasional response as to what will happen on an episode)
* "Look that up in your Funk and Wagnall's"
* "Go to your room"
* "Uncle Al had a lot of medicine last night" (famous line by Uncle Al, the Kiddies' Pal, played by Alan Sues)
* "You bet your sweet bippy"
* "Here come the judge!" (reprising a bit first made famous by comedian Pigmeat Markham and continued by frequent guest star Sammy Davis, Jr.)
* "'Ello, 'ello! NBC, beautiful downtown Burbank" (the response to the calls received by a switchboard operator played by Judy Carne). When it went to syndication in 1983 both the NBC logo that was featured in the segment and the network's name in the catch phrase was edited out.
* "One ringy-dingy...two ringy-dingies..." (Ernestine's responses to the rings that would occur while she was waiting for someone to pick up the receiver on the other end of the phone lines)
* "A gracious good afternoon. This is Miss Tomlin of the telephone company. Have I reached the party to whom I am speaking?" (Ernestine's greeting to people who she would call)
* "I just wanna swing!" (Gladys Ormphby's catchphrase)
* "Is that a chicken joke?" (Jo Anne Worley's outraged cry, a takeoff on the Polish jokes of the day)
* "Here comes the big finish, folks!" (usually before the last of a series of guest stars' bad puns)

There was also a Laugh-In Magazine published for about two years; it was similar to MAD Magazine. A comic strip was also seen in newspapers and published in paperback form.

Cast comings and goings

The show was #1 in the ratings for the 1968��9 and '69��0 seasons. At the end of '68��9, Judy Carne chose not to renew her contract as she wanted to pursue other projects, though she did make occasional appearances during '69��0; producer George Schlatter blamed her for breaking up the "family." The show also survived the departures of Goldie Hawn, and Jo Anne Worley to remain a top-20 show in '70��1. New faces in the 1970��1 season (joining Tomlin, who first appeared late in the previous season) included tap dancer Barbara Sharma, who would later appear on Rhoda, and Johnny Brown, who later gained fame as the superintendent 'Bookman' on Good Times. Arte Johnson and Henry Gibson would depart after the 1970��1 season, replaced by Dawson and Larry Hovis, both of whom had also appeared occasionally in the first season. However, the loss of Johnson's many characters caused ratings to drop farther.

The show celebrated episode #100 in the '71��2 season; Carne, Worley, Johnson, Gibson, Graves and Tiny Tim returned for the festivities. John Wayne was also on-hand for his first cameo appearance since 1968.

For the show's final season (1972-73), Rowan and Martin assumed the Executive Producer roles from George Schlatter (known on-air as "CFG", which stood for "Crazy F***ing George") and Ed Friendly; a mostly new supporting cast (save holdovers Dawson, Owens, Buzzi and only occasional appearances from Tomlin) was brought in, but the viewers didn't respond and the show was cancelled. This final season, which included future Match Game panelist Patti Deutsch and ventriloquist Willie Tyler of Willie Tyler and Lester fame, never aired in the edited half-hour rerun package that was syndicated to local stations in 1983 and later aired on Nick at Nite. The cable network Trio started airing the show in its original one-hour form in the early 2000s, but only the pilot and the first 69 episodes (extending to the fourth episode of the 1970��1 season) were included in Trio's package. Two "Best-of" DVD packages are also available; disappointingly, they only contain six episodes each.

Of the over three dozen entertainers to grace the cast, only Rowan, Martin, Owens and Buzzi were there from beginning to end (although Owens wasn't in the 1967 pilot and Buzzi missed two first-season episodes.)

In 1977 Schlatter and NBC briefly revived the property as a series of specials with an entirely new cast. Among the new folks was a then-unknown Robin Williams ��whose starring role on ABC's Mork & Mindy one season later prompted NBC to rerun the specials as a summer series in 1979.

See also: Farkle, Alan Sues, Jo Anne Worley.

Regular Performers (with season numbers, where known)

* Dan Rowan, host
* Dick Martin, host
* Gary Owens, announcer
* Ruth Buzzi
* 1----- Eileen Brennan (1968)
* 123--- Judy Carne (1968-1970)
* 1234-- Henry Gibson (1968-1971)
* 123--- Goldie Hawn (1968-1970)
* 1---5- Larry Hovis (1968, 1971-1972)
* 1234-- Arte Johnson (1968-1971)
* 1----- Roddy Maude-Roxby (1968)
* 123--- Jo Anne Worley (1968-1970)
* -2345- Alan Sues (1968-1972)
* -2---- "The Fun Couple" Charlie Brill and Mitzi McCall (1968-1969)
* -2---- Chelsea Brown (1968-1969)
* -2---- Dave Madden (1968-1969)
* -2---- Pigmeat Markham (1968-1969)
* -2---- Dick Whittington (1968-1969)
* -23--- Byron Gilliam (1969-1970; uncredited in season 2, returned as dancer only in 5)
* --3--- Teresa Graves (1969-1970)
* --3--- Jeremy Lloyd (1969-1970)
* --3--- Pamela Rodgers (1969-1970)
* --3--- Stu Gilliam (1970)
* --3456 Lily Tomlin (1969-1973)
* --345- Johnny Brown (1970-1972)
* ---45- Dennis Allen (1970-1973)
* ---45- Ann Elder (1970-1972)
* ---4-- Nancy Phillips (1970-1971)
* ---45- Barbara Sharma (1970-1972)
* ---4-- Harvey Jason (1970-1971)
* ---456 Richard Dawson (1971-1973; also one appearance in Season 1)
* -----6 Moosie Drier (1971-1973)
* -----6 Tod Bass (1972-1973)
* -----6 Brian Bressler (1972-1973)
* -----6 Patti Deutsch (1972-1973)
* -----6 Lisa Farringer (1972-1973)
* -----6 Sarah Kennedy (1972-1973)
* -----6 Jud Strunk (1972-1973)
* -----6 Willie Tyler (1972-1973)
* -----6 Donna Jean Young (1972-1973)

Regular guests

* Jack Benny (1968-1970, 1972)
* Johnny Carson (1968-1970, 1971, 1973)
* Sammy Davis Jr. (1968-1970, 1971, 1973)
* Zsa Zsa Gabor (1968-1970)
* Peter Lawford (1968-1971)
* Tiny Tim (1968-1970, 1971-1972)
* John Wayne (1968, 1971-1973)
* Flip Wilson (1968-1970)
* Henny Youngman (1968-1969, 1971-1973)

More Celebrities Who Have Guest-Starred

* Barbara Feldon
* Pamela Austin
* Buddy Hackett
* Sheldon Leonard
* Lorne Greene
* Robert Culp
* Kenny Rogers and The First Edition
* Muriel Landers
* Cher
* Tim Conway
* Don Adams
* Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
* Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
* Walter Slezak
* Dinah Shore
* The Temptations
* Connie Stevens
* Jerry Lewis
* Sally Field
* Terry-Thomas
* the Bee Gees
* Godfrey Cambridge
* Sonny Bono
* Paul Winchell
* Pat Morita
* Joey Bishop
* Ed McMahon
* Harry Belafonte
* John Byner
* James Garner
* Regis Philbin
* Anissa Jones
* Inga Nielsen
* Leonard Nimoy
* Edward Platt
* Elgin Baylor
* Sivi Aberg
* Hugh Downs
* Jill St. John
* Hugh Hefner
* Bob Hope
* Jack Lemmon
* Richard Nixon
* Sonny Tufts
* Herb Alpert
* Eve Arden
* Arlene Dahl
* Otto Preminger
* Greer Garson
* Kirk Douglas
* Liberace
* Lena Horne
* France Nuyen
* Bobby Darin
* Rosemary Clooney
* Mitzi Gaynor
* Harland Sanders
* Van Johnson
* Werner Klemperer
* Jimmy Dean
* Marcel Marceau
* Bill Dana
* George Gobel
* Rod Serling
* Rock Hudson
* Dick Gregory
* Victor Borge
* Phil Harris
* Perry Como
* Joseph Cotten
* Vincent Price
* Tony Curtis
* Cliff Robertson
* Barbara Bain
* Billy Barty
* Martin Landau
* Guy Lombardo
* Nanette Fabray
* George Jessel
* Rich Little
* Bob Newhart
* Don Rickles
* Kate Smith
* Peter Falk
* David Janssen
* Pat Nixon
* Nancy Sinatra
* The Smothers Brothers
* Frank Gorshin
* Tom Kennedy
* Davy Jones
* Nipsey Russell
* Robert Wagner
* Gina Lollobrigida
* Mel Brooks
* Doug McClure
* Ann Miller
* Forrest Tucker
* Shelley Winters
* Laurence Harvey
* Billy Graham
* Debbie Reynolds
* Peter Sellers
* Michael Caine
* Diana Ross
* The Monkees
* Jack E. Leonard
* Lana Wood
* Anne Jackson
* Eli Wallach
* Romy Schneider
* Carol Channing
* Sid Caesar
* Engelbert Humperdinck
* Roger Moore
* Jacqueline Susann
* Jonathan Winters
* Bing Crosby
* Tennessee Ernie Ford
* Jim Backus
* Andy Griffith
* Carl Reiner
* Ringo Starr
* Wally Cox
* Danny Kaye
* Milton Berle
* Andy Williams
* Edgar Bergen
* Mickey Rooney
* Art Carney
* David Frost
* Don Ho
* Zero Mostel
* Orson Welles
* Desi Arnaz
* Ricardo Montalban
* Phil Silvers
* Phyllis Diller
* William F. Buckley
* Wilt Chamberlain
* Gore Vidal
* Sam Yorty
* David Steinberg
* Jack Cassidy
* Marcello Mastroianni
* Chuck Connors
* Truman Capote
* Richard Crenna
* Fernando Lamas
* Raquel Welch
* Vida Blue
* Sugar Ray Robinson
* Joe Namath
* Vin Scully
* Roman Gabriel
* Andy Granatelli
* Bill Russell
* Doug Sanders
* Willie Shoemaker
* James Brolin
* Rita Hayworth
* Doc Severinsen
* Karen Valentine
* Edward G. Robinson
* Janet Leigh
* Lee Grant
* Liza Minnelli
* Ralph Edwards
* James Coco
* Agnes Moorehead
* Mike Mazurki
* Carroll O'Connor
* Jack Soo
* Charo
* Petula Clark
* Fannie Flagg
* Jack LaLanne
* Sally Struthers
* Robert Goulet
* Charles Nelson Reilly
* Mort Sahl
* Sue Ane Langdon
* Slappy White
* Paul Lynde
* Charlie Callas
* Dick Cavett
* Johnny Cash
* Sandy Duncan
* Gene Hackman
* Jack Carter
* Steve Allen
* Jo Ann Pflug
* Jean Stapleton
* Isaac Hayes
* Kent McCord
* Martin Milner
* Sebastian Cabot
* Dyan Cannon
* Julie London
* Bob Crane
* William Conrad
* Lucie Arnaz
* Ross Martin
* Cass Elliot
* Michele Lee
* Peter Marshall
* James Farentino
* Hugh O'Brian
* Bill Bixby
* Totie Fields
* Mike Connors
* Totie Fields
* Della Reese
* James Caan
* Carol Burnett
* Demond Wilson
* Jack Klugman
* Steve Lawrence
* Howard Cosell
* Alex Karras
* Angie Dickinson
* Monty Hall
* Oral Roberts
* Ernest Borgnine
* Arthur Godfrey
* Meredith Baxter
* David Birney
* Rip Taylor
* Dom DeLuise
* The Monkees (sans Peter Tork)

External links

* http://www.timvp.com/laughin.html
* http://www.rowanandmartinslaughin.com/

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Seinfeld

2006-01-02T10:47:00.000-08:00

Format Sitcom
Run time 21 Minutes
Creator Larry David
Jerry Seinfeld
Starring Jerry Seinfeld
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Michael Richards
Jason Alexander
Country USA
Network NBC
Original run July 5, 1989��ay 14, 1998
No. of episodes 180 (incl 4 clip shows)

Seinfeld is a television sitcom, considered to be one of the most popular and influential of the 1990s in the U.S., to the point where it is often cited as epitomizing the self-obsessed and ironic culture of the decade. In 2002, TV Guide released a list of the top 50 greatest shows of all time and ranked Seinfeld #1. The show stars Jerry Seinfeld playing Jerry Seinfeld, a character named after and based largely on himself, and is set predominantly in an apartment block in Manhattan's Upper West Side, New York. It features an eclectic cast of characters, mainly Jerry's friends and acquaintances ��Cosmo Kramer (Michael Richards), George Costanza (Jason Alexander) and Elaine Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). It is produced by Castle-Rock Entertainment (then helmed by famed actor and producer, Rob Reiner) and is distributed by Columbia Pictures Television (now Sony Pictures Television).

Overview

The show has been famously described as "the show about nothing", as most of the comedy was based around the largely inconsequential minutiae of everyday life, and often involved petty rivalries and elaborate schemes to gain the smallest advantage over other individuals. The characters have also been described as utterly selfish and amoral; the show standing out by depicting these traits in a comedic fashion. (However, it should be noted that a common motif concerns characters' attempts to do nice things for people, only to have them backfire exponentially.) In contrast to many other sitcoms, the allowing of scenes to lapse into sentimentality was generally avoided, and Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David's dictum of "no hugging, no learning" gave the show its distinctively cold and cynical tone. However, themes of illogical social graces and customs, neurotic and obsessive behavior, and the mysterious workings of relationships ran in numerous episodes, making it possible to categorize the show as a comedy of manners. The show's creators made a conscious effort to reflect the activities of real people, rather than the idealized escapist characters often seen on television, although many episodes do feature surreal escapades, often based on scenes from famous movies.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Elaine, and Jerry Seinfeld as himself
Enlarge
Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Elaine, and Jerry Seinfeld as himself

Previous shows on television were almost always family or co-worker driven, and Seinfeld holds itself up as being a then-rare example of a sitcom wherein none of the characters were related by blood or employed, if at all, in the same building or business.
Tom's Restaurant, a diner at 112th St. and Broadway in Manhattan, referred to as "Monk's Cafe" in the show.
Enlarge
Tom's Restaurant, a diner at 112th St. and Broadway in Manhattan, referred to as "Monk's Cafe" in the show.

According to Bruce Fretts' 1993 The "Entertainment Weekly" "Seinfeld" Companion, Seinfeld's audience was, "TV-literate, demographically desirable urbanites, for the most part-who look forward to each weekly episode in the Life of Jerry with a baby-boomer generation's self-involved eagerness." Likewise, in episodes adhering to the original concept, the show featured clips of Seinfeld himself delivering a standup routine at the beginning and end of each episode, the theme of which relates to the events depicted in the plot. By this device the distinction between the actor Jerry Seinfeld and the character who is portrayed by him is deliberately blurred. In later seasons, these standup clips became less frequent. All of the main characters were modeled after Seinfeld's real life acquaintances.

Another violation of the fiction convention of isolating characters from the actors playing them, and separating the characters' world from the actors' and audience's world, was a story arc that concerned the characters' roles in promoting a television sitcom series named Jerry. Jerry was much like Seinfeld in that Seinfeld played himself, and that the show was "about nothing". Jerry was launched in the 1993 season premiere of Seinfeld, in an episode titled "The Pilot". This story arc, along with other examples of self-reference, have led many critics to point out the postmodern nature of the show.
Jerry Seinfeld performing his famous stand-up comedy at the ending of an episode ("The Boyfriend Part. 2)
Enlarge
Jerry Seinfeld performing his famous stand-up comedy at the ending of an episode ("The Boyfriend Part. 2)

According to Katherine Gantz, this entanglement of character and actor relationships "seems to be a part of the show's complex appeal. Whereas situation comedies often dilute their cast, adding and removing characters in search of new plot possibilities, Seinfeld instead interiorizes; the narrative creates new configurations of the same limited cast to keep the viewer and the characters intimately linked. In fact, it is precisely this concentration on the nuclear set of four personalities that creates the Seinfeld community".

Another attribute that makes Seinfeld exceptional is that in almost every episode, several story threads are presented at the beginning, generally involving the various characters in separate and unrelated situations, which then converge and are interwoven towards the end of the episode in an ironic fashion. Due to the densely-plotted construction of the storylines, attempts to summarize the action in a given script are generally more verbose than one would expect for a sitcom. Despite any separate plot strands, the narratives show "consistent efforts to maintain [the] intimacy" between the small cast of characters. "Much of Seinfeld's plot and humor hinge on outside personalities threatening��nd ultimately failing��o invade the foursome, ... especially where Jerry and George are concerned." (Gantz 2000)

Gantz maintains that another factor in, or further proof of, spectators' and characters' participation in a Seinfeld community is the large amount of in-slang, "a lexicon of Seinfeldian code words and recurring phrases that go unnoticed by the infrequent or 'unknowing' viewer". These include Bubble Boy, Biff Loman, Master of My Domain, Junior Mints, Shrinkage, Mulva, Crazy Joe Davola, Man Hands, Yada Yada, Dr. Van Nostran, Spongeworthy, and Art Vandelay.

The show premiered as The Seinfeld Chronicles on May 31, 1990 on NBC. Seinfeld was not an immediate success. After the pilot was shown, on July 5, 1989, a pickup by NBC did not seem likely and the show was actually offered to Fox, which declined to pick up the show. It was only thanks to Rick Ludwin, head of late night and special events for NBC, for diverting money from his budget, that the next four episodes were filmed. After nine years on the air and 180 episodes filmed, the series finale of Seinfeld aired on May 14, 1998. It was watched by a huge audience, estimated at 76 million viewers. Jerry Seinfeld holds both the record for the "most money refused" according to the Guinness Book of World Records by refusing an offer to continue the show for 5 million dollars per episode, and another record for the Highest Ever Annual Earnings For A TV Actor[1], while the show itself holds the record for the Highest Television Advertising Rates[2].

In the UK Seinfeld was screened on BBC TWO, usually at around 11:30 PM. Fans and critics constantly campaigned for an earlier time slot, but it never happened. The show was subsequently rerun on the Paramount Comedy Channel on satellite in a mid-evening slot.

In 2004 a deal was negotiated to make Seinfeld available on DVD for the first time. Due to legal problems with the cast involving episode commentary and other DVD extras, the release was pushed back. The first 3 seasons were released November 23, 2004, and season 4 was released in May 2005. The DVD packaging claims that the series was remastered on HDTV to provide the best possible picture quality.

Characters

See also: Seinfeld characters and culture

Main Characters

Jerry Seinfeld

Jerry Seinfeld (played by Jerry Seinfeld)�� standup comedian who seeks out relationships with attractive women which rarely last more than one episode. A number of episodes involve some obsession of Jerry's that results in offending the romantic interest and ruining the relationship. Among his strongest obsessions are his impulsive need for neatness, his love of Superman and for cereal. There is a reference to Superman, either visually, conversationally, or thematically, in over 70% of the episodes in the series.
Main characters on Seinfeld TV program
Main characters on Seinfeld TV program

George Costanza

George Louis Costanza (played by Jason Alexander)�� "short, stocky, slow-witted, bald man", the neurotic George is a self-loathing, congenital liar domineered by his parents, especially his father Frank. He has held many jobs, including that of a real estate agent, a bra salesman and an assistant to the traveling secretary for the New York Yankees. He also worked briefly at a sporting equipment company called Play Now and at Kruger Industrial Smoothing (and��ery briefly��t Pendant Publishing). His relationships with women were always unsuccessful, including his engagement to Susan Ross, played by Heidi Swedberg. The character of George was largely based on the show's co-creator and Seinfeld's real-life best friend, comedian Larry David. Episode plots would frequently feature George manufacturing elaborate deceptions at work or in his relationships, in order to gain or maintain some petty advantage. These schemes would invariably backfire. Many of George's predicaments were based on ones that Larry David had found himself in at one point or another in his own life.

Cosmo Kramer

Cosmo Kramer (played by Michael Richards)��all, wild-haired, Kramer is the most eccentric Seinfeld character. He is frequently involved in hare-brained schemes to get rich. Undoubtedly the most popular character on the show, he is often described as the "action character" that draws audiences with his wild and unusual antics and movements. In one show, Kramer is called a "hipster doofus." He is based on Larry David's neighbor, Kenny Kramer. Kramer adopts a different bizarre habit or money-making scheme almost every episode. He is friends with Newman, as well as a wide variety of (mostly off-screen) acquaintances and shady partners.

Elaine Benes

Elaine Marie Benes (played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus)��ike Jerry, much of Elaine's life revolves around trying to arrange relationships with attractive individuals, although some of hers last longer than Jerry's. The most noticeable is her on-again, off-again relationship with David Puddy (played by Patrick Warburton). She has also held jobs for Pendant Publishing, The J. Peterman Catalog, and as a personal assistant to the wealthy Mr. Pitt. Elaine was a composite of two girlfriends of the creators, one being writer Carol Leifer, Seinfeld's real-life ex-girlfriend. In the show Elaine and Jerry dated, and "broke up", timeline-wise, just before the first episode, remaining friends over the course of the show. Elaine went to Tufts University (her "safety school") and is a writer, though sometimes not realizing it. Elaine is most often a victim of circumstance, with plots surrounding her usually coming into conflict with her inadequate boyfriends or the arbitrary demands of her eccentric employers.

Recurring Characters

This is quick list of recurring characters. For more see: Seinfeld characters and culture

* Newman (played by Wayne Knight) ��Jerry and Kramer's neighbor; a portly, vengeful and spasmodic U.S. postal carrier
* Estelle Costanza (played by Estelle Harris) ��George's Mother
* Frank Costanza (played by Jerry Stiller) ��George's Father
* Susan Ross (played by Heidi Swedberg) ��Ex-fianc鐃� of George, dies from toxic wedding invitations
* Helen Seinfeld (played by Liz Sheridan) ��Jerry's Mother
* Morty Seinfeld (played by Barney Martin) ��Jerry's Father
* J. Peterman (played by John O'Hurley) ��the eccentric and loquacious boss of Elaine
* Mr. Steinbrenner (voice by Larry David) ��George Costanza's boss while working for the Yankees
* Uncle Leo (played by Len Lesser) ��the unavoidable and annoying Uncle of Jerry
* David Puddy (played by Patrick Warburton) ��on-again, off-again, sometimes "religious", boyfriend of Elaine.
* Mr. Wilhelm (played by Richard Herd) ��George's superior at the New York Yankees
* Mr. Lippman (played by Richard Fancy) ��Elaine's boss at Pendant Publishing
* Mr. (Justin) Pitt (played by Ian Abercrombie) ��hired Elaine to tend to his personal needs, such as buying socks.
* Mickey Abbott (played by Danny Woodburn) ��a little person who took on various acting gigs with Kramer
* Jackie Chiles (played by Phil Morris) ��Kramer's Lawyer, an obvious parody of Johnnie Cochran
* Kenny Bania (played by Steve Hytner) ��an unfunny stand-up comedian who idolizes Jerry
* Ruthie (played by Ruth Cohen) ��the (mostly) silent lady cashier at Monk's

Memorable incidents

See also

* List of Seinfeld episodes
* The Seinfeld Chronicles (pilot)
* Festivus (Holiday)
* Soup Nazi (character)
* Rochelle, Rochelle (series of notable episodes)

External links
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations by or about:
Seinfeld

* Seinfeld.com
* Seinfeld at IMDb
* Seinfeld at Yahoo! TV
* TV.com: Seinfeld
* Seinology.com
* Stanthecaddy.com
* Fortunes and pictures from Seinfeld

Lists

* The Food
* Mike "The News Guy"'s absurdly obsessive 'Lists' site

Frequently Asked Questions

* SeinFAQ - The unofficial Seinfeld FAQ

Episodes

* Seinfeld - TV Series - TV.com

Scripts

* Seinology
* Seinfeld Scripts
* The Original Seinfeld Scripts Archive

Small Wonder

2006-01-02T10:41:00.000-08:00

Small Wonder is a sitcom from the 1980s. The story is based on the life of a suburban family consisting of a robotics engineer, his wife, their son and a robot created by the engineer who is passed off as their adopted daughter. As the robot daughter slowly learns human behaviour, albeit with a straight face, conducive situations for humour are generated. The half-hour show ran from September 16, 1985 to 1989, making it the first sitcom that Fox put into production. It was created by Howard Leeds, whose other credits include The Brady Bunch, Diff'rent Strokes, The Facts of Life, Silver Spoons, and The Ghost and Mrs. Muir.

Characters

* Ted Lawson (Dick Christie), father and engineer.
* Joan Lawson (Marla Pennington), mother.
* Jamie Lawson (Jerry Supiran), son.
* Vickie (Voice Imput Child Indenticant) Lawson (Tiffany Brissette), robotic daughter.

* Harriet Brendle (Emily Schulman), nosy neighbor with a crush on Jamie.
* Brandon Brendle (William Bogert), Harriet's father and Ted's boss from stealing Ted's ideas.
* Bonnie Brindle (Edie McClurg), Harriet's mother.

Suddenly Susan

2006-01-02T03:58:00.000-08:00

Suddenly Susan was a US-American sitcom broadcast on NBC from 1996 to 2000. Suddenly Susan's main star was Brooke Shields, who got the show after a guest appearance on Friends.

Suddenly Susan takes place at The Gate, a fictitious magazine which is based in San Francisco. Among the magazine's employees is Susan Keane (played by Brooke Shields), who writes a columm on being a single woman. She lives with her loving grandmother, Nana (played by Barbara Barrie). Susan got the job at the magazine after deserting her fianc鐃�on her wedding day. Other employees include Luis Rivera (played by Nestor Carbonell), who is the magazine's photographer. Maddy Piper (played by Andr鐃� Bendewald) is the investigative reporter at The Gate. Restaurants are reviewed by Vicki Groener (played by Kathy Griffin) and concerts are reviewed by Todd Stites (played by David Strickland). The owner of The Gate is Jack Richmond (played by Judd Nelson). Jack turns out to be the brother of the man Susan deserted on her wedding day.

Besides the task of putting together a magazine, Suddenly Susan also focuses on the private lives of many employees in the show.

David Strickland's sudden death, by suicide, in 1999, forced changes in the show. The Gate got a new owner, Ian Maxtone-Graham (played by Eric Idle), who transformed The Gate into a men's magazine. He brought along Miranda Charles, his executive assistant (played by Sherri Shepherd). A sports writer, Nate Knaborski (played by Currie Graham) was added along with a freelance photographer, Oliver Browne (played by Rob Estes).

Trivia

* There is actually an influential magazine published in San Francisco called SFGate.
* Eric Idle's character, Ian Maxtone-Graham, is named after a real TV writer (and Monty Python fan) who currently works on The Simpsons.

External links

Tales From The Crypt

2006-01-02T03:57:00.000-08:00

Tales From The Crypt

Season 2 DVD cover art featuring the Crypt Keeper
Format Horror
Run time approx. 0:30
(commercial-free)
Creator William Gaines (original concept)
Starring John Kassir
Country USA
Network HBO
Original run June 10, 1989��uly 19, 1996
No. of episodes 93

Tales from the Crypt was a horror anthology TV series that ran from 1989 to 1996 on the premium cable channel HBO. It was based on the 1950s EC Comics series of the same name. The series is not to be confused with Tales from the Darkside, another similarly themed horror anthology series.

It was one of the few anthology series to be allowed to have full freedom from censorship by the FCC, due to the fact that it was on HBO, a cable television station. Given that HBO often allows its shows to have more graphic material than most shows on American television, the station allowed the series to contain graphic violence as well as other content that hadn't appeared in most television series up to that time, such as profanity, nudity, and sexual situations.

The series began as an American series, filmed in California. In the later seasons filming continued in England and many episodes filmed during that time revolved around British characters.
Contents
[hide]

* 1 Episodes
* 2 Spin-offs
* 3 Awards
* 4 Technical data
* 5 See also
* 6 External links

Episodes

Each episode began with the show's host, the Crypt Keeper, a wisecracking decomposing corpse (voiced by John Kassir), introducing the episode, which would be one individual story. Many of these episodes had guest appearances by notable celebrities. Many famous celebrities, such as Tom Hanks and Arnold Schwarzenegger, also directed some of the episodes of the series.

The episode "You, Murderer" is particularly of note, due to the fact that it was one of the first shows ever filmed that used computer effects to digitally insert actors into an episode. Alfred Hitchcock appeared in a cameo at the beginning of the episode, and Humphrey Bogart played the starring role for this story. Due to the fact that both men had been dead for decades, their appearances made the episode very well known amongst fans. This episode was also notable for Isabella Rossellini's guest appearance in which she parodies her lookalike mother, Ingrid Bergman for the first and probably only time.

Spin-offs

Two movies, Demon Knight (1995) and Bordello of Blood (1996), were made based on the series, neither of which was particularly successful. In 1993, a Saturday morning cartoon called Tales from the Cryptkeeper was made based off the series, with none of the violence or other questionable content that was in the original series making an appearance in it. A kid's game show called Secrets of the Cryptkeeper's Haunted House was also spun off from the series. After the original series was cancelled, a spin-off called Perversions of Science premiered in 1997 on HBO, this time being based around science fiction instead of horror. The series only lasted for a short run, and was cancelled the same year.

Awards

Tales from the Crypt won the following awards:

* the 1991 Motion Picture Sound Editors' Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing - Television Half-Hour - ADR
* the 1992 Motion Picture Sound Editors' Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing - Television Episodic - Effects and Foley
* the 1993 Motion Picture Sound Editors' Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing - Television Episodic - Effects and Foley
* the 1994 American Cinema Editors' Eddie Award for Best Edited Half Hour Series for Television (for the episode "People Who Live in Brass Hearses")

It was also nominated for the following awards:

* the 1990 Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series (William Hickey in the episode "The Switch")
* the 1991 Young Artist Award for Best Young Actor in a Cable Special (Mike Simmrin)
* the 1992 Casting Society of America's Artios Award for Best Casting for TV, Dramatic Episodic
* the 1994 Emmy Awards for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Makeup for a Series and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (Kirk Douglas)
* the 1994 American Cinema Editors' Eddie Award for Best Edited Half Hour Series for Television (for the episode "The Lipreader")
* the 1994 Emmy Awards for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series (Tim Curry in the episode "Death Of Some Salesman"), Outstanding Individual Achievement in Costume Design for a Series and Outstanding Individual Achievement in Makeup for a Series
* the 1994 Young Artist Award for Best Youth Actor Guest Starring in a Television Show (Raushan Hammond)
* the 1995 Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Costume Design for a Series
* the 1996 American Society of Cinematographers Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Regular Series (for the episode "You Murderer")

Technical data

* alternate title: HBO's Tales from the Crypt
* episodes: 93
* runtime: 30 minutes each episode
* sound: Dolby
* aspect ratio: 1.33 : 1
* series premiere: June 10, 1989

See also

* List of Tales from the Crypt episodes
* 1989 in television
* List of television programs

External links

* Tales from the Crypt at the Internet Movie Database
* Tales from the Cryptkeeper at the Internet Movie Database
* TV Tome entry for Tales from the Crypt
* All Movie Guide entry for Tales from the Crypt

Scrubs

2005-09-02T10:49:00.000-07:00

Format Sitcom
Run time approx. 0:23 (per episode)
Creator Bill Lawrence
Starring Zach Braff
Donald Faison
Sarah Chalke
John C. McGinley
Judy Reyes
Ken Jenkins
and
Neil Flynn
Country USA
Network NBC
Original run October 2, 2001–present
No. of episodes 93 (to the end of Season 4; is renewed for Season 5 in 2005-06)

Scrubs is an American sitcom on NBC created by Bill Lawrence, who also co-created Spin City.

The show, which premiered in 2001, focuses on the professional and personal lives of several characters working at Sacred Heart, a hospital in an unspecified city, and is currently in its fourth season.

Overview

The show premiered on October 2, 2001. What distinguishes it from other sitcoms are its use of narration, unusually verbose characters, abrupt segues between subplots, breakneck pace, scenes of surreal escapism (usually presented as the thoughts of the main character), and poignant scenes where the characters address how doctors deal with death, the delivery of dire diagnoses, and other hospital-related/personal issues. It also lacks a laugh track, a typical device in most sitcoms; this makes it one of the few US shows positioned as a comedy to do so since M*A*S*H. Also unlike most sitcoms it uses a one camera setup (compare to a multicamera setup). The show is structured around various storylines, which are thematically linked via voice-overs, intended to deliver a small life-lesson and often a joke.

Theme song

The opening theme to Scrubs is "Superman," performed by Lazlo Bane, which can be found on the album All The Time In The World, as well as on the first Scrubs soundtrack. Briefly during the second season, NBC increased the featured cast to include Neil Flynn and other members of the extended cast, but returned to the original credit sequence due to its appropriate length. The opening theme consists of the last few bars of the song, but the complete song has not, so far, occurred in an episode, though the music video for the song (available at the Scrubs website) does use footage from the actors and sets. The menu of the first season DVD set of the show, however, features the song in its entirety.
Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Cast
Part of the cast in 2004-05 - clockwise from left: Sarah Chalke, John C. McGinley, Zach Braff, Donald Faison, Judy Reyes
Enlarge
Part of the cast in 2004-05 - clockwise from left: Sarah Chalke, John C. McGinley, Zach Braff, Donald Faison, Judy Reyes

Main cast

    * Zach Braff as Dr. John Michael 'J.D.' Dorian
      The affably nerdish narrator and main character—initially an intern and later a resident in medicine—who provides the narration most of the time. He is afraid of sharks and escalators, acts strangely around pennies, does not believe in karma (ep. "My Old Man"), believes in karma (ep. "My Karma") and collects scarves. Served as Co-Chief Resident for his fourth year at Sacred Heart, and took a job as staff internist there at the end of the fourth season. Nicknames: Newbie, Bambi, Q-Tip, Scooter, Alfalfa, Peepee Lafritz, whiz kid, Dorothy (nickname given to him when he played the lead role in his high school's production of The Wiz), numerous female names, and wants to be called tiger, does not like to be called Johnny.
    * Sarah Chalke as Dr. Elliot Reid
      A close friend of J.D. and fellow medical resident, although the boundaries between friendship and relationship have often been crossed. It is a running joke in the show that she and J.D. slept together at least once during each of the first three seasons, although creator Bill Lawrence has hinted that this may cease in order to avoid clich鐃�storylines. She has cold hands (which she attributes to bad circulation), doesn't like to be touched (implied to be because she is a WASP from Connecticut), votes Republican, speaks German and French, and is insecure about her eyebrows and her "camel" butt. According to J.D. and various patients, her bedside manner is too cold and machine-like. Served as Chief Resident during her 4th year of residency, with J.D. as Co-Chief Resident. At the conclusion of Season 4, it was announced that Elliot received an endocrinology fellowship at a different hospital, requiring her to leave Sacred Heart. Bill Lawrence has confirmed (1) that despite the move she will return in Season 5, and remain friends with the rest of the cast. Nicknames: Barbie, Blonde Doctor, Stick, Marshmallow, Smelliot, Roller-Moler.
    * Donald Faison as Dr. Christopher Duncan Turk
      Also called 'Turk' (or occasionally called 'Turkleton' by Dr Kelso), he is J.D.'s best friend, diabetic, a soon-to-be 4th year surgical resident, and married to Carla as of the end of Season 3. His cell phone number is (916) CALL-TUR, although he hopes that people will dial the 'K' anyway. Nicknames: Gandhi, Turkleton, Chocolate/Brown Bear, Black Whale.
    * Neil Flynn as the unnamed janitor
      Has made it his business to terrorize J.D. His hobbies include taxidermy (he once rid the trees by the hospital of all the squirrels). He has made some claims about his personal life, such as that he is married and has at least one child, and that he went to Harvard, but no one has ever found out if these are true. As revealed in a few flashbacks, his mother's strict parenting influenced him (indirectly) to become a janitor. It is revealed in the storyline that 'Janitor' actually played the role of a transit cop in the film The Fugitive (1993). Neil Flynn actually did play the part, mixing reality with the storyline. Janitor shares this secret only with J.D. Although he is seen tormenting J.D. about everyday in the Hospital, Janitor sees him as his only friend in the hospital. He also refers to people by physical characteristics. He is very nice to Elliot (whom he knows as "Blonde Doctor") and, as of season 4, seems to have romantic feelings for her. Nicknames: Soft-Scrub, Supercuts, Jolly Green, Sir Plunge-a-lot(secretly by the nurses).
    * Ken Jenkins as Dr. Robert 'Bob' Kelso
      The truculent chief of medicine for the hospital. He appears to be more interested in profit and staying out of legal trouble than helping patients. He and the Janitor are the only major characters whose personal lives we do not see in detail. Although appearing cold, Dr. Kelso does appreciate those around him, a fact that is completely unknown to his staff. He has a tattoo of the word 'Johnny' on his butt. He has two children, one who is portrayed as a gay heavy metal fan and another who is his secret love-child 'Kwong Tri Kelso', presumably the product of his love of asian prostitutes Nicknames: Bobbo, Bob Cat, Bobbotron, Beelzebob.

The cast - clockwise from left: Judy Reyes, Ken Jenkins, Donald Faison, Neil Flynn, John C. McGinley, Sarah Chalke and Zach Braff
Enlarge
The cast - clockwise from left: Judy Reyes, Ken Jenkins, Donald Faison, Neil Flynn, John C. McGinley, Sarah Chalke and Zach Braff

    * John C. McGinley as Dr. Percival "Perry" Cox
      J.D.'s sarcastic, bitter mentor, who routinely belittles him. However, he is secretly proud of J.D.'s progress. When in a good mood, he addresses J.D. as "Newbie", and when in a bad mood, he addresses J.D. using traditionally feminine names, or occasionally, classic dog names. He also usually calls Turk "Gandhi" and calls Elliot "Barbie". Doug is referred to as either "Pee Pants" or "Nervous Guy". Cox shows the same lack of respect for his superiors — he calls Dr. Kelso "Bobbo", "Bob-cat", "Beelzebob" or other such names. It is implied that this is the reason why he is not advancing up the career ladder. Unlike Dr. Kelso, Cox is shown to have a soft side, and to have a strong sense of medical ethics. He has feelings for Carla, who is one of the few people in the hospital he can stand, and "totally gets" him. When Carla is hurt by Turk's unwillingness to communicate with her, Cox protectively exacts revenge on him, exclaiming that "Nobody hurts Carla and gets away with it". He is divorced from Jordan, played by Christa Miller Lawrence, but the two have since come back together. Ted reveals that the pair were not in fact divorced, however after initially welcoming this the two got properly divorced as the revelation was beginning to sabotage their relationship. Nicknames: Per, Per-Per, Big Dog, The Big Cheese, The Coxinator, Coxy.
    * Judy Reyes as Nurse Carla Espinosa
      A strong-willed nurse who has been married to Turk since the end of Season 3. Despite Elliot's best efforts, Carla doesn't feel particularly close to her. Conversely, she and J.D. (whom she refers to —- affectionately —- as "Bambi") have a fairly close friendship. She is protective towards J.D. and stands up for him when Dr. Cox shouts at him for no reason. She claims that of all the interns she has worked with, J.D. is the only one whose approval of her she has actually cared about, to the extent that she feigned an interest in black and white photography so he would think she was more intelligent. She has a tendency to tell people their faults without them asking, and give unwanted advice. No one makes fun of her as all the other characters are scared of her. Nicknames: Nurse Turkleton, Karla from the Block.

Recurring cast

These cast members have appeared in numerous episodes since the show's incipience but remain credited as guest stars.

    * Michael Hobert as Lonnie, the medical resident under the supervision of J.D. and Elliot. He and J.D. occasionally spar with each other over insignificant incidents, but Lonnie has been spending an increasing amount of time with J.D. and Elliot. He is married with three children, and can grow a moustache in one day. Introduced at the end of Season 3, his role has continued to increase. Michael Hobert also appeared as an extra in the pilot.
    * Johnny Kastl as Doug "Nervous Guy" Murphy, the nervous and terribly inept colleague of J.D. and Elliot. After being the only person in the history of the hospital to repeat his third year of residency, he transferred from medicine to the morgue in Season 4, where his extensive personal knowledge of botched medical procedures makes him an expert coroner. Also he is under the impression that the dead bodies in the morgue are after him after having a lot of them falling on him.
    * Sam Lloyd as Theodore "Ted" Buckland, the divorced hospital lawyer whose desire to kill Dr. Kelso is surpassed only by his unfortunate inability to have an opinion; he is part of a barbershop quartet with three other administration workers from around the hospital called The Worthless Peons (played by The Blanks). He is prone to panic and outbreaks of excessive sweating.
    * Robert Maschio as (The) Todd, the jockish surgery resident who is friends with Turk, and who attempts to turn every sentence into a double entendre. He loves high-fiving. He is, however, a competent surgeon. There have been hints that his excessive boorishness towards women is over-compensation for homosexuality. He has a fixation with tight-fitting men's underwear ("banana hammocks").
    * Christa Miller Lawrence as Jordan Sullivan, Dr. Cox's ex-wife, who is his only rival for sheer sarcasm. She slept with J.D. before he realised that she was Dr. Cox's ex-wife. In Season 2, she gave birth to Dr. Cox's son, and the two have since rebuilt their relationship and live together, albeit in a non-marital arrangement. She is on the hospital's Board of Directors, but gets a full-time position at the hospital at the end of Season 4.
    * Aloma Wright as Nurse Laverne Roberts, who spends her days at the hospital watching soap operas and keeping up with inter-office gossip. She has made many comments about others "having to answer to Jesus" implying a religious background.

Major guest cast

Important roles have been played by:

    * Tom Cavanagh, as J.D.'s older brother Dan.
    * John Ritter, as J.D. and Dan's father Sam Dorian; just as on 8 Simple Rules, Scrubs featured an episode dealing with the character's death, following the real-life death of Ritter.
    * Scott Foley, as Elliot's two-time ex-boyfriend Sean Kelly.
    * Michael J. Fox, as Dr. Kevin Casey, a medical attending and also a surgeon with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
    * Brendan Fraser, as Jordan's brother and Dr Cox's best friend Ben Sullivan (character died during the 3rd season).
    * Heather Locklear, as Julie, a representative of a pharmaceutical company, lusted after by the men of the hospital. Had a relationship with Dr Cox which lasted less than a full episode.
    * Tara Reid, as J.D.'s two-time ex-girlfriend Danni Sullivan and Jordan's sister.
    * D.L. Hughley, as Turk's brother Kevin.
    * Freddy Rodr鐃�uez, as Carla's brother and Turk's nemesis Marco.
    * Josh Randall, as Elliot's new love interest introduced towards the end of the 4th season.
    * Julianna Margulies, as cold-hearted malpractice attorney Neena Broderick.
    * Amy Smart, as J.D.'s one-time love interest, and wife of a comatose car crash victim, Jamie Moyer or Tasty Coma Wife (TCW).
    * Heather Graham as attending psychiatrist Dr. Molly Clock, whom J.D. had a crush on.
    * Rick Schroder as Nurse Paul Flowers, whom Elliot dated during the 2nd season.
    * Elizabeth Bogush as Alex Hanson, a social worker at the hospital and who dated J.D. during the first season. She was revealed to be a drug addict.
    * Martin Klebba as Randall the Crotch-Punching Midget, who became a janitor in Season 3. Whenever J.D. thinks about or meets him, he says, "Powerful tiny fists." Randall joined the Janitor's impromptu acapella band, along with Troy the Cafeteria Worker (Joe Rose) in season 4 to help the Janitor impress Elliott.

Alan Ruck, Michael Boatman, Barry Bostwick, Alexander Chaplin and Richard Kind, who previously worked with Bill Lawrence on "Spin City", have also guest-starred, as have Clay Aiken, Lee Ermey, Colin Farrell, Sean Hayes, Christopher Meloni, Jay Mohr, Matthew Perry, Ryan Reynolds, Nicole Sullivan, Dick Van Dyke, Jimmie Walker, Kelli Williams, and Hattie Winston.

Location

The cast and crew of the show have been vigilant about keeping the location of the fictionalized Sacred Heart hospital a secret, although many fans continue to speculate about where the show takes place. Based on current clues, the show seems to take place somewhere in the state of California, although the particular region is unclear. These clues include:

    * Throughout Season 3, Elliot took a commuter train to visit her then-boyfriend Sean (played by Scott Foley), who worked as an animal trainer at a SeaWorld theme park. SeaWorld has locations in Orlando, Florida, San Antonio, Texas, and San Diego, California.
    * During episodes that air during the winter months, characters are seen wearing winter clothing such as coats, gloves, and scarves, suggesting that the climate is a more temperate one than that found in Florida or Texas.
    * Exterior shots on the show reveal very flat land with palm trees and other features of hotter climates.
    * In episode 4 of the first season, Carla states that a third of the hospitals patients speak Spanish as a primary language, which may reflect upon the demographics of the location.
    * During episode 9 of the fourth season, Turk reveals his new cell phone number to be (916) CALL-TUR. The area code 916 corresponds to the metropolitan area of Sacramento, which contradicts other clues about the show's location. Many fans have pointed out, however, that the area code for cell phones can correspond to where the phone was purchased, implying that Turk may have bought his phone in the Sacramento area and brought it to Sacred Heart's home city.
    * In episode 15 of the first season Kelso describes how his father got started in medicine in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, however other clues to the location discount Kelso staying there.
    * In episode 4 of the fourth season, a conversation between Elliot and Dr. Molly Clock establishes that the time difference between the location of the hospital and Greenland is three hours, as Greenland is largely UTC-3 (though this varies from UTC to UTC-4), this places Sacred Heart in UTC-6, or Central Standard Time.

Thus far, the majority of clues seem to point to Sacred Heart being located in Southern California. In fact, the show is taped in an abandoned hospital in Southern California, near Sherman Oaks, on Riverside Blvd.

Episodes
Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Season 1

   1. My First Day (aka Pilot) — J.D. and the rest of the interns begin their first day at Sacred Heart.
   2. My Mentor — J.D. tries to get to know Dr. Cox. Elliot gets on the wrong side of Carla.
   3. My Best Friend's Mistake — J.D. misses spending time with Turk, who he also thinks has made a mistake during surgery.
   4. My Old Lady — The three new interns have to confront death for the first time.
   5. My Two Dads — J.D. has to decide between Dr. Kelso and Dr. Cox. Elliot thinks her breasts have healing powers and Turk gives Carla a gift of a pen that unbeknownst to him was removed from someone's rectum.
   6. My Bad — J.D. is given a board member to care for, whom with he has sex. She turns out to be Dr. Cox's ex-wife.
   7. My Super Ego — J.D. is brought down a couple of pegs by another intern.
   8. My Fifteen Minutes — J.D. and Turk save the life of a TV cameraman, while at the same time worrying about intern evaluations.
   9. My Day Off — J.D. develops appendicitis and sees the hospital from the patients' point of view.
10. My Nickname — J.D. and Carla's relationship changes when he starts to have more medical knowledge than her.
11. My Own Personal Jesus — Turk loses his Christmas spirit after spending a night on call. He regains it after helping a pregnant girl.
12. My Blind Date — J.D. is tasked with looking after a social worker who slipped and fell in the hospital. She is stuck in an MRI machine and he asks her out without seeing her face.
13. My Balancing Act — J.D. and the social worker, Alex, are going out. However they are continually interrupted by the hospital. Carla is unable to have an orgasm.
14. My Drug Buddy — A patient is suspected of stealing drugs. It turns out to be Alex. J.D. and Elliot sleep together at the end of the episode.
15. My Bed Banter & Beyond — J.D. and Elliot spend the day in bed having sex, while flashing forward as their relationship deteriorates.
16. My Heavy Meddle — J.D. and Elliot are not talking to each other after breaking up. Dr. Cox goes on the rampage.
17. My Student — The interns receive their first interns, each of whom is very different. J.D.'s is very much like he was at the beginning; Elliot's is a jerk but the son of the CEO of the corporation that owns the hospital; Turk's is a smart confident woman who Dr. Cox is attracted to.
18. My Tuscaloosa Heart — J.D. feels guilty when a rude patient, who he ignored, dies. Carla assures him that it was the terminal cancer, but J.D. is unable to sleep. Dr. Cox is unable to decide between the three women who he likes.
19. My Old Man — The interns' parents come to visit.
20. My Way or the Highway — J.D. is angry at Turk for convincing his patient to have surgery.
21. My Sacrificial Clam — J.D. is stuck by a needle full of blood contaminated with Hepatitis B. He becomes scared of getting sick. Elliot chooses the hospital over her new boyfriend.
22. My Occurrence (Part 1) — Jordan's brother Ben comes into the hospital after piercing his hand with a nail gun. His hand won't stop bleeding and the doctors suspect that he has leukemia. J.D. is unable to accept this diagnosis.
23. My Hero (Part 2) — Ben begins treatment for his cancer, but Dr. Cox is unable to be there as he loves Ben too much.
24. My Last Day — The interns realize they have become the jaded doctors they said they never would.

Season 2

   1. My Overkill
   2. My Nightingale
   3. My Case Study
   4. My Big Mouth
   5. My New Coat
   6. My Big Brother
   7. My First Step
   8. My Fruit Cups
   9. My Lucky Day
10. My Monster
11. My Sex Buddy
12. My New Old Friend
13. My Philosophy
14. My Brother, My Keeper
15. His Story
16. My Karma
17. My Own Private Practice Guy
18. My T.C.W.
19. My Kingdom
20. My Interpretation
21. My Drama Queen
22. My Dream Job

Season 3

   1. My American Girl
   2. My Journey
   3. My White Whale
   4. My Lucky Night
   5. My Brother, Where Art Thou?
   6. My Advice to You
   7. My Fifteen Seconds
   8. My Friend the Doctor
   9. My Dirty Secret
10. My Rule of Thumb
11. My Clean Break
12. My Catalyst
13. My Porcelain God
14. My Screw Up
15. My Tormented Mentor
16. My Butterfly
17. My Moment of Un-Truth
18. His Story II
19. My Choosiest Choice of All
20. My Fault
21. My Self-Examination
22. My Best Friend's Wedding

Season 4

   1. My Old Friend's New Friend
   2. My Office
   3. My New Game
   4. My First Kill
   5. Her Story
   6. My Cake
   7. My Common Enemy
   8. My Last Chance
   9. My Malpractice Decision (aka My MalPractical Decision) (Part 1)
10. My Female Trouble (Part 2)
11. My Unicorn
12. My Best Moment
13. My Ocardial Infarction
14. My Lucky Charm
15. My Hypocritical Oath
16. My Quarantine
17. My Life In Four Cameras
18. My Roommates
19. My Best Laid Plans
20. My Boss's Free Haircut
21. My Lips Are Sealed
22. My Big Move
23. My Faith In Humanity
24. My Drive-By
25. My Changing Ways

Season 5

Renewed by NBC through the end of Season 5 in May 2004 and will return, although as of July 2005 it does not appear on NBC's fall schedule, and the network has not specified a return date. The show is expected to return in mid season.

Syndication

In July 2005, Comedy Central announced that it had acquired syndication rights to the first five seasons of the show and will begin airing them in the fall of 2006.

Awards

In its first three seasons, Scrubs received Emmy nominations for casting, editing, and writing of a comedy series. Following its fourth season, the show received additional nominations for Best Comedy Series, Best Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Zach Braff), Best Editing for a Multi-Camera series (although the series is predominantly shot single-camera, Episode 20 of Season 4, "My Life in Four Cameras", has a brief segment shot multi-camera, sitcom-style), and casting. The show also won the 2002 Humanitas Prize, 30 minute category, for the episode 'My Old Lady'.

Trivia

* The show is filmed in an actual abandoned hospital (the old North Hollywood Medical Center), with most of the props and items on the show having been supplied by the cast and crew. This allows for the crew to film exteriors at the same site as interiors. However, many of the exterior shots of the main entrance to the hospital, particularly during Season One, are not from the North Hollywood Medical Center.

* Although initially only a recurring guest character, Neil Flynn was promoted to a main character in season 2. If the show was cancelled in its first season, it would have been revealed that the Janitor was simply a figment of JD's imagination.

* Although we hear much about Dr. Kelso's wife Enid (nicknamed Bunny), she is seen only once, from behind and in a flashback, in episode 3-15, "My Tormented Mentor". His son, who (as of Season 3) resides in the Portland Subway System and is strongly implied to have homosexual tendencies, remains an unseen character.

* The title sequence is quick and does not even feature credits (they roll after the sequence), but merely fast-moving pictures of the cast at work in the hospital. At the start of season 2, a longer opening credits sequence was added which featured recurring characters and credits, but was deemed to be too long by NBC who wanted to use more time for the episodes, so the sequence was quickly deleted. In occasional episodes, where they are running particularly short on time, only a brief title card saying 'Scrubs' and 'created by Bill Lawrence' appears. The chest X-ray in the title sequence was hung backwards during the first season, then corrected briefly for season 2, but then returned to being backwards. Bill Lawrence states that having the X-ray backwards was intentional as it signified that the new interns were inexperienced.

* Sam Lloyd formed a band in college with George Miserlis, Paul Perry and Philip McNiven. In an episode of season one, they guest starred appearing as Ted the lawyer's group of singers (named the Worthless Peons) who all work at the hospital, and appeared twice in season two. Their repertoire on the show included singing television themes (both old tv shows and primetime ones), and singing telegrams that resemble advertising jingles. In an episode near the end of season three, one of the band members quit, but by the season four episode, My Ocardial Infarction, the band were back together as they attempted to outperform the Janitor's band of hospital service staff (named 'Hibbleton').

* The titles are also often riffs on pop culture (as, indeed, is the entire show); the best abuse of the rules is probably "My Ocardial Infarction", a twisted reference to the medical name for a heart attack.

* Most of the episodes are narrated by J.D., and the episode titles usually start with "My...". As of October 2004 three episodes have been narrated by other characters : "His Story" (narrated by Dr. Cox); "His Story II" (Turk) and "Her Story" (Elliot).

* Tom Cavanagh was especially hired to play J.D.'s brother because of his uncanny physical resemblance to Zach Braff.

* A 2002 episode "My Old Lady" won a Humanitas Prize in the 30 Minute Category. Also in 2002, it won an Artios award for Best Casting for TV, Comedy Pilot from the Casting Society of America. In 2003, it won the BMI TV Music Award. It has been nominated for three Emmys, and numerous other awards.

* As of 2005, all but one of the women J.D. has slept with since the start of the series have had unisex names, the exception being Neena.

* Several Scrubs crew members have appeared in minor speaking roles, for example writers Gabrielle Allan and Mike Schwartz. Schwartz has a recurring role as a delivery man.

* In episode 4.9 "My Malpractical Decision" Turk changes his cellphone number to 1-916-CALL-TURK. Writer Bill Lawrence actually registered this number, and a few curious callers were surprised when cast or crew members answered the phone, which is placed on the set. The number usually takes you to a voice message which tells you the latest information regarding Scrubs.

* Neil Flynn is an experienced improv comedian, and as such, ad-libs many of his lines. The writers specify what outcome a scene with the Janitor should have, and Flynn fills in the dialogue.

* Former Men at Work frontman Colin Hay's music has appeared in multiple episodes of Scrubs. Episode 1-24 featured the song Beautiful World, 2-01 had Hay himself playing his acoustic version of the Men at Work song Overkill while following J.D. around the hospital, 2-13 ended with the staff singing Hay's song Waiting for My Real Life to Begin, in 3-13, Braff sang part of the Men at Work hit Down Under, and 4-17 included Hay singing the Cheers theme song.

* Dr. Cox's habit of refering to JD by a girl's names was put in the show after the writers noticed John McGinley doing the same thing to Zach Braff.
o Variations on the theme include Cox calling JD the names of female pop singers' and famous dogs following "bestiality rumours".

* Episode 1.23 "My Hero" features a shot of a white-board displaying the characters’ new rotations. In addition to recognizable character surnames the board also features the names Spiller (surname of episode director Michael Spiller) and Lawrence (a reference to series creator, executive producer and sometime director Bill Lawrence).

* Episode 4.25 JD moves out of his and Turks apartment, his new roomnumber is 47 - often seen as the most reappearing random number in the universe, there are even special internet forums created just for discussing the phenomenon of number 47.

External links

Sesame Street

2005-09-02T10:45:00.000-07:00

Sesame Street is an educational television program designed for children of all ages, and is recognized as a pioneer of the present-day standard of combining education and entertainment in children's television shows. It is well-known for the inclusion of the Muppet characters created by the legendary puppeteer Jim Henson. More than 4,000 episodes of the show have been produced in 36 seasons, making it one of the longest-running shows in television history.

Sesame Street is produced in the United States by Sesame Workshop, formerly known as the Children's Television Workshop (CTW). The show premiered on November 10, 1969, on the National Educational Television network, and later that year moved to NET's successor, the Public Broadcasting Service.

Through its worldwide influence, Sesame Street and other Sesame Workshop productions have earned the distinction of being the world's largest informal educator of young children[1], by viewers, international recognition, and outstanding success. The original series has aired in 120 countries, and more than 20 international versions have also aired. In its long and illustrious history, Sesame Street has received more Emmy Awards than any other program, and has captured the allegiance, esteem, and affections of millions of viewers worldwide.

Overview

The program uses a mixture of puppets, animation, and live action to teach young children the fundamentals of reading (letter and word recognition), arithmetic (numbers, addition and subtraction), colors, and the concept of time (clocks and days of the week). It also has segments which focus on basic life skills, such as how to cross the road safely and the importance of good hygiene and healthy eating. Many of the skits and segments are parodies or copies of standard television formats.

There is also a subtle sense of humor in the show that has appealed to older viewers since it first premiered. A number of spoofs and parodies of popular culture appear on the show, especially ones aimed at the Public Broadcasting Service, the network that airs the show. For example, during the "Me Claudius" segment, the children viewing the show might enjoy watching Cookie Monster and the Muppets, while adults watching the same sequence may enjoy the spoof of the Masterpiece Theatre production of I, Claudius; this series of segments is known as "Monsterpiece Theater."

Several of the characters on the program were conceived to attract an older audience, such as the character Flo Bear (Flaubert), Sherlock Hemlock (a Sherlock Holmes parody), and H. Ross Parrot (based on Reform Party founder Ross Perot). Well over two hundred notable personalities, from celebrities like James Brown to political figures such as Kofi Annan, have made guest appearances on the show. Wikipedia's list includes 179 different individual/group appearances, and does not include multiple appearances. The inclusion of sophisticated humor is purposely intended to encourage parents to watch with their children. By making the show something that not only educates and entertains kids, but also keeps parents entertained and involved in the educational process, the producers hope that more discussion about the concepts on the show will occur.

History of the show

Main article: History of Sesame Street

The show's original format called for the humans to be shown in plots on the street, intermixed with the segments of animation, live-action shorts and Muppets. These segments were created to be like commercials—quick, catchy and memorable—and made the learning experience much more like fun. The format became a model for what is known today as edutainment-based programs.

CTW aired the program for test groups to determine if the revolutionary new format was likely to succeed. Results showed that test watchers were entranced when the ad-like segments aired, especially those with the jovial puppets, but were remarkably less interested in the street scenes. It was a quick and easy choice for the producers to add Muppets to the street scenes, although psychologists had warned against a mixture of fantasy and reality elements. A simple dose of cartoon-like characters let the humans deliver messages without causing such viewer disinterest.

Sesame Street, along with several other Sesame Workshop–produced shows (such as The Electric Company, produced when the company was still CTW) are all taped in New York City. Originally, they were taped at the Teletape Studios at 81st and Broadway in Manhattan until Teletape's parent company Reeves Entertainment went bankrupt. The show was then moved to and remains to this day at the Kaufman Astoria Studios in neighboring Queens.

Broadcast history

Main article: Major characters in international versions

The show is broadcast worldwide; in addition to the U.S. version, many countries have locally produced versions adapted to local needs, some with their own characters, and in a variety of different languages. Broadcasts in Australia began in 1971. In Canada, beginning in 1970, 15-minute shows called Canada's Sesame Street were broadcast, and by 1972 an edited version of the one-hour American program was airing featuring specially filmed Canadian segments. In 1995, the American version was replaced by a half-hour, all-Canadian version of the series entitled Sesame Park, which never quite caught on and was cancelled in 2002. One hundred and twenty countries have aired the show, many of which partnered with Sesame Workshop to create local versions.

In recent years, Sesame Street has made monumental advances in its international versions. In the late 1990s, versions popped up in China and Russia, as these countries shifted away from communism. There is also a joint Israeli-Palestinian-Jordanian project, called Sesame Stories, which was created with the goal of promoting greater cultural understanding.

The show has also spawned the spin-off series Play with Me Sesame, the "classics" show Sesame Street Unpaved, and the segment-only series Open Sesame. Elmo's World and Global Grover, both segments on Sesame Street, have been distributed as individual series.

Funding for season 35 of Sesame Street is provided for the Ready To Learn The No Child Left Behind Act and the U.S. Department of Education, The Public Broadcasting Service, Chuck E. Cheese's, and McDonald's. Major funding for Sesame Street is provided by The Corporation for Public Broadcasting and by contributions to your PBS station from "Viewers Like You".

Ratings

As a result of its success in revolutionizing the standards of children's television, Sesame Street has inadvertently diminished its own audience share. According to PBS Research, the show has gone from a 2.0 average on Nielsen Media Research's "people meters" in 1995–96 to a 1.3 average in 2000–01. Even with this decrease, Sesame Street's viewership in an average week comes from roughly 5.6 million households with 7.5 million viewers.

This places Sesame at 8th place in the overall kids' charts, as of 2002. It is actually the second most-watched children's television series for mothers aged 18–49 who have children under the age of 3.

A format change has recently helped the show's ratings, boosting them up 31% in February 2002 among children aged 2 to 5, in comparison to its ratings in 2001.

Characters
Rosita poses.
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Rosita poses.
Fat Blue (left) with Grover, in A Celebration of Me, Grover
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Fat Blue (left) with Grover, in A Celebration of Me, Grover
Oscar the Grouch, peering out of his can.
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Oscar the Grouch, peering out of his can.
Gabby, Elmo, and some kids sing the Kitten-Bird-Cow song, in front of 123 Sesame Street.
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Gabby, Elmo, and some kids sing the Kitten-Bird-Cow song, in front of 123 Sesame Street.
Bob singing "People in Your Neighborhood" with Ralph Nader.
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Bob singing "People in Your Neighborhood" with Ralph Nader.

Main article: List of Sesame Street characters
Also characters that are Exclusive to books or movies, Grouches, Monsters, celebrities, from international versions. Also Characters ordered by date of debut, Characters ordered by last known appearance,

Sesame Street has a strong multicultural element and is inclusive in its casting, incorporating roles for disabled people, young people, senior citizens, Hispanic actors, Black actors, and others. While some of the puppets look like people, others are animal or "monster" puppets of different sizes and colors. This encourages children to believe that people come in all different shapes, sizes, and colors, and that no particular physical "type" is any better than another.

One major aspect of this "multicultural element" is that the show pioneered the idea of occasionally inserting very basic Spanish words and phrases to give young children a "feel" for a foreign language, doing so almost three decades before Dora the Explorer debuted on Nickelodeon. Perhaps in response to the popularity of Dora, the recently revamped format gives Rosita, the bilingual muppet who "immigrated" in 1993 from the Mexican version of the show, more time in front of viewers, and also introduced the more formalized "Spanish Word of the Day" in every episode.

Each of the puppet characters has been designed to represent a specific stage or element of early childhood, and the scripts are written so that the character reflects the development level of children of that age. This helps the show address not only the learning objectives of various age groups, but also the concerns, fears, and interests of children of different age levels.

The Muppets

Big Bird, an eight-foot-tall yellow canary, lives in a large nest on an abandoned lot near 123 Sesame Street, located behind the building's garbage heap. A regular visitor to Big Bird is Aloysius Snuffleupagus, known simply as Snuffy. Oscar the Grouch and his pet worm Slimey live in a garbage can in the heap. Friends Ernie and Bert room together at the apartment of 123 Sesame Street, where they regularly engage in comedic banter. Ernie's flowerbox was once a hotspot for Twiddlebugs, a colorful family of insects.

The Bear family of Goldilocks and the Three Bears resides in Sesame Street. The Jewish family headed by Papa Bear and Mama Bear welcomed Curly Bear, a second child. Baby Bear meanwhile is a good friend with monsters Telly, Zoe, Mexico-born Rosita and Elmo. Elmo has his own segment near the end of each episode, in which viewers explore topics in Elmo's World, an imaginary version of his house.

Grover's regular segment follows the "cute, furry monster" around the world, exploring local cultures and traditions. Cookie Monster fights with his conscience daily, during Letter of the Day. He tries to control his urges to eat the letters, shown as icing on cookies; Prairie Dawn often attempts to help Cookie not eat the letter, always leaving frazzled. Count von Count has fewer problems during the Number of the Day segment, where he indulges in counting until the mystery number is revealed by his pipe organ.

Humphrey and Ingrid ran The Furry Arms with baby Natasha in tow; while bellhop Benny Rabbit begrudgingly helps out.

Kermit the Frog hosted the segment Sesame Street News Flash. The Two-Headed Monster sounded out words coming together, and the Yip-Yip aliens discovered telephones and typewriters. For two seasons, Googel, Narf, Mel and Phoebe hung out in the Monster's Clubhouse.

Other incidental characters include television personality Guy Smiley, construction workers Sully & Biff, the large Herry Monster (who does not know his own strength), and The Big Bad Wolf, who is not a terror to the Street. Forgetful Jones, a cowboy with a short-term memory, rode his trusty Buster the Horse with his girlfriend Clementine; Rodeo Rosie was an early cowgirl.

The humans

Main article: Human characters on Sesame Street

A slate of human regulars pull the zaniness of the Muppets back to reality. They were not always meant to serve this purpose. The show lost test viewers' attention during the Street Scenes, meaning Muppets needed to be added, like sugar into medicine.

Music teacher Bob has been on Sesame Street since its inception. He dated Linda the local New York Library librarian, who was the first regular deaf character on television. Linda owns Barkley, a Muppet dog. The Robinsons are an African-American family that includes schoolteacher Gordon, nurse Susan, and adopted son Miles. The Puerto Rican Rodriguezes include Maria and Luis, who ran the Fix-It Shop, which was turned into the Mail-It Shop; Maria gave birth to daughter Gabby in the 1980s, and her pregnancy was covered on the show.

Candy store operator Harold Hooper was a mainstay, at Mr. Hooper's Store. When he died in the early 1980s (an event discussed in a landmark episode of Sesame Street), his apprentice David took over, followed by later owners Gina, Mr. Handford, and Alan. Gina stopped running the store in the 1990s, to earn a PhD and become a vet.

The Noodles on Elmo's World are meant to provide a vaudevillian perspective on subjects, contrary to most of the show's human characters.

Famous guest stars and various children from New York schools and day-care centers are a constantly changing part of the cast.

Regional variations of the show

Some countries have actually created their own completely unique versions of Sesame Street, in which the characters and segments represent their country's cultures. Other countries simply air a dubbed version of Sesame Street, or a dubbed version of Open Sesame. Among various other countries, the UK simply broadcast the American show.

Locally produced adaptations of Sesame Street, include:

    * 1972: Vila S鐃�amo, Brazil
    * 1972: Plaza S鐃�amo, Mexico
    * 1973: Sesamstra鐃�, Germany
    * 1973: Canadian Sesame Street, Canada (reformatted as Sesame Park in the 1990s)
    * 1976: Sesamstraat, Netherlands
    * 1978: 1, rue Sesame, France
    * 1979: Iftah Ya Simsim, Kuwait
    * 1979: Barrio S鐃�amo, Spain
    * 1981: Svenska Sesam, Sweden
    * 1983: Rechov Sumsum, Israel
    * 1984: Sesame! (Batibot), Philippines
    * 1989: Susam Sokagi, Turkey
    * 1989: Rua S鐃�amo, Portugal
    * 1991: Sesam Stasjon, Norway
    * 1996: Ulitsa Sezam, Russia
    * 1996: Ulica Sezamkowa, Poland
    * 1998: Rechov Sumsum and Shara's Simsim, Israel and Palestinian Territories
    * 1998: Zhima Jie, China
    * 2000: Takalani Sesame, South Africa
    * 2000: Alam Simsim, Egypt
    * 2004: Sesame Street, Japan
    * 2006?: Sesame India, with radio program

Other countries include Greece (on ERT, later on a private network), Poland and Mexico. In 2004, one Japanese network cancelled the dubbed American Sesame, while another created a local version. Sesame Street was axed in recent years from Britain.

Research

Sesame Street has had a rigourous research standard since its foundation, to make sure that the programming is fulfilling the needs of viewers. The Education and Research (E&R) department of Sesame Workshop is currently headed by Rosemarie T. Truglio, Ph.D. and Jeanette Betancourt, Ed.D..

When Truglio was ask on the level of interaction between Education and Research, Content, and Production working together is "[i]ntimately·hand-in-hand. They are not creating anything without our knowledge, our guidance and our review. We are involved in content development across all media platforms." This close-knit organizational structure has been around since the start of the Workshop.

Sesame Workshop provides great volumes of content on its website since 1998[2], and others like Random House.[3] Content ranges from birth to school-age, and includes information on dozens of topics like proper parenting techniques, dealing with children's fears, development of literacy, and maintaining a good level of health.

Research is funded by government grants, corporate and private donations (including recently from The Prudential Foundation for the Sesame Beginnings program), and the profits gained from Sesame Workshop merchandise.

When writers create a plot for a Street scene or segment, the content is reviewed by the E&R team reviews the script. They have the power to outright deny a script, and force rewrites, if the content is "is flat out wrong". Presuming the script is factually on track, but has gray areas such as things that may not be comprehensible to children, the writers and E&R work together to tweak everything to be factually correct, but include "a balance between content and humor".

Healthy Habits for Life

In 2005, Sesame Street launched its Healthy Habits for Life programming, to encourage young viewers to led a more active and nutritious lifestyle. This was spurred on by data on obesity in children by the US Centers for Disease Control.

Health content has existed on Sesame Street for years, but in limited quantities. Once the press kits for the project were made available, and news wires latched onto the story, literaly hundreds of newspapers touted that Cookie Monster was "going on a diet". In actuality, there was no change to Cookie's character. The new season featured a new segment with rapper Wyclef Jean, singing the praises of fruits and vegetables. Like segments in the 1990s featured Cookie doing nearly the same.

According to people from Sesame Workshop, "Health has always been a part of our Sesame Street curriculum, therefore we will always be committed to ensuring kids are given information and messages that will help them become healthy and happy in their development. For season 36, we have turned up the dial in health, but it will always be part of our curriculum."

The Workshop formed an Advisory Board, consisting of experts like Woodie Kessel, M.D., M.P.H., the Assistant Surgeon General of the United States government. This Board not only looks at outside research, but lead pilot studies to find which directs to go in for expanded research, based on social, ethnic and socioeconomic sections of the population.

Merchandising
The cover of the book Brought to You by . . . Sesame Street #1! shows several of Sesame Street's muppet characters.
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The cover of the book Brought to You by . . . Sesame Street #1! shows several of Sesame Street's muppet characters.

Sesame Street is known for its extensive merchandising, which includes many books, magazines, video/audio media, toys, and the "Tickle Me Elmo" craze.

Its fiction books, published primarily by Random House, always display a notice stating that money received from the sale of the publications is used to fund Sesame Workshop, and often mention that children do not have to watch the show to benefit from its publications.

Today there is a live touring show, Sesame Street Live, which has toured since 1980. There is also the Sesame Place theme park in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia (USA), and a Plaza S鐃�amo theme park in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. In addition, there is a three-dimensional movie based on the show, at Universal Studios Japan.

Current licensors include Nakajima USA, Build-A-Bear Workshop (Build-An-Elmo), Hasbro (Sesame Street Monopoly), Wooly Willy, and Children’s Apparel Network. For Sesamstaat, Rubotoys is a licensor since February 2005.

The Sesame Beginnings line, launched in mid-2005, consists of apparel, health and body, home, and seasonal products. The line is targeted towards infants and their parents, and products are designed to increase interactivity. Most of the line is exclusive to a family of Canadian retailers that includes Loblaws, Fortinos, and Zehrs.[4]

In 2004, Copyright Promotions Licensing Group (CPLG) became Sesame Workshop's licensing representative for The Benelux.

Movies, videos, and specials

This list is incomplete, but highlights the most important specials.

Television specials and telefilms

* Julie on Sesame Street (1974, starring Julie Andrews)

Christmas Eve on Sesame Street scene with Oscar (in garbage can) and Big Bird at the 86th Street New York City Subway station.
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Christmas Eve on Sesame Street scene with Oscar (in garbage can) and Big Bird at the 86th Street New York City Subway station.

    * Christmas Eve on Sesame Street (1978)
    * A Special Sesame Street Christmas (1978)
    * Big Bird in China (1983)
    * Don't Eat the Pictures: Sesame Street at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (1983)
    * The Adventures of Super Grover (1987)
    * Big Bird Brings Spring to Sesame Street (1987)
    * Big Bird in Japan (1988)
    * Sesame Street: 20 And Still Counting (1989)
    * Sesame Street Special (1988, released to DVD as Put Down The Duckie: A Sesame Street Special)
    * Big Bird's Birthday Celebration (1991)
    * Sesame Street Stays Up Late! (1993)
    * All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever (1994)
    * CinderElmo (1999)
    * The Street We Live On(2004)

Feature films
Follow that Bird feature film DVD cover.
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Follow that Bird feature film DVD cover.
The Street We Live On DVD cover depicts (counter-clockwise from left) Elmo, Zoe, Grover, and Ernie.
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The Street We Live On DVD cover depicts (counter-clockwise from left) Elmo, Zoe, Grover, and Ernie.

* Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird (1985, co-produced by Warner Bros.)
* Elmo in Grouchland (1999, co-produced by Columbia Pictures)

Videos

During the 1980s videos were distributed by Random House. Since the early 1990s their tapes (and now DVDs) have been distributed by Sony Wonder, as has their music. Many of the TV specials have been released on tape and/or DVD.

    * Sesame Street - Learning About Letters (1990, DVD on June 8, 2004)
    * Sesame Street's 25th Anniversary: A Musical Celebration (1993, DVD on August 31, 1999)
    * Elmo Saves Christmas (1996)
    * Sesame Street - Do the Alphabet (1996, DVD on November 9, 1999)
    * Sesame Street - The Best of Elmo (1996, DVD on November 20, 2001)
    * Sesame Street - 123 Count With Me (1997, DVD on December 7, 1999)
    * Elmopalooza (1999)
    * Sesame Street - Elmo's World - Happy Holidays (2000, DVD on September 16, 2003)
    * Sesame Street - Kids' Favorite Songs (DVD on November 20, 2001)
    * Three Bears and a New Baby (2003)
    * Sesame Street Songs - Dance Along! (DVD on March 11, 2003)
    * Sesame Street - What's the Name of That Song (DVD on April 6, 2004)
    * Sesame Street - The Street We Live On (DVD in 2004)

Controversy and rumors

Some educators criticized the show when it debuted, feeling that it would only worsen children's attention spans. This concern still exists today, although there is no conclusive proof of this being the case, even after more than 35 seasons of televised shows.

Although extremely popular with children, the character of Elmo is very controversial. When first introduced, he was a minor character with no lines. He even appeared briefly (and silently) in the Sesame Street movie Follow That Bird. However, following the death of muppeteers Jim Henson and Richard Hunt in 1992, a number of muppet characters were retired, elevating Elmo to a more prominent role. Elmo quickly replaced Big Bird as the central character of the program, eclipsing the other muppet characters to the point that a full 20 minutes of the one-hour program became devoted solely to "Elmo's World", a segment that came to be viewed by many as dubious. Critical support of the program began to wane, as educators quickly noted that "Elmo's World" contained little to no educational value, and in fact often contained misinformation (such as Elmo incorrectly informing children that a horse in a picture is a "pony"). It is believed that Jim Henson had never intended Elmo to literally "run the show" as he now does. A critical blow had been struck to the venerable program, and rating dropped as parents tuned out. Sesame Street was no longer one of the best shows on TV for kids, and parents began to embrace other programs, such as Blue's Clues. Not understanding the reason for the drop in ratings, writers gave Sesame Street an overhaul, yet completely failed to dethrone Elmo. New videos feature Elmo almost exclusively, and the 2nd Sesame Street movie Elmo in Grouchland features only a couple of series regulars, and the main body of the story does not even take place on Sesame Street. The rise of Elmo is generally considered to be the moment when Sesame Street jumped the shark, although some fans contend that it was actually the rise of Sonia Manzano, whose character Maria Rodriguez, has eclipsed the other human characters in the same manner that Elmo has eclipsed the other muppets. Coincidentally, this began when Sonia began writing for the show.

Urban legend has it that Bert and Ernie are engaged in a homosexual relationship, as they are apparently adult human males portrayed sharing a bedroom (though with separate beds). The producers vehemently deny this, however, insisting that the characters are "merely lifeless, hand-operated puppets."[5] The pair's relationship bears similarity to that of Laurel and Hardy, who were also occasionally shown sleeping together; this became such a comedy staple as to be adopted by Morecambe and Wise in the 1970s, all of whom were similarly asexual. The Odd Couple is another contemporary comparison.

In 1992, puppeteer Jim Henson's death spurred rumors that Ernie would be "killed" off the show, much the way the character of Mr. Hooper was after actor Will Lee's passing some years earlier. Rumor said that he would be either killed by a vehicle, AIDS, or cancer. There is no legitimacy to this rumor, but as producers took their time recasting a puppeteer for Ernie, this delay allowed the claims to burgeon.

In 2002, Sesame Workshop announced that a HIV-positive character would be introduced to Takalani Sesame, the South African version of the show. Many conservatives and religious groups wrongly presumed that the American version would be getting a "gay Muppet", but the HIV-positive character is only present on this international version of the show.

Trivia

* The Sesame Street theme song is "(Can you tell me how to get, how to get to) Sesame Street". Harmonica legend Toots Thielemans plays the song as a solo in some versions of the sequence.
* A portmanteaus of Sesame Street has been made.

Notes

   1. ^ Karen Barss et al., "Enhancing Education: A Children's Producer's Guide: Sesame Street: Case Study", Corporation for Public Broadcasting (accessed June 29, 2005)
   2. ^ San Vicente, Romeo: "Bert and Ernie outed from film festival", PlanetOut, (March 27, 2002)
   3. ^ Moreau, Nicholas: "Sesame Beginnings are new infant products", Suite101, (May 5, 2005)

See also

* Sesame Street, Season 35
* The Annual Sesame Street Cookie Baking Contest

Direct and indirect parodies:

* Avenue Q, a Broadway musical that mirror various elements of the show.

Lists:

    * List of Sesame Street animators
    * Bibliography of fictional works based on the show
    * Sesame Street discography
    * List of Sesame Street puppeteers
    * List of songs from Sesame Street

References

    * David Borgenicht, Sesame Street Unpaved: Scripts, Stories, Secrets, and Songs, 1998 and 2002 reprint, ISBN 1402893272
    * Caroll Spinney, J. Milligan, The Wisdom of Big Bird: (And the Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch): Lessons from a Life in Feathers, 2003, ISBN 0375507817
    * Christopher Finch, Jim Henson: The Works - The Art, the Magic, the Imagination, 1993, ISBN 0679412034
    * Shalom M. Fisch, Rosemarie T. Truglio, "G" Is for Growing: 30 Years of Research on Children and Sesame Street, 2000, ISBN 0805833951

External links

Sesame Street at the Internet Movie Database
Sesame Workshop
Search for Sesame Street using Google Video Search.

Sex and the City

2005-09-02T10:43:00.000-07:00

Format Comedy
Run time 30 Minutes
Creator Darren Star
Starring Sarah Jessica Parker
Kristin Davis
Cynthia Nixon
Kim Cattrall
Country USA
Network HBO
Original run June 6, 1998–February 22, 2004
No. of episodes 94

Sex and the City is an American cable television program based on the book of the same name. It was originally broadcast on the HBO network from 1998 until 2004. Set in New York City, the show focuses on the sex lives of four female best friends, three of whom are in their mid-to-late thirties and one of whom, Samantha, is in her forties. A sitcom with soap opera elements, the show often tackled socially relevant issues such as the status of women in society. Sex and the City premiered on June 6, 1998, and the last original episode aired on February 22, 2004.
Contents
[hide]

    * 1 Overview
    * 2 Characters
          o 2.1 Main characters
          o 2.2 Recurring characters
                + 2.2.1 Friends
                + 2.2.2 Boyfriends
                      # 2.2.2.1 Carrie's boyfriends
                      # 2.2.2.2 Charlotte's boyfriends
                      # 2.2.2.3 Miranda's boyfriends
                      # 2.2.2.4 Samantha's boyfriends
                + 2.2.3 Cameos
    * 3 Episodes
          o 3.1 Season 1 (1998)
          o 3.2 Season 2 (1999)
          o 3.3 Season 3 (2000)
          o 3.4 Season 4 (2001-2002)
          o 3.5 Season 5 (2002)
          o 3.6 Season 6 (2003-2004)
          o 3.7 Clip Shows
    * 4 Quotations
    * 5 Broadcasters
    * 6 Criticism
    * 7 External links

Overview

The show's narrator is sex and love columnist Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker). Her best friends are Charlotte York (Kristin Davis), a traditional and relatively conservative art gallery owner, Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon), a cynical, career-minded lawyer, and Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall), a wild-living, fun-loving publicist who stops at nothing to get the men she wants.

The show consistently achieved both critical and popular acclaim. By the fourth season, many elements of the series, such as the overall tone and the characters, diverged considerably from the book. The show's girl talk, dating games, and fashion cemented it firmly in modern popular culture. The character Carrie is an oft-referenced fashion icon known for her fancy clothes and shoes (mostly Patricia Fields, Jimmy Choos and Manolo Blahniks).

Season one of Sex and the City aired on HBO from June to August 1998. The second season was broadcast from June until October 1999. Season three aired from June until October 2000. The fourth season was broadcast in two parts: from June until August 2001, and then in January and February 2002. A fifth season, truncated due to Parker's pregnancy, aired on HBO during the summer of 2002. The 20 episodes of the final season, season six, aired in two parts: from June until September 2003 and during January and February 2004.

In the first season, each episode featured a short montage of interviews that Carrie supposedly conducted while researching her column. These continued through the second season, then were phased out.

Characters
Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Main characters
Carrie Bradshaw
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Carrie Bradshaw
The women of Sex and the City
Enlarge
The women of Sex and the City

    * Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) writes a weekly sex column titled "Sex and the City" for the fictitious New York Star. She provides the show's narration, which is structured around her train of thought while writing the column. Her columns are eventually turned into a book, and she is also a contributing writer for Vogue beginning at the end of season 4. Despite her apparently modest income, she always dons the latest fashions, in one episode spending over a thousand dollars on a pair of shoes. Her main addictions are her Manolo Blahnik shoes and cigarettes (which she sporadically tries to give up). She lives in a small 1-bedroom rent-controlled apartment in the Upper East Side, which she now owns with the help of Charlotte. In a later season episode, the audience briefly glimpses a much darker, more introspective Carrie, when she finally voices her long-held regrets about a snap-decision abortion she had in the 1980s after a one-night stand.
    * Charlotte York (Kristin Davis) is an art dealer with a blue-blooded upbringing. She is the most conservative and traditional of the group, and the one who places the most emphasis on emotional love in a relationship as opposed to sex, and is always searching for her "knight in shining armor". She gives up her successful career shortly after her marriage with Trey, and resides in a posh apartment on Park Avenue. She eventually divorces Trey due in part to his unhealthy, Norman Bates-type relationship with his mother, and ends up marrying a homely but saintly divorce attorney. She is the only one of the four girls that marries twice. She is also a graduate of Smith College.
    * Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon) is a career-minded lawyer with extremely cynical views on relationships and men. She lives in the West Side but relocates to Brooklyn in the final season. She is Carrie's confidante and voice of reason. In the early seasons, she is portrayed as masculine and borderline misandric, but this image softens over the years. She participated in an on-again, off-again relationship with nerd Steve, whom she finally became pregnant by. After debating getting an abortion behind Steve's back, she eventually decided to have the baby, and in the final season married Steve. She is a graduate of Harvard University.
    * Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall), the oldest and most promiscious of the group, is an independent publicist whose relationship pattern could be considered stereotypically masculine. She is a seductress who primarily engages in relationships purely for sex, avoiding emotional involvement at all costs. Her conquests are all based purely on physical appearance. She lives in the fashionable meatpacking district. During the entire six seasons, she only has three relationships: one with a playboy, one with a lesbian, and another with a sexy, young actor whom she finally ends up living with. In the episode in which Miranda contemplates an abortion, Samantha reveals that she's had two.

Recurring characters

Friends

* Stanford Blatch (Willie Garson), a gay fashionista, is Carrie's best friend outside the group and often attends parties with her. He is a talent agent. He is partnered to Marcus, a Broadway dancer.
* Anthony Marentino (Mario Cantone) is Charlotte's wedding planner who becomes a close friend. He often tries to cheer her up and encourage her to continue dating after her failed marriage.

Boyfriends

All the boyfriends listed below were the focus of a significant story arc spanning multiple episodes. Additionally, the four main characters all went on dates or had sex when they were single – often with male characters (and in Samantha's case, one female character) who appeared in only one, two, or at most three episodes of the program.

Carrie's boyfriends
Chris Noth as Mr. Big
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Chris Noth as Mr. Big

* Mr. Big (Chris Noth) both excites and eludes Carrie through the run of the show, as she always believes he is the man for her but many times he's not able to fulfill her emotional needs. He is a wealthy financier (Samantha calls him "the next Donald Trump" in the first episode) who is several years older then Carrie, who never forgets to joke about their age difference. They meet in the first episode and soon begin a serious relationship. Carrie breaks up with Big at the end of season 1 because he refuses to open up his life for her. After they reunite, the intensity of their feelings is the same again with more romance, but eventually old patterns repeat themselves, and even when they try to resolve them, Big still is not ready to give Carrie the kind of love that she needs. They break up again towards the end of season 2 before he goes to Paris, where his company has temporarily assigned him. To Carrie's shock, Big, who had commitment issues with her, soon after becomes engaged to Natasha, a modelesque woman in her 20s whom Carrie refers to as "the idiot stick figure with no soul". They had a whirlwind romance in Paris, and she is the "simple" kind of woman he seems to want; they do not have the kind of intensity and drama that he and Carrie had. He stays in Carrie's life as a close friend until he realizes that he had made a mistake in getting married, feels that his new life is dull, and tells Carrie that he wants to be with her and he loves her. At first Carrie is enraged at him but gives into her feelings for him that won't go away. Emotionally torn between him and Aidan, she has a short love affair with Big. The effects are devastating to everyone involved and Carrie finds herself alone again. She and Big remain close friends, but Carrie says to him that their love is "a good idea in theory but doesn't work" and he bemusedly agrees. Their feelings linger below the surface though, so they remain flirtatious friends during the times when Carrie is between relationships. Eventually he moves to California, but returns to New York for an angioplasty and "opens his heart" to her as well, but soon closes his emotions again. Finally, at the very end of the series, Big flew to Paris to tell Carrie she was "the one". Throughout the show Big's name is never used, with the girls referring to him only as Big or Mr. Big. It is not until the last episode that his name is revealed to be John.

John Corbett as Aidan Shaw
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John Corbett as Aidan Shaw

    * Aidan Shaw (John Corbett) is one of Carrie's few long-term boyfriends. He is a furniture designer and he met Carrie when Stanford and Carrie went to his furniture store. They break up after her affair with Big, but rekindle the relationship. He eventually proposes to her, but later she realizes that she is not ready to commit to him on the same level that he needs. She wants to maintain their relationship and says she will be ready to marry him in time, but he ends it, assuming that she will never want to marry him. She loves Aidan, but perhaps not like she has always loved Big – not in that same "big" way. Aidan was the comfort and romance that she needed after tumultuous times and nurtured; he showed her the gentle, giving side of love. He cherished her in a way that Big was not able to most of the time. When Carrie ran into Aidan at the beginning of the last season (6), he is married and is father to a boy.
    * Jack Berger (Ron Livingston) is a writer who Carrie dates in season 6. At first, they seem like the perfect couple, but their relationship came to a screeching halt when Carrie's career heated up just as Berger's cooled down, something he was never able to deal with. He snuck out in the middle of the night and broke up with her on a Post-it note.
    * Aleksandr Petrovsky (Mikhail Baryshnikov) is a famous artist who becomes Carrie's lover in season 6. He sweeps her off of her feet, but eventually, she wants the relationship to be deeper than a storybook romance. She accepts Petrovsky's invitation to move to Paris with him, as she needs a lasting love in her life and irrationally fears that past a certain age love could be hard to find again. But after spending some time there, she realizes that he will never reciprocate the level of emotional involvement that she wants since his career will always come first, and she cannot keep her mind off Mr. Big.

Charlotte's boyfriends

* Trey MacDougal (Kyle MacLachlan) fits Charlotte's knight in shining armor archetype to a tee, and eventually she marries him (after she proposes to him at dinner and he says "all righty"). They have marital problems from the beginning, mostly centered around his erectile dysfunction, and things escalate when Charlotte finds out it would be very difficult for her to have a baby, which she deeply desires. Eventually, they separate and divorce.
* Harry Goldenblatt (Evan Handler) is Charlotte's divorce lawyer. Although he is not even in the ballpark of Charlotte's ideal man in that he is short, bald, hairy and often somewhat crude, they fall in love. Harry refuses to marry a non-Jew, so Charlotte the Episcopalian Princess converts to Judaism. After this, they have a falling out and break up. Eventually, Harry returns and proposes to Charlotte, and they marry. After that, they adopt a Chinese baby girl (after Charlotte becomes pregnant and has a miscarriage).

Miranda's boyfriends

    * Skipper Johnson (Ben Weber) is a geeky, sensitive twentysomething who is friends with Carrie, then becomes Miranda's boyfriend in season 1. The relationship doesn't last because Miranda does not want the same level of commitment.
    * Robert Leeds (Blair Underwood), a physician who moves into her building during the sixth season, is the seemingly perfect man: successful, sexy and utterly devoted to her. Robert and Miranda have lots of fun and great chemistry, but when he leaves her a giant chocolate chip cookie that says, "I Love You," Miranda panics, devours the entire thing, then tries to ignore it. She realizes that, despite all the idyllic aspects of her relationship with Robert, and all the flaws in her relationship with Steve (below), it's Steve who she loves. She breaks up with Robert.
    * Steve Brady (David Eigenberg) is a bartender Miranda has what appears to be a one-night stand with after being stood up by Carrie, who is at Big's home cooking veal (to which she responds "You ditched me for a piece of politically incorrect meat?"). He falls for Miranda depite her initial resistance, and the one-night stand morphs into a relationship. The difference in income and aspirations between the two becomes a serious issue, and they break up twice during the series. In season 4, he is diagnosed with testicular cancer and must have one testicle removed. He and Miranda have sex in what Samantha calls "a mercy fuck", and Miranda gets pregnant. She gives birth to a boy named Brady. They decide to raise the baby together, but separated. In season 6, they get back together, then marry in an small, intimate ceremony.

Samantha's boyfriends

    * Maria (Sonia Braga) is a sensual artist that Samantha meets at an exhibit while admiring her work. Samantha is drawn to Maria's strong aura but quickly steps back when she realizes Maria wants to more than just friends. The chemistry is too strong and it isn't too long before Samantha is introducing her lesbian lover to her stunned friends. This is Samantha's first step towards committement and while she greatly admires and respects Maria, they part ways a few episodes later because Samantha can't stand the monogamy and misses the 'penis'.
    * Richard Wright (James Remar) is a extremely wealthy hotel magnate who meets his match in bed with Samantha. He seduces her, and they have a no-strings sexual relationship. Their relationship eventually escalates, and both parties struggle to keep their emotional distance. Eventually, both profess their love for each other, and they try to have a monogamous relationship. Samantha's heart is broken when she catches him having an affair.
    * Smith Jerrod (Jason Lewis) is a young waiter Samantha seduces in a trendy restaurant. She finds out he is an actor and becomes his publicist. Her first advice is to change the awkward name "Jerry Jerrod" to "Smith Jerrod". After Samantha takes control of his publicity and gets him a gig posing nude for an Absolut ad, his career takes off. Ironically, Smith is an alcoholic and attends AA meetings. When Samantha is diagnosed with breast cancer, Smith sticks by her side, shaving his signature long hair as a sign of solidarity. At the end of the series, Samantha and Smith are still together and in love.

Cameos

As Sex and the City gained popularity, a number of celebrities had cameos on the show, some playing themselves and some playing characters. These include the following:

    * Nathan Lane
    * Amy Sedaris
    * Donald Trump
    * Jon Bon Jovi
    * Alanis Morissette
    * Matthew McConaughey
    * Vince Vaughn
    * Sarah Michelle Gellar
    * Carrie Fisher
    * Hugh Hefner
    * Margaret Cho
    * Alan Cumming
    * Heidi Klum
    * Ed Koch
    * Molly Shannon
    * Lucy Liu
    * Candice Bergen
    * Heather Graham
    * Tatum O'Neal
    * David Duchovny
    * Geri Halliwell
    * Carole Bouquet
    * Valerie Harper

Episodes

Season 1 (1998)
# Episode Title Director Writer Original Airdate
1 Sex and the City Susan Seidelman Darren Star June 7, 1998 (HBO)
2 Models and Mortals Allison Maclean Darren Star June 7, 1998 (HBO)
3 Bay of Married Pigs Nicole Holofcener Darren Star June 21, 1998 (HBO)
4 Valley of the Twenty Something Guys Allison Maclean Michael Patrick King June 28, 1998 (HBO)
5 The Power of Female Sex Susan Seidelman Jenji Kohan July 5, 1998 (HBO)
6 Secret Sex Michael Fields Darren Star July 12, 1998 (HBO)
7 The Monogamists Darren Star Darren Star July 19, 1998(HBO)
8 Three's A Crowd Nicole Holofcener Jenny Bicks July 26, 1998 (HBO)
9 The Turtle and the Hare Michael Fields Nicole Avril, Sue Kolinsky August 2, 1998 (HBO)
10 The Baby Shower Susan Seidelman Terri Minsky August 9, 1998 (HBO)
11 The Drought Matthew Harrison Michael Green, Michael Patrick King August 16, 1998 (HBO)
12 Oh Come All Ye Faithful Matthew Harrison Michael Patrick King August 23, 1998 (HBO)

Season 2 (1999)
# Episode Title Director Writer Original Airdate
13 Take Me Out to the Ballgame Allen Coulter Michael Patrick King June 6, 1999 (HBO)
14 The Awful Truth Allen Coulter Darren Star June 13, 1999 (HBO)
15 The Freak Show Allen Coulter Jenny Bicks June 20, 1999 (HBO)
16 They Shoot Single People Don't They? Allen Coulter Michael Patrick King June 27, 1999(HBO)
17 Four Women and a Funeral Allen Coulter Jenny Bicks July 4, 1999 (HBO)
18 The Cheating Curve John David Coles Darren Star July 11, 1999 (HBO)
19 The Chicken Dance Victoria Hochberg Cindy Chupack July 18, 1999 (HBO)
20 The Man, The Myth, The Viagra Victoria Hochberg Michael Patrick King July 25, 1999 (HBO)
21 Old Dogs, New Dicks Alan Taylor Jenny Bicks August 1, 1999 (HBO)
22 The Caste System Allison Anders Darren Star August 8, 1999 (HBO)
23 Evolution Pam Thomas Cindy Chupack August 15, 1999 (HBO)
24 La Doleur Exquisite! Allison Anders Ollie Levy, Michael Patrick King August 22, 1999 (HBO)
25 Games People Play Michael Spiller Jenny Bicks August 29, 1999 (HBO)
26 The Fuck Buddy Alan Taylor Darren Star September 5, 1999 (HBO)
27 Shortcomings Dan Algrant Terri Minsky September 12, 1999 (HBO)
28 Was It Good For You? Dan Algrant Michael Patrick King September 19, 1999 (HBO)
29 Twenty-Something Girls Vs. Thirty-Something Women Darren Star Darren Star September 26, 1999 (HBO)
30 Ex and the City Michael Patrick King Michael Patrick King October 3, 1999 (HBO)

Season 3 (2000)
# Episode Title Director Writer Original Airdate
31 Where There's Smoke... Michael Patrick King Michael Patrick King June 4, 2000 (HBO)
32 Politically Erect Michael Patrick King Darren Star June 11, 2000 (HBO)
33 Attack of the 5'10" Woman Pam Thomas Cindy Chupack June 18, 2000 (HBO)
34 Boy, Girl, Boy, Girl Pam Thomas Jenny Bicks June 25, 2000 (HBO)
35 No Ifs, Ands Or Butts Nicole Holofcener Michael Patrick King July 9, 2000 (HBO)
36 Are We Sluts? Nicole Holofcener Cindy Chupack July 16, 2000 (HBO)
37 Drama Queens Allison Anders Darren Star July 23, 2000 (HBO)
38 The Big Time Allison Anders Jenny Bicks July 30, 2000 (HBO)
39 Easy Come, Easy Go Charles McDougall Michael Patrick King August 6, 2000 (HBO)
40 All or Nothing Charles McDougall Jenny Bicks August 13, 2000 (HBO)
41 Running With Scissors Dennis Erdman Michael Patrick King August 20, 2000 (HBO)
42 Don't Ask, Don't Tell Dan Algrant Cindy Chupack August 27, 2000 (HBO)
43 Escape from New York John David Coles Becky Hartman Edwards, Michael Patrick King September 10, 2000 (HBO)
44 Sex and Another City John David Coles Jenny Bicks September 17, 2000 (HBO)
45 Hot Child in the City Michael Spiller Allan Heinberg September 24, 2000 (HBO)
46 Frenemies Michael Spiller Jenny Bicks October 1, 2000 (HBO)
47 What Goes Around Comes Around Allen Coulter Darren Star October 8, 2000 (HBO)
48 Cock-A-Doodle-Do Allen Coulter Michael Patrick King October 15, 2000 (HBO)

Season 4 (2001-2002)
# Episode Title Director Writer Original Airdate
49 The Agony and the 'Ex'tacy Michael Patrick King Michael Patrick King June 3, 2001 (HBO)
50 The Real Me Michael Patrick King Michael Patrick King June 3, 2001 (HBO)
51 Defining Moments Allen Coulter Jenny Bicks June 10, 2001 (HBO)
52 What's Sex Got to Do With It? Allen Coulter Nicole Avril June 17, 2001 (HBO)
53 Ghost Town Michael Spiller Allan Heinberg June 24, 2001 (HBO)
54 Baby, Talk Is Cheap Michael Spiller Cindy Chupack July 1, 2001 (HBO)
55 Time and Punishment Michael Engler Jessica Bendinger July 8, 2001 (HBO)
56 My Motherboard, My Self Michael Engler Julie Rottenberg, Eliza Zuritsky July 15, 2001 (HBO)
57 Sex and the Country Michael Spiller Allan Heinberg July 22, 2001 (HBO)
58 Belles of the Balls Michael Spiller Michael Patrick King July 29, 2001 (HBO)
59 Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda David Frankel Jenny Bicks August 5, 2001 (HBO)
60 Just Say Yes David Frankel Cindy Chupack August 12, 2001 (HBO)
61 The Good Fight Charles McDougall Michael Patrick King January 6, 2002 (HBO)
62 All That Glitters... Charles McDougall Cindy Chupack January 13, 2002 (HBO)
63 Change of a Dress Alan Taylor Julie Rottenberg, Eliza Zuritsky January 20, 2002 (HBO)
64 Ring A Ding Ding Alan Taylor Amy B. Harris January 28, 2002 (HBO)
65 A "Vogue" Idea Martha Coolidge Allan Heinberg February 3, 2002 (HBO)
66 I Heart NY Martha Coolidge Michael Patrick King February 10, 2002 (HBO)

Season 5 (2002)
# Episode Title Director Writer Original Airdate
67 Anchors Away Charles McDougall Michael Patrick King July 21, 2002 (HBO)
68 Unoriginal Sin Charles McDougall Cindy Chupack July 28, 2002 (HBO)
69 Luck Be An Old Lady John David Coles Julie Rottenberg, Eliza Zuritsky August 4, 2002 (HBO)
70 Cover Girl John David Coles Judy Toll, Michael Patrick King August 11, 2002 (HBO)
71 Plus One is the Loneliest Number Michael Patrick King Cindy Chupack August 18, 2002 (HBO)
72 Critical Condition Michael Patrick King Alexa Junge August 25, 2002 (HBO)
73 The Big Journey Michael Engler Michael Patrick King September 1, 2002 (HBO)
74 I Love a Charade Michael Engler Cindy Chupack, Michael Patrick King September 8, 2002 (HBO)

Season 6 (2003-2004)
# Episode Title Director Writer Original Airdate
75 To Market, To Market Michael Patrick King Michael Patrick King June 22, 2003 (HBO)
76 Great Sexpectations Michael Patrick King Cindy Chupack June 29, 2003 (HBO)
77 The Perfect Present David Frankel Jenny Bicks July 7, 2003 (HBO)
78 Pick-A-Little, Talk-A-Little David Frankel Julie Rottenberg, Eliza Zuritsky July 14, 2003 (HBO)
79 Lights, Camera, Relationship Michael Engler Michael Patrick King July 21, 2003 (HBO)
80 Hop, Skip and a Week Michael Engler Amy B. Harris July 28, 2003 (HBO)
81 The Post-It Always Sticks Twice Alan Taylor Liz Tucillo August 4, 2003 (HBO)
82 The Catch Alan Taylor Cindy Chupack August 11, 2003 (HBO)
83 A Woman's Right to Shoes Tim Van Patten Jenny Bicks August 18, 2003 (HBO)
84 Boy, Interrupted Tim Van Patten Cindy Chupack August 25, 2003 (HBO)
85 The Domino Effect David Frankel Julie Rottenberg, Eliza Zuritsky September 7, 2003 (HBO)
86 One David Frankel Michael Patrick King September 14, 2003 (HBO)
87 Let There Be Light Michael Patrick King Michael Patrick King January 4, 2004 (HBO)
88 The Ick Factor Wendey Stanzler Julie Rottenberg, Eliza Zuritsky January 11, 2004 (HBO)
89 Catch-38 Michael Engler Cindy Chupack January 18, 2004 (HBO)
90 Out of the Frying Pan Michael Engler Jenny Bicks January 25, 2004 (HBO)
91 The Cold War Julian Farino Aury Wallington February 1, 2004 (HBO)
92 Splat! Julian Farino Jenny Bicks, Cindy Chupack February 8, 2004 (HBO)
93 An American Girl in Paris, Part Une Tim Van Patten Michael Patrick King February 15, 2004 (HBO)
94 An American Girl in Paris, Part Deux Tim Van Patten Michael Patrick King February 22, 2004 (HBO)

Clip Shows
# Episode Title Original Airdate
1 Sex and the City: A Farewell February 22, 2004 (HBO)

Quotations

The following are quotations from the TV special, Sex And The City: A Farewell, that aired introducing the final episode:

Michael Patrick King, Executive Producer: "People thought, oh it's just about sex or it's just about fashion. And then slowly over the years people start to see it's really about love ... and relationships ... and sex ... and basically the battlefield of trying to be in love – whether it be with another person or with yourself."

Sarah Jessica Parker: "What the show has to have, and has had to have in order to survive six years, is a soul."

Kim Cattrall: "The show is a valentine to being single."

David Eigenberg: "They were honest about sex, they were honest about the humor of sex."

Kim Cattrall: "Being single used to mean that nobody wanted you, now it means you're pretty sexy and you're taking your time deciding how you want your life to be ... and who you want to spend it with."

Broadcasters

In the United Kingdom, Channel 4 and its digital sister channel E4 broadcast episodes of "Sex and the City", while older episodes are rerun on Paramount Comedy. In Canada, the show airs on Bravo! Canada and Citytv Toronto, and in Germany it is shown on Pro7. In the Netherlands, the show is aired by Net 5, and in Sweden it is aired by TV3 and ZTV. In Italy the show airs on La7. In Australia it was broadcast on the Nine Network. It is now shown on Ten, on Monday nights. In Japan, the show is aired by Lala.tv. In Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, India, and Pakistan the show airs on HBO Asia (season 1-6). Sex and the City was banned in Singapore until July 2004, when the government allowed the television series to be aired on cable after being censored. In Latvia this serial can be seen on TV3. In Denmark it is currently shown on TV3 as well.

Criticism

Some commentators have criticized the television show as promoting immorality by encouraging a hedonistic lifestyle and treating women as sexual objects. Additionally, they argued that it is at times mere pornography with a superficial plot. The characters are also wealthy and unabashedly elitist, which raises further questions about the morality of the show.

Others claim in response that Sex and the City is an attempt to realistically – yet artistically – portray sexual behavior in the urban United States. Others have noted that the show tends to portray its main characters as shallow and superficial.

When Sex and the City was run in syndication on TBS, some viewers organized boycotts of the station, arguing that this would put the program within access of young children.

Some commentators criticized Sex and the City's distorted presentation of female sexuality, claiming the sexuality is more akin to that of the allegedly gay, male writers of the show. The frequent obsession with penis size by one character is taken to be untypical of women and more typical of a phallocentric male focus. Others have charged that the ridiculing of modestly endowed men is sexist and harmful, contributing to body issues for men similar to that of young women over their weight or breast size.

External links

    * home of HBO's Sex and the City
    * Sex and the City episode guide at TVTome.com
    * Carrie's Diary - Sex and the City fan site
    * Sex and the City fan site (German)
    * Sex and the City at the Internet Movie Database

Sledge Hammer!

2005-09-02T10:42:00.000-07:00

Sledge Hammer! is a television satirical sitcom that ran for two seasons on ABC from 1986 to 1988. The series was created by Alan Spencer and starred David Rasche and a .44 Magnum. Despite its brief run, it has gained a cult following.

Sledge Hammer! was a Get Smart-like spoof of the Dirty Harry series of movies. Its main character, Inspector Sledge Hammer of the San Francisco Police Department, was a violent, sadistic, insensitive detective who talked to his gun. Spencer's original script for the series was written after the third Dirty Harry film, The Enforcer, was released in 1976 but was widely rejected. However, eight years later, after the release of the fourth movie, Sudden Impact, in 1983, demand for a "renegade cop" parody began and ABC produced a pilot episode of Sledge Hammer! after HBO rejected Spencer's pilot script.

Sledge Hammer's motto is:

"Trust me. I know what I'm doing."

Beside Hammer, the main characters are his partner, Detective Dori Doreau (played by Anne-Marie Martin), who is sensitive, intelligent and female (everything Sledge is not) and his migraine-suffering superior, Captain Trunk (played by Harrison Page). The theme music was written by Danny Elfman. Coincidentally, the pilot of Sledge Hammer! was completed at the same time as Peter Gabriel's song "Sledgehammer" became a hit.

Marvel Comics also released a short-lived comic book based upon the series.

Sledge Hammer poked fun at many other TV series and had a well-publicized "feud" with the contemporary sitcom, Mr. Belvedere. The show's own network wasn't spared either. One episode ended with an epilogue that was intentionally miscolored as a parody of the then-popular colorization trend; ABC received so many complaints from viewers thinking it was a transmission error that for a time callers to ABC's switchboard heard a recorded message explaining that it was all a joke.

Because ABC intended to cancel the series, the last episode of the first season ended with an atomic bomb destroying the city. When ABC unexpectedly renewed the show -- due to the network moving the show to a better time that improved ratings for the final episode -- the first episode of the second season explained that it and following episodes were set "five years before" the explosion. However, the second season suffered from a reduced budget and lowered filming standard (down to 16 mm film from the previous season's 35 mm), and was not renewed for a third season.

The first season of Sledge Hammer! was released on DVD in 2004, on which the laugh track, which the network had insisted on including on the pilot and first 12 episodes, has been removed. The DVD also includes an unaired version of the pilot that runs several minutes longer, has a different ending, and different theme music. An earthquake allegedly hit while Alan Spencer was recording commentary for one of the DVDs; the tape supposedly kept rolling during the event and was included on the DVD, leaving viewers wondering whether the earthquake was real. The second season was released on DVD on April 12, 2005; the commentary on the final episode ended with Spencer, again, being caught in an apparent earthquake.

Episode List

Season 1 (1986-87)

   1. Under The Gun (Pilot) (Sep 23, 1986)
   2. Hammer Gets Nailed (Sep 26, 1986)
   3. Witless (Oct 3, 1986)
   4. They Shoot Hammers, Don't They? (Oct 17, 1986)
   5. Dori Day Afternoon (Oct 24, 1986)
   6. To Sledge, with Love (Oct 31, 1986)
   7. All Shook Up (Nov 6, 1986)
   8. Over My Dead Bodyguard (Nov 13, 1986)
   9. Magnum Farce (Nov 22, 1986)
10. If I Had a Little Hammer (Nov 29, 1986)
11. To Live and Die on TV (Dec 13, 1986)
12. Miss of the Spider Woman (Dec 20, 1986)
13. The Old Man and the Sledge (Jan 3, 1987)
14. State of Sledge (Jan 10, 1987)
15. Haven't Gun, Will Travel (Jan 17, 1987)
16. The Color of Hammer (Jan 24, 1987)
17. Brother, Can You Spare a Crime? (Jan 31, 1987)
18. Desperately Seeking Dori (Feb 7, 1987)
19. Sledgepoo (Feb 14, 1987)
20. Comrade Hammer (Feb 21, 1987)
21. Jagged Sledge (Apr 21, 1987)
22. The Spa Who Loved Me (Apr 28, 1987)

Season 2 (1987-1988)

   1. A Clockwork Hammer (Sep 17, 1987)
   2. Big Nazi on Campus (Sep 24, 1987)
   3. Play It Again, Sledge (Oct 1, 1987)
   4. Wild About Hammer (Oct 8, 1987)
   5. The Death of a Few Salesmen (Oct 15, 1987)
   6. Vertical (Oct 29, 1987)
   7. Dressed to Call (Nov 5, 1987)
   8. Hammer Hits the Rock (a.k.a. Sledge on the Rock) (Nov 12, 1987)
   9. Hammeroid (Nov 26, 1987)
10. Last of the Red Hot Vampires (Nov 19, 1987)
11. Sledge in Toyland (Dec 3, 1987)
12. Icebreaker (Dec 10, 1987)
13. They Call Me Mr. Trunk (Dec 17, 1987)
14. Model Dearest (Jan 7, 1988)
15. Sledge, Rattle & Roll (Jan 15, 1988)
16. Suppose They Gave a War & Sledge Came? (Jan 22, 1988)
17. The Secret of My Excess (Jan 29, 1988)
18. It Happened What Night? (Feb 5, 1988)
19. Here's to You, Mrs. Hammer (Feb 12, 1988)

SpongeBob SquarePants

2005-09-02T04:09:00.000-07:00

The SpongeBob SquarePants cast
Format Animated series
Run time approx. 22 mins. (11 mins. per episode)
Creator Stephen Hillenburg
Starring Tom Kenny
Rodger Bumpass
Bill Fagerbakke
Clancy Brown
Carolyn Lawrence
Doug Lawrence
Country USA
Network Nickelodeon
Original run May 1, 1999 (official airdate July 17, 1999)–present
No. of episodes (so far) 64

SpongeBob SquarePants is a popular animated television series created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. The pilot episode first aired in the US on Nickelodeon after Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards on May 1, 1999. It officially aired on July 17 of the same year with the second episode "Bubblestand/Ripped Pants." The main characters are a naive but optimistic anthropomorphic sea sponge SpongeBob SquarePants; his stupid starfish pal Patrick Star; the pessimistic octopus Squidward Tentacles; the penny-pinching cheapskate crab Mr. Krabs; and the hyperactive daredevil land squirrel Sandy Cheeks, who wears an astronaut suit almost all of the time outside her air-filled tree dome. Most episodes take place in the town of Bikini Bottom or the surrounding lagoon floor, or at their own houses.

Popularity

SpongeBob has gained a loyal international following with children and adults alike. Merchandise based on the show, for instance, ranges from Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, Kellogg's cereal, and video games to boxer shorts, pajamas, and t-shirts. It has become a favorite cartoon for television viewers. The show also spawned a large and popular merchandise line at Hot Topic, Claire's, RadioShack, Target, Wal-Mart, and Toys "R" Us stores. There have been kids meal tie-ins at Wendy's and Burger King restaurants, so much so when a SpongeBob SquarePants movie promotion ran at most Burger King franchises in 2004, thieves stole nine-foot-high by nine-foot-wide SpongeBob inflatables, wanting Krabby Patties as ransom, and signed by someone who claims to be Sheldon J. Plankton, a character from the show. SpongeBob was also featured on VH1's I Love the 90s: Part Deux: 1999 as part of a commentary by Michael Ian Black. More recently, a tie-in beverage for 7-Eleven convenience stores has been created, a pineapple-flavored Slurpee. Events in the past with the SpongeBob SquarePants theme include an exhibit at Underwater Adventures aquarium in the Mall of America called SeaCrits of Bikini Bottom during the summer of 2003. In October 2004, a NASCAR Busch Series race was named The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie 300, presented by Lowe's and broadcast on TNT.

The cartoon is designed to appeal to older viewers as much as to children. This has a lot to do with the way underwater life and situations are represented, absurdly, as though they are almost equivalent to normal terrestrial lifestyles. Instead of cars, the residents of Bikini Bottom drive boats (with wheels). Once, while on a camping trip, Patrick questions how they could have a camp fire on the lagoon bottom—the fire is immediately extinguished with a sizzle. A flurry of bubbles accompany many actions, just to remind the viewer everything is underwater. SpongeBob lives in a pineapple, while his neighbor Squidward lives in an Easter Island head and Patrick lives under a rock. The suggestion is that both have fallen from a tropical island to become underwater habitats. Spongebob's house-pet is a snail named Gary, who meows like a cat (though characters have shown signs of being able to understand him). In relation to this, underwater worms bark like dogs. Jellyfish are the equivalent of bees (buzzing and stinging), but are collected or appreciated like butterflies and are used for their jelly.

SpongeBob is the first "low budget" Nickelodeon cartoon, according to the network, to become extremely popular. Low-budget cartoons had been living in the shadow of Rugrats, but SpongeBob aired in 1999 and almost immediately became more popular. SpongeBob follows some other Nickelodeon shows that have attracted "older" followers: The Ren & Stimpy Show, Rocko's Modern Life (whose executive producer was SpongeBob creator Stephen Hillenburg), the Kablam! skits Action League Now!, The Angry Beavers. Other shows have followed in this trend as well: The Fairly OddParents and Invader Zim took a similar role when they aired in 2001 and the former is now second only to SpongeBob in popularity).

SpongeBob is one cartoon in a long line of shows to put in more "adult" references, and has become so popular with the adult crowd that it has been shown on MTV and Spike TV. A certain quote by Patrick ("It's gonna rock!") has been used as a promo for rock stations. Ren and Stimpy, among others, had followed a similar path. The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, released on November 19, 2004, features a cameo appearance by actor David Hasselhoff.

Theme song

The theme song, based on the sea shanty "Blow the Man Down," is the principal song used in the series. It is sung by Pat Pinney and can be found on the soundtrack, SpongeBob SquarePants: Original Theme Highlights. A cover of the song by Avril Lavigne can be found on the soundtrack for The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. There was also a choral version done for the Christmas special (where the last words "SquarePants" were replaced by "Christmas special").

Note: Song lyrics are protected by copyright, so the theme song cannot be quoted here.

History

Origin (1993–1999)

SpongeBob's history can be traced back to 1993 when Rocko's Modern Life first aired. One of the producers was Stephen Hillenburg, a cartoon worker/marine biologist who loved both his careers. When the show was cancelled in 1997, Hillenburg began working on SpongeBob (although some sketches trace back to 1996). He teamed up with creative director Derek Drymon, who had worked on shows such as Doug, Action League Now!, and Hey Arnold!. Drymon had worked with Hillenburg on Rocko's Modern Life as well, as were many crew members including writer Tim Hill and voice actors Tom Kenny and Doug Lawrence. Also in the original crew was former Angry Beavers story editor Merriwether Williams, who worked on that show for its first few seasons and switched to SpongeBob in July 1999. His name is written in the CamelCase word style declaring "Spongebob Squarepants" a common typo in comparison to "SpongeBob SquarePants".

Not everyone who worked on SpongeBob were veterans of other shows, however. Paul Tibbitt was a newcomer to cartoons, but he became a key member of the show's crew, writing and storyboard directing most of the series.

During production of the show, Hillenburg provided a concept of short comics with the same style of the show, but the characters looked different. SpongeBob used to be named SpongeBoy, and used to wear a red hat with a green base and a white business shirt with a tie. The name "SpongeBoy" did not make it into the show since the name was already officially trademarked by Bob Burden, creator of Flaming Carrot. Hillenburg later chose the alternative name "SpongeBob." The original name was once referenced in the show by Mr. Krabs' line, "SpongeBoy, me Bob!." The Krusty Krab was originally spelled with the letter C rather than K, but Stephen Hillenburg thought K's were funnier.

Rise to popularity (1999–2000)

In 1999, SpongeBob aired its first episode, "Help Wanted/Reef Blower/Tea at the Treedome", after the 1999 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. At this time, Rugrats was at the height of its popularity and had already outlived dozens of other lower-budget cartoons. SpongeBob, with its generally lower-class animation and humor style more rooted in clever word-play and culture-references unlike the potty humor that made Rugrats so popular, was expected to be just another one of those shows. Although it struggled in its early days, its ratings flew up. After about a year, it surpassed Rugrats as Nick's most highly rated show. SpongeBob's signature voice (provided by Kenny) and humorous style was enjoyable to both younger and older audiences. Many people attribute the "Fall Of Rugrats/Klasky-Csupo/Rise Of Low-Budget Cartoons" to SpongeBob.

Peak years (2000–2003)

The show began its second season in 2000 with more high-quality animation and even more popular episodes. By then it was clear to the world that SpongeBob had opened the door to many other cartoons to use more "adult" senses of humor and come from smaller companies. In 2001, The Fairly OddParents aired from the then-small Frederator company. It focused on a sense of humor similar to SpongeBob’s, only more realistic, slightly crazier (and more suggestive to "adult" topics), and with more pop culture references; this show managed to become a hit as well and currently ranks behind SpongeBob as Nick's second most popular show. That same year, Invader Zim aired, created by comic book writer Jhonen Vasquez; it had a dark but silly sense of humor (similar to Vasquez's other comic books) that managed to attract a very loyal cult following consisting more of teens and adults than little kids. SpongeBob, however, was the leader of all these shows and had by this time started its now famous merchandise line.

2002 also saw a bright side, as the first part of that year saw SpongeBob at its high. The beginning of the third season produced many classic episodes (some of the most quoted too) and focused on the same style and animation concepts. The year also saw another more low-budget show with popularity (Jimmy Neutron), but things changed late in the year. Hillenburg began to think of leaving the show around this time, and even canceling it. Fans were devastated and online petitions were widely distributed. Rumors of a movie closing the show in 2004 were all over talk, but fans just wanted more show. The highly extended third season lasted through 2003, with fans on their knees, and 2004, the year that would decide everything. What was thought to be the last episode, "SpongeBob Meets The Strangler/Pranks A Lot" would air in October of 2004 and the movie was to be released in November of that year.

Hiatus (2003–2005)

2003 was arguably the darkest year the Spongebob community had ever seen, Spongebob's first gay controversy involving the "Rock-A-Bye-Bivalve" episode was now major, with conservative parents being particularly biased against the show. The hiatus era looked hopeless, and many doubted the 4th season.

The show continued to gain high approval ratings, but then, at the end of summertime, the president of Nickelodeon announced that the show would continue without Hillenburg. Derek Drymon and Sherm Cohen took over production of the show; except for Hillenburg's absence, the crew was nearly unchanged. The future looked positive for the cartoon, but fans wondered if the show would achieve its past level of success without Hillenburg. As its movie only achieved over $85,000,000 in revenue in the United States, it has been assumed that the show's popularity has declined. The Rugrats Movie, on the other hand, earned over $100,000,000 in the United States (it was around this time that the animated series which it is based on, Rugrats, was at the height of its popularity. Ironically, that movie would also be considered Rugrats' jump the shark moment by many fans.).

Season 4 (2005- )
Fear of a Krabby Patty.
Enlarge
Fear of a Krabby Patty.

The ads for its fourth season first aired publicly during the 2005 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. The new episodes began on May 6. So far, three new episodes and six segments of new episodes have aired, with more upcoming including an episode about Gary running away and a sixth Mermaidman & Barnacle Boy.

The first new episode of Season 4, "Fear Of A Krabby Patty/Shell Of A Man", was a huge hit with many fans who had long been bored with the show and many more faithful ones who have been waiting for new episodes for years.

Controversy

Despite the show's popularity, SpongeBob has endured controversy, though this is not new for Nickelodeon; many of its cartoons, including Ren & Stimpy, Rocko's Modern Life, The Angry Beavers, Invader Zim and The Fairly OddParents, have sparked controversy in one way or another. SpongeBob's popularity has made its controversy more noticeable and larger scale.

One of the show's first controversies was about terrorism. After the September 11, 2001 attacks, the show had been receiving higher ratings than usual. A few people thought that the show may have some link to terrorism, but many fans and other people believe that the paraphrased line, "it's just a show that heals your depressions from terrible things in life" explains the rise in viewers.

SpongeBob had a primarily clean start for its first two seasons and the beginning of the third season. SpongeBob and Patrick's close friendship in many episodes (including an episode where they hold hands) led some viewers to the conclusion that SpongeBob and Patrick were homosexual. The 2002 episode, "Rock-A-Bye-Bivalve", had SpongeBob and Patrick adopt a baby scallop, furthering the rumor. This viewpoint sparked controversy around the news; however this rumor has been proven false for numerous reasons. Independent of assumptions, the cartoon's acceptance and optimism have made it popular within parts of the real-life gay community.

More recently, SpongeBob was featured in the pro-tolerance "We Are Family" commercial. The video has sparked controversy because some conservative Christian groups believe that the We Are Family Foundation was using it to promote the normalization of homosexuality in American schools. A spokesman for the foundation suggests that anyone who thought the video promoted homosexuality "needs to visit their doctor and get their medication increased."[1]. It has been incorrectly reported that James Dobson, a leading figure among many conservative Christians, believes SpongeBob is homosexual or promotes a 'homosexual lifestyle'.[2], [3] (See the section on SpongeBob in the article on James Dobson).

Voice actors and their characters

    * Tom Kenny: SpongeBob SquarePants, Gary the Snail, French Narrator, Patchy the Pirate, a Squid
    * Dee Bradley Baker: Squilliam Fancyson, Various Squids, Customers, Vendors
    * Rodger Bumpass: Squidward Tentacles
    * Bill Fagerbakke: Patrick Star
    * Carolyn Lawrence: Sandy Cheeks
    * Clancy Brown: Eugene Krabs
    * Doug Lawrence (a.k.a. Mr. Lawrence): Sheldon J. Plankton, Larry Lobster
    * Lori Alan: Pearl Krabs
    * Mary Jo Catlett: Poppy Puff
    * Ernest Borgnine: Mermaid Man
    * Tim Conway: Barnacle Boy
    * Stephen Hillenburg: Potty
    * Brian Doyle-Murray: The Flying Dutchman
    * Charles Nelson Reilly: The Dirty Bubble
    * Marion Ross: Grandma Squarepants
    * Jill Talley: Karen, Plankton's computer wife

Additional voices in the movie

    * Scarlett Johansson: Princess Mindy
    * Jeffrey Tambor: King Neptune
    * Alec Baldwin: Dennis the Hitman

Main crew

    * Stephen Hillenburg: Creator/Executive Producer (1999–2004)
    * Derek Drymon: Creative Director/Writer/Story Editor/Executive Producer (2004–Present)
    * Sherm Cohen: Art Director/Writer/Executive Producer (2005—)
    * Paul Tibbitt: Writer/Storyboard Director/Backing Voice Actor
    * Merriwether Williams: Story Editor/Writer
    * Doug Lawrence (a.k.a. Mr. Lawrence): Writer/Story Editor
    * Chuck Klein: Writer/Storyboard Artist & Director
    * Jay Lender: Writer/Storyboard Artist & Director
    * Sam Henderson: Writer/Storyboard Director
    * Kaz: Writer/Storyboard Artist
    * Aaron Springer: Writer/Storyboard Artist & Director
    * C.H. Greenblatt: Writer/Storyboard Artist & Director
    * Bradley Carow: Music
    * Sage Guyton: Music
    * Steven Belfer: Music
    * Jeremy Wakefield: Music
    * Nicholas Carr: Music
    * David Wigforss: Special Effects (CG visual effects animator)
    * Caleb Muerer: Art Director/Storyboard Artist
    * Andy Rheingold: Executive in Charge of Production
    * Steven Banks: Head Writer (2004—)
    * Tim Hill: Writer
    * Eric Wiese: Writer/Storyboard Artist
    * Mark O'Hare: Writer/Storyboard Artist & Director
    * Steven Fonti: Writer/Storyboard Director (1999)
    * Chris Mitchell: Writer/Storyboard Artist (1999)
    * Mike Bell: Writer/Storyboard Director (2005—)
    * Vincent Waller: Writer/Storyboard Artist & Director/Technical Director (2005—)
    * Alan Smart: Animation Director
    * Tom Yasumi: Animation Director
    * Andrew Overtoom: Animation Director
    * Sean Dempsey: Animation Director

Characters

    * SpongeBob SquarePants - A square sponge who lives in a pineapple under the sea. He works at the Krusty Krab with his boring neighbor Squidward.
    * Squidward Tentacles - A hostile squid that lives in an Easter Island moai between the domiciles of SpongeBob and Patrick. Although loved by the other characters, Squidward appears pessimistic and antisocial.
    * Patrick Star - A cheerful, naive and unintelligent starfish; SpongeBob's best friend. He lives under a rock to the left of Squidward's house.
    * Sandy Cheeks - Another friend of SpongeBob's, Sandy is an athletic squirrel from Texas. She wears an old spacesuit and lives in the "Treedome" so that she can survive Bikini Bottom's ocean environment. She gets mean at SpongeBob and Patrick when they (SpongeBob & Patrick) kidnapped/captured her and other residents of Bikini Bottom in "Sandy's Rocket". The reason why SpongeBob and Patrick kidnapped the residents was that they're believing they're (Sandy and other Bikini Bottom residents) aliens.
    * Eugene H. Krabs - The money-addicted, miserly owner of the Krusty Krab. Commonly known as Mr. Krabs, he is SpongeBob and Squidward's boss. He lives in an anchor with his daughter Pearl, who is literally as big as a whale.
    * Gary - SpongeBob's pet Snail. Very intelligent, as revealed in the episode "Sleepy Time." Gary actually wears shoes, and taught SpongeBob how to tie his shoes. Gary also has a record player in his shell.
    * Sheldon J. Plankton - The owner of the restaurant The Chum Bucket and Mr. Krabs' main rival. Usually referred to by his surname, Plankton, he has one eye with a red iris. He is determined to steal the secret Krabby Patty formula from The Krusty Krab and run Mr. Krabs out of business. The Chum Bucket looks like a big bucket, with a hand grasping the handle. The Words "The Chum Bucket" are written in red on the front of it.

See also minor characters in SpongeBob SquarePants.

Episodes

All episodes are shown in correct production order.

Season One (1999-2000)

    * Help Wanted / Reef Blower / Tea at the Treedome
    * Bubblestand / Ripped Pants
    * Jellyfishing / Plankton!
    * Naughty Nautical Neighbors / Boating School
    * Pizza Delivery / Home Sweet Pineapple
    * Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy / Pickles
    * Hall Monitor / Jellyfish Jam
    * Sandy's Rocket / Squeaky Boots
    * Nature Pants / Opposite Day
    * Culture Shock / F.U.N.
    * MuscleBob BuffPants / Squidward the Unfriendly Ghost
    * The Chaperone / Employee of the Month
    * Scaredy Pants / I Was a Teenage Gary
    * SB-129 / Karate Choppers
    * Sleepy Time / Suds
    * Valentine's Day / The Paper
    * Arrgh! / Rock Bottom
    * Texas / Walking Small
    * Fools in April / Neptune's Spatula
    * Hooky / Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy II

Season Two (2000-2001)

    * Your Shoe's Untied / Squid's Day Off
    * Something Smells / Bossy Boots
    * Big Pink Loser / Bubble Buddy
    * Dying for Pie / Imitation Krabs
    * Wormy / Patty Hype
    * Grandma's Kisses / Squidville
    * Pre-Hibernation Week / Life of Crime
    * Christmas Who?
    * Survival of the Idiots / Dumped
    * No Free Rides / I'm Your Biggest Fanatic
    * Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy III / Squirrel Jokes
    * Pressure / The Smoking Peanut
    * Shanghaied / Gary Takes a Bath (aired in 2003)
    * Welcome to the Chum Bucket / Frankendoodle
    * The Secret Box / Band Geeks
    * The Graveyard Shift / Krusty Love (aired in 2002)
    * Procrastination / I'm With Stupid
    * Sailor Mouth / Artist Unknown
    * Jellyfish Hunter / The Fry Cook Games
    * Squid on Strike / Sandy, SpongeBob, and the Worm

Season Three (2002-2004)

    * The Algae's Always Greener / SpongeGuard On Duty
    * Club SpongeBob / My Pretty Seahorse
    * The Bully / Just One Bite
    * Nasty Patty / The Idiot Box
    * Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy IV / Doing Time
    * Snowball Effect / One Krabs' Trash
    * As Seen on TV (SpongeBob episode) / Can You Spare a Dime?
    * No Weenies Allowed / Squilliam Returns
    * Krab Borg / Rock-a-Bye Bivalve
    * Wet Painters / Krusty Krab Training Video
    * Party Pooper Pants
    * Chocolate With Nuts / Mermaid Man And Barnacle Boy V
    * New Student Starfish / Clams
    * SpongeBob B.C. (Before Comedy)
    * The Great Snail Race / Mid-Life Crustacean
    * Born Again Krabs / I Had An Accident
    * Krabby Land / The Camping Episode
    * Missing Identity / Plankton's Army
    * The Sponge Who Could Fly
    * SpongeBob Meets The Strangler / Pranks a Lot

Season Four (2005-)

    * Fear of a Krabby Patty / Shell of a Man
    * The Lost Mattress / Krabs vs. Plankton
    * Skill Crane / Good Neighbors
    * Mermaidman & Barnacle Boy VI / Squidward's History
    * Selling Out / Funny Pants
    * Have You Seen This Snail?
    * Uncle Sherm's Visit / Srambled Genes
    * Puny Love / Krabby Tunes

Future seasons

Writers for SpongeBob have confirmed that the show will have a fifth season, however, no planned episode list is done. Season six is also possible.

Feature films

* The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie

"Note: Soon there will be a theatrical release of a Fairly Odd Parents The New Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius SpongeBob SquarePants crossover."

DVD, VHS, and video games

DVD & VHS

Themed DVDs

    * Nautical Nonsense and Sponge Buddies
    * SpongeBob SquarePants Halloween
    * Sea Stories
    * Tales from the Deep
    * Lost at Sea
    * Tide and Seek
    * SpongeBob SquarePants Christmas
    * The Seascape Capers
    * SpongeBob Goes Prehistoric
    * SpongeGuard on Duty (DVD)
    * Sponge for Hire
    * Home Sweet Pineapple (DVD)
    * Fear of a Krabby Patty
    * Absorbing Favorites (coming September 20, 2005)
    * Where's Gary? (coming November 15)

Themed VHS

    * Nautical Nonsense
    * Sponge Buddies
    * Halloween
    * Sea Stories
    * Bikini Bottom Bash
    * Deep Sea Sillies
    * The Sponge Who Could Fly
    * Anchors Away
    * Laugh Your Pants Off
    * Sponge-a-Rama
    * Christmas
    * The Seascape Capers
    * SpongeBob Goes Prehistoric
    * SpongeGuard on Duty
    * Sponge for Hire
    * Home Sweet Pineapple
    * Fear of a Krabby Patty
    * Absorbing Favorites (coming September 20, 2005)
    * Where's Gary (coming November 15)

Blockbuster Video Exclusives (VHS)

* Undersea Antics Vol. 1 (Kidmongous)
* Undersea Antics Vol. 2 (Kidmongous)

Season Box Sets (only on DVD)

    * SpongeBob SquarePants: The Complete First Season
    * SpongeBob SquarePants: The Complete Second Season
    * SpongeBob SquarePants: The Complete Third Season (coming September 27, 2005)
    * SpongeBob SquarePants: The Complete Fourth Season (coming in 2006 or 2007) (?)

Movie (VHS and DVD)

* The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie

Spin off series

Astrology With Squidward is a spin-off short from, SpongeBob SquarePants. It features the character Squidward explaining astrological stereotypes, through characters on the show.

Featured characters have included:

    * Patrick: Taurus (stereotype: thick-headed)
    * SpongeBob: Sagittarius (stereotype: overly enthusiastic, optimistic, and foolish)
    * Plankton: Scorpio (stereotype: diabolical and plotting), among others

Video Games

    * GBA Video: SpongeBob SquarePants Volume 1 (Gameboy Advance)
    * GBA Video: SpongeBob SquarePants Volume 2 (Gameboy Advance)
    * GBA Video: SpongeBob SquarePants Volume 3 (Not Yet Released) (GBA)
    * Spongebob Squarepants Dual Pack (GBA)
    * Lights, Camera, PANTS! (Not Yet Released) (GCN, GBA, PS2, Xbox, DS)
    * The Yellow Avenger (Not Yet Released) (DS)
    * Revenge Of The Flying Dutchman (PS2, Gamecube, Xbox, GBA)
    * The Legend Of The Lost Spatula (GBC)
    * SuperSponge (PS, GBA)
    * Battle For Bikini Bottom (PS2, Gamecube, Xbox, GBA, PC)
    * The Spongebob Squarepants Movie (PS2, Gamecube, Xbox, GBA, PC)
    * Spongebob Squarepants Saves the Day (Leapster)

Crossover Games

    * Nicktoons Racing (PS1, PC, GBC, GBA)
    * Nickelodeon Party Blast (GCN, PS2, Xbox, PC)
    * Nicktoons: Freeze Frame Frenzy (GBA)
    * Nicktoons Movin' (PS2)
    * Nicktoons Unite! (Not yet released) (GCN, PS2, GBA, DS)
    * The JAM Team Movie (Not yet released) (GBA, PS2, Xbox, GameCube, PC)

External links

Spongebob.com (official site)
SpongyMedia
United SpongeBob
SpongeBob Online
SpongeBuddy Mania
SpongeBob SquarePants at the Big Cartoon DataBase
SpongeBob SquarePants at the Internet Movie Database
SpongeBob SquarePants at TV.com
SpongeBob Squarepants Wiki, a MediaWiki wiki about the television series.

Square Pegs

2005-09-02T04:01:00.000-07:00

Square Pegs

Parker (in eyeglasses), Linker (under Parker), and Nelson (in blue dress).
Enlarge
Parker (in eyeglasses), Linker (under Parker), and Nelson (in blue dress).

Square Pegs was a situation comedy first broadcast on CBS between September 1982 and March 1983, and on Channel 4 in the UK. It centered on high school and the relationships between nerds and "popular" students.

The show was created by former SNL writer Anne Beatts and starred Sarah Jessica Parker, Amy Linker, John Femia, Merritt Butrick, Tracy Nelson, Claudette Wells, Jon Caliri, and Jami Gertz.

The show's theme song was written and performed by The Waitresses.

It coincided with the final season of M*A*S*H and, like that series, used an entirely artificial, low-key laugh track in US broadcasts with no pretense to having a live audience -- one of the last American sitcoms to have done so.

Don Novello appeared as Father Guido Sarducci in one episode.

External links

BBC Comedy Guide summary
Square Pegs at the Internet Movie Database
Square Pegs: Always Never Quite Right (fan summary)

Step by Step

2005-09-02T03:59:00.000-07:00

Step by Step is a television sitcom which was aired on ABC from September 20, 1991 to 1997 and CBS from 1997 to 1998. The show stars Patrick Duffy of Dallas, Suzanne Somers of Three's Company, and Staci Keanan of My Two Dads.

The premise of the show, which is set in the factual city of Port Washington, Wisconsin, is about rebuilding one's life after things have fallen apart one step at a time. Frank Lambert, a divorced contractor who had custody of his three children, impulsively marries attractive Carol Foster, a widowed beautician who had three children of her own. Both of them residents of Port Washington, the two met while vacationing separately in Jamaica. Their children, needless to say, were surprised and angered when they learned of the marriage.

Carol's children were 16-year-old daughter Dana, a pretty blonde who was smart but tried to be perfect; 14-year-old Karen, an aspiring model who was very vain; and Mark, an 11-year-old nerd who was into computers. Frank, meanwhile, was the father of 15-year-old John Thomas (aka J.T.), a slacker; Alicia (who always went by Al), an 11-year-old tomboyish all-American girl who became very attractive -- perhaps even more so than her stepsisters -- as she approached adulthood; and 7-year-old Brendan, a shy, carefree youngster. Carol took Frank's last name, though her children kept the Foster surname.

Stories depicted typical situations of a new family trying to get to know each other and become friends. That was often easier said than done, especially in the case of J.T. and Dana who could barely stand each other. In many ways, however, many of the situations mirrored that of The Brady Bunch.

The title of the show has a double meaning. One meaning deals with main idea of the show, which is getting married again after a divorce and putting your life back together. The other meaning is that every member of the family is step to half of the rest of the family, such as step brother, step mother, step sister, step father, step daughter, and step son.

The show's biggest change came in 1995, when Carol announced she was pregnant. In the 1994-1995 season finale, she gave birth to Lilly (Emily Mae Young), and was the only one to take both the Foster and Lambert surnames.

The show lasted for seven seasons and the main cast changed as the storyline progressed. Frank's nephew, Cody (whom J.T. idolized and Dana liked even less than J.T.) left the family in 1996 to travel the world (series star Sasha Mitchell, whose character became a major character during the second season, was forced out following allegations of domestic abuse). In 1997, J.T.'s friend Rich Halke (Jason Marsden) moved in with the family after becoming Dana's boyfriend; also during that time, Al took a serious interest in acting.

Along with Family Matters, "Step by Step" moved to CBS in the fall of 1997, as that network attempted to build its own Friday night lineup of family-friendly situation comedies called the CBS Block Party. The ratings, which had been declining for several seasons, continued to fall and the show ended its run in July 1998. There was no official series finale (though the last show was about Frank and Carol considering selling the house).

Cast

    * Patrick Duffy as Frank Lambert
    * Suzanne Somers as Carol Foster Lambert
    * Brandon Call as J.T. Lambert
    * Staci Keanan as Dana Foster
    * Angela Watson as Karen Foster
    * Christine Lakin as Alicia Lambert
    * Christopher Castile as Mark Foster
    * Josh Byrne as Brendan Lambert (1991-1997)
    * Sasha Mitchell as Cody Lambert (1991-1996)
    * Patrika Darbo as Penny Baker (1991-1992)
    * Peggy Rea as Ivy Baker (1991-1992)
    * Jason Marsden as Rich Halke (1996-1998)
    * Bronson Pinchot as Jean-Luc Rieupeyroux (1996-1997)
    * Emily Mae Young as Lilly Foster Lambert (1996-1998)

Trivia

* Jesse (Elizabeth Berkley) from Saved By The Bell makes a guest appearance on the episode about "J.T.'s World". Also, Steve Urkel from Family Matters makes two guest appearances on the show: one in the show's first season and the second on the show's last season.

* The Bakers (Carol's sister and mother) from the first season were written out because of a focus groups findings about the audience interest in those two characters.

* Cody, played by Sasha Mitchell, was written out of the show because Disney (owners of ABC) wanted to distance themselves from the arrest of Mitchell on domestic violence charges by his wife.

* As the seasons progressed, the theme song becomes shorter. By the sixth season, the theme song was completely scrapped. However, when the show was moved to CBS for its final season the opening theme song was back with new scenes for the opening credits.

* Both Patrick Duffy and Sasha Mitchell previously worked together on Dallas.

Taxi

2005-09-02T03:55:00.000-07:00

Taxi was the name of an acclaimed American sitcom that aired from 1978 to 1982 on ABC and from 1982 to 1983 on NBC.

The show was about the every day life of a handful of New York City taxi drivers working for the Sunshine Cab Company, as well as their abusive boss, Louie De Palma, played by actor Danny DeVito. Much of the show focused on the main characters wanting to achieve something more in life than being taxi cab drivers, which made the show resonate with many working class Americans. In addition to its usual comedic premises, the show often tackled such dramatic issues as drug addiction, single parenthood, blindness, bisexuality, teenage runaways, failed marriages, sexual harassment, and loss of a loved one.

In addition to DeVito, Taxi starred Judd Hirsch as Alex Reiger (often misspelled "Rieger"), Marilu Henner as Elaine O'Connor-Nardo, Tony Danza as Tony Banta, Andy Kaufman as Latka Gravas, J. Alan Thomas as Jeff Bennett, Randall Carver as John Burns (from 1978 to 1979), Jeff Conaway as Bobby Wheeler (from 1978 to 1981), Carol Kane as Simka Dahblitz-Gravas (from 1981 to 1983), and Christopher Lloyd as the Reverend Jim Ignatowski. The show was a successful springboard for most of the cast for other roles in television and film.

Taxi remains one of the most lauded television shows in American history. During its run, the sitcom was nominated for 31 Emmy Awards and won 18, including 3 for Outstanding Comedy Series. Taxi was also nominated for 25 Golden Globes, with 4 wins (including 3 for Best TV Series - Musical/Comedy), and in 1979 received the Humanitas Prize in the 30 minute category.

Three's Company

2005-09-02T03:53:00.000-07:00

Format Sitcom
Run time 30 minutes per episode
Creator Don Nicholl, Michael Ross, and Bernie West
Starring John Ritter
Joyce DeWitt
Suzanne Somers
Norman Fell
Audra Lindley
Ann Wedgeworth
Richard Kline
Don Knotts
Jenilee Harrison
Priscilla Barnes
Country United States
Network ABC
Original run March 15, 1977–September 18, 1984
No. of episodes 172 (plus 2 episodes of "The Ropers" aired in syndication as "Three's Company")

Three's Company is an American sitcom that ran from 1977 to 1984 on ABC.

Basic description

The show was a remake of the British sitcom Man About the House and revolved around two women and a man sharing an apartment together. Jack Tripper moved into the apartment that Chrissy Snow and Janet Wood were sharing together after they found him sleeping in their shower after a party. To be allowed to stay in the apartment, Jack let the landlord, Stanley (and subsequently, Ralph Furley), believe he was gay. Stanley's wife Helen knew that Jack was not gay from the second episode on, but didn't mind. Ralph didn't find out Jack wasn't gay until the last episode. Stanley never found out.

The show was set in Santa Monica, California, and usually focused on three sets, including the subject apartment, the landlord's apartment and the local pub/restaurant called "The Regal Beagle." In later seasons, The Regal Beagle was seen less frequently, as Jack's Bistro became the setting for many scenes.

A typical show

The series revolved around sexual double entendres, misunderstandings and Jack's clumsiness. A typical episode would have Jack going in to get a tattoo removed but Janet walks in and hears Jack and Larry discussing a friend's vasectomy so then she thinks that Jack is having a vasectomy and tries to talk him out of it. Usually by the end of the episode, everything has been cleared up. Because of how the show revolved around misunderstandings, the show had many famous fans, including Lucille Ball, who even hosted a retrospective during the series run.

Spinoffs

Three's Company spawned two spinoffs, The Ropers, revolving around Jack's former landlords, and Three's a Crowd, the further adventures of Jack as he settles down. Neither was as popular and both were swiftly cancelled. (Both were based on George and Mildred and Robin's Nest, successful spinoffs of Man About the House, as they actually produced more episodes than the original).

Trouble on the set

Suzanne Somers became a popular star through her role as dumb-blonde Chrissy Snow in the series. She eventually caused friction on the set in 1980 when, after demands for a heavily increased salary were not met, she went on strike and was absent for several taping days. Eventually co-stars Joyce DeWitt and John Ritter refused to work with her because of this, but unwilling to fire the actor for fears her absence would cause ratings to decline the producers of the series retained Somers, who was still under contract, to appear in just the one-minute tag scene of each episode. According to scripts she had returned to her home town, and in the tag scene she would be seen on the telephone to one of the series regulars who would recount that episode's adventures to her. Somers' scenes were taped on separate days from the show's regular taping; she did not appear on set with any of the show's other actors. This arrangement continued for one season, but after her contract expired it was not renewed and she disappeared from the series. Sommers was then replaced by *Jenilee Harrison as Cindy Snow (1980-1982), Chrissy's equally ditzy (and catastrophically clumsy) cousin. Cindy was not particulary liked by fans or critics and was in-turn replaced by *Priscilla Barnes as Teri Alden (1981-1984), a (usually) non-ditzy, intelligent blonde nurse who seemed to be the show's answer to complaints about their portrayal of blondes.

End of the series

Towards the end of the series, commercials were released hinting that Jack Tripper and Janet Wood would be married. However, in the last episode Janet married another man. Jack moved out to live with his girlfriend, Vickie. This led to the one-season spinoff series Three's a Crowd.

The first four seasons of Three's Company have been released on Region 1 DVD.

Cast
Joyce DeWitt, John Ritter, and Suzanne Sommers
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Joyce DeWitt, John Ritter, and Suzanne Sommers

    * John Ritter as Jack Tripper (entire run), the clumsy culinary student and swinging bachelor who has to pretend he's gay so he can live with two female roommates. Later in the series he runs his own restaurant named "Jack's Bistro." (Billy Crystal auditioned for this role).
    * Joyce DeWitt as Janet Wood (entire run), the down-to-earth brunette who worked in a flower shop. (Ann Reinking auditioned for the role)
    * Suzanne Somers as Chrissy Snow (1977-1981), the ditzy blonde who was a typist. (Loni Anderson auditioned for the role).
    * Jenilee Harrison as Cindy Snow (1980-1982), Chrissy's equally ditzy (and catastrophically clumsy) cousin and her replacement in the apartment.
    * Priscilla Barnes as Teri Alden (1981-1984), Cindy's replacement, a (usually) non-ditzy, intelligent blonde nurse who seemed to be the show's answer to complaints about their portrayal of blondes.
    * Norman Fell (1977-1979) as Stanley Roper, the hard-nosed landlord who seemed obsessed with Jack's sexuality. He became known for breaking the fourth wall after making a wisecrack.
    * Audra Lindley (1977-1979) as Helen Roper, the landlord's wife, who was always friendly to the "kids" in the apartment and frustrated that her husband never wanted to have sex. Unlike her husband, she knew that Jack was not gay from the start but didn't mind.
    * Don Knotts as Ralph Furley (1979-1984), Mr. Roper's replacement, the goofy, flamboyantly dressed landlord who was running the place for his brother Bart.
    * Richard Kline as Larry Dallas (n鐃� Larry Daliopolous) (entire run), the womanizing neighbor who was a used car salesman.
    * Ann Wedgeworth as Lana Shields (1979-1980), the neighbor who pursued Jack, and in turn was pursued by Furley.

The Ed Sullivan Show

2005-09-02T03:51:00.001-07:00

Ed Sullivan
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Ed Sullivan

The Ed Sullivan Show was an American television variety show that ran from June 20, 1948, to June 6, 1971, and was hosted by Ed Sullivan. It ran on CBS every Sunday night at 8:00. Virtually every type of entertainment appeared on the show; opera singers, rock stars, comedians, ballet dancers, and circus acts were regularly featured.

The format was essentially the same as vaudeville, and Sullivan presented many vaudevillians on his show. Vaudevillians in theatres were accustomed to presenting a single, highly polished, unchanging act for decades. A single performance on television reached an audience of millions—but almost eliminated any demand for any repeat performances. Thus, ironically, the Ed Sullivan show (along with other television shows) became a cause of the decline of vaudeville.

The show was originally entitled Toast of the Town, but was universally referred to as The Ed Sullivan Show for years before 1955, when that became its official name. In its debut, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis performed along with Broadway composers Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II previewing the score to South Pacific.

The show was broadcast from the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City, which is now the home of The Late Show with David Letterman.
Contents
[hide]

    * 1 Background
    * 2 Famous performances
    * 3 Reference
    * 4 External link

Background

Along with the talent he booked each week, he also had recurring characters appear many times a season, such as his puppet sidekick Topo Gigio, and ventriloquist Se鐃�r Wences.

While most of the episodes aired live from New York City, the show also aired live on occasion from other nations, such as the United Kingdom, Australia, and Japan. For many years, Ed Sullivan was a national event each Sunday evening, and was the first exposure for foreign performers to the American public.

The program did not shy away from airing performances from many black entertainers, such as Nat King Cole, The Supremes, Mahalia Jackson, The Temptations, Aretha Franklin, Diahann Carroll, Bo Diddley (he became the first on November 20, 1955) and The Fifth Dimension. Many of the higher-ups at CBS tried to discourage Sullivan from this practice but he was not deterred.

The show enjoyed phenomenal popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. As had occurred with Amos 'n Andy on the radio a decade earlier, the family ritual of gathering around the television set to watch Ed Sullivan became almost a U.S. cultural universal. Ed Sullivan was regarded as a kingmaker, and performers considered an appearance on his program as a guarantee of stardom. The show's iconic status is illustrated by a song from 1963 musical, Bye Bye Birdie. In the song, "Hymn for a Sunday Evening," a family of viewers expresses their regard for the program in worshipful tones.

In the late 1960s, Sullivan remarked that his program was waning as the decade went on. He realized that to keep viewers, the best and brightest in entertainment had to be seen, or else the viewers were going to keep on changing the channel. Along with declining viewership, Ed Sullivan attracted a higher median age for the average viewer as the seasons went on. These two reasons were evidence for its cancellation in 1971. Sullivan would produce one-off specials for CBS until his death in 1974.

Famous performances

The Ed Sullivan Show is especially known for airing breakthrough performances by Elvis Presley and The Beatles.

On September 9, 1956, Presley made his first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show even though Sullivan had previously vowed never to allow the performer on his show. At the time Presley was filming Love Me Tender so Sullivan's producer Marlo Lewis flew to Los Angeles, California to supervise the Hollywood side of the show taping. Sullivan, however, was not able to host his show in New York City because he was recovering from a near fatal automobile accident. Oscar-winner Charles Laughton guest-hosted in Sullivan's place introducing Presley with "And now away to Hollywood to meet Elvis Presley" to which Presley eventually responded "This is probably the greatest honor that I've ever had in my life."

The show was viewed by a record 60 million people which at the time was 82.6% of the television audience and the largest single audience in television history. Sullivan was able to host other appearances by Presley starting on October 28 later the same year. But for this appearance Presley dyed his naturally sandy blond hair to his soon to be trademark "bad boy" jet black. Presley's third and final appearance on the show occurred on January 6, 1957 but by that time controversy over Presley's provocative hip and pelvis movements prompted Sullivan to order the show's cameras to only shoot the rock star from the waist up. In spite of that Sullivan thanked Presley after his last number saying, "This is a real decent, fine boy. We've never had a pleasanter experience on our show with a big name than we've had with you.... You're thoroughly all right."

Many television historians consider Elvis Presley's appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show as helping to bridge a large generation gap between Great Depression and World War II era parents and their Baby Boomer children. Later performers would use this bridge to introduce themselves to millions of American households. Among them were The Rolling Stones, The Doors, The Who, and The Beatles.

The July 1, 1962 show was taped at the famed Moulin Rouge nightclub in Paris, France and featured Connie Francis and French rocker Johnny Hallyday.

The Beatles appeared live on the show four times on February 9, 16, 23 1964 and September 12 1965 and earned Sullivan a 60% share of the night time audience for one of the appearances. Their first appearance on February 9, in particular, is considered a turning point in American pop-culture and the start of the British invasion in music itself.

Reference

* Joe Garner, Stay Tuned: Television's Unforgettable Moments (Andrews McMeel Publishing; 2002) ISBN 0-7407-2693-5
* Slate article about the Beatles' appearances on the Ed Sullivan show

External link

* Episode Guide from TV Tome detailing the guest appearances.

The Tonight Show

2005-09-02T03:51:00.000-07:00

The Tonight Show
The First Lady of the United States, Laura Bush and current host Jay Leno.
The First Lady of the United States, Laura Bush and current host Jay Leno.
Format Talk show, Variety show
Run time One hour per episode
Creator Sylvester L. Weaver Jr.
Starring Steve Allen
Ernie Kovacs
Jack Paar
Johnny Carson
Jay Leno
Conan O'Brien (starting 2009)
Country United States
Network NBC
Original run September 27, 1954–Present
No. of episodes 2,919, as of April 22, 2005

The Tonight Show is NBC's long-running late-night talk and variety show. The hour-long show premiered September 27, 1954 in a 90-minute format hosted by Steve Allen. The show features at least two guests each night, usually including a comedian or musical guest.

Now in its 51st year (though its roots date back to a local New York program called Broadway Open House in the early 1950s), The Tonight Show is the second longest-running entertainment program in US television history (after the soap opera Guiding Light). During Johnny Carson's 30-year run as the host of the program, his name was synonymous with the Tonight Show.

The Tonight Show became the first U.S. TV show to broadcast with MTS stereo sound in 1984. On April 26, 1999, The Tonight Show started broadcasting in 1080i HDTV, becoming the first U.S. nightly talk show shot in HD. The show is shot in 16:9 with a 4:3 center-cut for standard definition TV viewers.
Steve Allen Introducing the Very First Tonight
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Steve Allen Introducing the Very First Tonight

A kinescope exists of the very first broadcast of The Tonight Show (then called simply, Tonight), and Steve Allen welcomed viewers with the warning, "This show is going to last forever." So far, he has yet to be proven wrong.
Contents
[hide]

    * 1 Hosts
    * 2 Recurring gags (Jay Leno)
    * 3 Classic gags
    * 4 Programming history
    * 5 External links

Hosts
Host From To Notes
Steve Allen September 27, 1954 January 1957 variety show
Ernie Kovacs October 1, 1956 1957 hosted on Mondays and Tuesdays
Jack Paar July 1957 March 30, 1962 format switch to talk show; also called The Jack Paar Tonight Show
Various hosts April 1962 September 1962 interlude between Parr and Carson eras. Temporary hosts included Groucho Marx.
Johnny Carson October 1, 1962 May 22, 1992 -
Jay Leno May 25, 1992 2009 (announced) -
Conan O'Brien Tentatively scheduled to take over in 2009 -
Tonight Starring Steve Allen Bumper Shot
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Tonight Starring Steve Allen Bumper Shot
Tonight Starring Jack Paar Bumper Shot
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Tonight Starring Jack Paar Bumper Shot
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson Title Shot
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The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson Title Shot
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno Title Shot
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The Tonight Show with Jay Leno Title Shot

During the later Steve Allen years, regular audience member Ms. Miller became such an integral part, she was forced to join AFTRA the television/radio performers union. Allen's original announcer was Gene Rayburn, who went on to greater fame as host of Match Game.

Music is provided by The Tonight Show Band, led since 1995 by Kevin Eubanks (no relation to Bob Eubanks of The Newlywed Game fame), who replaced Leno's original musical director, Branford Marsalis. In 2004, the long-time announcer Edd Hall was replaced by John Melendez, who started out on The "Howard Stern Show".

Skitch Henderson was the band leader during the Steve Allen and early Carson years, followed briefly by Milton DeLugg. Jose Melis led the band for Jack Paar. For most of Johnny Carson's run on the show, the Tonight Show Band was led by Doc Severinsen and the show's announcer was Ed McMahon. By the end of the Carson years, Severinsen had become the primary substitute announcer when McMahon was absent. When Severinsen was absent or filling in for McMahon, Tommy Newsom would lead the band.

In 1986 Johnny Carson's guest host Joan Rivers jumped ship and abruptly left the Tonight Show for her own show on the new Fox Network. This move infuriated Carson so much that he permanently banned Rivers from the Tonight Show. Unfortunately for Joan Rivers, her new show flopped and was immediately cancelled, and when she tried to call Johnny Carson he refused to speak to her. In an interview on CNN the day Carson died, Rivers revealed that Carson never spoke to her again.

The show's full name is currently The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. During the Carson years, it was known as The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.

On September 27, 2004, the 50th anniversary of the show's premiere, NBC announced that Jay Leno will be succeeded by Conan O'Brien in 2009. Leno explained that he did not want to see a repeat of the hard feelings and controversy that occurred when he was given the show following Carson's retirement, which is why he named his successor right away.

The death of Carson on January 23, 2005, made Jay Leno the last surviving host of The Tonight Show.
Steve Allen with guest, Zsa Zsa Gabor on Tonight
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Steve Allen with guest, Zsa Zsa Gabor on Tonight
Jack Paar with guest, Jonathan Winters on Tonight
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Jack Paar with guest, Jonathan Winters on Tonight
Johnny Carson with guest, David Letterman on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
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Johnny Carson with guest, David Letterman on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

Recurring gags (Jay Leno)

    * Headlines (either Monday or Tuesday): Humorous print items sent in by viewers.
    * Jaywalking: Jay Leno and a camera crew ask people questions in a public area, often Hollywood; it is meant to highlight humorous or ridiculous responses.
    * Ask the Fruitcake Lady: Marie Rudisill, an outspoken older woman, responds to questions about relationships, sex and family. She was originally on the show to promote her cookbook about fruitcake.

Classic gags

    * "Man on the Street interviews" (Allen)
    * Stump The Band (Paar, later Carson), currently used (albeit with comical variations) on the Late Show with David Letterman and Late Night with Conan O'Brien
    * Carnac the Magnificent (Carson)
    * The Tea Time Movie, with "Art Fern" and the Matin鐃� Lady (Carson)
    * The "Dancing Itos" (a parody of Judge Lance Ito during the O. J. Simpson trial) (Leno)

Programming history

The Tonight Show has been scheduled at various times throughout its history on NBC. All times shown are Eastern.

    * September 1954-January 1957: Monday-Friday 11:30 P.M.-1:00 A.M.
    * January 1957-December 1966: Monday-Friday 11:15 P.M.-1:00 A.M.
    * January 1967-September 1975: Saturday or Sunday 11:30 P.M.-1:00 A.M. (reruns)
    * January 1967-September 1980: Monday-Friday 11:30 P.M.-1:00 A.M.
    * September 1980-August 1991: Monday-Friday 11:30 P.M.-12:30 A.M.
    * September 1991-present: Monday-Friday 11:35 P.M.-12:35 A.M. (though the show may end at 12:45 A.M., on some affiliates)

External links

    * NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
    * The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992) at the Internet Movie Database
    * The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962) at the Internet Movie Database
    * The Tonight Show (1962) at the Internet Movie Database
    * The Tonight Show from the Museum of Broadcast Communications website

Too Close For Comfort

2005-09-02T03:50:00.000-07:00

Too Close for Comfort was a television series which ran on the ABC network and in syndication from 1980 to 1986. It was modeled after the British series Keep It in the Family.

The show starred Ted Knight (formerly of The Mary Tyler Moore Show) and ex-Good Morning America anchor Nancy Dussault as Henry and Muriel Rush, owners of a duplex in San Francisco. Henry played a cartoonist, who was the author of a comic book called Cosmic Cow. Their grown daughters, Jackie and Sarah, had lived with them in their old residence but moved downstairs when the transvestite named Rafkin died suddenly in the first episode. Despite the daughters' minor push for independence, Henry proved to be a very protective father and meddled in their affairs constantly. Also seen was Sarah's friend Monroe Ficus, played by JM J. Bullock. It was the dynamics between Henry and Monroe that would eventually become the core of the show.

In the show's second year, Henry's wife Muriel (who on the show as in her 40s) announced she was pregnant. At the beginning of the third year, Muriel would give birth to Andrew - the son that Henry always wanted.

It was also in the second year that Henry's niece, April (played by actress Deena Freeman) came to live with the Rush family. April was written out of the show for the third year.

There were many references to Henry's Mother-in-law on the show. That role of Iris Martin would eventually be played by Audrey Meadows, who would move in with the Rush's after Andrew's birth.

Ted Knight's character of Henry became famous for wearing sweatshirts of College Universities. Eventually fans would send in sweatshirts from universities around the country hoping to get Henry to wear them.

A minor hit for ABC, the show ran on that network for three years. It was subsequently syndicated until 1986, when Ted Knight announced that he had cancer. He died later that year.

The first two seasons of Too Close for Comfort have been released on Region 1 DVD

Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place

2005-09-02T03:49:00.000-07:00

Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place (retitled Two Guys and a Girl in its third season) was a sitcom created by Kenny Schwartz and Danny Jacobson that ran on ABC for four seasons from 1998-2001.

The series starred Ryan Reynolds as Michael "Berg" Leslie Bergen, and Richard Ruccolo as Peter "Pete" Dunville. The titular Two Guys were joined by Traylor Howard, who played Sharon Carter (later Carter-Donnelly). For the first two seasons, the series centered around the lives of Berg, an aimless graduate student, who was working at a Boston pizza parlor, Beacon St. Pizza, with Pete. They both attended graduate school together at Tufts University, unlike their College-roommate, Sharon, who worked as the spokesperson (n鐃� apologist) for Global Chemicals.

The format of the initial season varied considerably from that of subsequent seasons. The first season featured Jennifer Westfeldt and David Ogden Stiers respectively appearing as Pete's girlfriend, and Mr. Bauer, an insane old man who frequented the diner, pretending that his experiences from films were his own. The second season abandoned these two characters, and focussed more on the interplay between Pete and Berg, and their relationship with Sharon, who lived in the apartment above them. Berg eventually decided to attend medical school and become a doctor, while Pete dropped out of architecture classes to become a firefighter. The second season also introduced Ashley (Suzanne Cryer), a medical school classmate of Berg's who competed with him to be at the top of the class.

By season three, the pizza place had been abandoned entirely, and Berg began his medical residency. Pete became a firefighter and Johnny and Sharon married and became the superintendents of the apartment building they lived in. Berg would go on to date Irene (Jillian Bach), the insane roommate across the hall, and Pete began dating a fellow fire fighter named Marti (Tiffani Thiessen).

ABC decided to bounce the sitcom from midweek to Friday night, leading to a steep drop in ratings. After the show moved back to Wednesday to try to revive the show's flagging support for a two week trial, the plug was pulled. The fourth season ended with "The Internet Show", an hour-long episode in which the fans of the show voted on the outcome online. In the end, they chose to have Ashley fall pregnant with Pete's child, as opposed to either of the other two female characters, or nobody, falling pregnant.

The title sequence for the first two years consisted of a short collection of images of the three, a few cartoon images of them drinking and then the title. The music is often mistaken to be a sample from the Violent Femmes' "Blister in the Sun", but it is an original composition. For the third season, the music and titles were changed to a more refined opening of the three in suits and dresses, dancing around a more-generic piece of theme music.

Two Guys and a Girl now shows weekdays at 4pm on WE, in syndication.

Welcome Back, Kotter

2005-09-02T03:48:00.000-07:00

Welcome Back, Kotter is an American television sitcom that originally aired on the ABC network from 1975 to 1979.

The title character, Gabe Kotter (Gabriel Kaplan), is a wise-cracking teacher who returns to the same Brooklyn, New York high school from which he graduated, James Buchanan High School. His often unruly group of remedial academics students were known as the "Sweathogs." The central Sweathogs are Vinnie Barbarino (John Travolta), a handsome dimwit; Juan Epstein (Robert Hegyes), a tough Jewish Puerto Rican; Freddie "Boom Boom" Washington (Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs), a friendly basketball enthusiast; and Arnold Horshack (Ron Palillo), the class clown known for his wheezing laugh. Mr. Kotter soon befriends the Sweathogs and often has them over at his apartment, sometimes to the chagrin of his wife, Julie (Marcia Strassman). Considered the villain of the show is the no-nonsense Mr. Michael Woodman (John Sylvester White), the vice-principal (and later principal) of Buchanan High with an open aversion to the Sweathogs, whom he considers a drain on resources. The show is based on Kaplan's real-life experiences as a remedial student in the borough of Brooklyn, in New York City, where Kotter is set.

History

Kotter began its run amid controversy. In Boston, a city going though a tumultuous school busing program to enhance racial equality, the ABC affiliate felt Mr. Kotter's integrated classroom would only add fuel to the fire. The affiliate refused to air the first four episodes, but decided by the fifth episode to pick up what had become a ratings success. Meanwhile, teachers had concerns about how Mr. Kotter might be portrayed, so producers allowed a teachers' union representative on the set to ensure the show protected the image of those in the profession. There were also fears that the show would amount to a celebration of juvenile deliquency; however, such sentiments faded when the Sweathogs' antics proved to be silly rather than scary.

The show enjoyed ratings success during its first two seasons, spawning a host of merchandising tie-ins such as lunch boxes, dolls, comic books, novels and a board game. The characters' signature lines, such as Barbarino's "Up your nose with a rubber hose" and Washington's "Hi there," became catch phrases. It wasn't long before the previously unknown actors became hot commodities, particularly Travolta, the show's breakout star.

By the third season, the ratings began to slip. In an interview years later, Kaplan attributed the decline to the age of the actors playing the Sweathogs (Palillo was 30, Hegyes was 28, Hilton-Jacobs was 27 and Travolta was 25), saying they were no longer believable as high school students. His idea, which never materialized, was to have Mr. Kotter join the faculty of a community college attended by the Sweathogs. To help lure more viewers, a storyline developed that saw Mr. and Mrs. Kotter have twin girls, though that wasn't enough for the show to regain its earlier momentum.

Major changes took place in the fourth and final season. Travolta, who had already starred in box office hits such as Grease and Saturday Night Fever, began to focus more time on his film career. He was featured in less than half of the episodes that year, now billed as a "special guest star." Meanwhile, some behind-the-scenes disputes led to limited appearances by Kaplan. To help fill the voids, Stephen Shortridge joined the cast as smooth-talking southern sweathog Beau De Labarre, and Kotter's wife, Julie, became a substitute teacher at the school. Many fans consider the fourth season to be the worst, often singling out the departure of Travolta as when the show "jumped the shark."

Episodes

Ninety-five episodes were produced during Kotter's four-year run. Hegyes once said his favorite episode was the one in which Mr. Kotter and the Sweathogs become trapped in a museum with a nutty curator. Other memorable episodes saw the boys solve a Watergate-like liver conspiracy in the cafeteria (complete with Mr. Woodman as an anonymous informant calling himself "Deepthroat"), and Mr. Kotter having to write an exam after a discrepancy is found in his high school records. Later storylines sometimes took a more serious tone, such as Horshack's drinking problem and his refusal to dissect a frog in class. Since producers did not know, at least not for certain, that the show would be cancelled after the 1978-79 season, Kotter had no official finale, no long-awaited graduation for the Sweathogs. Instead, the last original episode dealt with a feud that ensues when Washington gets an after-school job Epstein felt was rightly his. Fittingly, the entire primary cast appeared for one of the few times that season (though not together in the same scene). For almost the entire run, each episode began and ended with Mr. Kotter sharing an often corny joke about one of his relatives.

Nominations

Kotter failed to receive any major awards. The show was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series in 1976 after its first season, but lost to Mary Tyler Moore. Kotter was also nominated for three technical Emmy Awards: Outstanding Achievement in Videotape Editing for a Series in 1976, Outstanding Art Direction for a Comedy Series in 1978 and Outstanding Individual Achievement - Creative Technical Crafts (Dick Wilson) in 1979.

Guest stars

Several noteworthy performers enjoyed guest stints on Kotter either during or prior to their widespread fame. James Woods (John Q, Rudy: The Rudy Giuliani Story, Contact) guest starred in the pilot episode. Pat Morita, best known for his role as Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid series, appeared in the first episode of the second season. Comedian George Carlin (Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure) was featured, as was John Astin (Gomez on The Addams Family television series). Other guest stars included Richard Moll (Baliff Bull Shannon on Night Court), Della Reese (Touched By An Angel) and Dinah Manoff (Empty Nest).

Spin-offs

At least three spin-offs of Kotter were seriously considered, but only one ever made it to the screen. The short-lived Mr. T and Tina starred Pat Morita as Taro Takahashi (Mr. T for short), a brilliant Japanese inventor whom he portrayed in one episode of Kotter. The show was not received well by critics and lasted just five episodes on ABC. There was also talk of developing a spin-off built around the Horshack character and his family, but it never materialized. In the mid-1990s, Hegyes announced on the Jenny Jones talk show that plans were in the works to create a spin-off featuring the Sweathogs (minus Travolta's Barbarino) all grown up. The project, however, never got off the ground, and little information about it was ever made public.

Broadcast history

• September 1975-January 1976, ABC, Tuesday 8:30-9:00 p.m.

• January 1976-August 1978, ABC, Thursday 8:00-8:30 p.m.

• September 1978-October 1978, ABC, Monday 8:00-8:30 p.m.

• October 1978-January 1979, ABC, Saturday 8:00-8:30 p.m.

• February 1979-March 1979, ABC, Saturday 8:00-8:30 p.m.

• May 1979-August 1979, ABC, Friday 8:00-8:30 p.m.

After the show

Following the 1979 cancellation, the stars enjoyed varying degrees of success. After several strong showings, Travolta's film career took a nosedive until 1994's Pulp Fiction revived his status as a strong box office draw. Kaplan made a few comedic films and television guest appearances, but began to focus on investments and a passion for professional poker. He has, however, returned to his stand-up comedy roots in recent years. Hegyes continued acting in movies and on television, where he landed a regular role on Cagney and Lacey on CBS. Palillo also appeared on television and in films, including a three-episode guest shot as himself on the ABC sitcom Ellen. In one of the Ellen episodes, Palillo expresses regret at how he is known almost exclusively for his role as Horshack. One of the episodes was entitled Horshack's Law. Hilton-Jacobs found steady work in movies and television, including his role as the father of the Jackson musical family in the 1992 made-for-TV film, The Jacksons: An American Dream. With the exception of Travolta, none of the cast members ever regained the fame they enjoyed during the four-year run of Kotter.

When Travolta hosted Saturday Night Live in 1994, he appeared in a sketch that lampooned his old show. Quentin Tarantino's Welcome Back, Kotter gave viewers a humorous look at how the Pulp Fiction director might have brought a strong dose of violence to the tame show. Travolta reprised his old character, Barbarino, with Mike Myers as Mr. Kotter, Adam Sandler as Epstein, Tim Meadows as Washington and David Spade as Horshack.

The closest thing to a reunion show came in 1997, when Hegyes, Hilton-Jacobs and Palillo reprised their Sweathog roles on an episode of the short-lived NBC sitcom Mr. Rhodes. Kaplan did not appear; instead, actor John Kassir (who would later play Shemp Howard in The Three Stooges television movie) assumed the role of Mr. Kotter. The episode originally aired on February 3, 1997 and was entitled The Welcome Back Show.

Kotter enjoyed a renewed surge in popularity in the mid-1990s when it aired as part of the Nick and Nite lineup on Nickelodeon. Kaplan later said that the show found plenty of new fans during that run but that they were turned off by the quality of the episodes from the fourth season.

Cast members opened up about their experiences on the show in 2000's Welcome Back, Kotter: The E! True Hollywood Story. The two-hour program included interviews with cast members, including Kaplan, Palillo, Hilton-Jacobs, Strassman and Shortridge. Kaplan spoke of a difficult relationship with executive producer James Komack, whom he saw as not serving the show's best interests. Like many viewers, Kaplan said the quality of the show dropped off in the fourth and final season. Hilton-Jacobs agreed, saying that the new writers brought in that year were not suited to a show of this nature. Palillo said the impact of an attempted ratings-grabber in the final season, Horshack's wedding, was derailed when President Jimmy Carter gave a televised speech that pre-empted the heavily advertised episode. Strassman recalled how disappointed she was at her limited time on camera, a situation that changed in the fourth season when her character became a substitute teacher at Buchanan High.

In 2003, as part of ABC's 50th Anniversary Celebration telecast, Kotter was featured in tribute montage and the original cast appeared together on stage. Notably absent was White, who died of pancreatic cancer in 1988 at the age of 68.

Kotter lives on in reruns as fans hope that the show will be released on DVD like numerous other sitcoms. Today, Kaplan calls the show a "period piece." It's hard to disagree given the dress worn by the characters (including bell bottoms), hairstyles (afros), language and references to then-current events (Washington exclaims in one episode, "President Ford wasn't elected").

Theme song

Kotter had a memorable theme song, Welcome Back, written and performed by John Sebastian, formerly of The Lovin' Spoonful. The lyrics:

    Welcome back, your dreams were your ticket out
    Welcome back to that same old place that you laughed about
    Well, the names have all changed since you hung around
    But those dreams have remained and they've turned around
    Who'd have thought they'd lead ya (who'd have thought they'd lead ya)
    Back here where we need ya (back here where we need ya)
    Yeah, we tease him a lot 'cause we've got him on the spot
    Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back
    Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back

Characters

Gabe Kotter is a wise-cracking teacher who returns to Buchanan High, the school from which he graduated ten years earlier, to teach a group of remedial academics students known as the Sweathogs. Having been a Sweathog himself, Kotter has a special appreciation for the potential of these 'unteachable' students. His first day on the job, he shows the students both his authority and his playful side when he fires a giant paper airplane at them in response to a similar attack. Kotter is married to Julie, with whom he eventually has twin girls. When Buchanan High principal John Lazarus retires, Kotter becomes the vice-principal, though maintains some teaching duties.

Julie Kotter is Gabe's wife and closest friend. Though she has a sense of humor, she often wishes Gabe would take matters more seriously. She is occasionally upset with the amount of time her husband spends with his students, who regularly visit their apartment. An anthropology major in college, she eventually becomes a substitute teacher at Buchanan High.

Michael Woodman is the vice-principal (and later principal) of Buchanan High. A short, bitter man, he has an open aversion to the Sweathogs, whom he considers the bottom of the totem pole at his school. He refers to non-Sweathogs as "real" students.

Vinnie Barbarino is the unofficial leader of the Sweathogs. If he had as much success in school as he did with women, he would be getting A's instead of toiling in Mr. Kotter's classes. His trademark lines include "I'm so confused!" (spoken with both hands smushing against his face), and the nonsensical response of "What? When? Where?" to any number of questions. He is the first of the Sweathogs to move out on his own when he gets a job as a hospital orderly.

Juan Epstein is one of the toughest students at Buchanan High. A proud "Puerto Rican Jew," he seems to have notes from his mother excusing him for all manners of wrongdoing, with each slip of paper signed by "Epstein's mother." He normally wears a red hankerchief hanging out of his right back pocket and was voted "Most Likely To Take A Life" by his peers.

Freddie "Boom Boom" Washington, a hip African-American, is known as the athletic Sweathog for his skills on the basketball court. He often greets people with his familiar "Hi there," always accompanied by a handsome smile. Though he's often the voice of reason among his classmates, he's a willing participant in the Sweathogs' various antics and pranks. Freddie also found success as a radio disc jockey along with another former Sweathog, Wally The Wow (played by George Carlin). He always referred to his teacher as "Mr. Kot-Tare."

Arnold Horshack is the class clown in Mr. Kotter's room. A truly odd young man, he is known for his wheezing laugh, which has been compared to that of a hyhena, and unique observations. He is the only one of the central Sweathogs to be "promoted" out of remedial academics class, but he soon returns after feeling out of place. He marries Mary Johnson, a co-worker and fellow Sweathog.

Beau De Labarre, introduced as a regular character in the fourth and last season, is a smooth-talker southerner who transfers to Buchanan High after being kicked out of several other schools. Naturally, he ends up in Kotter's class, though his first reaction to the term "Sweathog" is, "That sounds gross." Filled with whimsical sayings, such one about how a real man never steps on a pregnant alligator, he added some folksy charm to Kotter's class.

Interesting facts

• Former U.S. President Ronald Reagan was a big fan of the show.

• Sebastian's Welcome Back is the only song written for a television show to reach to top of the musical charts in the U.S.

• The show was originally going to be called simply Kotter, but that was changed because of the theme song lyrics.

• The orange lettering used for Shortridge's name in the opening credits did not match that of the other actors.

• Palillo got a nosejob years after the show ended so he would less resemble Horshack.

• The Welcome Back, Kotter comic book was published by DC Comics, famous for its Superman and Batman titles.

• Comedian Garry Shandling, who went on to star in movies and HBO's The Larry Sanders Show, was a writer for the show.

• Charles Fleischer, who later became the voice of the title character in Who Framed Roger Rabbit had a reoccurring role as Carvelli, one of the Sweathogs' nemesis.

• Hegyes went behind the camera to direct some episodes.

• Kaplan was famous for his impersonation of Groucho Marx, which he occasionally performed on the show. He even appeared in a film entitled Gabe Kaplan as Groucho.

• In 2002, Palillo entered the boxing ring with Dustin Diamond (Screech from Saved by the Bell) on Fox's ''Celebrity Boxing 2. Much to the dismay of his fans, Palillo lost.

Cast

    * Gabriel Kaplan as Gabe Kotter
    * Marcia Strassman as Julie Kotter
    * John Sylvester White as Michael Woodman
    * John Travolta as Vinnie Barbarino
    * Ron Palillo as Arnold Horshack
    * Lawrence Hilton Jacobs as Freddie "Boom Boom" Washington
    * Robert Hegyes as Juan Luis Pedro Philippo DeHuevos Epstein
    * Stephen Shortridge as Beau De Labarre
    * Irene Arranga as Mary Johnson-Horshack
    * Charles Fleischer as Carvelli
    * Bob Harcum as Murray
    * Vernee Watson as Verna Jean
    * Debralee Scott as Rosalie Totzie
    * Dennis Bowen as Todd Ludlow

What's Happening

2005-09-02T03:46:00.000-07:00

What's Happening!! was an American sitcom that ran on ABC from 1976 to 1979. Originally meant to be a summer series, it premiered in August, ran four episodes, and was brought back that November as a weekly series.

It dealt with the antics of three African-American teens living in the Watts area of Los Angeles. Ernest Thomas played Roger Thomas, Haywood Nelson played Dwayne Nelson, and Fred Berry played Freddy "Rerun" Stubbs. Also featured were Danielle Spencer as Roger's younger sister, Dee, Mabel King as their mother, Mabel, and Shirley Hemphill as Shirley Wilson, the waitress at "Rob's Place", the boys' favorite restaurant. Other recurring characters included Diane Harris (Debbi Morgan), an attractive girl who both Roger and Rerun liked, and Miss Collins (Fritzi Burr), the boys' sarcastic history teacher and the sponsor of the school newspaper, of which Roger was the editor.

The stories revolved around the many schemes that the boys cooked up. Unlike Good Times, not all of their schemes revolved around getting money to leave the ghetto. Many times, the boys schemed to find a date for the dance. Another time, the boys scalped two free tickets to a Stevie Wonder concert in order to buy three seats of lesser value so Roger wouldn't have to choose between Rerun and Dwayne. Predictably, the boys "sold" their tickets to a police officer and were arrested. Yet more schemes involved getting back at Roger's sister Dee, who was known to be somewhat nasty as well as a busybody.

Seen less frequently was Bill Thomas (played by Thalmus Rasulala), Mabel's ex-husband and the father of Roger and Dee. He divorced Mabel, ran out on his family, and became a shady sort of character. When he came back into the lives of his children ten years after he left them, he was viewed with suspicion by all members of the household. When he tried to act authoritarian toward Dee on Christmas, she vented her frustrations at Roger, telling him that she hated their father. Proving that she truly was good at heart, Dee told Roger later that she didn't mean it, and asked him if God was angry at her for saying those mean things.

The show was a modest success in its network run in spite of some serious production problems, and the repeats of the show's 65 episodes did considerably well in syndication. With this in mind, a revival of the show was produced entitled What's Happening Now!! It ran from 1985 to 1988 in first-run syndication.

The first and second seasons, consisting of 21 and 22 episodes, respectively, have been released on Region 1 DVD from Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment. Season 3, of the show's final 22 episodes, is scheduled for an August 23, 2005 Region 1 DVD release.

Who's the Boss?

2005-09-02T03:45:00.000-07:00

Who's the Boss? was a television sitcom starring Tony Danza which aired for eight seasons on ABC from 1984 to 1992.

The premise of the show was that a widowed ex-baseball player, Tony Micelli (Danza), wanted to move out of Brooklyn to find a better life for his daughter, Samantha (Alyssa Milano). He ended up taking a job in upscale Connecticut as a live-in housekeeper for advertising executive Angela Bower (Judith Light). The two moved into the house shared by Bower and her son Jonathan (Danny Pintauro). Also starring was Katherine Helmond as Mona Robinson, Angela's feisty mother.

The first season, consisting of 22 uncut episodes, was released in June 2004 on Region 1 DVD from Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment.

Several versions of Who's the Boss? have been produced for foreign television markets. In 1990, a British version of Who's The Boss? started its run in the UK. This adapted version was called The Upper Hand. A Spanish language version, produced in Mexico by TV Azteca and Columbia TriStar International Television, debuted in 1998 under the title Una familia con 鐃�gel, and was broadcast in the US on the Telemundo network. Also, in 2005, the Argentinean network Telef鐃�also made its own local version, called ¿Qui鐃� es el jefe?, a direct translation of the original American title.

WKRP in Cincinnati

2005-09-02T03:43:00.000-07:00

WKRP in Cincinnati(1978–1982) was an American situation comedy that featured the misadventures of the staff of a struggling radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. It premiered September 18, 1978 on CBS and featured Gary Sandy, Howard Hesseman, Gordon Jump, Loni Anderson, Tim Reid, Jan Smithers, Richard Sanders, and Frank Bonner. The series won a Humanitas Prize and received three Emmy Award nominations during the early 1980s. The humor came more from running gags based on the known predilections and quirks of each character, rather than from outlandish plots or racy situations. The characters also developed somewhat over the course of the series, perhaps lessening the comedy of the series, but contributing to the fondness its fans have for the show.

Jump, Sanders, and Bonner reprised their supporting roles in a spinoff/sequel series, The New WKRP in Cincinnati, which ran from 1991 to 1993 in syndication.

Story and characters

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The series begins as Andy Travis (Gary Sandy) comes to the station as the new programming director, hired to improve the dismal ratings of the beautiful music station, run by weak-willed Arthur Carlson (Gordon Jump). Travis changes the programming format to rock music, but WKRP's ratings fail to improve significantly in the fictional Cincinnati market it inhabits, mostly because of his unwillingness to fire the existing personnel when he takes over; their idiosyncrasies are more to blame for the station's fortunes than its format.
Herb Tarlek (Frank Bonner) backs up Arthur Carlson (Gordon Jump)
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Herb Tarlek (Frank Bonner) backs up Arthur Carlson (Gordon Jump)

The best-known episode is the first season's "Turkeys Away", named by TV Guide as one of the greatest episodes in TV history. It relates a disastrous Thanksgiving promotion, which includes Carlson dropping live turkeys out of a helicopter. The scene is reported live on the air by the station's news director, Les Nessman (Richard Sanders), breathlessly describing the unseen birds plummeting to the ground, in the same manner as Herbert Morrison's coverage of the Hindenburg disaster, “It's a helicopter, and it's coming this way. It's flying something behind it, I can't quite make it out, it's a large banner and it says, uh - Happy... Thaaaaanksss... giving! ... From ... W ... K ... R... P!! No parachutes yet. Can't be skydivers... I can't tell just yet what they are, but - Oh my God, Johnny, they're turkeys!! Johnny, can you get this? Oh, they're plunging to the earth right in front of our eyes! One just went through the windshield of a parked car! Oh, the humanity! The turkeys are hitting the ground like sacks of wet cement! Not since the Hindenberg tragedy has there been anything like this!”

Afterwards, the stunned and bedraggled Carlson explains, "As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly."

* For the most part, the character of Andy Travis (played by Gary Sandy) serves as straight man or sane observer to the eccentric staff of the station he has been hired to run. He is a seemingly qualified professional, but is overpowered by the personalities of his staff.

* Arthur Carlson, aka "the Big Guy" (played by Gordon Jump) is the station manager, whose main qualification is that his tycoon mother is the owner. His bumbling, indecisive management is one of the main reasons the station is unsuccessful. Carlson's mother confronts Travis about changing the station to a rock and roll format, but relents when her son uncharacteristically gets the courage to defend the decision.

Les Nessman (Richard Sanders) and Johnny Fever (Howard Hesseman) in the studio
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Les Nessman (Richard Sanders) and Johnny Fever (Howard Hesseman) in the studio

* Dr. Johnny Fever (played by Howard Hesseman), a burned-out veteran of the radio industry, is usually in one sort of trouble or another. For instance, he was fired from one major station when he inadvertently said "booger" on the air. In one episode, he tells his (supposedly few) listeners to dump their trash at city hall, and goes into shock when the trash heap turns out to be huge! He loses his voice and withdraws before finally finding the strength to confront his larger-than-he-imagined audience and tells them to stop the trashing of city hall. The show's theme song would seem to be about the much-traveled Johnny.

* News reporter Les Nessman (played by Richard Sanders) approaches his job with absurd seriousness, despite the fact that he is almost completely incompetent. Les is forever working to obtain the fictional Cincinnati radio news industry trophy "the Buckeye Newshawk Award", though he had already won it in previous years. Before approaching his desk, one has to "knock" on the nonexistent door, attached to the nonexistent walls of the nonexistent office he feels he deserves; those who don't face his ineffectual wrath. He is always wearing a bandage somewhere on his body (a running gag begun when Sanders showed up for filming wearing one). Johnny takes delight in ribbing Les on the air, sometimes closing his own segment with the announcement, "And now, more news and less Nessman!" Les occasionally has to read sports news, a subject he knows little about; reading a piece about golfer Chi Chi Rodriguez, he pronounces the name "Chy Chy Rod-ri-gweez".

Johnny unsuccessfully flirts with Jennifer Marlowe (Loni Anderson)
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Johnny unsuccessfully flirts with Jennifer Marlowe (Loni Anderson)

* Jennifer Marlowe (played by Loni Anderson), the beautiful blonde secretary, is the station's highest-paid employee. She is informed, cool, and composed at all times. Although very aware of her sexual attractiveness with various important men at her beck and call, she is friendly and good-hearted with the station staff. Her apartment's doorbell chime, instead of the standard "ding dong", plays the opening bars of "Fly Me to the Moon" in dignified tones. One time Carlson tries vainly to lift the spirits of his staff, saying, "Nobody's perfect! I'm not perfect... You're not perfect... Jennifer probably is!"

* Herb Tarlek (played by Frank Bonner), the advertising account executive, wears loud plaid suits (which he thinks convey the message "Trust me — sign my deal!") and can't sell the big accounts, succeeding only in selling commercials for trivial products such as "Red Wigglers — the Cadillac of worms!" (Available at finer worm stores everywhere). Another sponsor is a funeral parlor called "Ferryman's", whose staff sing a cheery-sounding jingle with lyrics, "There ain't no way to deny it / One day, you're gonna 'buy it'!" Although married to Lucille (Edie McClurg), he persistently pursues Jennifer, who shows no interest in him.

Bailey Quarters (Jan Smithers) and Andy Travis (Gary Sandy)
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Bailey Quarters (Jan Smithers) and Andy Travis (Gary Sandy)

* Venus Flytrap (played by Tim Reid) is the soulful and funky overnight DJ, running his show with smooth-talking persona and mood lighting in the studio. His full name, Gordon Sims, was rarely used and he maintains an aura of mystery, which turns out to be a cover for the fact that he is wanted by the law for desertion from the armed forces. He was also a schoolteacher in his native New Orleans for many years before getting into the radio game; his teaching abilities are featured in one noted episode in which he teaches a gang member physics.

* Bailey Quarters (played by Jan Smithers) is the young ingenue of the radio station, originally in charge of billing and station traffic, but later given additional duties as an on-air news reporter. She proves more capable than Les although she once made the mistake claiming a fictional character in one of her reports which almost costs the station its broadcast license. She is the most wholesome member of the WKRP team, and in one episode, she mentions being a member of her church's choir. She is vastly overshadowed by Jennifer, the blonde bombshell of the station, but still pretty and likeable, and has been likened to "Mary Ann" in contrast to Jennifer's "Ginger".

The "real" WKRP

The call letters WKRP are currently assigned to a low-power TV station under construction in Carthage, Tennessee. [1] The call letters are not currently assigned to any AM or FM station.

Executive producer and show creator Hugh Wilson once worked at Atlanta radio station WQXI (then a pop music station) which served as inspiration for the series, station, and several characters.

There is a radio station WKRC in Cincinnati. Except for almost identical call letters, there is no known connection between the two entities.

Cincinnati also has a very popular rock/pop station called WKRQ (aka Q102) which was on the air during the show. As it is one letter away from WKRP in the alphabet, there has been speculation that it was the source of the name, but there are no other similarities. The station is owned and operated by Infinity Broadcasting, which, like CBS (the network that originally aired the show), is a subsidiary of Viacom.

In the early 1980s, a station in Salt Lake City briefly identified themselves on-air as "WKRP in Salt Lake City". Their actual call letters were KRPN, so they were really saying "(W)KRPN, Salt Lake City".

Musical themes

WKRP had two musical themes, one opening the show and one closing it. The closing theme had nonsense lyrics.

Opening theme lyrics:

Baby, if you've ever wondered
Wondered whatever became of me
I'm livin' on the air in Cincinnati
Cincinnati, WKRP.

Got kinda tired of packing and unpacking
Town to town, up and down the dial
Baby you and me were never meant to be
But baby think of me once in a while.
I'm at WKRP in Cincinnati.

Because of Music Rights Issues, WKRP has not been made available on DVD.

The Wonder Years

2005-09-02T03:42:00.000-07:00

The cast of The Wonder Years in an early promo shot. (L to R) Wayne Arnold, Karen Arnold, Kevin Arnold, Jack Arnold, Norma Arnold, Paul Pfeiffer, Winnie Cooper
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The cast of The Wonder Years in an early promo shot. (L to R) Wayne Arnold, Karen Arnold, Kevin Arnold, Jack Arnold, Norma Arnold, Paul Pfeiffer, Winnie Cooper

The Wonder Years was a television show created by Carol Black and Neal Marlens. It ran for six seasons on ABC, from 1988 to 1993.

The Wonder Years tackled the social issues and historic events of the 1960s and early 1970s through the eyes of main character Kevin Arnold, who also deals with teenage social issues (mainly with his best friend Paul, and his top love interest, Winnie Cooper), family trouble and other issues. While the stories unfold, the story is narrated by an older, wiser Kevin describing what is happening and what he has learned from his experiences. This popular technique was later reproduced in the short-lived sitcom State of Grace.

The show's theme tune was Joe Cocker's cover of "With a Little Help from My Friends". This song was featured among others on the soundtrack for the program.
Contents
[hide]

    * 1 Major Characters
    * 2 Other Characters
    * 3 Final episode
    * 4 External link

Major Characters

* Kevin Arnold (Fred Savage) - An average junior high (and later high school) student growing up in the late 1960s/early 1970s.

* Gwendolyne "Winnie" Cooper (Danica McKellar) - Kevin's main love interest. Their first kiss and her older brother's death play an important part of the pilot episode.

* Paul Pfeiffer (Josh Saviano) - Kevin's lifelong best friend. He is allergic to everything.

* Jack Arnold (Dan Lauria) - Kevin's father, a Korean War veteran. Originally, he worked at NORCOM, a generic large corporation, in a middle management position he hated. Later, he started his own business building and selling handcrafted furniture.

* Karen Arnold(Olivia d'Abo) - Kevin's older hippie sister. She eventually gets married and moves to Alaska. Her only appearance in the last season is in the last episode.

* Norma Arnold (Alley Mills) - Kevin's stay-at-home mother. She met Jack as a college freshmen. When he graduated, she moved across the country with him and didn't finish college.

* Wayne Arnold (Jason Hervey) - Kevin's older brother who enjoys physically tormenting Kevin and Paul.

Other Characters

    * Coach Cutlip (Robert Picardo)
    * Miss White, later Mrs. Heimer (Wendel Meldrum)
    * Mr. Cantwell (Ben Stein)
    * Becky Slater (Crystal McKellar)
    * Chuck Coleman (Andy Berman)
    * Delores (Juliette Lewis)
    * Bonnie Douglas (Paula Marshall)
    * Jeff Billings (Giovanni Ribisi)
    * Alice Pedermeir (Lindsay Sloane)
    * Joey (Dustin Diamond)
    * Eric Antonio (Don Jeffcoat)
    * Young Kevin (Eric Lloyd)
    * Voice of Adult Kevin (Daniel Stern)

Final episode
Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Reflecting on how everyone eventually grows up and how childhood comes to an end, Kevin and Winnie have one last passionate day together before going their separate ways once and for all. Winnie goes to Europe to study art, while Kevin stays in the States, gets married, and has a son. The two write to each other for eight years. Kevin's father dies of a heart attack, and his brother takes over the family business. The fates of many supporting characters are resolved, and the narrator (adult Kevin) tells us: "Growing up happens in a heartbeat. One day you're in diapers, the next day you're gone. But the memories of childhood stay with you for the long haul. I remember a place, a town, a house like a lot of other houses, a yard like a lot of other yards, on a street like a lot of other streets. And the thing is, after all these years, I still look back, with wonder."

Candice Bergen

2005-09-02T03:35:00.000-07:00

Candice Bergen (born May 9, 1946) is an American actress best known for her starring role on the television sitcom Murphy Brown.

She was born in Beverly Hills, California, the daughter of radio ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and Frances Westerman. As a child she was often referred to as "Charlie McCarthy's Little Sister", which irritated her (Charlie McCarthy being one of her father's dummies).

She began her career as a fashion model, but soon began appearing as an actress in such films as Carnal Knowledge and Starting Over, for which she received Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for best supporting actress.

She attended the University of Pennsylvania. Bergen owned 10050 Cielo Drive but in 1969 she sold it to her friend, Sharon Tate. Tate was later murdered there.

Bergen was the first female guest host on Saturday Night Live.

On at least one occasion, Bergen dated Henry Kissinger.

In 1981, she married French film director Louis Malle. They had a daughter, Chloe Malle, in 1985 and remained married until his death by cancer in 1995.

On Murphy Brown she played a tough television reporter. Although the show was a successful comedy, it tackled important issues: Murphy Brown, a recovering alcoholic, became a single mother and later battled breast cancer.

On May 19, 1992, then Vice President of the United States Dan Quayle spoke at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, California. During his speech, he criticized the Murphy Brown character for ignoring the importance of fathers and bearing a child alone. His remarks caused a public discussion on family values which culminated in an episode where the television characters reacted to Quayle's comments including Brown arranging for a truck load of potatoes to be dumped in front of Quayle's residence in retaliation.

After Murphy Brown, Bergen has appeared in character roles in films, most notably Miss Congeniality as the sweet-yet-demented pageant host, Kathy Morningside. She also portrayed the mayor of New York in the movie Sweet Home Alabama.

In 2003, she appeared in the movie View from the Top.

In January, 2005, Bergen joined the cast of Boston Legal as Shirley Schmidt, a founding partner in the law firm of Crane, Poole & Schmidt.

She is also a vegetarian.

Candice's surname is cognate to the word borough, which has cognates in words and place names in virtually every Indo-European and Afro-Asiatic language, as well as others. For a fuller explanation, see under borough.
[edit]

Filmography

    * Unusual Occupations: Film Tot Holiday (1947) (short subject)
    * The Group (1966)
    * The Sand Pebbles (1966)
    * Flash 02 (1967) (short subject)
    * The Day the Fish Came Out (1967)
    * Live for Life (1967)
    * Wedding of the Doll (1968) (documentary)
    * The Magus (1968)
    * The Adventurers (1970)
    * The Executioner (1970)
    * Getting Straight (1970)
    * Soldier Blue (1970)
    * Carnal Knowledge (1971)
    * The Hunting Party (1971)
    * T.R. Baskin (1971)
    * 11 Harrowhouse (1974)
    * The Lion Roars Again (1975) (short subject)
    * The Wind and the Lion (1975)
    * Bite the Bullet (1975)
    * The Domino Principle (1977)
    * A Night Full of Rain (1978)
    * Oliver's Story (1978)
    * Starting Over (1979)
    * Rich and Famous (1981)
    * Gandhi (1982)
    * 2010 (1984) (voice only)
    * Stick (1985)
    * Frames from the Edge (1989) (documentary)
    * Belly Talkers (1996) (documentary)
    * Who Is Henry Jaglom? (1997) (documentary)
    * Miss Congeniality (2000)
    * Sweet Home Alabama (2002)
    * View from the Top (2003)
    * The In-Laws (2003)

Superman: The Animated Series

2005-08-31T08:49:00.000-07:00

Superman: The Animated Series is the unofficial title given to Warner Bros.' animated television series of the late 1990s. The official title of the series was simply Superman, and (as the title suggests) it starred the fictional character of Superman. Warner Bros. applied the same "more modern, more serious" animated treatment to DC Comics' flagship character in the same way they had successfully produced Batman: The Animated Series. The result was a cartoon praised by comic book and animation fans, and seen by some as one of the best adaptations of Superman ever.

Airing more than ten years after the 1985 "reboot" of the Superman comic book character, the animated series paid tribute to both the classic Superman of old and the newer "modern" Superman. Elements of Superman from all eras of his history were included in the series, especially in a potrayal of the planet Krypton that fans praised as a "modernization" of Superman's origin that contrasted John Byrne's total remake, and some fans felt was superior to the "newer" comic book version. Most notable was the addition of the evil computer Brainiac as being originally from Krypton (like Superman himself).

The "new" Lex Luthor featured prominently in the series as well, menacingly voiced by actor Clancy Brown. Superman himself was voiced by Tim Daly.

While the series featured fresh re-creations of much of Superman's rogues gallery, the series' writers supplemented the limited supply of enemies by paying tribute to Jack Kirby's Fourth World creations which also introduced the villain Darkseid to the series as one of Superman's greatest enemies. Darkseid had actually been portrayed as a villain in the final two seasons of the Super Friends series of the 1980s, but in the new Superman series he truly became an enormously powerful, evil cosmic emperor. The tribute event extends to the supporting character, Dan "Terrible" Turpin, who is visually modelled on Jack Kirby himself.

After the series reached episode number 65 and began syndication, it was combined with repeats of the Batman animated series to become The Batman/Superman Adventures. The characters of Superman and Batman were then spun off into a new animated series, Justice League, which featured other popular DC characters as well.

Episode list

Season 1 (Sept 1996 - Feb 1997)

1. The Last Son Of Krypton - part 1 of 3
2. The Last Son Of Krypton - part 2 of 3
3. The Last Son Of Krypton - part 3 of 3
4. Fun and Games
5. A Little Piece Of Home
6. Feeding Time
7. The Way Of All Flesh
8. Stolen Memories
9. The Main Man - part 1 of 2
10. The Main Man - part 2 of 2
11. My Girl
12. Tools Of The Trade
13. Two's A Crowd

Season 2 (Sept 1997 - May 1998)

1. Blasts From The Past - part 1 of 2
2. Blasts From The Past - part 2 of 2
3. The Prometheon
4. Speed Demons
5. Livewire
6. Identity Crisis
7. Target
8. Mxyzpixilated
9. Action Figures
10. Double Dose
11. Solar Power
12. Monkey Fun
13. Brave New Metropolis
14. Ghost In The Machine
15. Father's Day
16. World's Finest - part 1 of 3
17. World's Finest - part 2 of 3
18. World's Finest - part 3 of 3
19. The Hand Of Fate
20. Bizarro's World
21. Prototype
22. The Late Mr. Kent
23. Heavy Metal
24. Warrior Queen
25. Apokolips...Now - part 1 of 2
26. Apokolips...Now - part 2 of 2
27. Little Girl Lost - part 1 of 2
28. Little Girl Lost - part 2 of 2

Season 3 (Sept 1998 - May 1999)

1. Where There's Smoke
2. Knight Time
3. New Kids In Town
4. Obsession
5. Little Big Head Man
6. Absolute Power
7. In Brightest Day
8. Superman's Pal
9. A Fish Story
10. Unity

Season 4 (Sept 1999 - Feb 2000)

1. The Demon Reborn
2. Legacy - part 1 of 2
3. Legacy - part 2 of 2

External links

* Superman: The Animated Series at the Internet Movie Database
* Superman: The Animated Series @ The World's Finest

See also

* Diniverse

The X-Men Animated Series

2005-08-31T08:47:00.000-07:00

Format Animated series
Run time 30min
Creator Larry Houston, Frank Squillace
Starring Cedric Smith, Cathal J. Dodd, Norm Spencer, Iona Morris
Country USA
Network Fox Kids Network
Original run 1992��997
No. of episodes 76

The X-Men Animated Series debuted in the 1992-1993 season on the Fox Network. It was part of Fox's Saturday morning lineup, which featured both cartoons, such as X-Men, Bobby's World and Life With Louie and live-action programming, such as Power Rangers, that were directed at young children. This youth-geared Saturday morning and weekday afternoon block of programming was known as "Fox Kids". This block has currently been replaced by 4Kids TV (Formerly "Fox Box") on Saturday mornings, but nothing in afternoons.

Currently, this series can be seen on Toon Disney at 11:00pm EST on all nights of the week.

Background
Character Beast talking with Warlock.
Enlarge
Character Beast talking with Warlock.

X-Men was one of the longest-lasting series on Fox Kids, with its final new episode airing in late 1997, after five complete seasons. The show was not removed from the lineup until 1998, after a full six seasons. The show also is one of the highest-rated and most-viewed Saturday morning programs in American history, to this day. During its peak years (1995 and 1996), the show was often shown every weekday afternoon, in addition to Saturday mornings.

After the box office success of the X-Men movie in the summer of 2000, Fox began airing reruns of the successful cartoon on weekday afternoons. This ended in early 2001. Soon after, the ABC Family licensed the cable syndication rights from FOX, and began airing reruns. The reruns are still being shown on ABC Family around the time of 7 AM EST and have been doing so for quite some time.

The show featured a team line-up similar to that of the early 1990s X-Men comic books. It included Professor X and the team Cyclops, Beast, Jean Grey, Wolverine, Rogue, Gambit, Storm, and Jubilee. Colossus, Nightcrawler, Forge, Banshee, Iceman, Archangel, Psylocke, and Bishop, who were also X-Men members in the early '90s comics, all guest starred in at least one episode of the cartoon, though they did not currently live at the X-Mansion. There is no season DVD available on this cartoon series. However, selected episodes have been released as:

* Wolverine's Story
* Legend Of Wolverine

Cast
Actor Role
Cedric Smith Professor Charles Xavier
Cathal J. Dodd Wolverine/Logan (as Cal Dodd)
Norm Spencer Cyclops/Scott Summers
Iona Morris Storm/Ororo Munroe (I) (1992)
Alison Sealy-Smith Storm/Ororo Munroe (II) (1992-1997)
Chris Potter Gambit/Remy LeBeau (I) (1992-1996)
Tony Daniels Gambit/Remy LeBeau (II) (1997)
Lenore Zann Rogue
George Buza Beast/Dr. Henry 'Hank' McCoy
Catherine Disher Jean Grey/Phoenix
Alyson Court Jubilee/Jubilation Lee
Lawrence Bayne Cable
George Buza Apocalypse
David Hemblen Magneto

Episodes of X-Men

Season one

1. Night Of The Sentinels (Part 1)
2. Night Of The Sentinels (Part 2)
3. Enter Magneto
4. Deadly Reunions
5. Captive Hearts
6. Cold Vengeance
7. Slave Island
8. The Unstoppable Juggernaut
9. The Cure
10. Come The Apocalypse
11. Days Of Future Past (Part 1)
12. Days Of Future Past (Part 2)
13. The Final Decision

Season two

1. Til Death Do Us Part (Part 1)
2. Til Death Do Us Part (Part 2)
3. Whatever It Takes
4. Red Dawn
5. Repo Man
6. X-Ternally Yours
7. Time Fugitives (Part 1)
8. Time Fugitives (Part 2)
9. A Rogue's Tale
10. Beauty And The Beast
11. Mojovision
12. Reunion (Part 1)
13. Reunion (Part 2)

Season three

1. Out Of The Past (Part 1)
2. Out Of The Past (Part 2)
3. The Phoenix Saga Part 1: Sacrifice
4. The Phoenix Saga Part 2: The Dark Shroud
5. The Phoenix Saga Part 3: Cry Of The Banshee
6. The Phoenix Saga Part 4: The Starjammers
7. The Phoenix Saga Part 5: Child Of Light
8. Obsession
9. Cold Comfort
10. Savage Land, Savage Heart (Part 1)
11. Savage Land, Savage Heart (Part 2)
12. The Dark Phoenix Saga Part 1: Dazzled
13. The Dark Phoenix Saga Part 2: The Inner Circle
14. The Dark Phoenix Saga Part 3: The Dark Phoenix
15. The Dark Phoenix Saga Part 4: The Fate Of The Phoenix
16. Orphan's End
17. Juggernaut Returns
18. Nightcrawler
19. Weapon X, Lies, & Videotape

Season four

1. One Man's Worth (Part 1)
2. One Man's Worth (Part 2)
3. Courage
4. Proteus (Part 1)
5. Proteus (Part 2)
6. Sanctuary (Part 1)
7. Sanctuary (Part 2)
8. Beyond Good And Evil Part 1: The End Of Time
9. Beyond Good And Evil Part 2: Promise Of Apocalypse
10. Beyond Good And Evil Part 3: The Lazarus Chamber
11. Beyond Good And Evil Part 4: End And Beginning
12. Have Yourself A Morlock Little X-Mas
13. The Lotus And The Steel
14. Love In Vain
15. Secrets, Not Long Buried
16. Xavier Remembers
17. Family Ties

Season five

1. The Phalanx Covenant Part 1
2. The Phalanx Covenant Part 2
3. A Deal With The Devil
4. No Mutant Is An Island
5. Longshot
6. Bloodlines
7. Storm Front Part 1
8. Storm Front Part 2
9. Jubilee's Fairytale Theater
10. The Fifth Horseman
11. Old Soldiers
12. Hidden Agenda
13. Descent
14. Graduation Day

External links

* DRG4's X-Men the Animated Series Page
* X-Men at the Internet Movie Database (IMDb).

The Powerpuff Girls

2005-08-31T08:42:00.000-07:00

Format Cartoon
Run time 30 Minutes
Creator Craig McCracken
Starring Cathy Cavadini
E.G. Daily
Tara Strong
Tom Kane
Tom Kenny
Roger L. Jackson
Jennifer Hale
Jennifer Martin
Jim Cummings
Jeff Bennett
Kath Soucie
Country USA
Network Cartoon Network
Original run November 18, 1998��004
No. of episodes 78

The Powerpuff Girls is an animated series starring three little girls with superpowers who have dedicated their lives to fight crime and the forces of evil. The series was created by animator Craig McCracken, and first produced by Hanna-Barbera for Cartoon Network.

The show began as a project for Craig McCracken's college class at California Institute of the Arts in 1992, titled The Whoop-Ass Girls. Spike and Mike premiered the short at their Festival of Animation. They then funded a fully drawn color short, "A Sticky Situation," that also featured the Amoeba Boys. In 1995, they were renamed to the more TV friendly Powerpuff Girls as a few more episodes and new antagonists, "Meet Fuzzy Lumpkins" and "Crime 101," appeared on the What-A-Cartoon! show. A full TV series was aired in 1998. The Powerpuff Girls Movie was released in 2002.

Characters

The Powerpuff Girls

* Blossom: Red-haired, pink-eyed, and dressed in pink. She is "the commander and the leader" (aka the bookish, drill instructor-ish one). (Voiced by Cathy Cavadini)
* Bubbles: Blond-haired, blue-eyed, and dressed in blue. She is "the joy and the laughter" (aka the spacey one). (Voiced by Kath Soucie in the What-A-Cartoon! episodes, and Tara Strong in the series)
* Buttercup: Black-haired, green-eyed, and dressed in green. She is "the toughest fighter" (aka the violent one). (Voiced by Elizabeth Daily, who also recorded the theme song)

There was a fourth Powerpuff Girl: Bunny, who was brown-haired, purple-eyed, and dressed in purple. When, the three original girls couldn't handle all their crime-fighting activities any more, they decided to create a new powerpuff girl themselves, but she didn't turn out exactly as planned. Bunny appears to be mentally challenged. (Voiced by Christine Cavanaugh)

Townsville Citizens

They live in the fictional city of Townsville, USA (not to be confused with Townsville, Australia). They were created by Professor Utonium, who was attempting to make the perfect little girl by combining sugar, spice, and everything nice, when he accidentally knocked a glass of Chemical X into the mixture. The girls are super-cute and super-powerful. They have abnormally large eyes and no fingers or toes. They also have many super-powers similar to those possessed by Superman, including super-strength, the ability to fly, super-speed, and the ability to project a variety of energy blasts.

Friends and allies of the Girls include the Pokey Oaks kindergarten teacher Miss Keane, the empty-headed Mayor of Townsville (who is referred throughout only as "Mayor": in one episode where he was forced to run for re-election as Mayor, he ran with the campaign slogan 'Vote Mayor for mayor!') and his very competent assistant, the statuesque redheaded Ms. Sara Bellum (named after the cerebellum), whose face is always just out of shot (most likely a reference to the initial appearance of redhead Mary Jane Watson in Spider-Man).

One of the supporting characters in the show is The Talking Dog, he mostly appears in the background, but always has something to say, and once he had an episode dedicated to him, an old lady, that is always hit when driving and a man that looks just like George Jetson.

Enemies include the mad scientist monkey Mojo Jojo, Fuzzy Lumpkins, The Gangreen Gang, the spoiled little rich girl Princess Morbucks (the name is a play on Daddy Warbucks from Annie), The Rowdyruff Boys (male versions of the Powerpuff girls made by Mojo Jojo), Sedusa, and the mysterious, superpowerful, red-skinned, and effeminate devil referred to only as Him. The girls also frequently combat a wide assortment of giant monsters, all of which seem to visit Earth solely for the purpose of demolishing Townsville. One-time villain appearances include Femme Fatale, Abracadaver, Roach Coach, The Smiths (their next door neighbors), and The Dooks of Doom; furthermore, a group of unsuccessful bank robbers is often seen suffering the consequences of their deeds.

The Amoeba Boys, the harmless pack of amoebas who first appeared in the "World Premiere Toon" "Crime 101," are somewhere in between enemies and friends. That is, their crimes are as primitive as their species (they considered stealing a discarded orange to be their greatest crime ever), and they have some ties with the Powerpuff Girls.

Episodes

Six seasons (78 episodes) have been made, there are no plans for any future episodes.

See Also

* The Powerpuff Girls Movie
* Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z

External links

* Cartoon Network's Powerpuff Girls page
* The Powerpuff Girls at the Internet Movie Database
* The Powerpuff Girls at the Big Cartoon DataBase

The Powerpuff Girls in other languages

* Finnish: Tehotyt旦t
* Portuguese:
o As Meninas Super-Poderosas (in Brazil)
o As Powerpuff Girls (in Portugal)
* Spanish:
o Las Chicas Superpoderosas (in Latin America)
+ NOTE: Originally (in the "World Premiere Toon" times), they were called "Las Chicas Coquetas" which roughly translates to "The Fashionable Girls" or "The Flirty Girls." This was changed before the series started.
o Las Super Nenas (in Spain)
* French: Les Super Nanas
* Italian: Le Superchicche
* Chinese: Literally: "Little Flying Cop Girls"
o 蕋�ぉ絨鎁活�; f�i ti�n xi�o n� j�ng (Traditional Chinese)
o 蕋�ぉ絨鎁活�; f�i ti�n xi�o n� j�ng (Simplified Chinese)
* Japanese: ��若��若��(Pawa- pafu ga-ruzu)
* Hungarian: Pind炭r Pand炭rok (Literally "Tiny cops")
* Hebrew: ��廬 �廚��廨廚�廝 (B'not Ha-Powerpuff - "The Powerpuff Daughters")
* Polish: Atom坦wki (Literally "Little atomic girls")
* Swedish: Powerpuffpinglorna
* Icelandic: Stu丹boltastelpurnar ("the energetic girls", literally "the energy-ball girls")
* Russian: ��亠亟亠于�仂仆从亳 (Krutie Devchonki, literally "Kick-ass Girls")

South Park

2005-08-31T08:39:00.000-07:00

Format Sitcom
Run time approx. 0:23 (per episode)
Creator Trey Parker & Matt Stone
Starring Trey Parker
Matt Stone
Isaac Hayes
Mary Kay Bergman (1997-1999)
Eliza Schneider (2000-2003)
Mona Marshall
John Hansen
Jennifer Howell
and Adrien Beard
Country USA
Network Comedy Central
Original run August 13, 1997��resent
No. of episodes 141 (Season 9: 1/2 begins on October 19, 2005)

For other uses, see South Park (disambiguation).

South Park is a comedy animated series created by Matt Stone and Trey Parker. Distributed by and airing on Comedy Central since 1997, it follows the surreal adventures of four young boys who live in the small town of South Park, Colorado. South Park satirizes many aspects of American culture and current events, and challenges deepset convictions and taboos, usually using parody and black humor.

New episodes in the show's ninth season began airing March 9, 2005. Recent seasons have aired in two parts; for example, half of the episodes from the eighth season were put on hiatus for Team America: World Police, another Stone and Parker production.

The show is noted for its characteristically blunt handling of current events while they are still current. For example, an episode involving the repatriation of Romanian quintuplets aired during the Eli叩n Gonz叩lez issue, and depicted Janet Reno, then U.S. Attorney General, as a murderous Easter Bunny. An episode that aired after the September 11, 2001 attacks had the boys stow away on a military transport to Afghanistan, where they encounter Osama bin Laden. More recently, the 2005 Terri Schiavo case was parodied in an episode in which the town is at odds over the removal of a feeding tube from Kenny McCormick. The episode, "Best Friends Forever," originally aired the night of March 30, less than 12 hours before Schiavo died.
Contents
[hide]

* 1 Series history
* 2 Characters
o 2.1 Major characters
o 2.2 Recurring characters
o 2.3 Minor characters and 'celebrities'
o 2.4 Running gags
o 2.5 Religious affiliation of characters in South Park
* 3 Music
* 4 Video Games
* 5 South Park and politics
* 6 Trivia
* 7 Evolution of the series
* 8 See also
* 9 External links

Series history

South Park got its start in 1991 when Parker and Stone, then film students at the University of Colorado, created an animated short called Jesus vs Frosty. The crudely made film featured prototypical versions of the kids of South Park, including a character resembling Cartman but called "Kenny", bringing a murderous snowman to life with a magic hat. The baby Jesus then saves the day by decapitating the monster with a halo.

Executives at the Fox network saw the film, and in 1995 executive Brian Graden commissioned Parker and Stone to create a second short film to send to friends as a video Christmas card. Entitled The Spirit of Christmas, it closely resembled the style of the later series, and featured a martial arts duel (and subsequent truce) between Jesus and Santa Claus over the true meaning of Christmas. This video was later featured in an episode of South Park in which Stan, Kyle, Cartman, Kenny, Mr Hanky and his family "save" Christmas. The video was a hit and was quickly shared, both by underground duplication and over the then-burgeoning Internet. This led to talks to create a series, first with Fox, then with Comedy Central, where the series premiered on August 13, 1997.
One of the many deaths of Kenny
One of the many deaths of Kenny

The show's provocative, frequently offensive, and unquestionably adult-oriented material quickly drew howls of protest from various conservative spokespersons, and South Park merchandise (especially T-shirts) were banned from a number of public schools, day care centers, and other public places in a manner similar to the prohibition of Bart Simpson T-shirts in the early 1990s after The Simpsons was accused of contributing to juvenile delinquency. Comedy Central defended South Park by noting that the show is given a "Mature Audiences" TV rating (TV-MA) and that it only airs the show during nighttime hours and never during the day when children may be more likely to see the show.

In February 1998, one episode of South Park posed the question of who Eric Cartman's father was. The episode ended with the announcement that it would be revealed in four weeks' time. Four weeks later, the airing of an episode about Terrance and Phillip (two Canadian comedians the main characters idolize) prompted outrage, and also prompted Comedy Central to push the true season premiere up earlier than expected. It was apparently a well-planted April Fools Day gag, meant to poke fun at season-ending cliffhangers.

The following year, the full-length animated feature film South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut was released to generally enthusiastic reviews. The film managed to satirize both itself and the anticipated reaction that it engendered from moral conservatives. It also presented a twisted but seemingly sincere tribute to the film musical with a number of songs, including "Uncle Fucka" and "Blame Canada." The latter was nominated for an Oscar and was performed by Robin Williams during the awards show. It has often been said that "Blame Canada" was chosen from other Oscar-worthy songs in the movie on the basis that it was the only one that could be performed on live TV with its lyrics relatively intact as the song contains only one swear word (while it is true that "Up There" by Satan contains no swear words at all, it would most likely have created far more controversy on religious grounds given its sympathetic portrayal of Satan and his justification of evil in the lyrics).

On November 11, 1999 shortly after the U.S. theatrical release of South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, actress Mary Kay Bergman, who had provided all of the female voices on the South Park television series and in the full-length movie, committed suicide in her suburban Los Angeles, California home. After her death it was revealed that she suffered from a severe form of clinical depression. Her husband, Dino Andrade, founded the Mary Kay Bergman Memorial Fund at the Suicide Prevention Center of Greater Los Angeles in an effort to help and educate people with the same type of depression that his wife suffered from.

In the episode "It Hits the Fan," South Park broke the swearing record by saying the word "shit" a total of 162 times. In a 22 minute episode, this means that they averaged one "shit" every 8 seconds. There was even a counter throughout the episode showing the number of times it was said. An example of how it was used was Mr. Garrison's song that went, "Hey, there, shitty shitty fag fag, shitty shitty fag fag, how do you do?" and repeated this for four verses. This was meant as a satire on a NYPD Blue episode released shortly before this episode where one of the main characters said the word "shit" without being censored, and the American public discussed this for weeks.

Characters

The characters and backgrounds of South Park are made to appear deliberately crude, as if they are simply made of cut-out pieces of paper. Paper cutouts were indeed used in the original pilot Parker/Stone animation and in the very first Comedy Central episode, but every subsequent episode aired on TV has been produced by computer animation that provides the same crude look. To put the efficiency of this process in perspective, consider that the average episode of The Simpsons takes 8 months to create while episodes of South Park have been completed in as little as 3 days. Some episodes have sections of regular film edited in (e.g., "Tweek vs. Craig" and "Cat Orgy").

Major characters
The main characters as they appeared during eight of the nine seasons (from left to right): Kenny, Cartman, Kyle and Stan
Enlarge
The main characters as they appeared during eight of the nine seasons (from left to right): Kenny, Cartman, Kyle and Stan

The main characters of the show are four elementary school students:

* Stan Marsh: Often the "straight man" of the group. Generally easy going and clear thinking, he usually tries to come up with logical solutions to their outrageous situations.
* Kyle Broflovski: High strung, skeptical yet the most easily persuadable. Jewish.
* Eric Cartman: Aggressive, bigoted, spoiled, overweight, rude, and antagonistic. Often the catalyst for the plot, frequently insults Kyle for being Jewish and Kenny for being poor. He is hated by his 'friends', and they frequently question the reasons for their friendship with him.
* Kenny McCormick: Comes from an extremely crude, classless, poverty-stricken family. Obsessed with sex and bathroom humor, he is difficult to understand due to his hood closed around his face. The eternal victim, he often meets his fatality in many callous and over-the-top deaths, but miraculously comes back to life in time for the next episode.

In recent seasons, two other characters have gained prominence:

* Leopold "Butters" Stotch (replaced Kenny as a main character during the first part of the 6th season, though Kenny was brought back for the 7th season; has remained prominent): Nervous, naive, easily manipulated, yet sometimes insightful. He is often repressed by his overbearing parents, and used as a foil to Cartman's schemes. Adding to the tragicness of his character, his birthday is September 11.
* Tweek (replaced Kenny during the second part of the 6th season, though Kenny was brought back for the 7th season): Spastic, neurotic, wants to be left alone. His problems are often glossed over by his very docile, Hallmark commercial-esque coffee-shop-owning parents. Although initially touted as one of the leading supporting characters, he has since been upstaged by the more viewer popular Butters and has returned to playing a minor role.

The show's earliest well-known gimmick, beginning in the first episode, was that in every episode, Kenny would die in some horrible, "unexpected" way. After this Stan would shout, "Oh my God, they killed Kenny!" and Kyle would add, "You bastards!" Originally, the notorious "bastards" were the cow-aliens who shot Kenny with plasma; however, Kenny was in fact unharmed by this, and he was actually killed by Officer Barbrady's car after being trampled by Farmer Dinkins' cows. Kenny would be back in the next episode, the incident forgotten. For some time (after the 5th season episode "Kenny Dies"), Kenny had actually died "permanently." In the 6th season episode "A Ladder to Heaven," Kenny's soul became entrapped inside of Cartman's body, but an exorcism performed by Chef's mama in "The Biggest Douche in the Universe" undid this. He came back to life for an unexplained reason in "Red Sleigh Down" and is now the same regular kid he was before, except his deaths are much rarer now. Kenny was killed by Saddam Hussein in "It's Christmas in Canada," the final episode of season seven. He was also killed once during the eighth season, unmasked, by "Mr. Jefferson," an alias of Michael Jackson, in the episode "The Jeffersons", and in the ninth season, he was killed by the Chinese mafia in the episode "Wing," as well as the following episode, "Best Friends Forever" (in fact, he dies twice in the latter).

Recurring characters

Main article: Recurring South Park characters

There are many other frequently recurring characters, besides the boys and their families.

* the boys' teachers Mr. Herbert Garrison (currently Mrs. Garrison after receiving a sex change in episode 901, Mr. Garrison's Fancy New Vagina), and Ms. Choksondik (pronounced "chokes-on-dick") who dies in season 6.
* Mr. Slave, Mr. Garrison's gay live-in lover until his sex change in episode 901 (replacement for Garrison's beloved puppet companion, Mr. Hat).
* Jerome "Chef" McElroy (voiced by Isaac Hayes), the school cafeteria chef whom the boys seek out for advice.
* Satan, portrayed as the insecure and overly sensitive gay lover of Saddam Hussein.
* Jesus and Santa Claus, who are frequently depicted as gun-toting heroes.
* Mr. Mackey, the school counselor who often appends "Mmkay?" to the end of his sentences.
* Officer Barbrady, the incompetent town police officer.
* Wendy Testaburger, a schoolmate and Stan's girlfriend until Episode 714 (Raisins).
* Timmy, a schoolmate confined by handicap to a wheelchair. He has a limited vocabulary, usually only consisting of his own name, Jimmy's name, his pet turkey, Gobbles, and his usual babble that sounds like "livin' a lie", though, on occasion, has managed a few other words.
* Jimmy, a handicapped schoolmate with crutches and a speech impediment. Often performs stand-up comedy. He is afraid of getting an erection and took steroids to win the Special Olympics.
* Towelie, is a "super towel" created to dry a person, but while being studied he smoked marijuana and wandered off. Towlie is frequently getting "high" in the episodes he's been in.
* Token Black, a schoolmate of black descent who often accompanies the boys on their adventures. Token is also a frequent target of Cartman's racism.
* The goth kids, originally featured in episode 714 (Raisins).
* Scott Tenorman, a much older schoolmate, originally introduced when he cons Cartman out of his allowance money in the episode Scott Tenorman Must Die. Cartman later takes revenge on Scott by feeding him Scott's own parents at Cartman's chili con carnival. Scott has appeared in minor roles in at least two subsequent episodes.

Minor characters and 'celebrities'
The satirical disclaimer that begins every episode
The satirical disclaimer that begins every episode

Part of the show's surrealist nature derives from the minor characters who appear in the series. Notable appearances include God, who appears as a small creature resembling a hippo-rodent hybrid; Jesus, a recurring character, who owns a home and hosts a public-access television show in South Park (Jesus and Pals); Satan and his lover Saddam Hussein; Moses, who appears exactly as the Master Control Program (MCP) does in the Disney film Tron and demands macaroni pictures; the alien Marklar race; the jakovasaur; Death; and Mr. Hankey "the Christmas poo", who adds to the holiday festivities in much the same spirit as the 1960s Rankin-Bass cartoons. And also Towelie the towel who always gets, or wants to get high (off cannabis).

Celebrities often appear (usually "impersonated.....poorly"). Examples include:

* Barbra Streisand, who was transformed after a mystical artifact Kyle found while digging and became Mecha-Streisand, a Mechagodzilla-like creature.
* Robert Smith of the '80s band The Cure, who transformed into a moth-like creature (a parody of Mothra) to battle Mecha-Streisand; Smith provided his own voice.
* Kathie Lee Gifford, whom Mr. Garrison tried to assassinate.
* Bill Clinton, who slept with Cartman's mom.
* O. J. Simpson, part of a support group for relatives of murder victims.
* the band Ko亊n, who played themselves and solved a Scooby Doo-type mystery.
* the band Toto (an 80s band).
* Brian Boitano, who is a superhero.
* Russell Crowe, star of the TV show "Russell Crowe: Fightin' Around the World," in which he travels the world in a cartoon tugboat and picks fights with random strangers based on perceived insults.
* Madonna, who is ridiculed.
* David Blaine, founder of the fictional "Blainetology" religion.
* Sally Struthers, portrayed as a Hutt (as in "Jabba the Hutt" from Star Wars) saving "Starvin' Marvin" and his people in Africa.
* Radiohead, playing themselves, with the band telling lead singer Thom Yorke to stop reading fan mail and mocking Scott Tenorman for crying.
* Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks as a goat in the Afghanistan episode.
* Michael Jackson as a new neighbor named "Mr. Jefferson" who moves to South Park with his young son, Blanket. Mr. Jefferson comes to South Park to hide out because he is being accused of child molestation; such accusations were made against Jackson in late 2003.
* Paris Hilton as spokeswoman for the "Stupid Spoiled Whore" clothing store chain.
* Christina Aguilera, who is portrayed as a hideous creature; a hallucination of Cartman's when he starts ingesting Ritalin.
* Patrick Duffy, who appears upside-down as one of the legs of a mountain creature called Scuzzlebutt.
* George Clooney, who appears in "Bigger, Longer, and Uncut", portraying an emergency room doctor similar to his character Doug Ross in the TV series ER. Clooney also appeared as a voice actor for Sparky, Stan's homosexual dog, in the episode "Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride", his only line being "woof".

See list of celebrities on South Park for more persons who have appeared on the show in one way or another.

Running gags

These are events that have recurred in almost every episode of South park.

* Kenny has died in almost every episode. Mostly he dies at the end, though it is used as a plot device in a few episodes.
* After most of Kenny's deaths Stan says "Oh my god, ',they, it, he, she' killed Kenny. Kyle will then say "You bastard(s)!" In earlier episodes Kyle did the entire line, this the most popular one.
* Eric says "Screw you guys, I'm going home." Usually after he and Kyle get into an argument (mainly the ones that involve Eric being selfish).
* Eric's mom gets it every once in a while for being a slut. Sometimes they find a magazine or website though it's usually Ms. Cartman taking men into her room.
* Whenever Wendy says something about love to Stan or kisses him on the cheek, he will throw-up shortly after. (this has ended as of Season 7 when the two had to break up because the actor who provided Wendy's voice had passed on.)
* If Chef is asked about sex or love, he will answer by singing a song then pretend he didn't say anything.
* Kyle is ripped on a lot for being Jewish. In the episode Rainforest Schmainforest, Cartman said "Kyle, you don't have rhythm because you're Jewish."
* When the boys are looking for a guinea pig, or someone to sacrifice, they always choose Butters. (e.g they decided to send Butters to have sex with a bunch of phaedophiles in Cartman Joins Nambla, and he was the first choice to be sacrificed to a statue of the provider: John Elway.
* Eric will threaten to make some "eat their parents" when they don't agree with him. Which is a reference to when he made his nemesis; Scott Tenorman, actually eat his own parents in Scott Tenorman Must Die.

Religious affiliation of characters in South Park

According to the episode "Red Hot Catholic Love", virtually all the major and recurring characters in South Park are Roman Catholic, except:

* The Broflovskis (Kyle's family), who are Jewish
* The Harrisons, who are Mormon
* Chef switched to Islam in Chef Goes Nanners but apparently switched back
* God, who is shown as a rodent like creature, is a Buddhist
* Chef's Parents, who practice Voodoo and Wiccan rituals.

Music
Cover from South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut - Music From And Inspired By The Motion Picture
Enlarge
Cover from South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut - Music From And Inspired By The Motion Picture

Although South Park is well known for its humor and controversial plots, viewers are also treated to an original musical score. The show's opening theme song is performed by alternative rockers Primus.

It should be noted that Kenny's lines in the song, as well as all but one of his lines throughout the show (episode 807, "The Jeffersons") and one in the movie, are muffled. Kenny always wears a parka over his head and most of his face. The fact that the lines are unintelligible helped them slip past network censors. It is often easy to comprehend the lines, given the context in which they are delivered.

One of the rumors is that Kenny's original line says "I like women with fat titties, I like women with big titties." Another interpretation that is common is, "I like girls with big fat titties, I like girls with big fat titties." Another variation states that he sings "I like girls with big fat titties, I like girls with big vaginas."

Kenny's line in the theme tune changed at the start of the 7th season. It was promised that the line would be revealed a year after the change. When the time had passed, the creators had forgotten exactly what the line was, but were '95% sure' that it was as follows: 'Someday I'll be old enough, to stick my dick in Britney's Butt'.

Popular songs such as "Kyle's Mom is a Bitch" originated on the show, but the creators' musical abilities were not frequently used until the release of South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut. The film's soundtrack featured songs like "Mountain Town", "Uncle Fucka", "What Would Brian Boitano Do?" (a song to which Brian Boitano has been known to figure skate), "I'm Super", and "Blame Canada" (nominated for an Oscar, see below). Several of the songs from the movie were satires of tunes from Disney cartoons--Mountain Town is highly similar to Bonjour from Beauty and the Beast, and Up There is a takeoff on Out There, from the Disney version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Trey Parker and Matt Stone have, on occasion, performed these and other songs (some unrelated to the show, such as "Dead Dead Dead"), under the band name DVDA.

The character of Eric Cartman will often burst into song to convey a false altruism or optimism that belies his baser motivations. In Red Sleigh Down, he sings "Poo-Choo Train", an unnervingly cheery Christmas carol, in an obvious attempt to convince Mr. Hankey and Santa Claus that he is worthy of Christmas presents. In The Death of Eric Cartman he sings "Make it Right" with Butters in a weak attempt to reconcile his sins. He also used the song Heat of the moment to convince the USA Senate to approve Stem Cell research.

Additional musical contributions to the show come from themselves and from Isaac Hayes, who voices the character Chef, and from the band Primus, which performed the original opening and ending themes for the show. But another high point of the series is its dramatic score, for it dramatizes common and deep parts with a very heartwarming, melancholic or mysterious soundtrack.

Video Games

* "South Park" for N64, Playstation and PC
* "Chef's Luv Shack for N64, Playstation, Dreamcast, and PC
* "South Park Rally" for N64, Playstation, Dreamcast, and PC
* "Save Kenny" for Mobile Phone

South Park and politics

The political leaning of South Park has been open to some debate. The show has drawn widespread criticism from both conservatives and liberals for its themes and its offensive language. However, unlike many other satirical shows, South Park's political humor is often seen as mocking liberal celebrities and pet causes. This has in turn prompted the use of the phrase South Park Republican to describe the attitudes of some of the show's viewers. Trey Parker stated in an interview that he was a "registered Libertarian". In other interviews Trey Parker and Matt Stone described themselves as being (small 'l') libertarian-Republicans. In the Spring of 2005 Brian C. Anderson, editor at the Manhattan Institute's City Journal released a book titled "South Park Conservatives: The Revolt Against Liberal Media Bias." At any rate, the show has consistently made fun of all sides of the political spectrum. In fact, a recent ad ran on Comedy Central listing many categories of people South Park has made fun of (including rednecks, blacks, gays, politicians, transsexuals, Jews and the disabled) and stated afterward "We apologize if South Park has left you out."

Trivia

* The film Bowling for Columbine includes a brief interview with Matt Stone that suggests South Park was largely inspired by Stone's childhood experiences in Littleton, Colorado. Stone presents a vision of Littleton as painfully normal, and highly intolerant of non-conformist behavior. Stone's appearance was followed by an uncredited cartoon in a style strongly reminiscent of South Park that was not the work of either Stone or Parker. It became a point of contention between them and the filmmaker, Michael Moore, as they believed Moore meant to imply they had contributed to his film. They have said the appearance of Moore as a suicide bomber in their 2004 film Team America: World Police is their sardonic response to this incident.
* Les Mis辿rables has had several cameo roles throughout the series, including Cosette's appearance, Cartman's prison number, 24601 (Jean Valjean's number), and an entire song in South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut that is based on a song from the musical named "One Day More." Also, in episode 414 "Helen Keller! The Musical," the "musical theater expert" sounds similar to Colm Wilkinson, who played the original Jean Valjean on Broadway. In fact, Cartman says the expert (introduced as "Geoffrey Mainard") played the lead in a production of Les Mis辿rables. Characters on The Simpsons, perhaps not coincidentally, often have the number 24601 as well.
* A short tribute sketch was shown for the 30th anniversary of Monty Python which parodied the "Dead Parrot sketch." The parody takes part in a friends store, where Eric Cartman walks in and complains that this friend (Kenny) that he bought is dead. Eventually an ending showing crude cut outs of Terry Gilliam, Venus de Milo, and the Monty Python foot appear.
* Parker animated a South Park version of a joke called The Aristocrats for the documentary of that name.
* The Parker-Stone production company is named Braniff Productions, named after a defunct airline. The logo (which featured a computer-generated shot of the Braniff airline with the subtitle "...believe it") originally appeared in Episode One as a joke, but decided since Parker and Stone had already established Braniff as their company anyway, the logo would close every episode.
* Many celebrities say this is their favorite cartoon.
* There are 3 references to OJ Simpson: 1. When Cartman tries to drive away from the cops on a powerwheels truck shaped like the white bronco going 50 MPH. 2. OJ was in the episode where Butters went missing on account of his mom trying to kill him. 3. In "Chef Aid" when Chef asks who Johnny Cochran is, Gerald Brovlovski says "He's the guy who got O.J. off."

Evolution of the series

South Park's early episodes tended to be shock value-oriented, but the more recent episodes are often oriented more toward poking fun at current events. This was very evident in the first half of season 8: events in its episodes include Michael Jackson visiting South Park, the boys seeing The Passion of the Christ, blue-collar workers in South Park losing their jobs to immigrants from the future, and an episode featuring a "Paris Hilton" toy video camera. Season 9 premiered with the episode "Mr. Garrison's Fancy New Vagina," which incorporated uncensored footage of a farm animal being neutered. In a previous episode, similar footage had been used, namely that of an animal delivering its afterbirth.

The pilot episode was produced using construction paper and traditional stop-motion animation techniques, but current episodes duplicate the original, amateurish look using modern computer animation tools (first PowerAnimator, then Maya, which South Park creators have described as "building a sandcastle with a bulldozer"). This allows for a short production schedule which enables the creators to respond quickly to current events. For instance, the December 17, 2003 episode depicted the capture of Saddam Hussein a mere three days after his capture by U.S. forces, even referring to the "spider hole" where he was found. In the case of this and the Eli叩n Gonz叩lez episode, they stopped and changed production of an episode to focus on these events. Another example is the Trapper Keeper episode which originally aired just 8 days after the 2000 Election and featured a kindergarten class election being delayed by, among other things, an undecided girl named "Flora."

In the audio commentary on the season 4 DVD set, Parker and Stone remarked that beginning with episode 408, "Chef Goes Nanners," they began to consistently make episodes centering on a single issue, rather than having different sub-plots going on.

In 2002 the episode "Free Hat" was aired. In this episode, prompted by Kyle's comment on Ted Koppel's Nightline that changing E.T. would be like changing Raiders of the Lost Ark, the South Park depictions of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg decide to alter the first Indiana Jones film. Soon after "Free Hat" aired, the real Lucas and Spielberg announced that they would not be altering Raiders of the Lost Ark for DVD release (contrary to rumors surrounding it). Stone and Parker later claimed that their episode prevented any alterations from happening when they appeared on a VH1 special, Inside South Park.

While in college, Stone and Parker collaborated on the movie Cannibal! The Musical, a Western satire with humorous musical numbers (the "Braniff" tune that plays at the end of many South Park episodes is an excerpt from the Cannibal! song, "Shpadoinkle"). Later they created Orgazmo, a comedy about a Mormon starring in a pornographic movie, which found distribution thanks to the success of South Park later that same year. The pair starred in the 1998 film BASEketball directed by David Zucker (in a recent episode in which the boys see the Passion of the Christ and subsequently decide to get their money back for watching a lousy film, Stan comments to Kenny, "This is just like that time we got our money back from BASEketball," commenting on the film's box office failure). Their latest collaboration is the marionette action/comedy, Team America: World Police.

See also

* List of South Park episodes
* Cheesy Poofs
* Chewbacca Defense
* Chocolate Salty Balls
* Hell in Mexico
* Father of the Pride ��even though Matt Stone and Trey Parker had nothing to do with it, South Park was considered to be an inspiration behind its creation.
* It Hits the Fan one of the most notorious episodes of South Park
* List of celebrities on South Park
* List of fictional brands in South Park
* List of movies, television shows and books parodied on South Park
* List of songs featured on South Park
* MK 22 ��Israeli cartoon with similar graphics and vulgarity, situated in a secret nuclear missiles storage base in the south of Israel.
* Park County, Colorado
* References to Star Trek in South Park
* South Park Republican

External links
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations by or about:
South Park

* South Park Studios (official website)
* South Park television series at Comedy Central's website
* South Park television series (Home Box Office Hungary)
* Memorial website and official website of Mary Kay Bergman
* Make your own South Park characters
* Tons of transcripts and other information on South Park
* South Park 24/7
* [1] Short from The Aristocrats (2005)

Digimon

2005-08-31T08:37:00.000-07:00

Digimon (short for Digital Monsters) (Japanese: ��≪�, Romaji dejimon) is a Japanese series of children's merchandise, including toys, manga and anime, featuring monsters of various form living in a "Digital World". Digimon contains many of the typical themes associated with mon (monster).

It started out as a dueling digital pet or tamagotchi called "Digital Monster" that was released by Bandai on June 26, 1997. The Digital Monster toy was enormously successful, and four different colors of the toy were released in November of the same year. In December of the same year, the "Digital Monster Version 2" was released.

Digimon first appeared in illustrated form with the advent of the one-chapter manga, C'mon Digimon, which was released in summer 1997. C'mon Digimon then spawned the popular Digimon Adventure V-Tamer 01 manga, which began on November 21st, 1998. Digimon first appeared in game form on January 28th, 1999, with the release of the popular Digimon World game for Playstation, and made its first foray into animation a few months later.

TV series

Following the release of the first three theatrical Digimon releases in Japan, in 1999, the first Digimon television series, Digimon Adventure first aired; three other series followed, Digimon Zero Two, Digimon Tamers and Digimon Frontier. Zero Two is a spin-off continuation of Adventure, while Tamers and Frontier have unrelated plots to one another.

There have also been rumours of a supposed 'Fifth Season', but nothing is confirmed...yet.

Main article: Digimon: Digital Monsters (anime)

The movies

There have been eight individual Digimon films released in Japan, with all but the eighth spinning out of the assorted TV series.

Digimon Adventure

At a length of thirty minutes, the original movie, the first Digimon animated product, occurs before the events of the first TV series. It focuses on Taichi Yagami (Taichi "Tai" Kamiya) and Hikari Yagami (Hikari "Kari" Kamiya) four years before their adventure in the Digital World, and shows their first encounter with Digimon. A Digi-Egg emerges through the children's father's computer, and promptly hatches into a Botamon, which causes trouble as it evolves, eventually becoming a Greymon and battling a Parrotmon. When the events of this movie were covered in the TV series, it was revealed that the events of this battle caused the eight children to be selected to become the new generation of Chosen Children.

Our War Game

This second movie, which runs to forty minutes, takes place after the end of the first TV series, and features its cast. When the computer virus Digimon, Diablomon (Diaboromon) raises havoc all over the world through the Internet during Spring Break, four of the DigiDestined, Tai, Matt, Izzy and T.K., must put a stop to it before it provokes the launching of nuclear warheads. Taichi and Yamato Ishida's (Yamato "Matt" Ishida) Digimon pursue the villain through the Internet, and in the final battle, merge into Omegamon (Omnimon) to destroy him.

Digimon Hurricane Touchdown/Supreme Evolution! The Golden Digimentals

The third Digimon movie is the first to take place in the time of the second TV series. The short length of most of the movies means that they are commonly screened as a double-bill with another short feature, but at a length of sixty minutes, this movie's length meant that it screened alone, split into two acts.

This movie features the new generation of Chosen Children as they travel from Japan to the U.S.A. and meet up with American Chosen Child Wallace (Willis), helping him to stop the enigmatic threat of Chocomon (Kokomon), who, it is eventually revealed, is actually one of Wallace's own twin Digimon. Chocomon seeks to be reunited with Wallace, and captures the original Chosen Children in this bid. The new Chosen Children go up against Chocomon in an epic clash, as their foe evolves into his Mega form, prompting a series of new evolutions from Angemon, Angewomon, V-mon (Veemon) and Terriermon which win the day.

It is generally accepted that this movie is out of continuity with the events of the TV series, due to the appearance of Angewomon (at a time when the Digimon have lost the ability to assume this level of form), and her and Angemon's transformations into their Mega forms, an ability never displayed in the show. Likewise, the sudden, unexplained appearance of the titular Golden Digimentals does not fit with the series.

Digimon: The Movie

As the only theatrical release of a Digimon animated feature in the west, Digimon: The Movie combined Digimon Adventure, Our Wargame and Digimon Hurricane Touchdown/Supreme Evolution! The Golden Digimentals into one singular movie. However, as there was no specific connection between the storylines of these movies in their original Japanese form, some substantial rewriting and re-editing of the movies occurred - most notably, Wallace was written into the second feature and credited with the creation of Diaboromon, while the third movie received some particularly large cuts, reducing it's length to thirty minutes and, most specifically, removing the subplot about Chocomon's capture of the original Chosen Children (although bizarrely, this was still mentioned on promotional material and VHS and DVD packaging. The Digimon Movie soundtrack is currently avaliable at Amazon.com.

This is the only Digimon movie to be created in a western country.

Diablomon's Counterattack

English Title: Revenge of Diaboromon

Thirty minutes in length, the fourth Digimon feature again returns to the era of the second TV series, taking place three months after after the climactic events of the series, and sees the Chosen Children go up against Diablomon again. As the younger kids attempt to handle the flood of Kuramon into the real world, Taichi and Yamato head back to the Internet with Omegamon to deal with him with Omegamon, who successfully destroys him. However, this proves to be a trap, as his destruction allows many more Kuramon to go to the real world, where they merge to create Armagemon (Armageddemon), powerful enough to defeat both Omegamon and Imperialdramon. In the end, Omegamon gives his energy to Imperialdramon Fighter Mode, powering him up to Paladin Mode and giving him the strength to destroy Armagemon.

When the movie was originally screened in 2001, it is apparent that there was some degree of interest in dubbed it for release in some form in the west, as the script was translated into English by the series translator. However, for whatever reason - possibly due to the Disney takeover - this production never came to light. The movie was at last dubbed and aired on ABC Family on August 6th, 2005 at 9:00 A.M.

The Adventurers' Battle

Battle of the Adventurers

The fifth Digimon movie is the first to feature the new universe of the third TV series, Digimon Tamers, and sends Takato on vacation to Okinawa to visit his cousin, Kai. Encountering Minami Uehara, Takato learns of an evil plan formulated by Mephismon (Mephistomon) to use V-Pets to disrupt Earth's electronics network and spell the end of the human race. Together with Kai, his fellow Tamers and the mysterious Shisamon, Takato goes up against Mephismon to save the world.

Early mistranslated promo information cemented the idea that this fifty-minute movie was out of continuity with the series, but in the finished movie, there is very little to suggest that this could be true. The fact that Kai goes on to appear later in the series itself suggests that the movie is in continuity. Like Revenge of Diaboromon, this movie was translated into English around the time of it's original screening, but was not dubbed until 2005.

Runaway Digimon Express

Runaway Locomon

This thirty-minute movie takes place after the Digimon Tamers series finale, and features the Tamers trying to stop a train Digimon named Locomon, who is being controlled by Parasimon. The movie also serves to turn the spotlight on Ruki Makino (Rika Nonaka), who also falls under Parasimon's control, as we see her memories of her estranged father, who recieves no attention in the ongoing series.

It is supposed to be aired in early October 2005.

P.S. Ruki and Takato has a big relationship in the movie.

Revival of the Ancient Digimon

Island of Lost Digimon

The last of the Digimon movies to spin out of one of the TV series, this forty-minute Digimon Frontier movie sends Takuya and company to the legendary "Wandering Island," where they find themselves caught in the middle of a civil war between human and beast Digimon, instingated by an evil Digimon named Murmuxmon. Murmuxmon, posing as the leader of each side in the war, plan to free an anicent evil that the Ancient Warriors, Ancient Greymon and Ancient Garurumon had defeated in the distant past.

This movie is also out of continuity with the series, and it is easy to explain why through the observation of three facts. Takuya and Koji are shown to be in possession of their Beast Spirits. Zoe has her Human Spirit. Bokomon is not carrying Seraphimon's egg. These three events are not reconcilable with the TV series - Bokomon was always carrying the egg once Zoe reclaimed her spirit, but Takuya and Koji obtained their Beast Spirits after she lost it.

Digital Monster X-Evolution: The Thirteenth Royal Knight

A longest-running Digimon TV Special, clocking in at seventy-five minutes, is entirely rendered with Computer-generated imagery and is the first to exist in a universe of its own, not spinning out of any of the TV series. The story is, however, loosely based on Digimon Chronicle (the accompanying fiction of the product line at the time). The main character is Dorumon, a mysterious little Digimon who travels around the Digital World attempting to discover the reason for his existence. But with his past surrounded in mystery, Dorumon's future also soon becomes uncertain as he finds himself caught between the warring forces of the X-Antibody Digimon, and the Royal Knights, the servants of the Digital World's host computer, Yggdrasil.

Comics

C'mon Digimon

In summer 1997, a one-chapter manga involving battles between more-or-less holographic Digimon was planned, but apparently never got off the ground. However, this manga was published as a special in volume two of V-Tamer, and there it was revealed the hero of this manga, Kentarou, was the source and inspiration for the design and character of Taichi Yagami, the hero of V-Tamer and the leader of the Chosen Children in the television series Digimon Adventure.

Digimon Adventure V-Tamer 01

V-Tamer was the first and longest running published Digimon manga, printed in the pages of V-Jump magazine. Starting on November 21st, 1998 it ran to fifty-eight chapters and ended August 21st, 2003. This manga introduce the character of Taichi Yagami, although it must be noted that he is not the same Taichi that features in the Digimon Adventure TV series - V-Tamer takes place in an alternate universe.

In this universe, Taichi is involved in a V-Pet tournament, where he is told he cannot play because the Digimon in his V-Pet isn't recognized as being a real Digimon. However, after the tournament is over, Taichi plays the winner of the tournament, a boy named Neo Saiba, and their battle ends in a die - something that is supposed to be impossible. Later, Taichi is summoned to the Digital World by a Holy Angemon (known in North America as Magna Angemon) called Lord Holy Angemon, and there he meets the mysterious Digimon in his V-Pet, Zeromaru the V-Dramon. Taichi and Zeromaru travel to Lord Holy Angemon's castle with the aid of Gabo the Gabumon, and there Lord Holy Angemon begs Taichi to find the five Tamer Tags and defeat the evil Demon, who has disrupted the peace of the Digital World.

Along the way, more humans are brought to the Digital World, including Neo Saiba, Rei Saiba, Sigma, Mari, and Hideto. All brought their by Demon, Neo is chosen to raise the Digimon that will hatch from the Super Ultimate egg Demon is raising, Rei Saiba, Neo's sister, who has a digimental that will allow the Demon's experimental digimon to digivolve to a level beyond Mega, and the others, called the Alias III, are to help Neo and Demon with their Digimon. Hideto's partner is an Omegamon/Omnimon, formed by the jogress of "Org" and "Meluuga", a War Greymon and Metal Garurumon; Mari's is a Rosemon, and Sigma's is a Piemon. They are all villains that eventually reform except Rei, who has no digimon partners or evil intentions.

Dark Horse

Dark Horse Comics published American-style Digimon comic books, adapting the first dubbed 13 episodes of the first animated season.

Panini

The European publishing company, Panini, approached Digimon in different ways in different countries. While Germany created their own adaptations of episodes, the United Kingdom reprinted the Dark Horse titles, then translated some of the German adaptations of second-season episodes, and finally began to print their own original stories, which appeared in both the UK's Official Digimon Magazine, and the official Fox Kids companion magazine, Wickid. These original tales danced in and around the continuity of the second animated season, before shifting to the third season, where the stories were more carefully thought out to fit between the tight storytelling of the animated series and would sometimes focusing on subject matter not covered by the show (Yamaki's past), or in the west (Ryo's story, the undubbed movies). Eventually, in a money saving venture, the original stories were removed from Digimon Magazine, which returned to printing translated German adaptations, this time of Tamers episodes. Eventaully, both magazines were cancelled.

TOKYOPOP manga

The TOKYOPOP Digimon manga is a Chinese manhua written and drawn by Yuen Wong Yu, based on the television series and brought to North America, translated by Lianne Sentar. Covering Digimon Adventure in five volumes, Digimon Adventure 02 in two and Digimon Tamers in four, it is heavily abridged, though in rare occasions plays through events differently to the anime. This is the main attraction of the series. Three additional volumes exist, covering Digimon Frontier, but these have not been released in English by TOKYOPOP.

Digimon Chronicle

Digimon Chronicle was the storyline accompanying the 2004 Digimon product line. Originally rumoured to be a new, full-blown manga to replace V-Tamer 01, it eventually transpired to be mostly prose text, printed in the booklets which accompanied the "Pendulum" digital pets. These booklets also contained short, non-sequiter six-page mangas. There are four "chapters", one sold with the Pendulum X 1.0, another with the Pendulum X 1.5, another with the Pendulum X 2.0, and the final chapter with the Pendulum X 3.0.

This fiction tells the story of a Digital World controlled by a sentient computer named Yggdrasil. Because Digimon had multiplied so much in the past, Yggdrasil, the host computer, was unable to handle the load and the Digital Hazard occurred. Yggdrasil then created the "New Digital World", consisting of three layers for the past, present, and future - Urd, Versandi, and Skuld, respectively, and then let loose with Project Ark and the X Program to eliminate any Digimon Yggdrasil no longer wanted. However, the Digimon adapted by obtaining a program called the X Antibody, which strengthened them, changed their form, and made them immune to the X-Antibody. Yggdrasil sent in the Royal Knights, thirteen Digimon devoted to keeping order in the Digital World, and at this point Kouta, Yuuji, and Shinji, three humans, somehow found their way into the Digital World and met their partner Digimon, DORUmon for Kouta and Ryuudamon for Yuuji. Kouta and Yuuji resisted Yggdrasil and the Royal Knights, but Shinji apparently sided with Yggdrasil.

D-Cyber

The D-Cyber manga is another Chinese Digimon manhua based on the adventures of Hikaru, Masuken, and Teru. It introduces the concept of X Digimon, but their origin is different from that in the Japanese Digimon Chronicle. In short, an evil MetalPhantomon seeks to steal the Dragon Spirit from Hikaru's Digimon and use it to revive a powerful evil Digimon. In the end, it takes the power of the three Holy Knights (Omegamon, Dukemon, and Magnamon) and the power of the three Tamers to put a stop to Metal Phantomon and what he's done.

Fan Influence

As Digimon continues to grow in popularity internationally, the fanbase around the show and manga continues to grow with it in a manner akin to other fandoms. As with most anime, this includes extensive shipping. Digmon fanshippers popularized the jargon of their specific brand of shipping by combining the first and last syllables of the relevant characters names, rather than the standard American "/" or Japanese "X".

Due to the relative quickness of the dubbing of the third season, American and Japanese fandoms were somewhat aware of each other and contributed to each others fandoms.

Notable people

* Akiyoshi Hongo - Creator of the original Digimon concept
* Hiroyuki Kakudo - Director of Digimon Adventure and Digimon Adventure 02
* Yukio Kaizawa - Director of Digimon Tamers and Digimon Frontier
* Chiaki J. Konaka - Head writer of Digimon Tamers
* Takatori Arisawa - Composer of the Japanese versions of Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure 02, Digimon Tamers and Digimon Frontier

See also

* List of Digimon
* Tamagotchi
* List of Human characters in Digimon series
* List of Chosen Digimon
* Digimon: Digital Monsters (anime)

External links

English

* Bandai of America's Digimon Site
* JETIX U.S. Digimon Tamers website
* Megchan's Digimon Encyclopedia
* Digimon Encyclopedia
* The Digi-Zone.com

Japanese

* Toei Animation's Digimon Adventure website
* Toei Animation's Digimon Digimon Adventure 02 website
* Toei Animation's Digimon Tamers website
* Toei Animation's Digimon Frontier website
* Toei Animation's Digital Monster X-Evolution website

* Bandai of Japan's Digimon website

Futurama

2005-08-31T08:33:00.000-07:00

Format Sitcom / Animated series
Run time approx. 0:21 (per episode)
Creator Matt Groening
Starring Billy West
Katey Sagal
John DiMaggio
Lauren Tom
Phil LaMarr
Tress MacNeille and
David Herman
Country USA
Network Fox Broadcasting Company
Original run March 28, 1999��ugust 9, 2003
No. of episodes 72

Futurama is an animated American cartoon series created by Matt Groening (creator of The Simpsons) and David X. Cohen (also a writer for The Simpsons). Set in "New New York City" in the year 3000, it was introduced on the Fox Network and received airplay between March 28, 1999 and August 10, 2003. Futurama now appears in syndication on the Cartoon Network and the TBS Superstation in the US, Sky One and Channel 4 in the United Kingdom, Teletoon/T辿l辿toon in Canada, Fox 8 in Australia, C4 in New Zealand, Pro7 in Germany, Italia 1 in Italy, Canal Fox in Latin America, One TV in the Middle East and SF2 in Switzerland.

The series begins with Philip J. Fry, a New York City slacker who is cryogenically frozen by accident on New Year's Eve, 1999. He is defrosted one thousand years later on December 31, 2999 and finds himself in New New York City. Fry's attempt to escape from his now-mandatory job assignment as a delivery boy ends when he is hired on at Planet Express, a small intergalactic package delivery company run by his distantly descended nephew. The series covers the adventures of Fry and his colleagues as they travel around the universe making deliveries on behalf of Planet Express.

The futuristic time frame allowed the show's writers to be creative with their humour by introducing ideas and events from pulp science fiction of the mid 20th century into the series. As such, the show is as much a testament to the creativity of the writers as it is a story of Fry and his colleagues.

Characters and plot

Futurama centers around seven main characters who work for Planet Express, as well as several secondary characters.
Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
From left to right: Leela, Amy, Professor Farnsworth, Fry, Dr. Zoidberg, Bender, and Hermes.
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From left to right: Leela, Amy, Professor Farnsworth, Fry, Dr. Zoidberg, Bender, and Hermes.

Characters

* Philip J. Fry ("Fry") (Voiced by Billy West) - was "accidentally" cryogenically frozen just after New Year, 2000, and thawed out in time to usher in the year 3000. Something of a misfit in the 20th century, he adapted to 31st century life with ease after finding employment outside the field of pizza delivery and taking up residence in Bender's closet at the Robot Arms apartment building. He generally has a lower intelligence than the rest but occasionally has moments of genius. Through a time travel accident, he is his own grandfather.
* Turanga Leela ("Leela") (Katey Sagal) - The ship's captain, and usually the most disciplined member of the Planet Express crew. For most of the series she believed she was an orphaned alien, and desired to learn of her origins. It was later revealed - in Season 4 - that she is a sewer mutant instead of an alien as previously believed.
* Professor Hubert Farnsworth (Billy West) - Fry's great-great-...-great grand-nephew who runs Planet Express. In his 160s, he peers through cokebottle glasses, has bad posture and frequently forgets who or what he was talking about. Farnsworth is a mad scientist whose inventions are of variable usefulness. Has a long-standing rivalry with former student Professor Wernstrom.
* Bender Bending Rodriguez ("Bender") (John DiMaggio) - a foul-mouthed, hard drinking, misanthropic robot (catchphrase: "Bite my shiny metal ass!") built in America's heartland of Mexico. He frequently violates the Three Laws of Robotics. The only thing he fears is an industrial-size electric can opener. He also is known to uncontrollably sing folk music when exposed to a magnetic field.
* Hermes Conrad (Phil LaMarr) - a Jamaican Bureaucrat with a flair for filing. He is also an Olympic Limbo-er. He manages Planet Express delivery business, and his responsibilities include paying bills, giving out legal waivers, and notifying next of kin. In direct contrast to most stereotypes of Jamaicans, he is an uptight workaholic, a stickler for doing everything according to regulations, and frequently admonishes the staff for not working hard enough. The character was originally named "Dexter" who did not sport a Jamaican accent; this was changed after the first few episodes were recorded.
* Dr. John Zoidberg (Billy West) - a lobster-like alien from planet Decapod 10 who (as a self-proclaimed expert on humans) provides incompetent medical care for the crew. He is strongly disliked by Hermes Conrad and lives below the poverty line. Zoidberg combines features of several sea creatures, scuttling sideways like a crab, producing ink like an octopus or squid, and creating pearls in his digestive tract like oysters. He is often treated as the outcast in the group. Zoidberg is curiously a joke on a few levels. A famous New England sauce is named Lobster Newberg, while Zoidberg himself also exhibits many of the stereotypes of Jewish doctors, including his grammar, his accent, and his sandals.
* Amy Wong (Lauren Tom) - an intern at Planet Express (supposedly kept around because she shares the professor's blood type) and heir to half of Mars. Her parents, who constantly pester her about the lack of grandchildren, came to own half the planet through a legitimate deal that parodied colonial exploitation of gullible natives. On the show, Amy is known for being somewhat shallow and ditzy, and for her overuse of futuristic 31st century slang. She also tends to dress provocatively, frequently being the person on screen wearing the least clothing. When aggravated, she occasionally starts cursing in Cantonese.

See also: Futurama's recurring characters.

Planet Express

Planet Express is a delivery company held by Professor Farnsworth to fund his "research" and "inventions". It is revealed later in the series that Farnsworth thought of the company as a form of cheap labour.

The Professor often makes passing references to the fact that many of his past crews have been brutally killed. The crew prior to Fry's arrival was said to have been devoured by a space wasp, although in the episode "The Sting", the crew is sent on the same mission that killed the last crew and finds the old Planet Express ship whose crew was killed by giant space bees while attempting to gather space honey.
Planet Express Ship
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Planet Express Ship

The Planet Express ship is helmed by Leela as captain and pilot, Bender as cook, and Fry as delivery boy. Amy and Dr. Zoidberg join the crew as needed. Hermes oversees operations and human resources in the company. The ship has an autopilot and a shipboard AI, which may be separate entities. Nearly every mission that the Professor gives to his crew is dangerous or quickly degenerates to a suicide mission.

Setting
Fry's first glimpse of New New York City after being defrosted.
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Fry's first glimpse of New New York City after being defrosted.

The world of Futurama is not a utopia but neither is it a dystopia. Unlike past cartoons like The Jetsons, which showed an efficient, clean, happy future, Futurama portrays a less idealistic view, with humans still dealing with many of the same basic problems of the 20th century. The show's vision of the future is very similar to the present in many ways: the same political figures and celebrities that we know today survive as heads in jars, a method invented by Ron Popeil; television remains the primary means of entertainment; the Internet is still slow and filled with pornography, and problems such as global warming, inflexible bureaucracy, and substance abuse are still pressing issues.

Race issues in 3000 are now centered around relations among humans, aliens, and robots. A common clash between the former two is alien immigration plaguing Earth. A specific issue on Earth is the large population of super-intelligent/super-incompetent robots (such as homeless robots and orphan children robots, like Tinny Tim); they are generally lazy and surly, and often unwilling to assist their human creators.

Despite this, Futurama's world also showcases numerous technological advantages that have been developed by the year 3000. Wheels used in transportation have been made obsolete by hover technology, to the point that 31st century characters do not know what a wheel is. Among the robots, spaceships, and floating buildings, Professor Farnsworth introduced many memorable new inventions such as the Smell-o-scope, the What-if Machine, and the Parabox. Less inspiring 31st century innovations include coin-operated Suicide Booths and Soylent Cola (The taste "varies from person to person").

Some of the show's humor comes from passing references to historical events of the past thousand years. For example, in the time that has passed owls have emerged as the primary urban pest, at the expense of rats and pigeons.

See also: Timeline of Futurama

Linguistics
Fry and Bender having a drink. The Slurm poster in the background features "Alien Language 1", which reads "drink" when translated.
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Fry and Bender having a drink. The Slurm poster in the background features "Alien Language 1", which reads "drink" when translated.

Futurama's universe also makes several bold predictions about the future of linguistics. In "A Clone of My Own" (and "Space Pilot 3000"), it is implied that French is now a dead language, and that the official language spoken by the French will then be English (interestingly, in the French version of the show, German is substituted as the 'dead language' rather than French).

English itself has also evolved from today; however, it still remains comprehensible. These changes include the disuse of the word Christmas in favor of Xmas (with the X pronounced) and the pronunciation of ask changing to aks, an indication that ebonics had long-lasting effect on the English language.

The show also often makes use of a pair of alien alphabets in background signage. The first is a simple one-to-one substitution cipher from the Latin alphabet, while the second uses a more complex modular addition code (officially an ancient alien language predating the universe). They often provide additional jokes for fans dedicated enough to decode the messages.

Galactic politics
Earth's flag, "Old Freebie", being presented on Freedom Day. Richard Nixon's head is just visible on the podium in front of the flag.
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Earth's flag, "Old Freebie", being presented on Freedom Day. Richard Nixon's head is just visible on the podium in front of the flag.

Numerous other galaxies have been colonized or have made contact by the year 3000. Much of the Milky Way galaxy now operates under the Earth government's sphere of influence, similar to America's influence on world politics today. Apparently, Earth is in the process of embarking on a long-term campaign to conquer and/or eliminate all other worlds/races not allied with it. This campaign is spearheaded by 25-star general Zapp Brannigan, a conceited, self-absorbed individual who makes regular appearances throughout the series.

Earth has a unified government under a single President of Earth. It seems that various sub-states may have prime ministers and similar leaders, much like the current American system of governors. This world government seems to be quite US-centric as Earth's capital is Washington, DC and the flag of Earth looks like the Flag of the United States, but with an image of the Earth (with the US visible) where the stars are today. Citizens of Earth are called Earthicans.

The organization of political parties in Futurama is similar to the American two-party system with a number of third parties. The two main parties are the Tastycrats and the Fingerlicans, whose names sound similar to the current American parties, the Democrats and Republicans.

Despite having been elected President of the United States of America twice, the head of Richard Nixon is elected President of Earth by exploiting the fact that his old body is not being elected, and Earthican law only stipulates that no body can be elected more than twice. Nixon buys Bender's robotic body from a pawnshop to serve as his new body. After the Planet Express crew manages to retrieve it, Nixon's head is mounted on a gargantuan, weaponized cyborg body, helping to sway the robot vote. At times, Nixon's head is carried by the Secretary of Transportation or the headless body of Spiro T. Agnew. At the end of Futurama's last episode, however, the Robot Devil drags Nixon's head back to Hell, so the status of his presidency is now in question.

Earth's national holiday appears to be "Freedom Day", which is traditionally celebrated by doing whatever one wants without regard to the consequences, as well as by dancing and chanting, "Freedom, freedom, freedom, oy!"

Mars has been terraformed to a great degree (it is now the home of many wealthy socialites), and is home to Mars University. The Western Hemisphere of the planet is currently owned by the Wongs, parents of Planet Express intern Amy Wong.

Earth's moon is still mostly unsettled, but houses an amusement park (heavily parodying Disney theme parks even to the motto: "The Happiest Place Orbiting Earth"), and is the sole tourist attraction. The rest of the moon is mostly uninhabited, with the exception of some farms. Citizens of the 31st century have lost all knowledge of the lunar landing, mistaking Ralph Kramden of The Honeymooners for a typical 20th century astronaut due to his common phrase, "One of these days, Alice. Bang! Zoom! Straight to the moon!".

See also List of planets in Futurama

DOOP and intergalactic relations

The Democratic Order of Planets (DOOP) was founded in 2945 after the Second Galactic War. This organization, described by Hermes as being "similar to the United Nations... or like the 'Federation' from your Star Trek program", includes Earth and many other worlds. Earth sometimes acts unilaterally without the aid of other DOOP members. The inhabitants of Omicron Persei 8 are frequently engaged in conflicts with DOOP.

Despite the existence of DOOP, interplanetary relations are poor, with constant wars and invasions, often poorly planned and fought for foolish and unnecessary reasons.

The series featured a bitter conflict between Earth and Spheron 1, a planet inhabited by giant, bouncing balls. A victorious war with the Arachnid homeworld of Tarantulon VI resulted in a silk surplus, which in turn led to a $300 tax refund from the head of Richard Nixon, the ruling President of Earth.

There is also at least one rogue colony of robots that kills humans on sight (this being Chapek 9, a reference to Karel �apek who coined the term robot). A planet named Arrakis exists, a tip-of-the-hat to Frank Herbert's Dune novels.

Since a matter of years after the Big Bang, an eternal war has been waged across space between the Nibblonians (Nibbler's race) and the Brainspawn (evil floating giant brains with telekinetic and telepathic powers). The war recently made its final end when the Nibblonians used Fry to sneak a bomb into the Brainspawn's main base that would seal them into a pocket dimension prison.

Religion
The logo of the First Amalgamated Church, featuring symbols of several present-day religions.
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The logo of the First Amalgamated Church, featuring symbols of several present-day religions.

Religion has changed quite a bit since the year 2000. Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism have all merged into one Amalgamated Church. There is some form of Space Catholicism, led by the reptilian Space Pope (Crocodylus pontifex) and based upon a platform of discouraging love between robots and humans. Oprahism and Voodoo are now mainstream religions. Waltermercadismo is also mentioned in the Latin American version.

Some of today's holidays still exist, but with slightly different mascots. Christmas, now X-mas, is no longer celebrated, but feared due to a giant robotic Santa Claus, who is located on Neptune. He was originally created and programmed by Mom's Friendly Robot Co. to judge people naughty or nice and distribute presents accordingly, but his standards were set so high that he invariably deems everybody naughty (except for Dr. Zoidberg), and attempts to punish them on Christmas Eve. Hanukkah is now represented by the Hanukkah Zombie and Kwanzaa by Kwanzaa-bot.

Robot religions exist as well, with the most popular being the quasi-Christian religion of Robotology, which has its Hell located in an abandoned New Jersey amusement park, presided over by the crafty Robot Devil. Robot Jews exist as well, although all we know about them is that they hold functions to celebrate a robot becoming a "Bot Mitzvah" and do not believe that Robot Jesus was their messiah.

Over the years, as life began to imitate Star Trek more and more, the sci-fi series evolved into an enormous mainstream religious cult that swept the world. This caused the "Star Trek Wars" (not to be confused with the "Star Wars Trek", the mass migration of Star Wars fans). The destruction because of the "Wars" ultimately led to its banning by the Earth Government and the execution of its followers "in the manner most befitting virgins", i.e., by being thrown into a volcano. By the year 3000 even discussing the show is a serious legal offense. (It is mentioned with no penalties, however, once by Hermes Conrad while describing the Democratic Order Of Planets, and again in the episode where the Planet Express crew uses the Internet.) There is little mention of what happened to The Next Generation and the other spinoffs, but the heads of Jonathan Frakes and Leonard Nimoy live on in glass jars. "Star Trek: The Pepsi Generation" does, however, get an Oscar nomination for best soft-drink product placement.

Production

Futurama takes its name from a General Motors exhibit at the 1939 New York World's Fair which depicted future technologies. Also demonstrated at that World's Fair was Philo Farnsworth's vacuum tube television; Professor Farnsworth is named after him.

Actors lending their voices to the series include Billy West, Katey Sagal, John DiMaggio, Maurice LaMarche, Lauren Tom, Phil LaMarr, and Tress MacNeille. Phil Hartman was cast as a voice actor on the series, but died before production began. Some believe Billy West performs the character of Zapp Brannigan in a Hartman-ish voice as a tribute to him (hence why Zapp looks so much like Hartman's Simpsons character, Troy McClure), but the DVD commentary reveals that West's version of Zapp's voice is actually unchanged from the way he did it originally in auditions. The character Philip J. Fry's first name was originally going to be Curtis. It was changed to Philip as a way to remember Hartman.

Celebrities who have lent their voices to the show include Dick Clark, Beck, Donovan, Al Gore, Stephen Hawking, Sigourney Weaver, Lucy Liu, Pamela Anderson, and the cast of Star Trek. (The episode featuring the Star Trek cast, "Where No Fan Has Gone Before", does not include DeForest Kelley, by that time deceased, or James Doohan, whose character was replaced by 'Welshy' in a parody of the Brady Bunch Variety Hour, where Jan was played by a different actress.)

The theme and incidental music for the show were composed by Christopher Tyng. The original theme song for the show was to be the 1960s electronic music recording "Psyche Rock" by Pierre Henry, but the inability to license the track for the show led Tyng to compose a theme strongly reminiscent of it. Three remixes of the theme song were produced and used as the main theme in three different episodes. This show is also one of the few animated series to use fully orchestrated original music in almost every episode.

Many of the spacecraft and backgrounds appearing in Futurama were made using 3D computer graphics. The scenes were first painted by hand and then implemented in 3D. This way, camera movements provided a perfect geometry of the environment and characters (for example, at the beginning of the series when the camera flies around the Planet Express building).

In response to the events of the September 11, 2001 attacks against the United States, the Fox Television Network and Futurama creator Matt Groening for a short time removed the scene in the show's opening in which the Planet Express ship crashes into a giant television screen. It was felt that this scene would be upsetting and disturbing to many viewers who had witnessed the head-on collision of an airplane into the World Trade Center in New York on live television. Within a month or so after the attacks, the scene was reinserted back into the opening.

In 2001, during the show's third season, it was quietly announced that Fox Television was cancelling production of the series. Writing for The Onion A.V. Club, Keith Phipps observes that

Futurama premiered in 1999 to hype and anticipation that seemed fitting for the first new series created by Matt Groening since The Simpsons. But even before the show reached the air, Groening was describing his Futurama-related dealings with the Fox network as the worst experience of his adult life. What happened next couldn't have made him feel much better. While Futurama struggled to connect to its audience, Fox first moved it to a new time slot, then constantly preempted it for sports broadcasts [...] In other words, Futurama contains something for everyone��xcept, it seems, grumpy Fox executives. [1]

While Futurama ended after its fifth broadcast season, there were actually only four production seasons. Due to numerous preemptions and other schedule shuffles, Fox had enough new episodes backlogged for another full year of shows. These delays account for the difference in Fox's broadcast season number and production season number. (Note: the production season forms the basis for the DVD and video sets.) The 72nd and final episode, called "The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings", aired in the USA on August 10, 2003. With this episode, the fifth television season (fourth production season) and the whole series ended. The episode was not a true series finale however, and though many plot issues were resolved in the last season, the final episode was in no way a clear "conclusion" to the series��he last line of dialogue, aptly enough, was "Don't stop playing, Fry... I want to see how it ends". At the title screen of this episode, though, the words "See You On Some Other Channel" were shown.

Several television stations are currently airing the series in syndication. In the United States, Futurama can be seen on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim, usually playing adjacent to another (once) cancelled series, Family Guy. In Britain, the series was picked up by Sky One shortly after its US premiere, and Channel 4 later acquired terrestrial broadcast rights.

Also, since Futurama's cancellation, Matt Groening's The Simpsons series has been making an increasing number of references to it. In the show, Matt Groening appears as himself (animated) and was introduced at a convention as the creator of the hit show Futurama. He then signs Bender dolls and draws a sketch of Fry for Milhouse. Also, in another episode of The Simpsons, a person jumps off a cliff, screaming "Why did they cancel Futurama?". In the episode "Bart vs. Lisa vs. the Third Grade", Bender appears in a dream of Bart's. And, in the episode "Future-Drama", Bart and Lisa explore their teenage years with the help of Professor Frink. During this sequence, Homer and Bart drive through a "tunnel" where they shift dimensions temporarily. When they exit, Bender is in the car with them, and he says, "All right! You guys are my new best friends!" Homer then says, "You wish, loser!" and throws him out of the back of the hover-car, breaking him. Also, in a different episode, Bender can be seen as a person answering telethon calls on PBS (About the fake cancellation of The Simpsons).

Similarly, Futurama references The Simpsons. In an early episode of Futurama, the crew are sent to destroy a huge ball of garbage in space by placing a bomb on it. Bender finds a Bart Simpson doll which says "Eat my shorts" when its string is pulled. Bender eats the shorts, then says "mmmm... shorts".

Even though there were no official words on the revival of the show, there have been rumors of it since the news broke that Family Guy was being revived. On May 22 2005, the Can't Get Enough Futurama web site carried the following unofficial post, attributed to Billy West's discussion board:

Well, I spoke to David X. Cohen [...] and he said that they did have talks with the top guys at FOX and they were extremely impressed with the sales of the Futurama DVDs. The idea was to make a Futurama movie right to DVD and then a 2nd and a 3rd [...]

As of July 18, 2005, Billy West seems to have confirmed a 'straight to DVD' Futurama movie on a video blog, however this is yet to be officially confirmed by either Matt Groening or Fox.

Non-broadcast production
Issue 1 of the US Comics, "Monkey See, Monkey Doom!". The comic is A5 size.
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Issue 1 of the US Comics, "Monkey See, Monkey Doom!". The comic is A5 size.

In the USA (DVD Region 1), the first season of Futurama was released on DVD on March 25, 2003; the second season on August 12, 2003; the third season on March 9, 2004; and the fourth (and final) on August 24, 2004.

In Europe (DVD Region 2), the first and second seasons were both released in 2002; the third season was released on June 2, 2003; and the fourth on November 24th, 2003. The DVDs were released in Europe first as a test to see if they would sell, and sales were very good on both sides of the Atlantic. Despite the different release dates, the content of the DVDs are identical for both Regions.

Unique Development Studios released a video game titled Futurama for the Xbox and PlayStation 2 consoles in August 2003. Critical reviews indicate poor play control and graphic quality, but an excellent story and voice acting. Due to an extremely low run, the video game is scarce and generally sells for more than most games that are just being released.

Matt Groening's Bongo Comics group is still producing a spin-off series of Futurama Comics. These are now the only new stories featuring the Futurama characters. There are two sets of comics available, the US series and UK series.

The US series was first published in 2000 and so far consists of 20 issues plus 2 2-parter crossovers with The Simpsons. The comics are A5-size and now published 4 times a year. The next issue is due in September 2005.

The UK series was first published in 2002 and so far consists of 17 issues, incorporating the Simpsons crossovers. The comics are of a larger size in the UK and although the stories are exactly the same as the US comics, they are published in a different order. See Futurama Comics for more details.

Season details and references

* Futurama season 1 details
* Futurama season 2 details
* Futurama season 3 details
* Futurama season 4 details
* Futurama season 5 details

Note: Originally, there were four production seasons (the DVD releases are based on this original sequence of episodes), but the FOX network broadcast most episodes out of order, and split them into five seasons.

Credits gags

Opening credits

At the start of each episode, just as the "Futurama" logo appears on the screen, a caption appears on the bottom of the screen, different in every episode. Some captions include "Coming Soon to an Illegal DVD", "Dancing Space Potatoes? You Bet!", and "Crafted With Wuv (By Monsters)". Occasionally, an advert is displayed instead.

A Planet Express Ship then flies through the text, and around a futuristic city. During the final shot of the opening credits, a billboard screen appears in view, upon which the executive producer credits appear. Just before they do, a clip from a classic public domain cartoon is shown on the screen. A number of classic cartoon stars have been featured on the billboard, including Koko the Clown, Betty Boop, Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, Little Lulu, Felix the Cat, and Bosko [2]. During the last episode, "The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings", the billboard shows the Futurama opening credits, implying a visual infinite regression.

Closing credits: "30th Century Fox"
30th Century Fox logo
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30th Century Fox logo

"30th Century Fox" is a variation of the "20th Century Fox" closing logo listed in the end credits. Fox initially rejected the idea of show creator Matt Groening, who sponsored the design of the logo by himself. Later, it became popular, with Fox embracing and taking some credit for it.

The episode "That's Lobstertainment!" reveals that 30th Century Fox is a television and film studio within the Futurama universe. The studio building is shaped like the logo. The floodlights surrounding it are used to blind pilots so they crash, producing exciting documentary footage.

See also

* References to Star Trek in Futurama
* Futurama Comics
* Blernsball

External links
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations by or about:
Futurama

* Futurama at the Internet Movie Database
* IGN DVD Exclusive - Futurama Direct-to-Video Greenlit
* TV.com's Futurama page.
* Review of the first DVD release from The Onion A.V. Club.
* Futurama at the Big Cartoon DataBase.
* Scripts of Episodes for Futurama

Fan sites

* Can't get enough Futurama fansite. Probably the most extensive coverage of any new Futurama information, as well as the home of fan-contributed semi-open source episode capsules and guides.
* Soylent Forums, messageboard which also provides Mystery Science Theater 3000 and Sealab 2021 discussion.
* PEEL - The Planet Express Employee Lounge. A popular Futurama messageboard.
* Simpsons Cards - Futurama greeting cards.
* Episode List, sortable and with episode rankings.
* Futurama Madhouse, oldest active fansite (formerly The Leela Zone).
* The Futurama Point, the second-oldest Futurama fansite.
* The Fry Hole, A Fry fansite, with a large amount of Futurama content as well.
* The Neutral Planet: Futurama In Words, with transcripts for most episodes.
* Demonstration of the Hypnotoad's powers.
* Futurama �k ��Mathematics in the Year 3000.
* Futurama title cards: Every Futurama title card ever to be shown.
* Bring Back Futurama Website with a petition to bring Futurama back.
* Anime style Futurama picture at deviantART

Goof Troop

2005-08-31T08:32:00.000-07:00

Goof Troop was an animated television series created and produced by Walt Disney Television Animation from 1992 until 1993. It was a suburban-family sitcom in which the central families happen to be those of the classic Disney cartoon characters Goofy and Black Pete. The character voices in the series were provided by Bill Farmer (Goofy), Dana Hill (Max), Rob Paulsen (P.J.), Jim Cummings (Pete), April Winchell (Peg), Nancy Cartwright (Pistol) and Frank Welker (Waffles The Cat & Chainsaw The Dog).

About the series

Premise

The idea for the series could have possibly been derived from several early-1950s Goofy theatrical cartoon shorts which depicted the Goof as a father to a mischevious red-haired son. Likewise, the subject of Goofy's wife came up very rarely.

In the series, Goofy now a widower moves back to his hometown of Spoonerville with his 11-year-old son Max. As it happens Goofy and Max move next door to Goofy's high school friends: Pete, a used car salesman and owner of Honest Pete's Used Cars; Pete's wife Peg, a real estate agent; and their two children, 11 year old son P.J. (Pete, Jr.) and 5 year old daughter Pistol. Max and P.J. become the best of friends and do practically everything together. A large portion of humor comes from the relatively normal Max's personality sharply contrasting with his father's.

Broadcast history and feature films

The series originally aired as part of the Disney Afternoon block of syndicated animated television shows during the 1992-1993 broadcast season. Following its cancellation, reruns aired on The Disney Channel and later on sister cable channel Toon Disney. Reruns were shown on Toon Disney until Januray 2005, when Dave the Barbarian came to the network.

Goof Troop was adapted into the feature film A Goofy Movie (1995) and its direct-to-video sequel, An Extremely Goofy Movie (2000), which take place a few years after the television show. The two films featured Bill Farmer, Rob Paulsen and Jim Cummings reprising their character roles from the Goof Troop television series in these two movies, with Jason Marsden providing the voice of Max. Sadly, actress Dana Hill, who provided the voice of Max, suddenly passed away on July 15, 1996, after suffering a massive stroke related to her diabetes.

No DVD release of Goof Troop is currently planned, although an episode of the series, "Calling All Goofs", is included on the Region 1 DVD release of A Goofy Movie.

Related topics

* Quack Pack (an attempt to do for Donald Duck what Goof Troop did for Goofy)

External links

* Goof Troop at the Internet Movie Database

Bonkers

2005-08-31T08:26:00.000-07:00

Bonkers was an animated television series that aired from 1993 to 1995 on The Disney Channel, produced by Walt Disney Television.

Originally conceived as an animated version of the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, the show was forced to create original characters due to copyright issues. Still, the idea of a world where "toons" and humans co-exist, and the personalities of the two main characters were maintained. Unlike the film that inspired it, however, Bonkers was entirely animated and featured no live action.

The premise of the series was that Bonkers D. Bobcat, a popular toon movie star (he appeared in shorts in the Disney Raw Toonage series) had decided to retire from show business and become a cop. Unfortunately, he was made the junior partner of Detective Lucky Piquel, a grim and ill-tempered human who hates toons. Throughout the series, the pair work together to solve crimes in the Hollywood, California region. Bonkers repeatedly tried to win Piquel's praise, but usually just ended up messing things up with his antics.

After several years of working with Bonkers, Piquel was given an FBI job in Washington, DC, and with great glee was finally able to leave Bonkers, but finally realized that after all the times he hated Bonkers, he took a liking to him at the end of the "Lucky" episodes. Bonkers was given a new partner, the attractive Sergeant Miranda Wright, who although also human, was far more patient and tolerant of his antics than was Piquel.

The series played 65 episodes, as part of The Disney Afternoon. They were not created in chronological order: The "Miranda" episodes were actually produced first, excluding the two-part series premiere, which featured Piquel and Bonkers meeting for the first time. This discrepency becomes evident when observing the look of the main character in both sets of episodes. In the Raw Toonage shorts, Bonkers was orange with one brown spot, golf-club-like ears, and an undone tail. When the Lucky Piquel episodes (produced by Robert Taylor) were made, the character had a major overhaul: skinnier ears, two black spots on each his tufts, black Tigger-like stripes on his tail, and a different uniform. The Miranda Wright-era episodes (produced by Duane Capizzi) use Bonkers's original look from Raw Toonage. The series also occasionally featured episodes of "cartoons" from Bonkers's pre-police actor days, all lifted from the Raw Toonage series.

It was last seen on Toon Disney, but due to bad scheduling and the addition of JETIX, it has vanished completely off the network. Along with a number of other shows it was removed from schedules in November 2004 and has not been seen since. It is unknown if it will ever return, and Disney currently has no plans to release the series on a DVD set.

Characters

* Bonkers D. Bobcat - The toon cop.
* Lucky Piquel - Bonkers's partner from the "Lucky Episodes".
* Miranda Wright - Bonkers's partner from the "Miranda Episodes".
* Chief Leonard Kanifky - the absent-minded Chief of Police.
* Sergeant Francis Q. Grating - boss of Bonkers and Miranda.
* Fall-Apart Rabbit - Bonkers's clumsy friend, appearing only in the "Lucky Episodes."
* Toots - Bonkers's pet horn.
* Fawn Deer - Bonkers's girlfriend. (Also appeared in Raw Toonage).
* Jitters A. Dog - was Bonkers's sidekick in Raw Toonage, now Bonkers's "best friend", though Jitters himself would disagree.
* Grumbles Grizzly - was Bonkers's boss in Raw Toonage, appears occasionally in Bonkers.
* The Collector - the villain from the pilot episode ("Going Bonkers"), and therefore, the first criminal Bonkers encounters.
* Mr. Doodles - The Collector's evil henchman.
* Al Vermin - Bonkers's arch-nemesis from the Miranda-era.
* Lilith DuPrave and Flaps the Elephant - two more Miranda-era villains.

Many Disney characters created prior to the show made cameo, and sometimes unseen, appearances, including Goofy, Donald Duck, Darkwing Duck, Mickey Mouse, Dumbo, Marsupilami and Ludwig Von Drake.
Start screen of the Bonkers video game for SNES

Video games

Three Bonkers-themed video games were produced, one for the Super Nintendo, one for the Sega Genesis, and one for the Sega Game Gear.

* Bonkers (Sega Genesis), released December 15, 1994. Bonkers is on his first case alone, and must retrieve the Toontown treasure of the Sorcerer's Hat (from Fantasia), the Mermaid's Voice (The Little Mermaid), and the Magic Lamp (Aladdin).
* Bonkers (SNES), released October 1, 1995.
* Bonkers Wax Up! for the Sega Game Gear and its home console parent, the Sega Master System.

External links

* Bonkers episode guide
* Bonkers at the Internet Movie Database

Beavis and Butthead

2005-08-31T08:23:00.000-07:00

Beavis and Butt-head was an animated comedy show that aired on the U.S. TV station MTV from 1993 to 1997, and is a spin-off of MTV's animation showcase Liquid Television. It was created by Mike Judge, who later went on to write and produce the TV series King of the Hill and the live action movie Office Space. The show highly influenced the vocabulary of 1990s American youth.
Contents

The TV series

Beavis and Butt-head started life as an animated short created by Judge for the Spike and Mike's Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation. This short, named "Frog Baseball" was aired on MTV's independent animation showcase Liquid Television, which was presumably the catalyst for MTV's interest in pursuing a TV series featuring the characters.

An episode of the show typically consists of Beavis and Butt-head making candid commentary while watching music videos. Between the videos, stories are advanced involving the duo's adventures in troublemaking both at home and at school. Beavis and Butt-head's lifestyles revolve around music videos, nachos, Slurpees, and shopping malls. The two were perpetually wearing an AC/DC shirt and a Metallica shirt. (These were change to shirts saying "Skull" and "Death Rock" on some merchandising items, possibly due to copyright reasons.)

Butt-head seems calmer and marginally more intelligent than Beavis, the latter being prone to bouts of hyperactive lunacy (especially in the form of his alter-ego, Cornholio). Butt-head is usually oblivious to subtleties, while Beavis is somewhat oblivious to the obvious.

The sneering, mindless duo introduced a plethora of slang insults and terms into the lexicon of American teens, including "buttmunch", "fartknocker", "bunghole", "cornhole" and "spank the monkey". Early episodes gave the duo a juvenile obsession with fire and dangerous, risky behavior. The show was blamed for numerous child deaths as the result of fire and dangerous stunts, and the references were excised from further broadcastings, being replaced to some extent with simply silly stunts, bad pick-up lines, et cetera. References to fire were often cut from earlier episodes in reruns. Other episodes were filled with pyromaniacal, risky behavior to the point of being uneditable, and MTV opted simply not to air them. Jabs at the controversy were made in subsequent episodes. In one episode, Beavis begins chanting "liar liar", and cuts it off, saying it as "liar liar pants on...heh...woah!" Another episode features Beavis shouting "water" in the same manner he would shout fire. Episodes with the original content are now only available on home-made tapes. MTV also responded by broadcasting the program after 11:00 PM, and adding a disclaimer reminding viewers that:

"Beavis and Butt-head are not role models. They're not even human, they're cartoons. The things they do could cause a person to get hurt, expelled, arrested... possibly deported. To put it another way, don't try this at home."

The message was read by a man with a faint southern United States accent, while the text of the message scrolled up the screen. The text was yellow and written in using a font similar to the main title. The disclaimer was also accompanied by banjo music. While never specifically stated, it is generally accepted that the disclaimer was meant to be light hearted.

Beavis and Butt-head, along with other mainstream cartoons such as Ren and Stimpy and The Simpsons, pushed the boundaries of American cartoons away from clean material for small children. They were famously lambasted by Democratic senator Fritz Hollings as "Buffcoat and Beaver." Critics, though split upon the cultural merits of the cartoon, often compared the dialogue to that of Samuel Beckett. While some might say they were crude, the show often offered succinct social commentary. Beavis and Butt-head have been compared to idiot savants due to their creative observations of music videos. This part of the show was mostly improvised by Mike Judge (who performed both characters simultaneously) and is considered the show's highlight. With regard to criticisms of Beavis and Butt-head as "idiots", Judge has responded that a show about straight-A students and do-gooders just would not be funny.

Recurring themes

The series has a number of recurring elements as far as stories go. Perhaps one of, if not the most persistent element is the constant torment and chaos the dimwitted duo visit upon their semi-senile, near-sighted neighbor, Tom Anderson. This typically takes the form of the two being hired by Anderson to do odd jobs, or the theft and destruction of his property. Despite how often they interact, Anderson rarely ever seeks retribution, as his bad eyesight and absent-mindedness often make it easy for the duo to claim that someone else did whatver he accuses them of. A typical Anderson encounter begins with his familiar line, "Say, you boys look kinda familiar....aren't you the ones (insert various misdeed here)." To which the two often reply "Uh, no, that was like, other kids." Or something along those lines.

Other common story elements involve the two causing havoc at their place of employment, Burger World, which is a parody of typical fast food outlets. They spend little time working, and when they try to work, they are often too incompetent to even take a customer's order.

The other most common situation involves the two being at school and causing trouble there. They are usually pitted against their teachers and other school officials, with the most well known and recurring ones being Mr. Van Driessen, Coach Buzzcut, and Principal McVicker, whom they occasionally refer to as "McDicker."

One of their most common goals in life is to "score" with chicks, which often results in them attempting to pick up girls. To this day, neither of them has had any success.

Characters

The series has featured many recurring characters, most of whom appeared in minor roles in the early days and whom were not initially given names. Also listed are a number of popular and memorable one-shot characters. It should be noted that some of these characters will be listed as only descriptions, as many characters are never given names.

* Tom Anderson. The near-sighted, scatter-brained elderly neighbor of Beavis and Butt-head. Of all the residents of Highland, Tom Anderson has perhaps suffered more from the antics of the dimwitted duo than anyone else. Most often, he hires them to do odd jobs, which usually results in them destroying his yard, home, or personal belongings. Due to his poor eyesight and mild senility, he never recognizes the two when they return for more chaos.

* David Van Driessen. A teacher at Highland High school, and arguably the only person who cares about Beavis and Butt-Head. Van Driessen is a hippie-like teacher with a forgiving nature and gentle demeanor. While his attempts to teach Beavis and Butt-Head useful life lessons often end in disaster, he is not nearly as victimized as some of the other residents of the town. What exactly he is a teacher of is unclear, as he has been shown teaching classes on Biology, Art, Animation, Economics, Health, History, Literature, etc.

* Mr. Buzzcut. The loud-mouthed, angry, and somewhat antisocial gym teacher is a former marine, and, with the exception of Principal McVicker, hates the duo more than any other character. He is often charged with administering discipline to the two, as well as dealing with their antics in his classes.

* Principal McVicker. The Principal of Highland High is, arguably, Beavis and Butt-Head's arch-enemy. The two have unintentionally ruined his life, and have driven him so far to the edge of sanity that he has a drawer of stress medication, drinks while at school, and occasionally wets his pants. Many episodes begin with Beavis and Butt-head in his office, as he is forced to deal with yet another misdeed of their making.

* Todd. Todd is a white-trash thug who leads a local street gang. He is rude, arrogant, and violent. Because of this, Beavis and Butt-Head look up to him, and aspire to be members of his gang some day. Todd despises the two and tends to take advantage of them when he needs something, such as money or a place to hide from other gangs or the police.

* Todd's Gang. Todd's gang is never given a name, and consists of largely nondescript metalheads. None of them are ever named, and none of them have dialogue. While Todd continued to appear regularly, the gang was largely forgotten in the later seasons of the show.

* Todd's Girlfriend. Todd's girlfriend has appeared two or three times, and is never named. She works in a beauty salon and has an 80's metalhead appearance.

* Stewart Stevenson. A nerdy, short, fat kid who looks up to Beavis and Butt-head, and thinks they are his best friends. He often tries to hang out with them, much to the chagrin of the duo. Stewart's father thinks Beavis and Butt-head are a bad influence on him.

* Mr. Stevenson. Father of Stewart. Mr. Stevenson was, at one point, a teacher at Highland High, but eventually he was no longer depicted in this position. Whether he quit teaching or not was never addressed. He mostly hates Beavis and Butt-head, but is friendly to them on occasion. His love of pornography provides Beavis and Butthead with most of their access to naked women.

* Mrs. Stevenson. Stewart's Mother. Mrs. Stevenson is depicted as something of an airhead, and usually likes Beavis and Butt-head, being somewhat oblivious to their antics. She has a thick Wisconsin or Minnesota accent.

* Billy Bob. Billy Bob was an earlier recurring character who stopped appearing in the later seasons. Depicted as an obese redneck, Billy Bob does not wear clothes for some reason, and is often shown in only a cowboy hat and briefs. He often smokes a cigar.

* Daria Morgendorfer. Daria is vaguely alt-rockerish, nerdy girl. Along with Anderson, the teachers, and Stewart, she is one of the show's oldest recurring characters. She holds Beavis and Butt-head in disdain for their stupidity and sexist attitudes, but she also seems to feel some pity for them and offers her help and advice every now and then. She eventually went on to star in her own spinoff series, Daria.

* Burger World Manager. Beavis and Butt-head's boss, the manager of Burger World, is never given a proper name. The duo refer to him as "That Manager dude." He shows considerably more patience with the two than some of the other characters, but he often gets tired of their incompotence and goofing off on the job.

* Madame Blavatsky. A one-shot character, Madame Blavatsky was a sham fortune teller who spoke in a faux Romanian accent. She attempted to tell Butt-Head's future once, only to have Beavis seize her crystal ball and give predictions of a war, which turned out to be the reflection of a news broadcast from the T.V. behind him. Her character is based on the real person of Russian origin, Elena Blavatsky.

* Rabid Ron. A local radio host whose show was ruined after Beavis and Butt-head won a guest DJ spot and humiliated him on the air. He went on to do another show where he imitated the two.

* Mr. Manners/Mr. Candy. Mr. Manners was an educational speaker who came to Highland High to teach the kids proper manners. During his instructional session, Beavis and Butt-head clashed with him, resulting in a fight between him and Mr. Van Driessen. Due to Beavis' allegations that he attacked him, he was unable to find another job for six months. He eventually returned as Mr. Candy, promoting a candy-bar-selling drive for the school.

* Earle. A local loser and student of Highland High, Earle appeared in an episode where Beavis and Butt-head thought he was going to kill them. Earle carried a gun with him at all times until that episode, when Mr. Van Driessen took the gun away. After having his gun taken away, Earle began crying.

* Hiro. A Japanese exchange student who befriended Beavis and Butt-head. The two of them turned him into an irresponsible metalhead.

* Lolita and Tanqeray. Two girls who were roughly the female equivalents of Beavis and Butt-head. They would occasionally take advantage of the duo's attraction to them and ask for things, such as help sneaking in to movies.

* President Bill Clinton. President Clinton appeared in an hour -long episode, as well as the movie. Both times, he met Beavis and Butt-head and befriended them.

* Peter Small. A TV fitness host who was an obvious parody of celebrity bodybuilders, in particular Tony Little. Beavis and Butt-head attempted to order his weight gain formula and emulate him, thinking that if they were like him they would get chicks.

* Fat redneck woman. This woman has never been named, but appeared a number of times, most notably in an episode where Beavis and Butt-head dial a phone-sex hotline. The obvious joke was that the two thought they were talking to a hot chick, but were in reality speaking with an ill-mannered obese slob.

* Mrs. Dickie. One of the few female teachers at Highland, Mrs. Dickie was a sporadically recurring character. Her appearances decreased as the show moved in to its later seasons.

* PATSIES. The group called PATSIES, aka Positive Acting Teens, have been featured in a number of episodes, and consist of goody-goody honor-student caricatures. The two most prominent members are essentially good versions of Beavis and Butt-head.

Locations

There are several prime locations features in the series.

* Beavis and Butt-head's living room. Much of the action, and all of the video segments, take place or begin here, with the two sitting on the couch, watching T.V. It is often here that they devise their schemes.

* Highland High School. Probably the most visited location in the series. The school is a typical high school, which is alternately portrayed as run down, but occasionally having more upscale features, such as a very large weight room, an animation class, a fairly sophisticated media center, and a very large indoor swimming pool. Most of the action at high takes place in the classrooms themselves, which all look pretty much the same.

* Burger World. The fast food restaraunt where the two stars work is often the site of on the job pranks and chaos due to simple incompetence. It is often portrayed as either vacant, with customers avoiding the headache of dealing with the staff, or as hopelessly crowded, due to Beavis and Butt-head's inability to carry out even the simplest orders.

* Tom Anderson's house. Anderson's house is continually vandalized and destroyed by the two. It is a typical upper middle class suburban home, but the property value must be rather low considering how much devastation occurs there.

* Maxi Mart. An obvious parody of 7-11 and similar outlets. The duo typically spend their time here buying Nachos, junk food, trying to pick up on chicks, or breaking stuff outside.

* Open field. A grassy field backdropped by a large water tower is where Beavis & Butthead can be found carrying out destructive experiments or setting things on fire.

Holiday Specials

At least two holiday specials were produced. A Halloween special, and a Christmas special. The Halloween special involved the two attempting to trick or treat, with incredibly mixed results, as well as memorably ridiculous costumes. The Christmas special consists of two segments that parodied popular Christmas stories. The first was a parody of A Christmas Carol, featuring Beavis and Ebeneezer Scrooge, and the second was a send up of It's A Wonderful Life, with the angel Charlie trying to convince Butt-head to kill himself for the good of all mankind. The special also contained short segments where Butt-head dressed as Santa, read letters from viewers, while Beavis was dressed as a reindeer. It is unknown if the letters were real or simply written for the special. Neither of these specials contained music videos.

Music Videos

One of the most well-known aspects of the series was the inclusion of the music videos, which occured between animated segments. The duo would watch the videos and make humorous observations about them, or simply engage in bizarre, nonsensical dialogue. Many well known and popular alternative artists were featured on the show, including:

* Bjork
* Blind Melon
* Boy George
* Death
* Donald Fagen
* Dr. Dre
* Faith No More
* Gwar
* Huey Lewis and the News
* Iggy Pop
* KMFDM
* Korn
* Marilyn Manson
* MC 900 Ft. Jesus
* Men Without Hats
* Metallica
* Ministry
* Morbid Angel
* My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult
* Nine Inch Nails
* Nirvana
* Nitzer Ebb
* Pantera
* Peter Gabriel
* Prince
* Red Hot Chili Peppers
* Revolting Cocks
* Soundgarden
* Stone Temple Pilots
* The Dead Milkmen
* The Ramones
* Tori Amos
* Van Halen
* Ween
* White Zombie

...and many more. Even bands the duo seemingly liked were rarely spared from their cutting observations. Nirvana's Kurt Cobain is said to have been ecstatic at having the video for Smells Like Teen Spirit praised by Beavis and Butthead and deemed it a great compliment. The ultimate put-down by the duo was to simply look at each other, then switch the channel without saying a word. Only Vanilla Ice and Milli Vanilli met this fate.

Beavis and Butt-head: The Movie

A full-length animated movie, Beavis and Butt-head Do America, was released in 1996. The movie features the voices of Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, David Letterman, Cloris Leachman, Robert Stack and Eric Bogosian. The film's plot follows the duo in a journey to retrieve their stolen television set: Beavis and Butt-head travel across the land and become involved in a biological weapon smuggling scheme that they remain completely unaware of throughout the entire film. Their journey takes them to Washington, D.C. where they meet President Clinton (voiced by Dale Reeves).

Beavis and Butt-head's parents are never seen, except for a small part during the movie, where Beavis and Butt-head run into two older look-alikes who then tell of how they "scored" with "sluts" in Beavis and Butt-head's hometown, Highland. The film implies that these men are, in fact, Beavis and Butt-head's biological fathers.

The CD

A CD appeared, named The Beavis & Butt-Head Experience featuring many hard rock and heavy metal bands, such as Megadeth and Nirvana as well, in which the duo comments on the tracks. Moreover, they did a duet with Cher on "I Got You Babe" and a track by themselves named "Come To Butt-head".

Other Appearances

* Beavis and Butt-head have also appeared in a comic book series released by Marvel Comics, and many video games, like Virtual Stupidity, Bunghole in One and Beavis and Butt-head Do U.
* In the film Airheads, when the DJ is taking radio call-ins, Beavis and Butt-head call in. Mike Judge supplied the voices himself for the movie.
* In the first Austin Powers film, when Dr. Evil has problems working the remote to the United Nations, he inadvertently switches the channel to Beavis and Butt-head.

Spinoffs

A spinoff show based on their maligned classmate Daria Morgendorffer, Daria, was also created. Mike Judge was not credited as a producer of this series; the Daria character had been created for Beavis and Butt-head by Glenn Eichler, who became a producer for Daria. In the first episode of Daria, Daria and her family move from Beavis and Butt-head's hometown of Highland to Lawndale; consequently, none of the other characters from Beavis and Butt-head ever appear on Daria other than Daria herself.

On the Adult Swim sketch show Robot Chicken, a featured parody of the Cartoon Network animated series Teen Titans has Beavis and Butt-head joining the team. Their usual attitude lands them and the team in trouble. They are chauvanistic to Starfire and insult Raven's seemingly gothic nature. They also sing the theme song from the Batman television series when Robin is around. Mike Judge did not voice the duo in this parody.

They also appeared in an episode of Celebrity Deathmatch, where they fought each other. They were animated with clay. Beavis won the match, but lost both of his arms in the process. Their voices were performed by Mike Judge.

On the MTV Video Music Awards on August 28th, 2005, They appeared in a couple of Viewers Choice award skits, saying for to "Vote to put Beavis and Butt-head back on MTV!" This may be a sign that the show is coming back soon.

Video and DVD

All VHS collections of episodes are out of print, but have been collected as part of a Time-Life set. A DVD collection of episodes that have never been released on VHS is rumored to be in production. It is also rumored that the reason the series has not been released by season in boxed sets yet is that there has been some difficulty in acquiring music rights for the videos. On November 8, MTV and Paramount Home Video will release "The Best of Beavis and Butt-Head Volume One: The Mike Judge Collection". The DVD will include approximately eleven music videos.

Origins?

It is a popular myth at the University of California, San Diego that the appearances of Beavis and Butt-head were modelled on faculty at its Department of Physics. Their real-life models are said to be David Kleinfeld and James Branson respectively.

See also

* List of Beavis and Butt-head episodes
* List of characters in Beavis and Butt-head
* List of Musicians Appearing on Beavis and Butt-head
* King of the Hill -- the next animated television series created by Mike Judge.

External links

* Beavis and Butt-head at the Internet Movie Database
* Beavis and Butt-head Do America at the Internet Movie Database
* Beavis and Butthead Central, a fan site with downloads
* Beavis and Butt-head at the Big Cartoon DataBase
* Beavis and Butthead's world, a fan site
* Beavis-and-Butthead.de, German fan site with forum, downloads and much more stuff
* Beavis and Butthead -- fan site with forum, videos, downloads and more.
* [1] -- news on the upcoming Beavis and Butt-Head DVD release