FUDGE

 

FUDGE
(ABC, January 14-December 16, 1995)
 
Kevin Slattery Productions, Amblin Television, MCA Television Entertainment

 

 

MAIN CAST:
Jake Richardson – Peter Warren Hatcher
Luke Tarsitano – Farley Drexel “Fudge” Hatcher
Eve Plumb – Anne Hatcher
Forrest Witt – Warren Hatcher
Nassira Nicola – Sheila Tubman
Alex Burrall – Jimmy Fargo

 

 

Judy Blume is the author of children’s, young adult and adult fiction. Having always been concocting stories in her head, she finally decided to put them down on paper when her children began pre-school. He first book, The One in the Middle is the Green Kangaroo, was published in 1969, and she’d go on to write a total of 32 (to date) across her career. She became one of the first young adult authors to write about controversial topics like masturbation, menstruation, birth control, teenage sex and death. These not only made her books beloved by generations of audiences, but often landed her at the top of banned book lists. She had won more than 90 literary awards and was named a Living Legend by the Library of Congress, among other honors. Her work has also been adapted several times into other media; with the first being a 1978 TV film based on the novel Forever.

Fudge, Peter and ill-fated turtle Dribble as depicted by Roy Doty.

In 1972, Blume introduced the beginning of the Fudge series of books. “Fudge” was the nickname of Farley Drexel Hatcher, a 2 ½-3-year-old toddler who was very loud, demanding and mischievous with an overactive imagination who deathly hated his given name. Despite the series being named after him, the protagonist was actually his long-suffering older brother, Peter, and the stories were generally told from his perspective. One of his contentions is that Fudge is seemingly allowed to get away with anything or always gets what he wants, along with driving him crazy in the process. Other characters included their parents (naturally), Peter’s best friend Jimmy Fargo, and his neighbor and rival, know-it-all Sheila Tubman.

A more realistic depiction on a later edition cover.

The first book, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, was inspired by Blume’s babysitter, Willie Mae Bartlett, showing her a news article about a toddler swallowing a tiny pet turtle. She wrote a picture book called Peter, Fudge and Dribble that made the rounds to various publishers and was rejected. Later, it was submitted to Ann Durrell, editor of children’s books at E.P. Dutton, who suggested changing it from a picture book and making its story a chapter in a longer book about the whole family. So, Blume did; basing Fudge on her son, Larry, and setting it in the New York City building where her best friend, Mary Weaver, lived. Durrell loved the book, but the title needed to change thanks to the book Peter Potts having just come out. Out of a list of 20 suggestions by Blume, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing was chosen and the book was published.

Sheila gets her chance to shine.

The next book was a spin-off, called Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great, as Blume wanted to give focus to Sheila after finishing the first book. The next three books—Superfudge, Fudge-a-mania, and Double Fudge—returned to the Hatcher family and their everyday adventures. Blume never actively worked on the series as much as fans kept requesting further installments; rather, she wrote each successive book as soon as inspiration for their story struck. “The thing about funny books is, they have to spill out spontaneously, or they don’t work. (At least that’s how it is with me)” Blume explained on the Superfudge page of her website.

DVD cover to Sheila's film.

The first adaptation of a Fudge book was Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great, written and produced by Blume and her son and directed by him. It aired as one of two new entries during the 13^th season of ABC Weekend Specials. The next adaptation was a made-for-TV film based on Fudge-a-mania, also airing on ABC on January 7^th, 1995. Written and directed by Bob Clark (director of A Christmas Story and its original sequel), the film starred Jake Richardson as Peter, Eve Plumb and Forrest Witt as his parents Warren and Ann, Nassira Nicola as Sheila, Alex Burrall as Jimmy, and Luke Tarsitano as Fudge in his first acting role. Florence Henderson also appeared as grandmother Muriel, bringing a small Brady Bunch reunion with Plumb.

The Hatchers come to life.

As not much information currently exists about Fudge’s live-action adaptations, it’s unknown whether the film was always intended to act as a potential pilot or if the network liked what they saw enough to move forward with a series. Regardless, Fudge the sitcom would debut the following week on January 14^th, with all of the film’s primary cast carried over. It was a co-production of Kevin Slattery Productions, Amblin Television and MCA Television Entertainment. Episodes were largely adapted from the chapters of Fourth Grade Nothing and Superfudge, with a few original stories sprinkled in. As with the books, Peter provided narrative commentary and would address the audience directly in fourth wall breaks. Writers included Tom J. Astle, George Thompson, Robin Stein, Jay Ingram, Joseph Purdy and producers Russell Marcus and Mary Gregory de Butts. Dick Marx, Shelly Berg and Tom Halm handled the music, while costume designs were done by Nancy Fox-Taylor.

Sheila observes some Fudge shenanigans.

The first season ran for only nine episodes, but viewers didn’t have to wait too long as the second season began that August. It wasn’t renewed for a third, however, which could be attributed to either the series failing to match the popularity of its source material or it being a casualty of the Disney purge after they had purchased the network and wanted to populate it with their own programming. Fudge’s second season returned to television in 1997 as part of CBS’ Think CBS Kids programming block, which was entirely populated by live-action programming designed to fill new educational and informational requirements mandated by the FCC (many sources mistakenly claim that the second season first ran on CBS, but the airdates and schedules contradict that). While the film has seen an official home media release the series itself remains largely forgotten outside of a VHS release for “Ducky Soup”. Only two fair quality episodes, the intro and outro have surfaced online so far. 

Fudge on the hunt for his audience.

The Fudge books continue to remain in print, receiving minor updates between editions to dialogue and featured technology to bring them closer to the current times. In February of 2022, it was reported that an animated adaptation of Superfudge would be coming to Disney+ courtesy of Joe and Anthony Russo (provided it hasn’t become a casualty of Disney’s cost-cutting measures in the interim). To date, Blume’s last published book was 2015’s In the Unlikely Event. In the meantime, she’s remained a steadfast activist against the banning and censorship of books as a  member of the National Coalition Against Censorship; served on the boards of The Authors Guild, the Society of Chidldren’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and the Key West Literary Seminar; and opened a non-profit book store called Books & Books in her current hometown of Key West, Florida.

 

 

EPISODE GUIDE:

Movie:

“Fudge-A-Mania” (1/7/95) – The Hatchers and Tubmans decide to go to Maine together for a getaway only to have conflicts and chaos ensue.

 

Season 1:

“How Turtle Got His Name” (1/14/95) – After Fudge ate Peter’s pet turtle Dribble, his father got him a new dog that he named “Turtle” in his honor.

 

“Saving Up is Hard to Do” (1/21/95) – Fudge becomes an elevator operator in order to earn money for an anniversary gift for his parents.

 

“Fudge Meets Ratface” (1/28/95) – Fudge climbs to the top shelf in his kindergarten class and refuses to come down as his teacher won’t address him as “Fudge”.

 

“The TV Star” (2/4/95) – Spending a day at their father’s office results in Fudge becoming the star of a commercial.

 

“To Catch a Fudge” (2/11/95) – Sheila volunteers to babysit Fuge so that their parents can have dinner together.

 

“The Birthday Bash” (2/18/95) – Peter is forced to stay home for Fudge’s birthday party.

 

“The Flying Train Committee” (2/25/95) – Fudge vandalizes the project Peter and his friends were working on the day before it’s due, forcing their parents to build a wall to separate them.

 

“Uncle Feather” (3/4/95) – In order to keep their wall, Peter suggests getting Fudge a pet bird to help ease his fear of monsters in his room.

 

“Ducky Soup” (3/11/95) – Peter gives Fudge his stuffed duck until his stuffed monkey can be repaired after accidentally being washed.

 

Season 2:

“The Grade Escape” (8/19/95) – Fudge fills out Peter’s aptitude test, resulting in Peter’s being labeled a “genius”.

 

“The Art of Friendship” (8/26/95) – Jimmy’s father speaking at Career Day at school puts a strain on his friendship with Peter.

 

“No Exit” (9/2/95) – A visit from a cousin causes Peter to reconsider his thoughts about young kids.

 

“Play it Again, Dad” (9/9/95) – A girl winking at him after watching a street performer encourages Peter to consider taking up music.

 

“The Candyman Shouldn’t” (9/16/95) – After Fudge is found to have four cavities, his parents challenge the family to give up sweets for a week.

 

“My Grandmother the Card” (9/23/95) – Their grandmother comes to babysit the kids for the weekend, putting a damper on Peter’s plans with his friends.

 

“Big Little Lie” (9/30/95) – Peter gets his friends to help him fix a table before his parents find out he and Fudge broke it.

 

“Bye Anxiety” (10/7/95) – Sheila’s family announces they’re moving to Chicago.

 

“Bad Housekeeping” (10/14/95) – The new maid causes Peter and Warren to act strangely.

 

“Odd Man Out” (10/21/95) – Peter and Fudge’s classes end up paired together for a buddy program.

 

“A Foreign Affair” (10/28/95) – Peter falls for an exchange student from China.

 

“Slam Funk” (11/4/95) – A new neighbor trounces Peter in basketball.

 

“Reversal of Fortune” (11/11/95) – Peter is in a panic when he discovers Fudge gave away his lucky nickel.

 

“The Mouse Trappers” (11/18/95) – Fudge befriending a mouse leads Peter to believe their mother is pregnant with multiple babies.

 

“Midnight Cowboys” (12/16/95) – Peter is tasked with watching over Fudge during the Hatchers’ New Year’s Eve party.

FIEVEL'S AMERICAN TAILS

FIEVEL’S AMERICAN TAILS

(CBS, September 12-December 5, 1992)

Amblin Television, Amblimation, Nelvana Limited, Universal Cartoon Studios

MAIN CAST:

Phillip Glasser – Fievel Mousekewitz

Dom DeLuise – Tiger

Gerrit Graham – Cat R. Waul

Lloyd Battista – Papa

Susan Silo – Mama

Cathy Cavadini – Tanya Mousekewitz, Yasha Mousekewitz

Dan Castellaneta – T.R. Chula, Mr. Schimmel, Slim, Felonious

Kenneth Mars – Sweet William

                                                                             

            In 1984, Don Bluth, Steven Spielberg and Universal Pictures united to create an animated film designed to rival the beauty of Bluth’s earlier effort, The Secret of NIMH. It would have been Universal’s first animated feature since 1965’s Pinocchio in Outer Space and Spielberg’s first animated film ever. The film was An American Tail, conceived by producer David Kirschner.

An American Tail storyboard.

            Originally, Spielberg wanted an all-animal world like Disney’s Robin Hood, but Bluth showed him Disney’s The Rescuers and convinced him to make the animal world a hidden society amongst the human world; a format that was more successful theatrically. Bluth and Spielberg worked out incidents for the script that would be penned by Tony Geiss and Judy Freudberg, frequent contributors to Sesame Street and who had just completed the script for the film Follow That Bird. The main character of the film was a little mouse named Fievel, after Spielberg’s grandfather. Bluth was initially against the name, believing its foreign sound would put off American audiences, but a compromise was reached and Fievel was given the nickname “Filly.”

Fievel running cycle.

            While the script was being written, Bluth began developing the character designs. The look of Fievel was the most important, especially to Sears who had a large marketing campaign in place around the film. As nostalgia was at an all-time high amongst baby boomers, and being that there were so many mouse characters out there, Bluth decided to go retro and used the round and soft cuddly style that was prevalent around the time of Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. 

An American Tail poster.

            Bluth worked on the storyboards with assistance from Larry Leker and sent them over to Spielberg for changes or approval. During the production, Don Bluth Studio began using a valuable tool that would help trim their animating time: a video printer. By recording actions, they could print them out frame-by-frame to use as reference or, in some cases, a traceable guide. Unfortunately, any time benefits were lost when scenes constantly had to be approved by both Amblin Entertainment and Universal. They were also working with a significantly smaller budget than other animated features at the time (causing frequent disputes with the union), and Spielberg’s desire to incorporate as many songs as possible. In compromise, many scenes were trimmed or dropped and replaced with shorter ones, resulting in some errors and a jumbling in the overall narrative. Animation also had a tendency to come back needing fixing, and turnaround for overseas coloring was slower than expected.

            Finally, An American Tail came together for its preview screening in October of 1986, and was released theatrically on November 21^st after a heavy marketing campaign by Universal. The film, set in 1885, followed the Mousekewitze family on their journey to a “cat-free” America. They were driven from their home in Shostka, Russia when Cossacks firebombed the house of the human family they lived with. Boarding a tramp steamer in Germany, the Mousekewitzes began their perilous journey to a new home when Fievel (Phillip Glasser) was washed overboard and seemingly lost at sea. Fievel ended up saved by a bottle and in America anyway, and set out to reunite with his family amongst the new perils his new country had to offer.

Fievel character model sheet.

            Despite mixed reviews, the film opened in second place only to Crocodile Dundee. Positive word of mouth led to an increase in subsequent weeks. While it became the highest grossing animated feature upon first release, the fact that the independent film went toe-to-toe with Disney re-released films The Song of the South and Lady and the Tramp and was not obliterated was the most noteworthy accomplishment. Sears made a killing on Tail merchandise, and the song “Somewhere Out There” was an immediate hit. The song, the film, and the score by James Horner were nominated for multiple awards. Worldwide, the film ended up grossing over $150 million and was one of the top-selling VHS tapes when it was released in 1987.

Fievel and Tiger on the case!

            In 1989, Amblin and Universal entered a partnership to form their own London-based animation studio, Amblimation. Fievel served as the company’s mascot and appeared with its logo. One of Amblimation’s first projects was a sequel to An American Tail. Bluth and his new Ireland-based Sullivan Bluth Studios were set to work on the film again with Spielberg, but creative differences caused them to bow out. Former Disney animator Phil Nibbelink and Simon Wells, the great-grandson of H.G. Wells, were brought on board to direct the project. As a result, the animation style was markedly different from the first and several characters underwent minor cosmetic changes. Horner returned to score the film.

            An American Tail: Fievel Goes West was released on November 22, 1991—exactly five years and one day after the original—and was once again up against a Disney film: Beauty and the Beast. The film followed the Mousekewitz family as they left a hard life behind in New York for a supposedly better life in the west. However, Fievel discovers the move was a plot by Cat R. Waul (John Cleese) and his cronies to turn the mice into mouse burgers and is thrown off the train. Fievel, along with his friend Tiger the Cat (Dom DeLuise) and Western legend Wylie Burp (James Stewart in his final film role) set out to thwart the cats’ plans and rescue the mice.

Fievel faces Sweet William.

            Like the original, the film generated mixed reviews from critics but still performed well at the box office; however, not as well as its predecessor. The film was a financial success, but only managed to gross over $40 million worldwide. Undaunted by the drop-off, Amblimation moved forward with another sequel; this time in the form of an animated series. Fievel’s American Tails would pick up directly from where Goes West left off and was co-produced by Nelvana, Ltd. and Universal Cartoon Studios.

Cat R. Waul and TR Chula.

            Phillip Glasser, who was cast for the original movie after being overheard auditioning for an Oscar Mayer commercial, returned to voice Fievel, as did DeLuise as his best friend, Tiger, and Cathy Cavadini as his older sister, Tanya (Cavadini replaced original actress Amy Green in the sequel). The rest of the characters were recast: Nehemiah Persoff was replaced by Lloyd Battista as Fievel’s father; Erica Yohn by Susan Silo as Fievel’s mother; Amy Irving by Cynthia Ferrier as Tiger’s girlfriend, Miss Kitty; Cleese by Gerrit Graham as Cat R. Waul; and Jon Lovitz by Dan Castellaneta as Cat’s sidekick, T.R. Chula. Cavadini also gained the additional role of Yasha, the baby of the family. New to the series was Fievel’s other nemesis, Sweet William (Kenneth Mars), and his dimwitted henchmen, Slim and Felonious (both Castellaneta). 

            Fievel’s American Tails debuted on CBS on September 12, 1992, written by Hank Saroyan, J.R. Young, David Carren, J. Larry Carroll, Sam Graham, Chris Hubbell and Grant Moran. The show continued Fievel’s adventures in the west, often spoiling the schemes of Cat and Sweet William using his wits and guile. Otherwise, he helped his family in their violin shop as they dealt with the other immigrant families in the community of Green River. The series was animated by Wang Film Production Co., Ltd., Bardel Animation and The Hollywood Cartoon Company. The series’ theme was composed by Saroyan and Robert Irving, while Milan Kymlicka handled the rest of the music. When Fievel was selected as the spokesmouse for Reading is Fundamental in 1992, little segments called “Reading Buddies” showcasing reading were tacked on to the end of the episodes of the series. Fievel’s ability to read also helped him out of some troubles in the show proper as a further tie-in to the campaign. 

Papa, Yasha and Tanya.

            The series failed to capture an audience the way the films--particularly the first--had and the ratings dwindled as it went on. At the conclusion of its sole season, CBS quietly cancelled American Tails and it was off the schedule by the fall of 1993. MCA/Universal Home Video released six VHS collections containing two episodes each, as well as two laserdisc volumes. The United Kingdom saw a similar release in 1995, but with a different episode order and swapped one of the episodes for the one not released in the United States. Episodes have also been released to DVD in France, Germany and Italy. It eventually became available to stream on the Universal-owned service, Peacock.

            Amblimation was dedicated to making more subdued and high-brow entertainment than what was currently being offered in animation at the time. Unfortunately, that didn’t attract American audiences and the studio’s few projects underperformed at the box office. It was shut down in 1997, but Universal went ahead with two more direct-to-video American Tail movies: 1998’s Treasure of Manhattan Island and 1999’s Mystery of the Night Monster. Fievel and the American Tail mythology live on at Universal Studios Theme Park in the form of Fievel’s Playland; a playground that allows visitors to pretend they’re the size of mice. It outlasted the live show that opened around the same time in 1989, and was one of the oldest attractions at the park.

EPISODE GUIDE:

“Fievel, the Lonesome Ranger” (9/12/92) – When other cats kidnap Tiger, Fievel becomes the Lonesome Ranger in order to save him.

“Law and Disorder” (9/19/92) – Being late for school ends up getting Fievel banned from seeing Tiger until his work is done, just as Tiger needs his help to perpetuate a ruse.

“Little Mouse on the Prairie” (9/26/92) – Fievel accidentally loses his friend’s boomerang to Cat R. Waul and sets out to get it back.

“The Gift” (10/3/92) – Fievel gets a violin for his birthday and accidentally breaks it.

“A Case of the Hiccups” (10/10/92) – Fievel is tricked into giving the townspeople the hiccups so an unscrupulous “doctor” can sell them the cure.

“The Legend of Mouse Hollow” (10/17/92) – Cat R. Waul disrupts the school production of The Legend of Mouse Hollow in order to use a singing competition to lure in and trap the mice.

“The Babysitting Blues” (10/24/92) – Papa and Mama leave Fievel to babysit Yasha as they prepare for a photograph.

“The Lost Mother Lode” (10/31/92) – Fievel and his friends set out to find a supposedly haunted gold vein, but Cat R. Waul plans to get there first by giving them a phony map.

“A Mouse Known as Zorrowitz” (11/7/92) – Cat R. Waul plans to steal the cheese delivery, but is thwarted by the mysterious Zorrowitz.

“Mail Order Mayhem” (11/14/92) – A mail order catalogue causes chaos in the village through the items ordered from it.

“Aunt Sophie’s Visit” (11/21/92) – Fievel wants to participate in the rodeo, but can’t because his aunt is coming to visit.

“That’s What Friends Are For” (11/28/92) – Chula becomes Fievel’s friend when Tiger believes he can no longer be it.

“Bell the Cats” (12/5/92) – Fievel ties bells to the cats’ tails so that their movements can alert the mice, unfortunately the plan backfires.

MEN IN BLACK: THE SERIES

MEN IN BLACK: THE SERIES

(WB, October 11, 1997-June 30, 2001)

Amblin Television, Adelaide Productions, Columbia TriStar Television

MAIN CAST:

Ed O’ Ross (season 1) & Gregg Berger (season 2-4) – Agent K

Keith Diamond – Agent J

Jennifer Lien (season 1-3) & Jennifer Martin (season 4) – Agent L

Charles Napier – Zed

Pat Pinney – The Worms, Idikiukup, various

Pat Fraley – The Worms, Bob, various

Eddie Barth – Frank the Pug

Tony Shalhoub – Jack Jeebs (season 1)

Billy West – Jack Jeebs (season 2-4), Dak Jeebs, Vangus

The question of whether or not we’re alone in the universe is one that has danced in the minds of scientists and common man alike. Is there life on other planets? In other galaxies? Have they ever been to Earth? And if so, why do they only target rednecks and cattle? And don’t they have anything better to do than make lawn art? These are the kinds of questions answerable only by the Men in Black.

The original comic.

Men in Black started out as a three-issue mini-series published by Aircel Comics, the insulation company-turned-independent publisher run by Barry Blair, in 1990. The concept was created by writer Lowell Cunningham after his friend introduced him to the concept of the men in black: government agents that wore suits and sunglasses and drove around in black vehicles to hide all evidence of the existence of aliens by any means necessary.  Similarly, Cunningham’s Men in Black (also known as MIB) used the same--if not more extreme--methodology. To keep the premise from getting stale, his MIB also dealt with all aspects of the paranormal including ghosts and monsters. 

Agent K "recruits" Agent J.

The primary focus of the book was Agents K (sometimes depicted as Kay) and J (sometimes Jay). Agent K forcibly recruited Agent J, a DEA agent, during an undercover drug sting. He threatened J with a memory-wipe from his “neuralyzer” device that would leave him unable to explain the operation’s failure to his bosses unless he joined the agency. The neuralyzer was the key instrument in the agency’s ability to keep the public unaware of strange phenomenon by wiping out all memory of an encounter and replacing it with a new memory suggestion. 

Farmer vs. alien. It doesn't end well.

While Agent J became K’s partner, K regarded him as completely expendable, kept secrets from him, and made morally questionable decisions involving him. Essentially, K was corrupted by the love of the power the agency gave him, according to an interview by Cunningham in the series’ first issue. Their direct supervisor was Agent Zed who was heard but never seen and hinted at not actually being human. Another agent, Agent Ecks, went rogue when he discovered that the MIB’s true purpose was to reshape the world into their own image by keeping the supernatural hidden.

First film promo poster.

The series proved a success and was followed-up the next year by a second three-issue series called Book II; published by Aircel’s new owner, Malibu Comics. Both series were drawn by Sandy Carruthers. Producers Walter F. Parkes and Laurie MacDonald came across the comic and optioned the rights to it in 1992. They hired Ed Solomon to write a script that was very faithful to the comics and sought Barry Sonnefeld to direct after seeing his darkly humorous films The Addams Family and Addams Family Values, which were adapted from the Charles Addams comic strip. When Sonnefeld was unavailable, Parkes and MacDonald considered other options before deciding to wait for him to be free. 

The main receiving area of MIB HQ.

Production began on Men in Black in 1996. While filming, numerous changes were made to the concept and the script. The agency became more benevolent, focused solely on monitoring and policing alien visitors and those who remain as secret citizens on the planet since they made first contact back in the 1960s. The secret, of course, was to avoid a worldwide panic at discovering not only are we not alone in the universe, but the universe was already here. Sonnefeld set the movie in New York City as a result, feeling its citizenry would be more tolerant to oddly-behaving aliens disguised as humans as well as a great number of the buildings there resembled space transports. Operating independently of the government, MIB was financed by patents on technology appropriated from alien encounters such as Velcro and minidisc. Unlike the traditional firearms of the comics, the MIB used more advanced weaponry and tools, including the neuralyzer (whose effects could be blocked by the sunglasses they wore). Their primary mode of transport was an unassuming black 1987 Ford LTD Crown Victoria that held an advanced power plant under its hood and could transform for a burst of speed. As MIB headquarters was the arrival point for aliens to arrive on Earth, production designer Bo Welch modeled it after the TWA terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport. 

Agents K, J and L.

The characters were given backgrounds, something the comics stayed away from. Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) was just a kid who stumbled upon the first meeting between the aliens and the agents; opting to join the organization and cut off all ties to his former life as all agents are required to do. Agent J (Will Smith) was NYPD detective James Darrell Edwards III who was recruited by K when he ran down an alien perpetrator on foot. Smith was cast after the original choices of Chris O’Donnell and David Schwimmer turned down the part because Sonnefeld liked his performance in Six Degrees of Separation and his wife was a fan of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. K, while grizzled and jaded, was more human than his comics counterpart and took a mentorship role to J. Agent Zed (Rip Torn) was also fully seen, and the center of the MIB’s intelligence-gathering and communications were handled by a pair of one-eyed tentacle aliens known as The Twins: Idikiukup and Bob.

Agent L faces down Edgar's brother.

Men in Black dealt with the arrival of Edgar the Bug (Vincent D’Onofrio), who wanted to take the tiny galaxy possessed by the Arquillian race in order to destroy them. The MIB had to stop Edgar and retrieve the galaxy before the Aquillians destroyed the planet in order to keep it out of the Bugs’ hands. The film ended with K wanting to retire, having trained J to be his replacement rather than his partner. J in turn gained a new partner in Laurel Weaver (Linda Fiorentino), a coroner who became entangled in their adventure.

Released by Columbia Pictures on July 2, 1997, the film became a box office success grossing $589.4 million. Marvel Comics, who came to own the franchise through their purchase of Malibu in 1994, released several comics to promote the film. One was an adaptation of the film; another was Retribution, which followed the first movie and saw K returned to active duty via de-neuralization (similar to what would happen in Men in Black 2); Far Cry had Cunningham return to write a continuation of the original comics’ continuity; and a reprint of the original first issue in association with defunct retailer American Entertainment. 

Making animation look good.

To capitalize on the film’s success, an animated series based on the movie was put into production by Amblin Television, Adelaide Productions and Columbia TriStar Television. Developed by Duane Capizzi, Jeff Kline and Richard Raynis, the series largely took up where the film left off, however there were some changes made. Agent K (Ed O’ Ross & Gregg Berger) didn’t retire and was made to seem more stiff and emotionless. Agent J’s (Keith Diamond) personality contrasted K’s as he was lively and held on to his humanity. He was depicted as more of a rookie for comedic effect, however; particularly every time he was sent flying by the kickback from his signature weapon from the film, the Noisy Cricket (J would later acquire a silencer that put an end to that recurring gag). J’s new partner from the end of the film, Agent L (Jennifer Lien & Jennifer Martin), became a veteran agent who spent most of her time in MIB’s lab before eventually becoming a field agent. Zed (Charles Napier) was just as no-nonsense as K, rather than displaying some of the sarcastic wit he did in the film. Also present were the coffee-mooching Worm Guys (Patrick Pinney and Pat Fraley) that hung out in MIB’s break room, the Twins (also Pinney and Fraley), and MIB informant Frank the Pug (Eddie Barth).

Jack Jeebs.

Tony Shalhoub reprised his role of Jack Jeebs from the movie for the first season. Jeebs was an alien who worked in a pawn shop that was actually a front for illegal alien goods and sometimes informant for the MIB (after they shot head his off first, usually—don’t worry, it grows back). He was replaced by Billy West for the remainder of the show’s run. D’Onofrio also returned in several episodes to voice other Bugs that came to Earth as well as the Emperor Worm. Agent Ecks from the comic was reimagined as Alpha (David Warner), K’s former mentor who became corrupt and sought to become all-powerful by grafting alien parts onto his body. The Agent X name was recycled into L’s new partner (Adam Baldwin), a green-skinned alien from the G-Dan galaxy as a means to smooth human-alien relations. 

Rogue agent Alpha.

Men in Black: The Series debuted on October 11, 1997 on The WB as part of their Kids’ WB programming block. It was written by Capizzi along with Steve Roberts, Mark Amato, Alexx Van Dyne, Thomas Pugsley, Greg Klein, Greg Weisman, Dean Stefan, Robin Jill Burger, Steve Melching, Tony Schillaci, Tony Reitano, Nick DuBois, Tony Sommo, Marsha Griffin, Len Uhley, Julia Lewald, Michael Edens, and Baz Hawkins. The series’ theme was composed by series composer Jim Latham. An instrumental version of Smith’s “Men in Black”, written by Smith, Patrice Rushen, Terri McFadden and Freddie Washington that served as the movie’s theme, was used as the show’s closing theme over the credits and mug shots of various aliens. The series ran for four seasons, expanding to also include reruns on weekdays. The fourth season received a slightly modified intro to incorporate the new characters introduced.

Although a toy line by Toysite was announced and promoted at the 2000 Toy Fair, it was never released. Instead the only toys based on the series came from both Burger King and Wendy’s as part of their kids meals. In 2000, Crave Entertainment produced two video games based on the series for the Game Boy Color. In the first, Men in Black: The Series, the player was only allowed to play as Agent J while using various weapons to work through levels reminiscent of episodes. Men in Black: The Series 2 allowed the player to switch between Agents J and K. In 2001, Infogrames released Men in Black: The Series – Crashdown for the PlaySation that had Agents J and K in a first-person shooter combining multiple episodes together into one story.

The American DVD release.

In March of 1999, Sony Pictures released three two-episode VHS collections; one containing a bonus episode. The remainder of the first season saw release in 2003 outside of North America. In 2004, UCA Pictures released the first three episodes to DVD outside of North America, however low sales resulted in no further releases. Sony Pictures Entertainment released the complete first season on DVD in 2007 as a box set in Australia and between two volumes in the United Kingdom. In May of 2012, in time for the release of Men in Black 3, the first season came to DVD in the United States initially as a Target exclusive. No further releases of the series have been planned or announced, but the entire series was made available for streaming on Netflix.

Now, just look right here for a moment...

EPISODE GUIDE:

Season 1:

“The Long Goodbye Syndrome” (10/11/97) – When J destroys a Skraaldian on a mission, he becomes the most wanted man on the planet Skraal.

“The Buzzard Syndrome” (10/18/97) – J and K help alien cop Treblor track down escaped convict Z-Ron, but Treblor may not be who he says he is.

“The Irritable Bow-Wow Syndrome” (10/25/97) – The Charnock pursue Frank after he accidentally swallows a black hole generator.

“The Alpha Syndrome” (11/1/97) – J and K stumble upon a theft committed by K’s former mentor Alpha, who has upgraded himself with alien body parts.

“The Undercover Syndrome” (11/8/97) – J goes undercover as a Tarkan bodyguard to protect the Trade Minister of Tarka at an alien conference.

“The Neuralyzer Syndrome” (11/15/97) – J trying to learn more about K’s past leads him to accidentally neuralyze K back to the age of 16.

“The Symbiote Syndrome” (11/22/97) – J fills in for an infected K on a mission to transport a symbiote to New York, but Buzzard has his sights set on the symbiote for his boss.

“The Inanimate Syndrome” (12/6/97) – Intergalactic cop Eileen, an old flame of K’s, helps the MIB track down an escaped shapeshifter.

“The Psychic Link Syndrome” (12/13/97) – Forbus is absorbing human body fluids and allowing K to share in his experiences through a psychic bond.

“The Head Trip Syndrome” (12/20/97) – J uses a device that accidentally increases his intelligence, but before he can fix himself he has to stop an alien bigot from wiping out the MIB in the past.

“The Elle of My Dreams Syndrome” (1/10/98) – When the MIB attempt to save the crew of a space shuttle, L has to enter J’s dreams to save him from a Vermax.

“The I Married an Alien Syndrome” (2/14/98) – J believes K is an alien spy for the Blastula who are currently increasing Earth’s temperature to colonize it.

“The Take No Prisoners Syndrome” (5/16/98) – MIB’s inmates escape and take over the HQ, leaving only J and the worms to stop them.

Season 2:

“The Little Big Man Syndrome” (9/19/98) – J is shrunk down to investigate the Fmeks thefts of Arquillian human suits.

“The Quick Clone Syndrome” (9/26/98) – J uses quick clones to get some rest, but Alpha uses one of them to steal Zed’s brain.

“The Heads You Lose Syndrome” (10/3/98) – Alpha’s alien attachments are failing and decides to use Troy the symbiote to rectify that.

“The Dog Eat Dog Syndrome” (10/10/98) – Frank’s old associate Drekk is running loose on Earth, but if he helps MIB he could be boiled alive.

“The Big Bad Bug Syndrome” (10/24/98) – The Queen of the Bugs puts a bounty on the heads of J, K and L for the death of Edgar.

“The Jack O’Lantern Syndrome” (10/31/98) – While trick-or-treating with the worms, J discovers an alien kidnapping children.

“The Sonic Boom Syndrome” (11/7/98) – J and K team-up again with Eileen and her partner to track down an escaped alien.

“The Bad Seed Syndrome” (11/14/98) – Parasites from alien seeds take over MIB and threaten the world.

“The Fmall, Fmall World Syndrome” (11/21/98) – The Fmeks break into MIB to steal a growth formula and kidnap one of the worms, believing him to be its creator.

“The Black Christmas Syndrome” (12/12/98) – MIB has to rescue Santa Claus from Drekk.

“The Supermen in Black Syndrome” (1/16/99) – J, K, L and three alien criminals are all given super powers.

“The Star System Syndrome” (1/23/99) – K and J are sent to Hollywood to investigate the disappearance of alien actors.

“The Blackguard Syndrome” (2/6/99) – J and K head into space to rescue MIB’s satellite from Alpha and Dak Jeebs.

Season 3:

“The Worm-Guy Syndrome” (10/30/99) – J and K are merged with the worms while trying to stop Kalifadik law enforcement agents from sending the guilty to alien prisons via teleportation guns.

“The Cold Sweat Syndrome” (11/6/99) – Alpha and Dak, now merged, end up in Antarctica where they discover a powerful alien spaceship.

“The Puppy Love Syndrome” (11/13/99) – Frank’s new girlfriend Veronica secretly works for Javkor who is out to steal MIB’s secrets.

“The Lost Continent Syndrome” (11/20/99) – K and J have to prevent the restoration of the continent of Atlantis.

“The Way Out West Syndrome” (11/27/99) – J and K travel back in time to the wild west to stop an alien in his vulnerable state before he can threaten Phoenix in the present.

“The Mine, Mine, Mine Syndrome” (12/4/99) – MIB faces problems when The Bug Queen and The Emperor Worm end up staying at the same hotel.

“The Bye-Bye Worm Syndrome” (12/11/99) – J tries to clear the worms’ names after Zed deports them for their latest mishap.

“The Lights Out Syndrome” (1/29/00) – J has to help a blinded K to stop the Darkons from creating a permanent eclipse.

“The Out to Pasture Syndrome” (2/12/00) – Zed retires, K is put in charge, and Alpha returns more powerful than ever.

“The Sardines and Ice Cream Syndrome” (2/26/00) – While the Fmeks shrink everything, J becomes pregnant when he accidentally swallows an alien egg.

“The I Want My Mummy Syndrome” (3/12/00) – A Hyperian, dressed like an Egyptian mummy, is awakened.

“The Baby Kay Syndrome” (4/23/00) – When the delegate’s daughter they’re watching is kidnaped, K is exposed to her age-regressing spray and de-ages into a baby.

“The Bad Doggie Syndrome” (4/30/00) – Frank’s body is taken over by the king of the Tunstons, who are trying to conquer Earth.

“The ‘J’ is for James Syndrome” (5/7/00) – J joyrides in the LTD and ends up fired just as the bugs attack.

Season 4:

“The Musical Chairs Syndrome” (9/16/00) – Dr. Zeeltor takes over the lab for new field agent L while New York is threatened by the Barooga.

“The Spectacle Syndrome” (9/23/00) – J and K have to rescue the worms from an alien world resembling ancient Rome.

“The Back to School Syndrome” (9/30/00) – J poses as a high school student to protect an alien prince.

“The Opening Gambit Syndrome” (10/7/00) – MIB has to get information from Alpha about how he stopped Vangus the first time he came to Earth.

“The Future’s So Bright Syndrome” (10/21/00) – J gets sent to the future and discovers worms rule the Earth.

“The Loose Ball Foul Syndrome” (4/14/01) – K is on the same baseball-like tiny planet that the Fmeks decide to conquer.

“The Hots for Jay Syndrome” (4/21/01) – Alien food gives J the ability to throw fire.

“The Circus Parade Syndrome” (4/28/01) – An alien gang comes to Earth after discovering someone they’re looking for is hiding out there.

“The Virtual Crossfire Syndrome” (5/5/01) – When J attempts to beat a virtual reality training program, the program goes haywire and becomes deadly.

“The Breaking News Syndrome” (5/12/01) – An alien film crew follows the MIB around on the job just as Drekk returns.

“The Zero to Superhero Syndrome” (5/26/01) – When an alien becomes a superhero, MIB seeks to stop him before his actions attract unwanted galactic attention.

“The Endgame Syndrome: Episode 1” (6/23/01) – Zed decides to reveal MIB to the world after Alpha, Vangus and the Ixions band together.

“The Endgame Syndrome: Episode 2” (6/30/01) – Despite MIB successfully resisting the attack, the Ixions plan to unleash their ultimate weapon that will kill everyone on the planet.


Originally posted in 2016. Updated in 2019.