Spicy City

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Spicy City
SpicyCityX.jpg
Raven in Spicy City
Genre
Created by Ralph Bakshi
Written byVarious
Directed byVarious
Voices of Michelle Phillips
ComposerJohn McCarthy
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes6
Production
Executive producer Ralph Bakshi
Producer Catherine Winder
Running time25 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network HBO
ReleaseJuly 11 (1997-07-11) –
August 22, 1997 (1997-08-22)

Spicy City is an American adult animated erotic cyberpunk television series which was created by Ralph Bakshi for HBO. The first of two adult animated series to air on HBO in the same year, [1] [a] the show serves as an anthology series in a similar format as television programs such as The Twilight Zone and Tales from the Crypt . The series premiered on July 11, 1997, and ended on August 22, with a total of 6 episodes over the course of 1 season. [2]

Contents

Premise

The plot was described as a science fiction anthology series set in a futuristic city with a steamy side. [3] [4] Each episode is introduced by Raven, a nightclub hostess who also makes brief appearances in the tales.

Cast

Production

Bakshi in January 2009 RalphBakshiJan09.jpg
Bakshi in January 2009

Discussions involving a series based upon Trey Parker and Matt Stone's video Christmas card Jesus vs. Santa (which would become South Park ) led HBO to contact Ralph Bakshi in order to produce the first animated series targeted specifically toward adults. [1] Bakshi enlisted a team of writers, including (besides his son Preston) Asian, Black, Transgender, and previously incarcerated individuals [5] to develop Spicy Detective, later renamed Spicy City. [1] South Korea-based studios Koko Enterprises and Seoul Moive animated the series while Funbag Animation Studios in Ottawa animated the virtual reality scenes from the first episode.

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
1"Love Is a Download"John KafkaPreston BakshiJuly 11, 1997 (1997-07-11)
A blonde-haired woman named Alice seeking escape from her abusive boyfriend Jake finds true love in a virtual world in a Geisha avatar with the washed-up veteran now working as a "virtual investigator" Champ.
2"Mano's Hands"Ralph BakshiLawrence Chua & Willie PerdomoJuly 18, 1997 (1997-07-18)
The tale of a bongo player named Mano´s hands coming to life and terrorizing civilians after mob members chop them off.
3"Tears of a Clone"Ennio Torresan Jr.Franz Henkel and Lou WalkerAugust 1, 1997 (1997-08-01)
A detective and his guide Harry goes on a search to the underground to find the daughter of a rich old man named Flaxton, only to return with her clone instead.
4"An Eye for an Eye"Ennio Torresan Jr.Douglas Brooks WestAugust 8, 1997 (1997-08-08)
A female police officer named Margo plots to blackmail Spicy City's judge, and her partner, Ernie, must choose between staying out of it and stopping Margo's reign of terror once and for all.
5"Sex Drive"Ralph BakshiPreston BakshiAugust 15, 1997 (1997-08-15)
A female police officer named Nisa who is being mistreated by her coworkers teams up with a cyborg prostitute named Virus whose business is struggling thanks to her male clients using virtual prostitutes when the virtual prostitutes begin sucking the intelligence out of their "Johnsons" while they have to fight a Japanese sceintist named Otaku.
6"Raven's Revenge"John KafkaDouglas Brooks WestAugust 22, 1997 (1997-08-22)
Raven is hounded by robot police officers for being born with a DNA pattern that brands her as a freak.

Reception

The series premiered on 11 July 1997 at midnight, beating South Park to television by over a month and becoming the first "adults only" cartoon series. [1]

Although critical reaction was mixed and largely unfavorable, Spicy City received acceptable ratings. [6] The Los Angeles Times called the series "Adolescent Humor for Adults". [7] The Dallas Morning News said the series "exploits the female form while also condemning the practice." [8]

A second season was approved, but the network wanted to fire Bakshi's writing team and hire professional Los Angeles screenwriters. When Bakshi refused to cooperate with the network, the series was cancelled. [1]

Notes

  1. ↑ Although it was not aired on Adult Swim or Cartoon Network, as Adult Swim was not founded until 2001, Spicy City and Spawn marked the only series administered by HBO with adult-oriented themes.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Gibson, Jon M.; McDonnell, Chris (2008). "Ups & Downs". Unfiltered: The Complete Ralph Bakshi. Universe Publishing. pp. 234–235. ISBN   978-0-7893-1684-4.
  2. ↑ Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 573–574. ISBN   978-1538103739.
  3. ↑ Moore, Scott (February 9, 1997). "Fox's 'King' Signals Prime Move". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
  4. ↑ McConville, Jim (October 7, 1996). "HBO creates animation division; HBO Animation will focus on adult-oriented fare". Broadcasting & Cable. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
  5. ↑ Abrams, Simon. "Not for the Pixar Crowd: Ralph Bakshi on "Last Days of Coney Island" | Interviews | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com/. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
  6. ↑ Grant, John (2001). "Ralph Bakshi" . Masters of Animation. Watson-Guptill. pp.  18–29. ISBN   0-8230-3041-5.
  7. ↑ Solomon, Charles (July 11, 1997). "TV Review; 'Spicy City': Adolescent Humor for Adults". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on 2012-07-15. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
  8. ↑ Mendoza, Manuel (July 18, 1997). "'Spicy City' is seasoned with sex, but its stories are half-baked". Dallas Morning News . Archived from the original on 13 October 2012. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
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