Capitol Critters

Last updated

Capitol Critters
Capitol Critters.jpg
Genre Animated sitcom
Comedy-drama
Created byNat Mauldin
Steven Bochco
Michael Wagner
Directed by Robert Alvarez
Starring Neil Patrick Harris
Charlie Adler
Patti Deutsch
Jennifer Darling
Dorian Harewood
Bobcat Goldthwait
Frank Welker
Theme music composer Bruce Broughton
Composers Don Davis
Steven Bramson
J.A.C. Redford
Bruce Broughton
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13
Production
Executive producersNat Mauldin
David Kirschner
ProducersDayna Kalins
Steven Bochco
Running time22 minutes
Production companies Steven Bochco Productions
H-B Production Co.
20th Century Fox Television
Original release
Network ABC (1992)
Cartoon Network (1995–1996)
ReleaseJanuary 28, 1992 (1992-01-28) –
September 17, 1996 (1996-09-17)

Capitol Critters is an American animated sitcom produced by Steven Bochco Productions and H-B Production Co. in association with 20th Century Fox Television for ABC. The show is about the lives of mice, rats and roaches who reside in the basement and walls of the White House in Washington, D.C. [1] Seven out of the show's 13 episodes were aired on ABC from January 28 to March 14, 1992. [2] Cartoon Network later aired all 13 episodes (including the unaired episodes) from 1995 through 1996. 20th Television currently holds the rights to the show.

Contents

The series was part of a spate of attempts by major networks to develop prime time animated shows to compete with the success of Fox's The Simpsons , alongside CBS's Fish Police (also produced by Hanna-Barbera) and Family Dog . [3] The latter two, along with Capitol Critters, proved unsuccessful and were quickly cancelled.

Premise

A young mouse named Max is forced to flee his home on a farm in Nebraska after his family is killed by exterminators. He travels to Washington, D.C. to live with his hippie cousin Berkley, rebellious rat Jammett, and Jammett's mother Trixie. Max also befriends a hip cockroach named Moze and a former laboratory rat named Muggle who still suffers from the side effects of the experiments he is put through that often have him exploding.

The group has to deal with the White House's resident cats, which are caricatures of then-President George H. W. Bush and Vice President Dan Quayle. The episodes' themes reference current issues of the day, including gun control and drug abuse.

Cast

Additional voices

Episodes

No.TitleWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code		 Viewers
(millions)
1"Max Goes to Washington"Nat MauldinJanuary 28, 1992 (1992-01-28)ORO125.1 [4]
After Max the mouse's family is murdered by pest control workers, he moves to Washington, D.C. to live with his cousin Berkley.
2"Of Thee I Sting"Nat MauldinJanuary 31, 1992 (1992-01-31)ORO320.6 [4]
Max gets trapped in the briefcase of a charismatic but crooked politician.
3"The Rat to Bear Arms"Nat MauldinFebruary 1, 1992 (1992-02-01)ORO411.1 [4]
Jammett finds a gun and plans to obliterate the presidential cats to avenge the death of a young rat named Felix, who was killed by one of the cats.
4"Hat & Mouse"Nat MauldinFebruary 8, 1992 (1992-02-08)ORO211.6 [5]
Moze shows up to return Max's hat, but Max's fellow rodents don't take kindly to a cockroach in their midst.
5"A Little Romance"Nat MauldinFebruary 15, 1992 (1992-02-15)ORO510.4 [6]
When a stowaway family of Japanese mice arrive at the White House, Max rescues their daughter from the presidential cat and falls in love with her.
6"Opie's Choice"Nat MauldinFebruary 29, 1992 (1992-02-29)ORO610.6 [7]
Jammett begins supplying Opie the squirrel with caffeine pills.
7"An Embarrassment of Roaches"Nat MauldinMarch 14, 1992 (1992-03-14)ORO78.9 [8]
Max encourages his friends to let an elderly cockroach couple move in next door, but soon the rodents are up to their ears in baby roaches.
8"Into the Woods"Nat MauldinSeptember 15, 1995 (1995-09-15)(on Cartoon Network)ORO8N/A
Trixie mistakes one of Jammett's marbles as a grape and bites into it, causing a massive toothache. Meanwhile, Jammett tries to help an owl who's in danger of losing his home when a crew shows up to tear down the forest and erect a shopping mall.
9"Gimme Shelter"Nat MauldinSeptember 22, 1995 (1995-09-22)(on Cartoon Network)ORO9N/A
Max discovers a rat and a cockroach who've been living in a fallout shelter for 30 years.
10"The KiloWatts Riots" Rob Cohen September 29, 1995 (1995-09-29)(on Cartoon Network)ORO12N/A
When the power goes out below the White House, Jammett begins doling out extension cords in return for favors. Meanwhile, Muggle tries to devise an alternative power source.
11"The Bug House"Nat MauldinSeptember 3, 1996 (1996-09-03)(on Cartoon Network)ORO11N/A
Jammett's attempt at cheating during a baseball game lands him, Max and Moze in Roach Prison.
12"The Lady Doth Protest to Munch"Nat MauldinSeptember 10, 1996 (1996-09-10)(on Cartoon Network)ORO10N/A
When an important bill is vetoed, Berkley protests by going on a hunger strike. Of course temptation lies around every corner.
13"If Lovin' You Is Wrong, I Don't Wanna Be Rat"Karl Fink & Roberto BenabibSeptember 17, 1996 (1996-09-17)(on Cartoon Network)ORO13N/A
When the president's grandchildren visit the White House, Jammett falls in love with their pet hamster.

Reception

Capitol Critters was cancelled after less than two months. [9] In its short run, the series dealt with such topics as politics, racial segregation, drug addiction, and mortality. [10] In his review of the series, Variety critic Brian Lowry wrote that "at its best, the show seems to ape the work of film director Ralph Bakshi by using an animated setting to explore adult themes", and that "the bland central character and cartoonish elements [...] will likely be off-putting to many adults, who won't find the political satire biting enough to merit their continued attention. Similarly, kids probably won't be as smitten with the cartoon aspects or look". [10] Capitol Critters had their own Burger King Kids Club toys in 1992, which featured Jammet, Max, Muggle, and a Presidential Cat sitting on or emerging from miniature Washington, D.C., monuments.

Notes

    Related Research Articles

    <i>Life Goes On</i> (TV series) TV series

    Life Goes On is an American drama television series that aired on ABC from September 12, 1989, to May 23, 1993. The show centers on the Thatcher family living in suburban Chicago: Drew, his wife Libby, and their children Paige, Rebecca and Charles, who is known as Corky. Life Goes On was the first television series to feature a major character with Down syndrome.

    <i>Law & Order</i> season 2 Season of television series

    The second season of Law & Order aired on NBC between September 17, 1991, and May 12, 1992. This season marked the first death of a main character, as George Dzundza had departed the series after the conclusion of the first season. The death of his character Max Greevey is shown in the season premiere. Carolyn McCormick makes her first recurring appearance as Dr. Elizabeth Olivet.

    <i>Brooklyn Bridge</i> (TV series) American television program in the 1990s

    Brooklyn Bridge is an American sitcom television series which aired on CBS between September 20, 1991, to August 6, 1993. It is about a Jewish American family living in Brooklyn in the mid-1950s. The premise was partially based on the childhood of executive producer and creator Gary David Goldberg.

    <i>The Torkelsons</i> American sitcom

    The Torkelsons is an American sitcom television series that aired on the NBC television network from September 21, 1991, to June 6, 1993. Produced by Walt Disney Television in season 1 and Touchstone Television in season 2, the series starred Connie Ray, Olivia Burnette, and William Schallert. For the second and final season, the series was retooled and renamed Almost Home. The series lasted a total of two seasons, consisting of 33 episodes.

    <i>The Simpsons</i> season 4 Season of television series

    The fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons originally aired on the Fox network between September 24, 1992, and May 13, 1993, beginning with "Kamp Krusty". The showrunners for the fourth production season were Al Jean and Mike Reiss, with the season being produced by Gracie Films and 20th Century Fox Television. The aired season contained two episodes which were hold-over episodes from season three, which Jean and Reiss also ran. Following the end of the production of the season, Jean, Reiss and most of the original writing staff left the show. The season was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards and Dan Castellaneta would win one for his performance as Homer in "Mr. Plow". The fourth season was released on DVD in Region 1 on June 15, 2004, Region 2 on August 2, 2004, and in Region 4 on August 25, 2004.

    <i>The Simpsons</i> season 3 Season of television series

    The third season of the American animated television series The Simpsons originally aired on the Fox network between September 19, 1991, and August 27, 1992. The showrunners for the third production season were Al Jean and Mike Reiss who executive produced 22 episodes for the season, while two other episodes were produced by James L. Brooks, Matt Groening, and Sam Simon, with it being produced by Gracie Films and 20th Century Fox Television. An additional episode, "Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?", aired on August 27, 1992, after the official end of the third season and is included on the Season 3 DVD set. Season three won six Primetime Emmy Awards for "Outstanding Voice-Over Performance" and also received a nomination for "Outstanding Animated Program" for the episode "Radio Bart". The complete season was released on DVD in Region 1 on August 26, 2003, Region 2 on October 6, 2003, and in Region 4 on October 22, 2003.

    <i>Going Places</i> (American TV series) American sitcom

    Going Places is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from September 21, 1990, to March 8, 1991. The series stars Alan Ruck, Jerry Levine, Heather Locklear, and Hallie Todd as four young Hollywood writers renting a house together. It aired as part of the TGIF block. The series was created and executive produced by Robert Griffard and Howard Adler, and developed and executive produced by Thomas L. Miller and Robert L. Boyett for Miller-Boyett Productions, in association with Lorimar Television.

    <i>Seinfeld</i> season 3 Season of television series

    Season three of Seinfeld, an American television series created by Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, began airing on September 18, 1991, on NBC, a U.S. broadcast television network. It comprises 23 episodes and concluded its initial airing on May 6, 1992. "The Tape", "The Pen", and "The Letter" are some of the season's episodes that were inspired by the writers' own experiences. Co-creator Larry David admits that season three was a big turning point for the series in terms of how the show was made; it's where the writers started doing nonlinear story lines with episodes containing multiple stories. George was becoming a bigger liar, Elaine was becoming more quirky, and Kramer was becoming surer of himself throughout his crazy antics. This season received eight Emmy nominations and one Directors Guild of America Award.

    <i>Seinfeld</i> season 4 Season of television series

    Season four of Seinfeld, an American comedy television series created by Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, began airing on August 12, 1992, and concluded on May 20, 1993, on NBC.

    True Colors is an American sitcom television series that aired on Fox from September 2, 1990, to April 12, 1992, for a total of 45 episodes. The series was created by Michael J. Weithorn, and featured an interracial marriage and a subsequent blended family.

    <i>Quantum Leap</i> season 5 Season of television series

    Season five of Quantum Leap ran on NBC from September 22, 1992 to May 5, 1993. The series follows the exploits of Dr. Sam Beckett and his Project Quantum Leap, through which he involuntarily leaps through spacetime, temporarily taking over a host in order to correct historical mistakes. Season five consists of 22 episodes.

    <i>The Golden Girls</i> season 7 Season of television series

    The seventh and final season of The Golden Girls premiered on NBC on September 21, 1991, and concluded on May 9, 1992. The season consisted of 26 episodes. It was the only season of the show that aired additional scenes during the final credits, and also the only season to feature no reused clips from prior episodes since season 2.

    <i>Cheers</i> season 10 Season of television series

    The tenth season of the American television sitcom Cheers aired on NBC from September 19, 1991 to May 14, 1992. The show was created by director James Burrows and writers Glen and Les Charles under production team Charles Burrows Charles Productions, in association with Paramount Television.

    <i>Married... with Children</i> season 7 1992–93 season of American TV series

    This is a list of episodes for the seventh season (1992–93) of the television series Married... with Children.

    References

    1. ↑ Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 108. ISBN   978-1538103739.
    2. ↑ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 175–177. ISBN   978-1476665993.
    3. ↑ Daniel Cerone, 'Fish Police' on Endangered Species List, Los Angeles Times, February 28, 1992, accessed January 20, 2011.
    4. 1 2 3 Donlon, Brian (February 5, 1992). "A show of CBS strength". Life. USA Today . p. 3D.
    5. ↑ Donlon, Brian (February 12, 1992). "CBS mines Olympic gold". Life. USA Today . p. 3D.
    6. ↑ Donlon, Brian (February 19, 1992). "CBS wins, but ABC gets silver". Life. USA Today . p. 3D.
    7. ↑ Donlon, Brian (March 4, 1992). "Last-place Fox is rising fast". Life. USA Today . p. 3D.
    8. ↑ "Hit comedies lift ABC". Life. USA Today . March 18, 1992. p. 3D.
    9. ↑ Stabile, Carol A.; Harrison, Mark, eds. (2003). "The second prime time animation boom". Prime Time Animation: Television Animation and American Culture. Routledge. p. 79. ISBN   0-415-28326-4.
    10. 1 2 Lowry, Brian (1994). "Capitol Critters". Variety Television Reviews 1991-92. Taylor & Francis. ISBN   0-8240-3796-0.
    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.