Prime Time Animation Celebration: The Oblongs

 

This week on Prime Time Animation Celebration: we examine the 2001 WB series The Oblongs.

The Oblongs are a family of mutated humans who live in a poor valley downstream from a wealthy area know as The Hills, which have polluted the valley citizens to the point of extreme deformity.

But it's a comedy!

The father (Will Ferrel) has no arms or legs, the mother (Jean Smart) is a former Hills resident who married into the valley community and lost her hair due to the fallout, and their three children also have severe deformities. Despite all this, they love each other and carry on as best they can in humorous fashion.

The Oblongs is sure to give viewers a double take with its grotesque characters and setting, but the humor still shines through. However, it failed to find an audience with viewers and lasted only a month before being pulled from WB's schedule. All 13 episodes eventually aired on Adult Swim and were released on DVD.

You can check out the entire run of The Oblongs for yourself at the Internet Archive here or embedded below. Thanks!

Prime Time Animation Celebration: Clerks: The Animated Series

 

In the next stop in my Prime Time Animation Celebration, we arrive at the very short-lived Clerks: The Animated Series!

Anyone familiar with Kevin Smith and his work are well acquainted with his 1994 debut film Clerks, featuring convenience store attendant Dante and his scheming video store friend Randall and their misadventures in retail, often crossing paths with slackers Jay and Silent Bob. Their stories take an even crazier turn in this cartoon series, with outlandish storylines and fantastical elements not explored in their live action films.

Despite having a lot of buzz during its production and a teaser that aired during ABC's broadcast of the Super Bowl that year, the show hit several snags, including a leadership change at ABC with executives who didn't request or understand the show and continuously pushed-back debut dates. The series finally debuted May 31, 2000--the very same night that rival CBS's megahit Survivor debuted. Although six episodes were produced, the series was canceled by ABC after only two episodes--two episodes, mind you, that aired out of sequence and therefore made no sense in continuity! All episodes were lated released on DVD however, and the series has an honored place in my DVD collection.

Here are some short clips showcasing the quirky humor of the series. Thanks!

Prime Time Animation Celebration: Mission Hill

 

After an unfortunate delay of two weeks (sorry about that), Prime Time Animation Celebration returns with a look at the short-lived but well-received series Mission Hill.

The series is about the 20-something life of Andy Finch, an aspiring cartoonist who lives in a loft with his laidback buddy Jim, Andy's high strung, nerdy younger brother Kevin, and platonic female friend Posey. Together, they navigate the trials of young adult life at the turn of the 21st century. Thirteen episodes were produced, but only 6 actually aired on its original network, The WB. All 13 episodes would later air on Adult Swim.

Despite its short stint on TV, the series has still built a loyal following, and after watching the first episode for the first time for this article, I can see why. I laughed out loud several times during the episode, and I will make a point to view all 13 in the near future. After years of hearing good things about the series, I'm happy I finally tried it!

You can watch the first two episodes embedded below.

You can catch more episodes courtesy of the YouTube playlist embedded below or directly on YouTube here.

Enjoy!