Birdz (TV series)

Last updated

Birdz
Created byLarry Jacobs
Written by
  • Bruce Clark
  • Kim Thompson
Directed by
  • Raymond Jafelice
  • Andrew Young
Voices of
Opening theme"Surfin' Bird"
Composers
  • Ray Parker
  • Tom Szczesnaik
Country of originCanada
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13
Production
Executive producers
  • Elizabeth Partyka
  • Patrick Loubert
  • Michael Hirsh
  • Clive A. Smith
ProducerLarry Jacobs
Running time22 minutes
Production company Nelvana
Original release
Network CBS
Release3 October 1998 (1998-10-03) –
2 January 1999 (1999-01-02)

Birdz is a Canadian animated television series created by Larry Jacobs, who later worked on Cyberchase . It was produced by Nelvana Limited in association with CBS Television and STVE. The show was first aired on 3 October 1998, on CBS with the final episode's airing on 2 January 1999. [1] Later, it was shown in Scotland in 2001, aired on Scottish Television and Grampian TV. The show was returned from 2015 as part of the "Weans' World" block on STV Glasgow and STV Edinburgh.

Contents

Plot

The show is about an anthropomorphic 10-year-old bird named Eddie Storkowitz, who films his everyday life in aspiration of becoming a filmmaker. [2] His family includes his father, Morty, who is a psychiatrist; mother Betty, an artist; college-age older sister Steffy; and baby sister Abby. Several episodes focus on Eddie's class, which includes an owl named Olivia, a robin named Spring, a turkey named Tommy, a woodpecker named Gregory, and a bat named Sleepy, plus teacher Miss Finch and principal Mr. Pip. [3]

Theme music

The song "Surfin' Bird" by the Trashmen was covered as a theme song for the series.

Cancellation

The show's creator Larry Jacobs thought that the show received poor ratings because it aired after the news in most markets. [4]

Cast and characters

Episodes

No.TitleOriginal air date
1"The Agony and the Eggstacy"3 October 1998 (1998-10-03)
Steffy has to watch Betty's newly-laid egg, but bribes Eddie into watching it. He leaves it to warm on the television so that he can spend his bribe money at the arcade with friends.
2"Can't Buy Me Love"10 October 1998 (1998-10-10)
Eddie tries to win Miss Finch's attention by buying her a fancy gift with his father's credit card. He then buys gifts for his friends as well, angering his father.
3"I Heard It Through the Grapevine"17 October 1998 (1998-10-17)
Striving to be a reporter, Eddie spreads misinformation about a man who lives in a haunted house after assuming that the man is also the subject of a horror novel Morty is reading. The man in the house turns out to be friendly.
4"One Giant Leap"24 October 1998 (1998-10-24)
Eddie and Spring try to convince Tommy to get rid of the balloon he uses for flight. After he injures his foot in an attempt to fly, everyone comes to accept his balloon because he is a turkey and cannot fly.
5"A Face in the Crowd"31 October 1998 (1998-10-31)
Eddie and his friends make a film for an amateur film contest judged by his favorite actor. However, his friends turn on him after they dislike how they appear in the result.
6"Birdman"7 November 1998 (1998-11-07)
Eddie and Sleepy then follow Officer Pigeon with a video camera after hearing that a superhero named Birdman has been chasing bank robbers. Later, Birdman reveals himself to be Mr. Pip in disguise, and he and Eddie admit their guilt over interfering with Officer Pigeon's job.
7"Let the Chicks Fall Where They May"14 November 1998 (1998-11-14)
The Storkowitzes migrate southward with Mr. Nuthatch, but Eddie procrastinates and forgets to pack the necessary equipment. As a result, he gets lost and is unable to signal for help.
8"Father and Son Camp Out"28 November 1998 (1998-11-28)
Eddie is embarrassed by his father always wanting to spend quality time with him, so Betty encourages him to join Eddie's Bird Scout camping trip. The two bond after getting lost on a scavenger hunt.
9"Gulls and Dolls"5 December 1998 (1998-12-05)
Eddie auditions for the lead role of a school musical by lip-syncing to Gregory's voice, to compensate both for Eddie's own inability to sing and Gregory's stage fright. Gregory then feels guilty about helping his friend, but steps in as his understudy after Eddie fakes losing his voice.
10"Life of Riley"12 December 1998 (1998-12-12)
Riley Raven, a bird that Eddie knew from childhood, joins his class. His rebellious behavior influences Eddie to disobey his parents' rules (leading to him being grounded) and then run away from home. After he realizes that Riley misbehaves because his parents ignore him, Eddie realizes that his parents grounded him because they care, and decides to return to them.
11"Dollars and Sense"19 December 1998 (1998-12-19)
Eddie's parents agree to buy him a zoom lens for his camera if he comes up with half the money himself. He convinces his friends to do various chores around the neighborhood for him, but the plan backfires. He then captures fish for money, but frees them after Steffy convinces him. The parents finally agree to buy him the lens for his good deed.
12"Big Beak or Not Big Beak"26 December 1998 (1998-12-26)
Eddie misconstrues Miss Finch's comments on his beak and tries various methods to reduce it, causing him to forget about the video essay he was assigned. After she tells him that she meant to compliment his beak, Eddie gains newfound confidence in his self-appearance.
13"Birdz of a Feather"2 January 1999 (1999-01-02)
After failing to enter a gang, Eddie and his friends form a comedy club and persuades everyone to join. As a result, his friends get in trouble for joking around in class and turn against him. He wins them back after beating the gang leader, and realizes that he does not have to belong to a club to have his friends. (Final Episode)

Telecast and home media

The show was first introduced in October 1998 on CBS's Saturday morning lineup with repeats until Spring 1999. [5] In the 2000s, the show was also aired on the Omni Broadcasting Network. Later, it was shown in Scotland in 2001, aired on Scottish Television and Grampian TV (now STV North) - now both known as STV. The show was returned from 2015 as part of the "Weans' World" block on STV Glasgow and STV Edinburgh.

In the late 1990s, Alliance Atlantis released videotapes of the show.[ citation needed ]

In 2019, the show has begun being uploaded to Corus' Retro Rerun YouTube channel. As of 2022, the show is now streaming on Tubi.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scottish Television</span> Television studio and ITV franchisee in Scotland, United Kingdom

Scottish Television is the ITV network franchisee for Central Scotland. The channel — the largest of the three ITV franchises in Scotland — has been in operation since 31 August 1957 and is the second-oldest franchise holder in the UK that is still active.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grampian Television</span> ITV franchisee for the North of Scotland

Grampian Television was the original name of the Channel 3 service for the north of Scotland founded in 1961 and now named STV. The northern region's coverage area includes the Northern Isles, Western Isles, Highlands, Grampian, Tayside, and parts of north Fife.

Tales from the Cryptkeeper is an animated horror children's television series made by Canadian studio Nelvana. The series was broadcast on ABC in the United States, and on ITV in the United Kingdom. It is based on the 1950s EC Comics series Tales from the Crypt and the live action television series of the same name, which aired concurrently on HBO. Intended for children, Tales from the Cryptkeeper was significantly milder than its live-action counterpart, and all blood, gore, profanity and sexual content were completely removed in order to be more appropriate for the target audience. Most episodes take place within the fictional city of Gravenhurst, California.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kids is a 30-minute Saturday morning animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and broadcast on NBC from September 8, 1973, to December 1, 1973. The series title is a play on the name of the unrelated 1969 film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The character's music group is called the Sun Dance Kids.

<i>PB&J Otter</i> American TV series or program

PB&J Otter is an American animated musical children's television series that aired on Disney Channel's preschool block Playhouse Disney from March 15, 1998 to October 23, 2000. The series centers on the Otter family who live in the rural fishing community of Lake Hoohaw. Most stories revolve around the three Otter kids: older brother Peanut, younger sister Jelly and baby sister Butter, as well as their friends and neighbors.

<i>Flying Rhino Junior High</i> Animated TV series

Flying Rhino Junior High is a fantasy animated television series produced by Neurones Animation, Nelvana Limited, and Scottish Television Enterprises. The show was originally aired from 3 October 1998 until 22 January 2000 on Teletoon in Canada. In the U.S., the show was aired on CBS. On 2 February 2000, the show was cancelled.

<i>North Tonight</i> TV series or program

North Tonight was a Scottish nightly regional news programme covering the North of Scotland, produced by STV North.

<i>Pippi Longstocking</i> (1997 TV series) 1997 animated television series

Pippi Longstocking is an animated television series produced by AB Svensk Filmindustri, TaurusFilm, TFC Trickompany Filmproduktion, and Nelvana based on the book series drawn and written by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren. It is a joint Canadian-German-Swedish production. This was the first time that the popular character had been animated. A spin-off of the 1997 animated film of the same name, the series disregards the film and starts with a new storyline. Melissa Altro, Richard Binsley, Noah Reid, Olivia Garratt, Wayne Robson, Rick Jones, Philip Williams, Chris Wiggins and Karen Bernstein are the only voice cast reprising their roles from the 1997 film. It was led by German director Michael Schaack. The story editor and chief writer for the series was Ken Sobol whose son, John, also wrote several episodes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">STV (TV channel)</span> Television channel in Scotland

STV is a free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the STV Group. It is made up of the Central Scotland and Northern Scotland ITV public broadcaster licences, formerly known as Scottish Television and Grampian Television respectively.

<i>Archies TV Funnies</i> American TV series or program

Archie's TV Funnies is a Saturday morning cartoon animated series produced by Filmation which appeared on CBS from September 11, 1971, to September 1, 1973. The series starred Bob Montana's Archie characters, including Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle and Jughead Jones.

Inside Out was a short-lived Scottish children's television show, produced by Scottish Television and broadcast each Saturday and Sunday afternoon, from August to December 2000. The show was also broadcast on neighbouring ITV station, Grampian Television.

wknd@stv was a short-lived children's programming strand on Scottish television channel, STV. The block aired on Saturdays and Sundays, usually starting at 9:25 am. It began on Saturday 17 January 2009 with a three-hour edition. The majority of editions were one to two hours in length.

<i>Meeow!</i> British TV series or programme

Meeow! is a 2000 Scottish animated children's series based on the Maisie MacKenzie books by Aileen Paterson, and produced simultaneously in English and Gaelic versions. The series is about a young cat named Maisie Mac who lives with her grandmother in Morningside in Edinburgh as her explorer father is always away.

<i>Anatole</i> (TV series) TV series or program

Anatole is an animated children's television series based on the Anatole book series by Eve Titus. The series was created by Scottish Television, Valentine Productions s.a.r.l. and Nelvana as one of their numerous programmes. It originally aired on Canada's YTV network from 1998 to 1999, and premiered in the United States on CBS on 3 October 1998, and aired through the 1998–99 television season.

<i>The Flintstone Comedy Hour</i> U.S. animated television series (1972–74)

The Flintstone Comedy Hour is an American animated television series and a spin-off of The Flintstones and The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show, produced by Hanna-Barbera, which aired on CBS from September 9, 1972, to September 1, 1973. It was re-titled The Flintstone Comedy Show for a second season of reruns as a half-hour show from September 8, 1973, to January 26, 1974.

What's New, Mr. Magoo? is an American animated television series which aired on Saturday mornings from September 10 to December 24, 1977, on CBS. It was produced by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises and United Productions of America. The series has the voices of Jim Backus, Bob Ogle, Casey Kasem, Hal Smith and Frank Welker.

"Total Rickall" is the fourth episode of the second season of the Adult Swim animated television series Rick and Morty. Written by Mike McMahan and directed by Juan Meza-León, the episode premiered on August 16, 2015. It shows the Smith family, along with Mr. Poopybutthole, overwhelmed by an infestation of parasites who implant false memories into them so they cannot tell who is real.

This is a timeline of the history of the British broadcaster Scottish Television. It provides the ITV network service for Central Scotland.

This is a timeline of the history of the British broadcaster Grampian Television. It provides the ITV network service for the north of Scotland.

This is a timeline of television in Scotland.

References

  1. ↑ Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 83. ISBN   978-1538103739.
  2. ↑ Lockhart, Kim (September 1998). "TV's Top 10 New Toons". Disney Adventures . 8 (11): 39.
  3. ↑ Lenburg, Jeff (2009). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons (Third ed.). Facts on File. p.  447.
  4. ↑ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television cartoon shows: an illustrated encyclopedia, 1949 through 2003. McFarland & Co. p. 144. ISBN   9780786422555.
  5. ↑ Graham, Jefferson (8 September 1998). "Kids' TV is reigning with cats, dogs, lizards". USA Today . Retrieved 31 August 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.