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95-520: The Angry Beavers is an American animated sitcom created by Mitch Schauer for Nickelodeon . The series revolves around the zany hijinks of Norbert and Daggett Beaver, two young beaver brothers who have moved out of their parents' home to become bachelors in the forest near the fictional Wayouttatown, Oregon . The series premiered in the United States on April 19, 1997, and ended its initial run on November 11, 2003. 4 episodes would not premiere in

190-509: A "few cult hits and flops in the '90s", with almost nothing in the 2000s and more in the 2010s. Some critics called Duckman , based on a comic of the same, a "Simpsons-inspired sitcom" which had a pilot in 1991 and premiered in 1994 on the USA Network as part of the "network's Saturday night programming." The show features humans, animals, and hybrids of both intermingling, with "every design intentionally exaggerated and distorted", looking like

285-411: A "force for adult animation." In 1999, Family Guy debuted on Fox . The series was cancelled twice in the first three years, but became one of the network's longest-running series. It would later be praised for its humor, "cynical commentary, and sci-fi adventures" while having a sincere but tragic and real relationship between Brian and Pearl Burton. Beavis and Butt-Head , which began airing in

380-532: A "surprise hit with adult audiences." Even though some argued that The Flintstones later influenced The Simpsons , other scholars said that although the show caused a boom in primetime animation and "subverted conventional TV", the result would be driving animation out of primetime "for almost three decades". Despite this, scholar John Libbey argued that the show utilized "subversive qualities of animation." From 1972 to 1974, Hanna-Barbera produced Wait Till Your Father Gets Home , an adult-oriented sitcom in

475-535: A Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation , argued that culture and events of 1990s "can all be understood through a Simpsons prism." Some critics argued that The Simpsons was responsible for "popularizing adult animation" while influencing "satirical cartoons" like South Park and Family Guy . Others even said that The Simpsons opened the "door for Cartoon Network's Adult Swim" and praised it for being "extremely unique and ... constantly evolving." Andrew J. Crow of Time magazine noted

570-482: A Ranger, having only participated in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps , and apologized online. The revelation resonated across the comic book industry, attracting responses from a number of industry figures including writers Steven Grant , Jeff Parker , Kurt Busiek and Mark Millar , as well as journalists Tom Spurgeon and Rich Johnston . According to Johnston, the mini-series Vigilante , which

665-536: A consultant on HTC Vive 's virtual reality game TheBlu , which led to his interest in VR technology and eventually a position as a teacher of the virtual reality filmmaking course at the Los Angeles branch of Emerson College . In 2016, Wright and Lender made their directorial debut with the feature film They're Watching , a found footage horror comedy distributed by Amplify . Between 2017 and 2019, Wright served as

760-447: A family, but it gives a "new take on the typical American family." Some described The Boondocks as profound, comedic, smart, silly, has social commentary on class relations, racism, and with a unique animation style. Some said that Apple TV+ 's Central Park was one of the best shows of 2020 and described it as the network's "first foray into adult animation." Certain comedians have created their own animated sitcoms. This includes

855-401: A four-issue military sci-fi series described by Wright as " Starship Troopers meets Catch-22 ", Los Diablos with art by Taesoo Kim , a rejected weird western anime pitch repurposed into a comic book series. and Thunderhead! , an adult-oriented animated series co-created by Wright and Jay Lender. Outside of his work in animation and comics, Wright gained online popularity with

950-535: A massive hit among American audiences. In response, ABC , CBS and NBC each developed animated series to air in prime time, but none of the shows were successful. One series, Capitol Critters , focused on subjects such as gun control, interracial violence and political corruption. In his review of the series, Variety critic Brian Lowry wrote that he felt that the series' approach was "muddled", and that "the bland central character and cartoonish elements ... will likely be off-putting to many adults, who won't find

1045-522: A new creative team and plotline. In a 2012 interview, Wright stated that following the controversy, he was privately told by the representatives of Marvel and DC that he has been blacklisted at both companies. Since 2004, Wright has worked primarily in the field of video game writing , often with his long-time writing partner Jay Lender. The pair's shared credits include Looney Tunes: Back in Action for Electronic Arts , The Dukes of Hazzard: Return of

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1140-507: A parody of The Real World , which follows the misadventures of the housemates in the fictional show of the same name and uses a sitcom format with a reality TV show setting, was followed by a direct-to-video film and series finale titled The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie! . Another antimated sitcom was Brickleberry which aired on Comedy Central from 2012 to 2015. It was created by Waco O'Guin and Roger Black , executive produced by O'Guin, Black, and comedian Daniel Tosh . It

1235-422: A parody of The Shining . He also said he's pitched it to Nickelodeon and they've been "on and off" about it. On January 7, 2018, Nickelodeon Animation's Tumblr page said this about the possibility of a revival: "Nothing's being whispered down the halls right now...but you never know!" On April 19, 2022, Mitch Schauer and various people who worked on the series were interviewed again by Miranda in celebration of

1330-474: A personally signed log that was bitten by a beaver, though he later admitted in 2017 that he bit it himself. Richard Steven Horvitz and Nick Bakay were chosen as voice actors for main beavers Daggett and Norbert, respectively. Gunther-Wahl held auditions for over 300 different actors, but Schauer settled on the two because they embodied the two beavers' characters perfectly, also being impressed by their chemistry upon being introduced to one another. He recalled

1425-439: A popular streaming hub. Critics praised Tuca & Bertie and Solar Opposites for their take on humor and comedy . Shaurya Thapa of Screen Rant argued that Tuca & Bertie offered "a fresh and realistic take on the sitcom formula" while Rafael Motomoyer of Collider argued that Solar Opposites not only mixes "crude humor and knack for violence ... with a long-standing tradition of animated sitcoms" centered on

1520-510: A series of satirical military propaganda posters that combined the imagery of the World War II-era propaganda posters and the modern anti-war messages as slogans. Shortly after the 2003 invasion of Iraq , some of the posters were collected into a book, You Back the Attack, We'll Bomb Who We Want , with a foreword by Kurt Vonnegut and an introduction by Howard Zinn . Early printings of

1615-509: A sneak peek on Cartoon Network on December 30, 2000, the series officially premiered on Adult Swim on September 2, 2001, the night the block launched. It ended on July 22, 2007, with a total of 39 episodes , over the course of four seasons. Later, in October 2018, a special , entitled Harvey Birdman: Attorney General , premiered, and a spin-off, Birdgirl , was ordered in May 2019. Some described

1710-540: A unique style, and centered around "therapist discussions with real celebrities". In March 2000, the first few episodes of God, the Devil and Bob aired on NBC , with nine episodes unaired. The series didn't return until 2011, when the nine remaining episodes aired, from January to March 2011, on Adult Swim . Some said this was because Christian groups, like the American Family Association , had boycotted

1805-462: A writer and eventually became a performer. After graduating and moving to Los Angeles, Wright started interning at Nickelodeon , before becoming script supervisor and eventually a staff writer on The Angry Beavers . In early 2000, a number of writers working on Nickelodeon cartoons contacted the Writers Guild of America to renegotiate the contracts on their behalf and organize a union . At

1900-463: A writing partner on numerous projects across various media. At San Diego Comic Con in 2001, Wright, who has been a fan of comics since childhood, was introduced to some of the editors of DC Comics ' Wildstorm imprint through his friend, artist John Cassaday . Wright pitched his idea for a creator-owned G.I. Joe -type series, hoping to publish it through the Homage sub-imprint. The editors liked

1995-455: Is a "veteran of adult animation" as he worked on Family Guy in the past. In June 2011, two scholars analyzed queer characters and themes in animated sitcoms, arguing that they create "space for queer resistance," analyzing themes, and text, in the animated series Family Guy . They also argued that analyzing the show using postmodern thematic analysis , it creates " deconstructionist instances" that, in their view, "expose and subvert

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2090-564: Is an American writer who has worked in film , television , animation , video games and comic books . He is an enrolled member of the Muscogee Creek Nation . Wright was born in Lubbock, Texas . He graduated from the University of Arizona with degrees in political science and creative writing. While in college, Wright was involved in a weekly sketch comedy show where he started out as

2185-400: Is cancelled. During the segment, they openly criticize the network for cancelling shows and syndication, wrestle with their existence as cartoon characters, and even referencing the infamous censoring of the words "shut up". The segment was set to end with both beavers being "killed off" and sent to cartoon heaven . The segment was expected to be fully produced, as Nickelodeon initially approved

2280-404: Is changing, saying that it can be something that is "sophisticated, dramatic, beautiful and nuanced" rather than "crass and cruel." In January 2020, TZGZ , Syfy 's new adult animation block, ordered six 15-minute episodes of the series, which would later become Magical Girl Friendship Squad . At the same time, the short form version, Magical Girl Friendship Squad: Origins , began airing on

2375-467: Is not the only model for such animation, due to new shows coming to TV and streaming platforms like BoJack Horseman , Big Mouth , Rick and Morty and Undone , which some call a boom at the time that "high-quality adult animation shows" are being produced in France, Japan, and in other parts of the world, a new group of creators is pushing existing boundaries. Even so, fans of The Simpsons turned Hulu into

2470-738: Is said that Jeremy is actually heterosexual but left his wife and children for Richard, who offered him an easy, no-maintenance life as his trophy husband. The following year, from January to December 2012, Unsupervised , an adult animated sitcom ran on FX . Although it was cancelled in November 2012 after one season, it was praised by critics as a coming-of-age story, with two clueless and ridiculous protagonists, while having "realistic looking backgrounds," contrasting with show's look in general. Jeff & Some Aliens , an animated sitcom aired on Comedy Central from January to March 2017. The plot surrounds three aliens who travel to Earth to find

2565-399: Is the case with Disenchantment , Final Space , Solar Opposites , Central Park , the short-lived series, Hoops , and Q-Force . This positioned Netflix as a leader of adult animation content. The creator of Bojack Horseman , Raphael Bob-Waksberg , said that the show is about "ourselves looking outwards" and argued that the voice actor for Bojack, Will Arnett , can find

2660-487: The 1992 Addams Family television series . During his time as producer of the Warner Bros. animated series Freakazoid! in 1995 , Gunther-Wahl Productions Inc. (Schauer's employer at the time) requested three ideas for animated series, as the studio had the opportunity to pitch a show to Nickelodeon. One of the three ideas that Schauer presented was an early concept for The Angry Beavers . Schauer wasn't even present for

2755-493: The hegemony of heteronormativity ." Allen Gregory had a short run in 2011 and was cancelled after the first season. This series featured Richard and Jeremy De Longpre, the fathers of the title character, Allen. Jeremy is a former social worker who had a loving wife and family, although this changed after Richard became one of his clients. Richard was attracted to Jeremy to the point where he started stalking him and his family until Jeremy finally agreed to be his husband. It

2850-452: The "foxhole humor" in Bob's Burgers has kept it going, and even argue that the humor in the children's animation, Animaniacs was "far more adult" than the original series in the 1990s . Later in 2020, the reboot of Animaniacs , an all-ages animation had an episode pulled which included a real sex hotline number, with the series no stranger to adult humor as the showrunner, Wellesley Wild,

2945-419: The "most watched cable television series." In 2019, it was announced that a writer for Disenchantment , Shion Takeuchi, would be heading her own upcoming Netflix show titled Inside Job , with Alex Hirsch as an executive producer, With a woman named Alma as the protagonist, Takeuchi said she hoped it would "push the boundaries" of adult animation. Hirsch was also quoted as noting that adult animation

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3040-475: The Attack with a radio interview on Democracy Now! and a profile in The Washington Post . Wright's credentials were then questioned by actual Rangers, prompting them to contact The Post profile's author Richard Leiby, who began researching Wright's background. In April 2004, after Wright learned that Leiby was writing an exposé questioning his military service, he confessed that he had never been

3135-530: The Epic editorial on his Delphi message board, which resulted in a public dispute between him and Marvel's then-Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada . In an interview later that year, Wright expressed regret for making the issue public. Other unproduced projects include American Cross with artist Niko Henrichon , a revenge story that takes place during the American Revolution , Lifer with artist Steve Pugh ,

3230-681: The General Lee for Ubisoft , Destroy All Humans! Path of the Furon and its sequel for THQ , as well as Robocalypse for Vogster . Wright is a member of the Writers Guild of America West , where he is the chair of the Video Game Writers Caucus. In 2007, Wright and Lender were cited as being "instrumental" in creating the WGA's first ever Video Game Writing Award as part of the traditional film and television Writers Guild Awards . In 2011,

3325-620: The United States on Nickelodeon during its initial run and would premiere in that country on Nicktoons in 2006, with the last episode airing on August 27. The complete series has also been released on DVD in Region 1 by Shout! Factory . The Angry Beavers was the brainchild of Mitch Schauer , and was co-developed by Keith Kaczorek. Prior to the series, Schauer was originally an assistant storyboard artist for other Nickelodeon shows, such as The Ren & Stimpy Show , Rocko's Modern Life , and Hey Arnold! . Schauer also storyboarded 8 episodes of

3420-608: The Video Game Writing Award attracted criticism from various video game websites for being too exclusive, prompting Wright to address the issue online. In addition to his work at WGA's Video Game Writers Caucus, Wright co-founded the Native American and World Indigenous Writers Committee and was elected to be a part of the Guild Negotiating Committee for 2014. In 2012, Wright returned to comics with

3515-467: The actions of the characters, as well as removing all references to fire from the episodes. As Beavis and Butt-Head began entered its last season in 1997, a new adult animation began airing on MTV which was titled Daria . It would praised for its "progressive characters", sense of humor, and ability to capture absurdity of teen life in suburbs. Beginning around the same time was South Park . It became an "icon for anti-censorship and free speech" and

3610-434: The adventures of Norbert and Daggett Beaver, but so did your parents and older siblings, without pestering you to hand over the remote. Perhaps it was the pure slapstick comedy or their bizarre, sometimes inappropriate friends and neighbors, but those beavers will go down in history as the funniest dam dwellers to ever exist and the oddest way to bring your family together." Andrea Graham of Common Sense Media spoke positively of

3705-504: The book featured another introduction, where Wright described his experiences as a sergeant in the United States Army Rangers who had seen active combat in the 1989 invasion of Panama , a claim he had previously made discussing his military-themed series Stormwatch: Team Achilles in various interviews as well as responding to the criticism of his poster work online, and further elaborated upon while promoting You Back

3800-415: The cancellation, the series took part in the line-wide crossover " Coup d'Etat " which saw The Authority take over the United States, forcing Team Achilles to go on the run. Soon after the launch of Stormwatch: Team Achilles , Wright and artist Mark Robinson created a pitch for the revival of another Wildstorm property, DV8 , which was rejected due to the low sales of the series' previous iteration and

3895-422: The comedy in anything. Nasdaq argued that shows like Disenchantment were "original content" which had helped Netflix "dominate the online video streaming market," and said that demand for original content will allow Netflix to expand its base of subscribers. This allowed Netflix to gain allegiance of smaller, but more fervent, fanbases, which garnered a wide viewership. Some critics noted that The Simpsons

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3990-592: The concept but asked Wright to rework it to fit into the Wildstorm Universe , and the project was eventually developed into a new version of one of the imprint's founding titles, Stormwatch . Stormwatch: Team Achilles with art by Whilce Portacio , debuting in July 2002 under the "mature readers" sub-imprint Eye of the Storm , featured a UN -sanctioned team consisting primarily of human soldiers, created in response to

4085-469: The content but that ABC, and their corporate owner Disney Company , reneged on their promises, and called the show "dead" even though there were six episodes that had not aired. Six episodes of the show, based on Kevin Smith 's 1994 comedy of the same title , were produced, but only two episodes aired before the show was cancelled by ABC. While the pilot of Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law first aired as

4180-495: The creators' relatively unknown status. In 2003, Wright teamed up with artist Rick Remender to pitch a series focusing on the exploits of a low-ranking member of Advanced Idea Mechanics , a villainous organization operating within the Marvel Universe . The proposal, titled Joe A.I.M. and submitted for publication under Marvel 's briefly revived Epic imprint, was rejected, prompting Wright to share his dissatisfaction with

4275-449: The early 1990s, another sitcom, was also controversial. This was due to its portrayal of brief nudity, profanity and violence. Although the series was intended for adult audiences, it was shown in the afternoons, and multiple parents claimed that their children had imitated the show's characters. After an incident, MTV responded by moving the series to a later airtime and adding disclaimers to future episodes stating explicitly not to imitate

4370-529: The experience working with Nickelodeon a positive one. The Angry Beavers was the final (and most notable) animated series produced by Gunther-Wahl Productions Inc., which was later shut down in 2001, two years before the series ended its run. The Angry Beavers received positive reviews from critics. In a positive review, Harlene Ellin of the Chicago Tribune praised the show for its humor, visuals, cultural references, and nonsensical plots, writing "Although

4465-545: The first part of season 2 of Disenchantment was released on Netflix . In February 2021, it was announced that Tyler, the Creator had teamed up with Lionel Boyce and Davon 'Jasper' Wilson to develop an animated comedy named Shell Beach . In March 2021 it was reported that King of the Hill would be revived, with characters aging 15 years from the end of the series. Micah Wright Micah Ian War Dog Wright (born 1969)

4560-399: The future rather than the past, followed in 1962. Marc Blake argued it started the " science fiction sitcom sub genre". Animated sitcoms have been more controversial than traditional cartoons from the onset. The Flintstones was originally oriented at parents, as an animated version of The Honeymooners , though it was primarily popular with children. David Bennett argued that when it

4655-417: The growing relationship between Fry and Leela and an "alien relationship" (Kif and Amy). John Evershed, formerly showrunner on Happy Tree Friends and current founder of Mondo Media , argued that the "enduring popularity" of this genre is a result of The Simpsons , a massive "animation franchise," and said this proves "the time-tested formula" of the genre works, even though it was "controversial" when it

4750-513: The growing superhuman presence in the political areas of the Wildstorm Universe, particularly the events depicted in Mark Millar 's run on The Authority . Despite consistent critical acclaim throughout its run, Stormwatch , like other Eye of the Storm titles, suffered from low sales and was ultimately cancelled few issues shy of Wright's planned 26-issue storyline. Shortly before

4845-404: The history of television," in terms of shows like Family Guy and South Park . These shows, and their subsequent franchises, were said to be part of a shift in the early 2010s toward adult animation , with darker and "more intricate animated comedies" such as Bojack Horseman and Rick and Morty released, with the latter reaching nine million viewers after the first season. Drawn Together ,

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4940-421: The idea of bringing the series back and getting the original actors involved if he could. He also revealed that his daughter Chelsea Schauer came up with the title "ReSpooted" and that Norbert would be married and he would have children with Treeflower while Daggett would still be single. On June 11, 2017, Patricia Miranda interviewed Mitch on her podcast titled Old School Lane and Mitch brought up that it would be

5035-704: The influence of The Simpsons on adult animation, with Family Guy , King of the Hill , and Bob's Burgers , among others, featuring some version of the same structure, while "non-family-based shows" have drawn from "Matt Groening's hyper-referential style, irreverence and slapstick humor." He quoted Alex Hirsch , creator of Gravity Falls , as describing adult animation as an "arms race of different ways to copy The Simpsons ." Two of Hirsch's friends from CalArts, Pendleton Ward (creator of Adventure Time ) and J. G. Quintel (creator of Regular Show ) were also inspired by The Simpsons. In 1989, The Simpsons began airing on Fox Broadcasting Company in prime time, becoming

5130-478: The launch of a Kickstarter campaign for Duster , a graphic novel he co-created with Jay Lender. The story, initially developed as a film script, depicts the life of a recently-widowed female cropduster pilot at the end of World War II and her battle against a group of Nazi soldiers who crash-landed near her farm in West Texas. The graphic novel was eventually published in 2015. That same year, Wright worked as

5225-494: The most average person to test and understand humans. Most episodes revolve around Jeff having a problem that the aliens can fix with a strange device. In December 2017, the series was canceled after one season. It was described as being "a witty and fun stoner alien romp" which is a comedy akin to Rick and Morty . Other animated sitcoms include Paradise PD , Tuca & Bertie , The Boondocks , and Momma Named Me Sheriff . Some series are on streaming platforms, as

5320-609: The most popular animated sitcoms in each U.S. state . They found that South Park is popular in Colorado , The Simpsons is popular in Oregon and Massachusetts , Family Guy popular in Connecticut , and King of the Hill popular in Kentucky and Tennessee. The report also stated The Simpsons and South Park are the two most popular animated sitcoms, while Rick and Morty is among

5415-463: The network's original programming, admitted that the segment's script was "beautifully crafted, funny, and clever", but ultimately the network was against the idea of killing off characters that its audience had grown to love. Schauer would sometimes poke fun at the network's demands. The segment "The Legend of Kid Friendly" (where the Beavers face off against a cyborg cowboy literally named "Kid Friendly")

5510-622: The network, and 17 NBC-affiliated stations agreed, leading to the show being stopped only after four episodes had aired. Even so, some religious leaders in the United Kingdom supported the show, and critics like Caryn James called it "a little risky" but "relatively benign" when compared to South Park , The Sopranos , and Sex and the City which aired at the time. In June 2000, Kevin Smith criticized ABC over its animated sitcom, Clerks: The Animated Series , telling EW that they delivered

5605-457: The ongoing series, Duncanville , is airing on FOX , co-created by Amy Poehler , Mike Scully , and Julie Thacker . Poehler said the series is inspired by The Simpsons . Another animated sitcom on Fox, Bless the Harts , starred Kristen Wiig , and was created by former Saturday Night Live staff writer, Emily Spivey . A September 2018 report by AT&T , using Google Trends , identified

5700-412: The original comics, with theme music from Frank Zappa and set its sights on "1990s incarnations of political correctness and censorship", making it, a critic argued, a precursor to Family Guy and BoJack Horseman . As for King of the Hill , some noted it had the a great example of "young, adolescent love" within adult animation, specifically between Bobby and Connie. The show was also described as

5795-474: The pitch meeting, his ideas being pitched for him by the production company instead. Of the three ideas, network producer Mary Harrington was intrigued by the Beavers. The Angry Beavers was inspired from Schauer's early years in Oklahoma when he was homeless and often spotted beavers in a nearby river. The initial concept of the show centered on two bad-tempered, politically incorrect beavers that hated anything that

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5890-567: The political satire biting enough to merit their continued attention. Similarly, kids probably won't be as smitten with the cartoon aspects or look". The series was cancelled after one month. The Critic was somewhat more successful, but achieved low ratings because of ABC's sporadic scheduling, and was cancelled by the network. Fox picked up the series, but cancelled it four months later. While Fox allowed The Simpsons to portray animated depictions of human buttocks, ABC would not allow similar scenes to appear on The Critic . Others stated that it

5985-431: The premise of the segment, but as production went on they reversed their decision. Production was halted as the segment went against the network's policies of forbidding any reference to a show ending or characters dying. As a result, the segment only exists in the form of leaked storyboards and audio (the latter being released by Richard Steven Horvitz, voice of Daggett, in 2006). Margie Cohn, then-executive vice president of

6080-453: The publisher of You Back the Attack , removed Wright's introduction from the subsequent printings of the book and cancelled its follow-up volume, If You're Not a Terrorist... Then Stop Asking Questions , but eventually published the third collection of his poster work in 2006. That same year, the Vigilante mini-series, which was never officially confirmed as cancelled, was published with

6175-424: The same late-night programming block. In February 2020, Fox released an animated sitcom produced by Seungyong Ji and Jordan Grief titled Duncanville , focusing on the story of a kid who "daydreams of making it big without having to wear a suit and tie to do so." In September 2020, Magical Girl Friendship Squad began airing on SYFY. In interviews the same month, series creator Kelsey Stephanides hoped that

6270-532: The series as funny, entertaining, zany, and amusing. From August to October 2002, the final few episodes of The Oblongs , another adult animation, would air on Adult Swim after The WB did not air the last five episodes of the series. The latter, which some called a "stray gem in the early 2000s," was noted for the romance between a married couple, Bob and Pickles Oblong, who had a healthy relationship where both would "constantly support each other." In 2008, Usha M. Rodrigues and Belinda Smaill argued that bro'Town

6365-637: The series has no official video games, Norbert and Daggett appear in Nicktoons Racing and Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 as playable characters. The two also make cameo appearances in Nicktoons: Attack of the Toybots , and Nicktoons MLB . On January 5, 2016, Mitch Schauer mentioned on the Apathetic Enthusiasm Podcast episode titled "The Not So Angry Animator" that he would be open to

6460-438: The series would expand the "types of new animated stories" with more variety in adult animation, allowing for "different ways" to do adult animation in the future. In December 2020, Hoops was cancelled by Netflix after its first season received low ratings and negative reviews. Hoops was described as "puerile comedy ... perfect for Trump 's America," not funny, and "crude, rude, and aimless." On January 15, 2021,

6555-489: The series, writing "While the series' humor may seem sophomoric, it's actually quite funny." Nickelodeon and Amazon.com teamed up to release The Angry Beavers and other Nick shows on manufacture-on-demand DVD-R discs available exclusively through Amazon's CreateSpace arm. The Angry Beavers sets, among others, were discontinued when Nick began releasing traditional DVDs of many of their series in association with Shout! Factory . The first DVD release for Angry Beavers

6650-436: The show was popular and was renewed for four seasons, staff continued to push against the network's Standards and Practices division. "We were significantly over budget, behind schedule, and had generally worn out our welcome [with the network]" recalled series co-developer Keith Kaczorek. As the series faced cancellation, the crew devised a finale segment, "Bye Bye Beavers", where the Beavers are informed by mail that their show

6745-434: The show's content. An example includes season one's "Go Beavers" where they rejected a scene that would have featured a blimp crashing into an audience of people, while a scene in the same segment featuring out of control zambonis that wipe into and supposedly kill a crowd of people didn't meet any objections, nor did the instances of Norbert savagely beating Daggett with a stick and ignoring his many injuries. Most infamously,

6840-405: The show. During production of the series, Schauer and the crew began to learn more about real world beavers and implemented their traits into the show's storylines, considering himself to have become a "beaver expert" by the end of its run. Traits adapted into the show include their endlessly growing incisors, tail slapping, and scent glands. During his time at Nickelodeon, Schauer gifted Harrington

6935-532: The sole English-language mainstream adult-oriented animated sitcom until the 1990s, which saw the debuts of Beavis and Butt-Head , King of the Hill , South Park , Daria , Family Guy and Futurama . Some scholars argued that Matt Groening emulated the sci-fi genre shown in The Jetsons . Futurama would be complimented for its "intelligent, scientifically accurate, and humanized" approach to adventures, romances, and parodies of sci-fi. This included

7030-552: The story lines can be pure silliness, the characters are well-developed and likable, whether they're fighting each other or working together. But most of all, [this show is] downright funny. And dam it, 'The Angry Beavers' is definitely that." Hollywood.com considered the show to be "truly the most clever and mature cartoon to air on Nickelodeon", praising its "whip-smart" dialogue and cultural references, considering it underappreciated when compared to Nickelodeon's other classic cartoons. Spencer Coriarty of Screen Rant wrote, "Together

7125-738: The style of All in the Family . The series dealt with subjects such as feminism and the generation gap . In the late 1980s and early 1990s, a number of animated television programs appeared which challenged the Standards & Practices guidelines, including The Simpsons , Beavis and Butt-Head , The Critic , The Brothers Grunt , The Ren & Stimpy Show , Rocko's Modern Life , Cow and Chicken , I Am Weasel , SpongeBob SquarePants , Duckman , and All Grown Up! . In 1987, The Simpsons shorts debuted on Fox 's The Tracey Ullman Show . This show aired in prime time, meaning it

7220-407: The time, Wright, who also took part in the union drive, was writing and producing the pilot for his own show, Constant Payne , a steampunk science fiction series following a family of adventurers co-produced with Madhouse , with an aesthetic inspired by anime , pulp magazines and early Soviet propaganda posters . The show, which would have been Nickelodeon's first action adventure offering,

7315-453: The twenty fifth anniversary of the series. Mitch expanded upon the "ReSpooted" idea, stating that the specific genders of Norbert and Treeflower's children would be two daughters named Lily and Petunia and that Daggett would still visit them from time to time. Animated sitcom The Flintstones , which debuted in 1960, is considered the first example of the animated sitcom genre. A similar cartoon, The Jetsons , which took place in

7410-405: The two frequently going off-script while recording, which he encouraged, considering their improvisation leading to some of the series' best moments. Schauer was influenced by classic Hollywood director Howard Hawks for the show's ad-libbing and overlapping of dialogue. There was often tension between the show's staff and Nickelodeon, with the channel imposing seemingly arbitrary restrictions on

7505-412: The two seem to get involved in every odd occurrence conceivable [...] the animation here is rather stunning, as is the offbeat writing which includes throwbacks to 1950s sci-fi. Creative as it is sporadic, The Angry Beavers is chaotic, nutty, whacky, and fun in the best possible way." Olivia Armstrong of Decider praised the show for appealing to older audiences, saying "Not only did you love to watch

7600-401: The way the world worked, and the way that kids thought, and what he wanted the world to look like", also imposing a "no-drag" policy, which forbade characters dressing in non-gender conforming clothing in order to prevent "sexual confusion" amongst the show's younger viewers. Nick Bakay, voice of Norbert, also expressed displeasure with the network, dubbing them "not very artist-friendly". While

7695-399: The words "Shut up!" were initially censored in the 1998 segment "Alley Oops". Writer Micah Wright attributed this to then-Nickelodeon president Herb Scannell , quoting him as saying: "I don't like it when children say 'Shut up,' so if we never say it on our show, children will never say it in the real world". Wright further claimed that Scannell "would make these sweeping pronouncements about

7790-428: Was a "home grown animated sitcom" that is comparable to The Simpsons . Adult animation became more popular, premiering critically acclaimed shows such as Drawn Together , Family Guy , American Dad! , Archer , Bob's Burgers , Rick and Morty , BoJack Horseman , F Is for Family , and Big Mouth . Some argued that animated sitcoms have formed some of the "most enduring and valuable franchises in

7885-518: Was a fad, cause, or just popular in the media. "I tend to develop things that are counterculture", stated Schauer. "I like to buck whatever is popular at the time or considered society's way of doing things, because you get more interest when you stand outside the box". Schauer was against making the beavers cute, as a response to many of the "soft, safe" character designs at the time. He also cited cartoons such as The Pink Panther , The Flintstones , and Rocky and Bullwinkle as primary influences for

7980-699: Was called "one of the most controversial shows on television." In May 1995, another adult animated sitcom began airing on Comedy Central . It was titled Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist , featured the voice talents of Jonathan Katz , Jon Benjamin , and Laura Silverman , won a Peabody Award in 1998. and was animated in a crude, easily recognizable style produced with the software Squigglevision in which all persons and animate objects are colored and have constantly squiggling outlines, while most other inanimate objects are static and usually gray in color. Some critics stated that this series offered "plenty of cleverness and humor for those who looked", with funny lines,

8075-466: Was created as a response to broadcast standards notes received from the network. "One of the most repeated notes was 'make sure it's kid-friendly', so it seemed natural to write a story around the comment", said Schauer. Weapons featured in the show typically received feedback requesting them be redesigned to be "larger and more colorful", to which the crew would happily oblige. Despite the crew typically being at odds with network censorship, Schauer considers

8170-408: Was described as a welcome addition to the "Sunday lineup," with passionate relationship between Bob and Linda Belcher while maintaining a large audience. In November 2020, the show was approaching its 200th episode. and that Some reviewers called Drawn Together a "bizarre and highly entertaining series" which has a unique style of humor and "level of self-parody." Some reviewers would point to how

8265-477: Was later described as one of the "more vulgar adult-animation offerings" of the 2010s, with Kaitlin Olson only staying "for the first season as the female lead," voicing a "recently transferred Yellowstone ranger named Ethel." It was also said that show had a divided reception from critics but received favorably by audiences, who appreciated the show's "shameless sense of offensive humor and fast-paced writing." Archer

8360-560: Was not ordered to series due to the network's fears of violent programming in the wake of the September 11 attacks as well as Nickelodeon's suspicions that Wright was one of the figureheads in the union organizing effort. Wright has since tried pitching Constant Payne to Warner Bros. Animation and to foreign studios as an animated feature-length film but the project remains uncompleted. During his time at Nickelodeon, Wright became friends with Jay Lender , with whom he would collaborate as

8455-464: Was not self-censored as much as programs intended to air on Saturday mornings. As such, the show would have brief nudity and mild language, while dealing with mature themes and subjects such as death, gambling addiction, religion, and suicide. The first full-length episode, " Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire ", debuted on December 17, 1989. It is the first American animated sitcom not to have a laugh track , unlike other animated sitcoms prior. It remained

8550-409: Was not until the early 1990s that "cartoons specifically for adults" rather than children, did not come to "mainstream prominence" until after the success of The Simpsons , with Fox later airing King of the Hill and Family Guy both of which "generated massive audiences." As animation critic Reuben Baron described it, for a long time, "adult action/drama cartoons" were scarce on television, with only

8645-410: Was originally released, it was aimed at an adult audience, and called it the "direct ancestors" of current adult animation, because it covered adult subjects. Bennett stated that it specifically influenced The Simpsons , along with animations on Adult Swim and Netflix . His argument was confirmed by the fact that The Huckleberry Hound Show , created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera , became

8740-478: Was released. Evershed also said that the show made clear that animation is "more than just kids content ." Others also argued that the show marked a turning point in U.S. attitudes "toward cartoons written primarily for adult audiences" The Simpsons would later win the Guinness World Records award for "Longest-running animated sitcom (by episode count)." Chris Turner , author of Planet Simpson: How

8835-478: Was said to be a "standard bearer" for adult animation and an "eclectic comedy" and praised for its "tight, fast-paced, and ever impressively intelligent dialogue," with a "power couple": Sterling Archer and Lana Kane. American Dad! was praised for breaking away from the "cynicism and formulas of its adult animation contemporaries" with the romance between Stan Smith and Francine said to be a wonderful romantic pair akin to Archie and Edith Bunker . Bob's Burgers

8930-504: Was supposed to be Wright's writing debut in the DC Universe , was already causing internal concern at the company due to the direction and tone of the title, as the titular character eschewed taking down street criminals or organized crime in favor of corporate criminals, and the controversy made it easier to take Wright off the book. Wright responded by stating that the quality of his work was not an issue. Meanwhile, Seven Stories Press ,

9025-591: Was the Seasons 1 and 2 4-disc set on August 23, 2011. Season 3: Part 1 was released in a 2-disc set on February 28, 2012. Season 3: Part 2 was released in a 2-disc set on August 14, 2012. Season 4 (The Final Season) was released in a 2-disc set on February 4, 2014. On July 30, 2013, Shout! Factory released the complete series set in Region 1. In Australia, The Angry Beavers has been released on DVD by Viacom International Inc. and distributed by Beyond Home Entertainment. Though

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