FishCenter Live | |
---|---|
Genre | Comedy Talk show Fish Entertainment |
Presented by |
|
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of episodes | 1400+ |
Production | |
Running time |
|
Production company | Williams Street |
Original release | |
Network | adultswim.com (online) Adult Swim (television) |
Release | September 16, 2014 – November 25, 2020 |
FishCenter Live (also shortened to FishCenter or FC Live [1] or just FCL) is a discontinued American talk show created by Mike Lazzo and hosted by Dave Bonawits, Andrew Choe, Matt Harrigan, Christina Loranger, and Max Simonet. It premiered on the official website of Adult Swim in September 2014 and started airing on television in February 2015. The series ended on November 25, 2020, following the shutdown of Adult Swim's livestream division.
FishCenter Live was presented as a weekday call-in talk show narrating over footage of tropical fish swimming around in a fish tank. [2] [1] [3] [4] [5] [6] The fish are ranked according to their points, which are awarded when the fish complete a number of challenges. [5] [7] These challenges include "Coin Quest," floating over coins that are superimposed on the video feed. [8] [9]
The show was hosted by Dave Bonawits, [1] [10] Andrew Choe, [1] [10] Matt Harrigan, [1] [lower-alpha 1] [10] Christina Loranger (since 2019), [12] and Max Simonet, [1] [13] [10] employees from the digital department room of Adult Swim. An original incarnation of the show involved a straight video feed of the fish tank, without narration. Commentary and a phone number for call-in segments were later added. Initially, callers were mostly other Adult Swim employees; when the competition portion was added, the hosts saw an increase of outside callers. [14]
Starting in 2015, both Dave Bonawits and Max Simonet began hosting another show for the streams, a New York Times crossword solving show initially called Crossword. The series was re-titled Bloodfeast in 2016, and later received two television spin-offs: Tender Touches [15] and Gēmusetto Machu Picchu .
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the show was done remotely starting in March 2020, with the hosts talking through Zoom. During this time, two hosts left for extended hiatuses: Dave Bonawits left from late April to early June for parental leave, while Andrew Choe left in late July after feeling burnt out, [16] returning for the show's final two weeks in November. The show was reduced to just three days a week in September, running two hours every Tuesday through Thursday, while also being simulcasted to YouTube and Twitch.
On November 10, 2020, parent company WarnerMedia announced a large round of layoffs, with Adult Swim being affected. [17] Among the laid off staff were all of the FishCenter Live hosts, except for Max Simonet, and the layoffs ultimately resulted in the cancellation of the Adult Swim streams. Following two more weeks of programming, FishCenter Live, and the Adult Swim streams as a whole, ended on November 25, 2020, with a two-part finale declaring TZ2 as the last Galaxy King. The live stream then became a silent feed of the fish tank until its eventual removal in January 2021.
Name | Species | Tank |
---|---|---|
Bijou | Marine betta grouper | One tank |
Green Chicken formerly Midoritori or Gunboat Diplomat | Bird wrasse | |
Hamburger [18] [19] or Eel Hamburger [10] | Zebra moray [10] | |
Hot Steve [2] [20] formerly Lupin the Third [20] | Foxface rabbitfish | |
Mimosa [2] [10] | Queen coris | |
Promises | Wolf eel | |
Slider | Sailfin tang | |
Tabitha Pillows | Short-nosed unicornfish | |
Th'Lump [2] [20] [19] [10] | White-spotted puffer | |
Wei | Emperor angelfish | |
Ed Keshem | Bird wrasse | Quarantine tank |
TZ2 | Pinktail triggerfish | |
[unnamed] | Crayfish | Crawfish tank |
Name | Species | Reason for departure |
---|---|---|
Dottie [10] [13] | Clown triggerfish | Death [13] (February 19, 2016) |
Long Donovan | Yellow-brown wrasse | Death (August 26, 2016) |
Mammoth [10] | Harlequin tuskfish | Death (September 6, 2016) |
Ronside | Majestic angelfish | Death (September 21, 2016) |
Sir Squirt [14] [10] | Lagoon triggerfish | Death (October 3, 2016) |
"Yo Hal Look At That Tang" Tang [14] [10] | Sohal surgeonfish | Removed from tank due to size and aggression |
Ol' Blue [10] | King angelfish | Removed from tank due to size and aggression, sold at fish store |
David Anderson [10] | Crayfish | Death (May 15, 2015) Live food fed to Hamburger [10] |
Hoagie Kush [21] | Sea urchin | Death (June 28, 2016) eaten by Th'lump |
Ale | Squirrelfish | Death (July 16, 2018) |
Styletoy | Flame angelfish | Death (October 29, 2018) |
Mom [20] [19] [22] | Arothron meleagris [22] (or "Golden Puffer") | Death (February 3, 2019) |
Greenbird (or "Greenberg" [10] ) | Bird wrasse | Death (February 11, 2019) |
Tan | Fake plant | Removed due to aggression (August 26, 2019) |
Top Xander Cupper | Pinktail triggerfish | Death (September 3, 2019) |
Lady | White Cloud Mountain minnow | Death (March 30, 2020) |
Lucky | White Cloud Mountain minnow | Death (May 18, 2020) |
Jeremy Legg | Cuban hogfish | Declared missing (October 2020) |
Year | Winter | Spring | Summer | Fall | Galaxy King |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2015 | Tang | Hamburger | Mammoth | Sir Squirt | Mammoth |
2016 | Sir Squirt * | Hamburger | Greenbird | Mimosa | Greenbird |
2017 | Th'Lump | TX Cupper | Greenbird | Greenbird | Greenbird |
2018 | Hot Steve | Ale † | Mimosa | Hamburger | TX Cupper |
2019 | Th'Lump | Mimosa | Bijou | Hamburger | Th'Lump |
2020 | Ed Keshem | Th'Lump | TZ2 | Tabitha Pillows | TZ2 |
^* Sir Squirt was represented by Hamburger in the 2016 Galaxy series. Due to Sir Squirt's death the second place fish for the Winter season, being Hamburger, was declared the Super King representative.
^† Ale was represented by TX Cupper in the 2018 Galaxy series due to Ale's untimely death earlier in the year.
The callers, fish, and guests compete for points in various games:
Games created for guests have included:
100 gecs, Alvvays, George Clinton, Carach Angren, Consider the Source, Dinosaur Jr., John Maus, Dying Fetus,Billie Eilish, Yung Lean, Daughters, Hard Working Americans (HWA), Colin Hay, Le Butcherettes, Los Lobos, Morbid Angel, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, David Sedaris, Tower of Power, Trampled by Turtles, and Turkuaz played on FishCenter Live. [2] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [23] [32] Alvvays' played the song "Not My Baby" from their sophomore album Antisocialites . HWA played the songs "Burn Out Shoes" and "Half Ass Moses". [6] HWA was on tour promoting their live album We're All In This Together. [6] Post Malone was also a guest [2] twice and did Trivia on frequent FishCenter guest Kelvin Taylor (actor), [33] along with being bitten by Mom after drinking 9 beers on his first appearance. [34] Waka Flocka Flame and DJ Whoo Kid played on FCL as well. [19] Fish-themed Joy Division cover band, Koi Division, said their dream is to appear on FishCenter Live. [7] George Clanton and Nick Hexum played the song "Aurora Summer". [35] 100 Gecs later included their performances on the show in the digital version of 1000 Gecs and the Tree of Clues , released on July 10, 2020. The final band to play on the show was Dawes, who appeared on the November 12, 2020 episode.
On 24 October 2019, American rock band Cage the Elephant released a music video for the song "Social Cues" from their eponymous album. It was shot at FishCenter Live with additional direction from Matt Shultz. [32] [36]
In the episode broadcast Thursday, 13 December 2018, a parody of the original Star Trek 's USS Enterprise was featured called the "USS FishCenterprise NCC-1065." 1065 is a reference to the street number for Williams Street, which produces content for Adult Swim. [37]
What is our version of a sports show? What is our version of a relationship Q&A show? You can test these things out, just as we did with FishCenter, in an office with a couple microphones.
—Mike Lazzo, Adult Swim executive [14]
FishCenter Live was originally released in September 2014 on Adult Swim's official website. [38] The show came about when staff decided to film the tropical fish swimming around their aquarium as an idea for developing content for the website's online streaming channels. New episodes were presented on weekdays. The show was added to the network proper in February 2015, broadcast at 4 a.m. These airings are condensed versions of the live version, consisting of 11-minute highlights from each day. [14] [lower-alpha 2]
In the first week of its televised broadcast, the show garnered 2.6 million viewers in total. [14] In a press release, the network ranked the program first place across all targeted demographics in its time slot during the second week of March 2015. [39] The network observed some of these viewers as confused Twitter users, wondering if the show was a prank. After these airings, live viewership rose from 120 to 5,000. The success led to the creation of a separate live stream dedicated to the network's Toonami block. [14]
In August 2017, a premiere of a Rick and Morty episode was delayed due to an episode of FishCenter Live on the same live stream. [22]
Critical reception has been positive. Adweek 's Jason Lynch called FishCenter Live "its flagship livestreaming show." [9] The Comedy Bureau received the series favorably with "you'll find, while giggling the whole way through, that you do get sort of invested in the individual fish." [40] Decider's Kayla Cobb said "[i]t's weird, but it works." [20] Ranked sixth in their list of best "unknown" television series of 2015, Newsday 's Verne Gay reviewed ""FC Live" is insane — as such, a perfect distillation of all that is Adult Swim." [1] The Outline 's Samuel Argyle said "FishCenter border[s] on the avant-garde. [2] JamBase 's Andy Kahn called it "wacky." [27] The Guardian 's Mark Lawson critiqued "Ambitiously, this is a phone-in show, although disappointingly, the fish don't take the calls, but swim in tanks that surround the presenters." [41] The A.V. Club 's Erik Lindvall said FishCenter "the latest weird thing" to come from the network "in a streak of really weird things", describing it as a "wonderful, web-based world of piscine sports". [5]
Live for Live Music's Ming Lee Newcomb described FishCenter Live as "eccentric" and "bizarre." [6] Ranked fourth in their list of "[t]he 26 Weirdest Adult Swim Shows Ever," Deadspin 's Sheldon Pearce commented "Adult Swim employees came up with this one, which means it's definitely on-brand if nothing else." [42] In reviewing Tender Touches , Geek 's Jose Rodriguez said the pilot had "more in common with Xavier: Renegade Angel or FishCenter." [43] Reviewing their Alvvays performance, Uproxx 's Derrick Rossignol declared "every band should be on it, because at the very least, it's one of the most bizarre live internet shows you can possibly watch." [23] Later, while reviewing the Post Malone episode, Rossignol followed-up with "a totally bizarre, daytime, aquatic, call-in web show that doesn't make much sense, and that's what makes it great." [18] In an interview with host Max Simonet, Sonoma Index-Tribune's David Templeton remarked "[it's] a bizarrely simple cult-hit web-and-television show." [13]
In 2016, two Dragon Con cosplayers, claiming an association with Adult Swim and Cartoon Network and wore "Make FishCenter Great Again" hats, dressed as the World Trade Center during the September 11 attacks. [44] [45] [3] [46] Images of the cosplay were widely shared on social media sites as Facebook, Reddit, and Twitter. [44] [46] Bleeding Cool 's Rich Johnston speculated they were cosplaying as the game Rampage , [3] while Facebook commenters drew a connection with the anime Terror in Resonance . [45]
Australian channel 9Go! promoted their Australian adaption of FishCenter (known as FishCentre) airing at 12:00 on the channel, along with the Adult Swim block they have on the channel.[ citation needed ] Unlike the American version of FishCenter, FishCentre was not live and consisted of scripted shorts no longer than 2 minutes in length, with voices super-imposed onto the fish. It ran for 12 episodes. [47]
Aqua Teen Hunger Force, sometimes abbreviated as ATHF, Aqua Teen or Aqua Teen Hunger on YouTube, is an American adult animated television series created by Dave Willis and Matt Maiellaro for Cartoon Network's late night programming block Adult Swim. It is about the surreal adventures and antics of three anthropomorphic fast food items: Master Shake, Meatwad, and Frylock, who live together as roommates and frequently interact with their human next-door neighbor, Carl Brutananadilewski.
Adult Swim is an American adult-oriented television programming block aired by the American basic cable channel Cartoon Network during the evening, prime time, and late-night dayparts. The channel features stylistically varied animated and live-action series targeting an adult audience. The content includes original programming, syndicated series, and short films with generally minimal or no editing for content. Adult Swim is programmed by Williams Street, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Television Studios that also produces much of the block's original programming.
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. was an American television and media conglomerate founded by Ted Turner in 1965. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it merged with Time Warner on October 10, 1996. As of April 2022, all of its assets are now owned by Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD). The headquarters of Turner's properties are largely located at the CNN Center in Downtown Atlanta, and the Turner Broadcasting campus off Techwood Drive in Midtown Atlanta, which also houses Techwood Studios. Some of their operations are housed within WBD's corporate and global headquarters inside 30 Hudson Yards in Manhattan's West Side district, and at 230 Park Avenue South in Midtown Manhattan, both in New York City, respectively.
Toonami is an American late-night television programming block that broadcasts Japanese anime and American action animation. It was created by Sean Akins and Jason DeMarco and produced by Williams Street, a division of Warner Bros. Television Studios, and owned by The Cartoon Network, Inc. subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. The name is a portmanteau of the words "cartoon" and "tsunami". It currently broadcasts every Saturday night from 12 a.m. to 3:30 a.m. ET/PT.
Metalocalypse is an American musical adult animated television series created by Brendon Small and Tommy Blacha for Adult Swim. It premiered on August 6, 2006. The television program centers on the larger-than-life melodic death metal band Dethklok, and often portrays dark and macabre content, including such subjects as violence, death, and the drawbacks of fame, with hyperbolic black comedy. The show was widely heralded as both a parody and a pastiche of heavy metal culture.
Matthew "Matt" Harrigan is an American television writer, producer, and voice actor who is best known for his work on shows like the Late Show with David Letterman and Celebrity Deathmatch. He was also the television host of FishCenter Live.
Sonoma Valley High School (SVHS) is a public high school located in Sonoma, California with approximately 1,300 students as of 2017. It was founded in 1891 and held its first commencement in 1894. It moved to its current campus in 1922. Since that time, there have been numerous additions to campus facilities. It is the only comprehensive high school in the Sonoma Valley Unified School District.
Cartoon Network is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is the flagship property of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also oversees Boomerang, Cartoonito, Discovery Family, Adult Swim, and Toonami. The channel is headquartered at 1050 Techwood Drive NW in Atlanta, Georgia.
Adult Swim was an Australian adult-oriented free-to-air television block that was last aired from Saturday and Sunday nights on 9Go!. It was originally a separate network that shared channel space with Cartoon Network, starting in 2003 until 31 December 2007.
Adult Swim is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel owned by Showcase Television, Inc., a subsidiary of Corus Entertainment. The channel primarily airs animated and live-action comedies targeting a teenage and young adult audience. Its branding is licensed from the Adult Swim programming block broadcast by Warner Bros. Discovery's Cartoon Network; it is the first full-time television channel to use the "Adult Swim" brand.
Alvvays is a Canadian indie pop band formed in 2011, originating from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, and subsequently based in Toronto, Ontario. It consists of Molly Rankin, Kerri MacLellan (keyboards), Alec O'Hanley (guitars), Lukas Cheung (bass), and Sheridan Riley (drums). Their self-titled debut studio album, released in 2014, topped the US college charts. Their second studio album, Antisocialites, was released on September 8, 2017. Their third studio album, Blue Rev, was released on October 7, 2022.
Austin Richard Post, known professionally as Post Malone, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and guitarist. He has gained distinction and acclaim for his blending of various genres including hip hop, pop, R&B, and trap. His stage name was derived from inputting his birth name into a rap name generator.
Dream Corp LLC is an American live-action/animated sitcom created by Daniel Stessen for Adult Swim. The series is an absurdist workplace comedy set in a run-down dream therapy facility located in a dilapidated strip mall. In each episode, a new desperate patient has their dreams recorded, analyzed, and, if necessary, adjusted, by Dr. Roberts and his staff of misfits.
Dave Bonawits is an American actor, filmmaker, and editor. He was one of the hosts of FishCenter Live, from the show's start on Adult Swim's website in 2014 to its cancellation in 2020.
Maxime Simonet is a Franco-American writer, producer, editor, and voice actor for various shows who is best known for co-creating and hosting the internet talk show FishCenter Live, co-creating and starring in Tender Touches, and for creating and starring in Gēmusetto, all for Adult Swim. He is also the creator of Gilbert Garfield, an alternate reality game and web series hosted on YouTube.
Tender Touches is an American adult animated series created by David Bonawits, Lauren Payne, and Maxime Simonet, that premiered on December 18, 2017, on Adult Swim. Season 2 premiered on November 26, 2018, with season 3 airing a sneak peek on March 31, 2020, followed by the actual premiere on June 15, 2020.
Gēmusetto is an American adult animated series created by Max Simonet, that premiered on April 1, 2019 on Adult Swim. The first season, titled Gēmusetto Machu Picchu, follows the exploits of Makasu, a sportsman and relic thief, who constantly challenges the gods of several different religions for their relics, and his companion Back Pocket Dimension Flying Bear, on their quest to gain the treasures of the Inca-gods all the while he is chased by Bendy Rivers, a member of Interpol tasked with stopping Makasu.
Rick and Morty is an American animated science-fiction comedy franchise, whose eponymous duo consists of Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith. Rick and Morty were created by cartoonist Justin Roiland for a 2006 parody film of Back to the Future for Channel 101, a short film festival co-founded by Dan Harmon. After six years, the sketch was developed into Rick and Morty, a half-hour prime time show that was a hit for Adult Swim, receiving universal acclaim across all seasons. Alongside the original television series, the characters of the show have been featured in a variety of media, including spin-offs, comic books, musical releases and video games. The show has earned hundreds of millions of dollars in income across their merchandising and media franchise.