Freak Show (TV series)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Freak Show
The Freak Squad: Primi the premature baby, Log Cabin Republican, Tuck and Benny, the World's Tallest Nebraskan, and the Bearded Clam
Genre	Animated Sitcom
Creator(s)	H. Jon Benjamin David Cross
Starring	H. Jon Benjamin David Cross Janeane Garofalo Brian Stack Jon Glaser Will Arnett
Country of origin	USA
No. of episodes	7 (List of episodes)
Production
Running time	approx. 0:22 per episode
Broadcast
Original channel	Comedy Central
Original run	October 4, 2006 – present

Freak Show is an animated television series on Comedy Central featuring actors David Cross and H. Jon Benjamin.

The show chronicles a freak show, called the Freak Squad, which moonlights as a group of second-rate super heroes employed by the US government, reluctantly.

Comedy Central has ordered 7 episodes for the show's first season [1], which debuted on October 4, 2006. Cross and Benjamin executive produce in addition to voicing various characters. The show airs weekly at 10:30pm EST.

1 Characters
2 Episodes
3 History of the Freak Squad
4 Future
5 On other shows
6 External links
7 References

[edit] Characters

[edit] The Freak Squad

Tuck and Benny (H. Jon Benjamin and David Cross respectively) - Conjoined twins, apparent leaders of the Squad. They are the only members of the squad to possess any semblance of responsibility and duty. They are also the only members of the squad to have actual names, as opposed to simply being referred to by their gimmick.

Super Power:

The ability to separate for up to 47 years at a time.

The Bearded Clam (Janeane Garofalo) - A giant, anthropomorphic clam with a beard, resembling a morbidly obese, middle-aged woman. Raised by eco-terrorists, she possesses numerous left-wing radical political views, and is an adherent to radical feminism. She often puts on demonstrations and rallies, at which she is usually the only participant. It has been implied that she has somewhat of a sordid sexual past, revealing that she's engaged in intercourse in such unconventional locales as the cockpit of an F-16. At times she is displayed as a den mother of sorts to the group, counting among her talents the ability to cook three different ways on a wok. In the first season finale, she was cooked alive by a group of Orthodox Jews and fed to "The Jewish Messiah," a giant made up of circumcised foreskins.

Super Powers

Her mouth produces "Acidic Bitch Juice," an extremely potent form of saliva capable of eating through most kinds of metal
Possesses the ability to transform herself into a liquid state, which can then absorb other super-powered individuals and draw upon their abilities to shape shift

World's Tallest Nebraskan (Brian Stack) - An especially tall man from Nebraska. He is portrayed as the stereotypical "ignorant hick," though he is also the most sensitive member of the Freak Squad, often going out of his way to carefully select words so as to be completely inoffensive, even in situations where upsetting someone else would neither be inappropriate or even a reality.

Super Power

The ability to shrink six inches

Primi the premature baby (Cross) - A premature baby with the inexplicable ability to speak and operate a mechanical transport unit. He also inexplicably speaks in metaphors and dead tongues, which apparently only Bearded Clam can understand. He also has some sort of non-American accent, ostensibly Italian. At various points throughout the series, he has been depicted requiring the aid of some sort of incubation unit outfitted with wheels and mechanical gloves in order to be mobile, yet in the show's season finale, he leaped out of the unit and performed various acrobatic feats which draw into question the purpose of the unit.

Super Power

"Pinpoint vomiting," the ability to vomit at will and direct its flow at any individual he chooses

Log Cabin Republican (Jon Glaser) - A gay Republican.

Super Powers

Can transform into "Burly Bear"
Burly Bear can run up to 60 mph, climb trees, and decapitate victims with one swipe of his immaculately manicured hands.

[edit] Others

Bob and Helen Hartsdale (Cross and Benjamin respectively) - The kind, older couple who own a freakshow and the Squad. They are often shown as senile people.
Duncan Schiesst (Will Arnett) - Works for Freak-Mart, trying to purchase Mr. and Mrs. Hartsdale's Freak Show.
Frank Meinkowitz (Todd Barry) - The creator of the Freak Squad who gives them their missions.

[edit] Recurring minor characters

World's Smallest Something (Kristen Schaal) - One of the Hartsdale's freaks. It is so small that no one knows its true gender or species. The worlds tallest Nebraskan accidentally stepped on it in the second episode.
Danny the Plumber Guy (Cross) - A parody of Larry the Cable Guy. His catchphrase is "Git to gittn'." a parody of Larry's "Git r done."

Creator David Cross is known for criticizing Larry the Cable Guy.

[edit] Episodes

Main article: List of Freak Show episodes

[edit] History of the Freak Squad

In 1972 Richard Nixon, Augusto Pinochet, Henry Kissinger, and Adolf Hitler met aboard Kissinger’s yacht the Wet Dream II. After a few 'Hi, How Are You's and several cocktails it became clear the galley was desperately out of ice. Frank Mankiewicz, a junior parking attendant at the pentagon who was moonlighting on the yacht, suggested forming a top secret elite task force comprised of members of a small freak show he had recently attended. Because there was seriously little ice left, his plan was agreed to by all and thus Frank Mankiewicz’s Freak Squad was born! ^[1]

[edit] Future

David Cross and Jon Benjamin recently reported that Freak Show's ratings are hardly on par with Drawn Together or South Park, only doing "Okay". He also remarked that the show "may not be around much longer". ^[2]

Starting October 25th Freak Show moved to Thursdays at 10:30 instead of Wednesdays at 10:30, effectively swapping time slots with Drawn Together. The show has since been cancelled from regular programming.

[edit] On other shows

On Tuesday, October 31st, 2006 the character the Log Cabin Republican appeared on an episode of The Colbert Report. In the segment, the Log Cabin Republican was interviewed by Stephen Colbert.