"The Tick" (1994) TV series 1994-1997

User Rating:

8.7/10   

Creator:

Ben Edlund

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3

Release Date:

1994 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Action | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy

Plot:

An invulnerable, somewhat dim, superhero protects The City from all manner of evil-doers.

Plot Keywords:

Superhero | Based On Comic | Superhero Spoof | Spoof | Character Name In Title

Awards:

2 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Townsend Coleman	...	The Tick (36 episodes, 1994-1996)
Rob Paulsen	...	Arthur / ... (27 episodes, 1994-1996)
Cam Clarke	...	Die Fledermaus / ... (25 episodes, 1994-1996)
Jess Harnell	...	Sewer Urchin (25 episodes, 1994-1996)
Kay Lenz	...	American Maid (18 episodes, 1994-1997)

Runtime:

30 min (36 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Singapore:G | USA:TV-Y7

Company:

20th Century Fox Television

Trivia:

A fourth season was planned before Fox canceled the series. Some of the fourth season's developments would involve Arthur and Tick moving in with Carmelita, the Terror would find the Fountain of Youth, and that Barry (from "The Tick vs. The Tick") was revealed to be Carmelita's brother, who was originally destined to wear Arthur's moth suit.

Quotes:

Tick: Destiny's powerful hand has made the bed of my future, and it's up to me to lie in it. I am destined to be a superhero. To right wrongs, and to pound two-fisted justice into the hearts of evildoers everywhere. And you don't fight destiny. No sir. And, you don't eat crackers in the bed of your future, or you get all... scratchy.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Jingle All the Way (1996)

Poetry in motion.

The Tick, the cartoon adaptation of the comic book that didn't see nearly enough comic stores. From an Australian perspective, the Tick cartoon series was the first tier of the Tick empire (spanning comic books to live action TV shows) that we experienced, and I must say that the cartoon series 'made it' for me.

With the addition of animation, a comic series has a whole new layer added to it, and in the case of the Tick, the layer only improved what was a solid comic performance. The voices are perfectly cast and the animation (while repetitive or slow at times) captures the illogical (and often insane) nature of the Tick's world.

I would say (after reading the comics and seeing the live action attempts) that the cartoon series stands at the top of the heap, bringing motion of intercharacter relationships to the mix, while still remaining true to the original ideas of the author (without becoming too corny). There is nothing like hearing one of the Tick's rants going on and on and making little to no sense and just laughing it off at the end. This sort of comedy ran into trouble in the comic form, having page upon page of text without action and in the live action form by having static actors on screen who could just not sustain the melodrama needed for this kind of satire.

In all, if you want to see heroic satire through the Tick, then the cartoon is the best medium to obtain it.