Space Ghost Coast to Coast

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Space Ghost Coast to Coast

Title card from an unaired pilot
Genre Animated Talk Show
Creator(s) Mike Lazzo
Starring George Lowe
C. Martin Croker
Andy Merrill
Country of origin USA
No. of episodes 91
Production
Running time approx 15 Minutes
Broadcast
Original channel Flag of United States Cartoon Network
Flag of Canada Teletoon
Flag of United Kingdom Bravo / Bravo 2
Original run April 15, 1994 – April 12, 2004
Space Ghost at his desk
Space Ghost at his desk

Space Ghost Coast to Coast (often abbreviated as SGC2C) is an animated spoof talk show on the cable TV channel Cartoon Network in the United States, Bravo in the UK, and Teletoon in Canada. It began in 1994. The main cast comprises Space Ghost (born Tad Ghostal), a cartoon character originally from an old Hanna Barbera cartoon called Space Ghost which ran in the 1960s and early 1980s, and Zorak and Moltar, his former enemies from that show. Space Ghost is voiced by George Lowe, while C. Martin Croker voices Zorak and Moltar. Other characters include Brak, Lokar, Metallus, Black Widow, and Tansut, all of whom also made appearances in the original Hanna-Barbera series. The fictional talk show is shot and broadcast from Space Ghost's studio on the Ghost Planet. Space Ghost also has a twin brother Chad, who is somewhat smarter but has an apparent evil streak. Luckily, he can be identified by his ever changing facial hair, macho voice, and his use of hipster slang.

Various celebrities appear on the show as guests. They are shown on a TV screen next to Space Ghost, and unlike the characters, they are not animated.

Space Ghost Coast to Coast uses the talk show format as its template, but subverts it regularly. Space Ghost himself is portrayed as pompous, ignorant, and slightly deranged. He apparently believes his guests are other superheroes and usually opens the interview by asking them about their superpowers. His interactions with guests are almost always painfully awkward, and sometimes hostile. It is sometimes hard to tell if guests are aware of the nature of the program on which they are appearing. Their answers often do not match the "questions" coming from Space Ghost, because the questions are changed after the interview.

Space Ghost's relationship with his co-workers is worse. His bandleader, an evil talking mantis named Zorak, and his producer, a red-helmeted lava man named Moltar, work for Space Ghost as punishment for their crimes, and make no secret of the fact that they hate him.

Space Ghost is shown to be arrogant, showboatish, uninformed, oblivious to his own stupidity, and violent when provoked. His powers include invisibility (courtesy of his Inviso-Belt, although it's really just an outline of SG), flight, and the ability to shoot powerful beams from the Power Bands on his wrists.

Zorak attempts to be "pure evil," even if neutered by his imprisonment, and spends his time on the show making fun of Space Ghost, generally getting blasted in return for his efforts by Space Ghost's power bands. At other times however, his resistance to Space Ghost is more oblique, preferring to just ignore Space Ghost's quixotic tendencies in a quiet method of rebellion.

Moltar is more placid about his predicament and enjoys watching CHiPs reruns on the monitors during the show, as well as talking to the guests before their interviews, but he will often chide Space Ghost along with Zorak and become his sidekick in tormenting Space Ghost.

Unlike most modern cable series, each episode of Space Ghost Coast to Coast is only 15 minutes in length. To remedy this, Cartoon Network stuck two episodes back to back in order to make a 30 minute programming block, something Adult Swim (comprised mostly of the creators of SGC2C) has duplicated in much of its original programming. In 1995 Cartoon Network created a spin-off show called Cartoon Planet. This featured Space Ghost and friends attempting to host a variety show on the Cartoon Planet. Cartoon Network placed this show right after Coast to Coast in order to attract ratings. The Brak Show, a situation comedy starring Brak's hijinks as an adolescent, was also spun off as an independent 15 minute program.

Contents

[edit] Show production

Part of the surreal nature of the show comes from the guests' sometimes awkward and disjointed responses to Space Ghost's questions and other events around the set. This is the intentional result of the production process that was first laid out in the original (unaired) pilot episode. This episode was created by Mike Lazzo, who interspersed stock and original material with completely unrelated promotional video of Denzel Washington being interviewed about the Oscars. When the show was picked up, similar interviews were orchestrated with guests to achieve the same comedic effect.

Before any part of the episodes are written, the guests are interviewed by a writer/producer. Originally, a Space Ghost costume was worn by Andy Merrill, one which he later made famous in some Cartoon Planet intros. More often the writer/producer appears in normal dress, but may still impersonate Space Ghost's character traits and mannerisms. In many cases, the interviewee is alone in a studio, while the interviewer conducts the session over a speaker phone. In the all-black room where the interview takes place, the guests are told what basic directions to look in to "talk" to Zorak, Moltar, or Space Ghost. The interviewer also rarely reveals his actual name so that the guest is forced to address him as "Space Ghost." This serves to both maintain continuity and to engender a sense of bewilderment in the guest.[citation needed]

After an interview is done, the writing team goes back over it, taking pieces out of context and out of order, then assembling them into the "responses" to Space Ghost and the rest of the show. The episode is written around these canned reactions and the writing talent of producers Williams Street (known as "Ghost Planet Industries," named after the fictional studio where SGC2C is supposedly taped, for most of the show's run).

Most of the show's earlier guests probably assumed they were participating in a relatively straightforward interview (albeit with an animated superhero, giant insect, and a man made of liquid magma). As the series went on, however, more and more guests became at least peripherally familiar with what was going on. Some episodes were written to accommodate playfully hostile guests who called the show's bluff, such as comedian (and writer of one SGC2C episode) Joel Hodgson's refusal to, as he put it, "Go down that road with you, pretending we're in space and all." Others had skits written for the guests to perform in outside of the normal interviews. Still others had recurring guests, familiar with the show's format. Reportedly, "Weird Al" Yankovic walked into his Coast to Coast interview with answers he prepared ahead of time, but opted not to use them.

[edit] Theme song

The theme song for Space Ghost Coast to Coast, also known as the "Ghost Planet National Anthem," was performed by avant-jazz guitarist Sonny Sharrock and his drummer, Lance Carter. The theme song was extended in the episode "Sharrock," as the episode itself is a tribute to Sonny Sharrock. When the show reached its sixth season, the theme song was abandoned. It was used a few times in Season 8, however, including a slow version for the episode In Memory of Elizabeth Reed. Seasons 4-6 featured a new closing theme by Man or Astro-man?.

[edit] Broadcast history

In the United States, Space Ghost Coast to Coast premiered on April 15, 1994 on the Cartoon Network airing initially at 11:00pm on Friday nights, seven years before the advent of Adult Swim. Later the program was moved to various late-night time slots, usually on weekends. These late-night airings and the development of similar shows by Williams Street Studios led to the creation of the Adult Swim program block. Space Ghost Coast to Coast reruns now air on Adult Swim's online-exclusive Adult Swim Fix service.

The show was initially broadcast on Cartoon Network UK during an early evening slot (around 6pm on Sunday nights), before eventually being moved to a late-night slot (around 10:30pm). During late 2001 and early 2002 four episodes aired every night at 11.00pm, though only ones from the first four years of the show's life. It later aired on CNX in its hour of comedy from 9pm–10pm alongside other programs from the Adult Swim programming block. In Australia, it currently screens on Friday and Saturday nights in the local Adult Swim segment.

Space Ghost Coast To Coast was supposed to premiere on Teletoon in Canada in 1998, but never did. It was said that a celebrity somehow stopped that decision. [1] However, it is now airing as announced, started September 2006.

New, short episodes currently play in rotation on Turner Broadcasting's GameTap online service (paid monthly registration required) in which Space Ghost interviews celebrities from the video game industry and GameTap's artist of the month.

The episodes "Gum, Disease," "The Mask," "Le Livre D'Histoire," "Brilliant #2," and "A Space Ghost Christmas" were shown sporadically and then not released for DVD (due to video rights issues).

Though the show is on a "permanent hiatus" it has made two different returns. Once, after airing Perfect Hair Forever's pilot episode, Space Ghost was shown conducting a special talkback episode of the show with Early Cuyler, Sharko, and Meatwad about Perfect Hair Forever. The entire thing degenerated into typical Space Ghost/Adult Swim randomness, including Space Ghost himself being killed by Early Cuyler. After this, Space Ghost was only seen in cameos on Perfect Hair Forever where it was explained that after the end of his show he became a drunk that wandered around the Williams Street studios begging for a job. However, Space Ghost's show made another return on Turner's broadband entertainment network, GameTap. At E3, Space Ghost randomly showed up to conduct a series of live interviews including one with Microsoft executive Peter Moore. Space Ghost discussed bathroom etiquette, his own video game idea (A "dermatology based" video game), Sony, Turner, and dancing with Moore.

Beyond the original run of the series, at least two additional episodes were announced and had their respective interviews filmed, but were never finished. These included interviews with Seth Green and Family Guy creator Seth Macfarlane. While neither of these interviews were aired in any episode of the show, an Easter Egg on the Volume 3 set features "Commander Andy" (Andy Merrill) talking to Macfarlane. Space Ghost has also been featured in a commercial for esurance, interviewing the company's cartoon spokeswoman, Erin. Space Ghost spent most of the interview fantasizing about sleeping with her.

[edit] Characters

  • Space Ghost (voiced by George Lowe): Tad Ghostal was once a superhero and famous television star, but fell into obscurity after his show was cancelled. He sees his current employment as host of a relatively mediocre late night talk show as pale compared to his "glory days." He is remarkably egotistical despite his overwhelming idiocy and remains generally oblivious to his surroundings. He has little regard for the well-being of others and often demeans his sidekicks and guests.
Zorak
Zorak
  • Zorak (voiced by C. Martin Croker): The band leader and a mantis-like alien, Zorak is known for his hatred of Space Ghost. Extremely evil, he once ate his own nephew. He is a virgin, by virtue of not wanting to be killed by his mate, as is the custom. He has no remorse, feels no pity, and acts only to meet his own ends. He was Brak's childhood friend. Though Space Ghost's prisoner, Zorak retains his membership in the Council of Doom.
  • Moltar (voiced by C. Martin Croker): is the show's director/producer. His body is made entirely of lava, and he normally wears a full-body containment suit. By far the most competent and level headed character, he has attempted (sometimes successfully) to escape Ghost Planet on several occasions. He has been happily married for about five years to a woman named Linda, and his father was a professional wrestler. He describes his tongue as an oblong titanium slat. Like Zorak, Moltar is still a member of the Council of Doom despite his imprisonment.
  • Swingin' Chad Ghostal (voiced by Brad Abelle): Space Ghost's evil twin brother distinguished from Space Ghost in physical appearance only by a crudely drawn goatee. He is a hipster, and is both extremely cool and evil. So much so in fact, that he makes Moltar and Zorak "look like total chumps." Chad loves Jazz music, hipster talk, and outdated slang. He is also quite the ladies' man. He is currently a fugitive, wanted for murder and escaping the asylum he was held in. He may be a rendition of the Space Spectre, Space Ghost's opposite number during his time as a superhero.
  • Tansut (voiced by Don Kennedy) is an overweight and cowardly man in a red costume and helmet. His outfit makes him appear much more cruel than he actually acts, but fails to hide his gut. He is easily scared and is often openly ridiculed for his cowardice. For a while, he was the announcer on the show (a parody of Alan Kalter of the Late Show) until being fired on air. Tansut has made two failed attempts at replacing Moltar as director: once when Moltar escaped, and then again over three years later, on which occasion Brak convinced him to display his manboobs to the world. Despite his faintheartedness, Tansut should still be considered a bona fide villain, having shown his dark side with such lines as "You think you're so hot. I can twist you and punch you and hurt you so badly, I can..." from that same episode. The lack of official spelling of his name is a common point of debate, and while "Tansut" is the most commonly used spelling, scripts and even promotional material have printed a number of variations, the next-most common spelling being "Tansit."
  • Brak (voiced by Andy Merrill): Loud, childish, and physically harmless, Brak is the least threatening villain on the program. Yet his capacity to annoy others and eat beans is nothing less than potent. His most uttered phrase was, for a time, a loud, grating, "Hi, my name is Brak!". He is thought, by some, to have some mental deficiency (on the spinoff show Cartoon Planet, he claimed that "radiation half-lobotomized me!", possibly a reference to the original Space Ghost cartoon). He appeared on SGC2C periodically, often with the Council of Doom, of which he was a member, and was often victimized by Space Ghost or the other villains. He eventually obtained his own spinoff, The Brak Show.
  • Lokar (voiced by Andy Merrill): Cultured and erudite, despite being a shrill-voiced giant hominid locust prone to violent outbursts. Lokar still harbors a bit of a grudge, and seeks Space Ghost's destruction, perhaps more for his boorishness than anything else. He is frequently accused of being effeminate by other cast members. He has a penchant for bourgeois phrases like "You go, girl." He claims his hatred for Space Ghost is "delicious." He is also in a long-running feud with Zorak. Lokar is a member of the Council of Doom, though he's not so much evil as a snob.
  • Raymond (voiced by C. Martin Croker): The episode "Hungry" introduced Raymond, Zorak's previously unheard-of nephew. Space Ghost immediately took a liking to the cute miniature version of Zorak. Predictably, however, Raymond was eaten by his uncle before the end of the episode. Against all odds, Raymond persevered and managed to make brief appearances in two more episodes.
  • The Original Way Outs are the show's band, made up of what are possibly. The show has never explained their origins; in fact, very little attention is paid to them at all. They are speculated to be former villains, now Space Ghost's prisoners similar to Zorak and Moltar, but are much less talkative and thus remain somewhat mysterious. Usually, when they are cued to play music and the whole band is in view, music is definitely played, but not visibly by them. While the music is "playing," usually the only thing literally moving in the band is one cymbal on the drum set (This could also be due to the show's visual style of using low-cost animation wherever possible). Select band members have revealed their identities over the years, including The Sorcerer (the short guy with a beard) and Christy (the drummer), whom Zorak oddly calls "Steve" in his "Purple Haze" parody.
  • Harvey Birdman originally auditioned to be the host of the show according to Episode 40, "Pilot." He's similar to Space Ghost in that he is a washed up superhero, incompetent and slow, and horrible with people, not to mention that he can't work nights due to needing the Sun's energy to stay awake, his ultimate undoing. Space Ghost once called him a washed-up Six-piece Chicken McNobody. He reprises his role as host on Episode 74, "Sequel," during Space Ghost's brief imprisonment for abusing Zorak. He also appeared on the side lines during Episode 35, "Rehearsal," and making a call on Episode 55, "Telethon." He appears to be washed up, and in a rut, alternately claiming to be unemployed, or in one case selling towable campers. He used to be married to Gravity Girl, whom he constantly pleads to "come home." The character in SGC2C has little to do with the show Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law beyond giving the first name of "Harvey" to the character.
  • Metallus, a villain and member of the Council of Doom who can only talk in a reverb-heavy metallic drone, rendering his every word incomprehensible. He is a big metal guy with a blue vest and gloves, and he has a helmet with large, presumably ornamental "wings."
  • Black Widow (voiced by Judy Tenuta), a villain who has professed love for Space Ghost, much to the chagrin of the other villains. The Black Widow was originally known as "Spider Woman," and is the only female member of the Council of Doom.
  • Kirk the Storyteller (played by James Kirkconnell), the venerable narrator/storyteller, presenting several episodes in retrospect and reinterpretation. The episode Curses was shown to have taken place in one of his nightmares.

[edit] Trivia

  • According to TV Guide articles written when the show was in pre-production, former Fantasy Island star Hervé Villechaize was to be Space Ghost's sidekick on the show. However, Villechaize committed suicide before production began.
  • Some episodes suggest personal relationships with the guest. The most odd one was the interview with Al Alcorn in one of the GameTap episodes. Al, here known as "Mr. Pong" was, as Space Ghost claimed, "shacking up with a mantis (Zorak)" when he revealed himself to be Zorak's father. It is obviously untrue, even though Alcorn "has beady, cold-blooded eyes, and emanates evil."

[edit] DVD boxsets

Season Releases

DVD Name Cover Release Date Ep # Additional Information
Volume One November 18, 2003 16 This two disc boxset collects 16 episodes from the show's first two seasons.

"Elevator," "Spanish Translation," "Gilligan," "CHiPs," "Bobcat," "Punch," "Banjo," "Batmantis," "Story Book House," "Girlie Show," "Hungry," "Fire Drill," "Sleeper," "Jerk," "Urges," and "Explode"

Note: Because the producers couldn't secure likeness rights from certain guests, the following episodes weren't included: "Self Help," "The Mask," "Gum, Disease" "President's Day Nightmare," "Le Livre D'Histoire"
Volume Two November 16, 2004 14 This two disc boxset collects 14 episodes from the third season.

"$20.01," "Lovesick," "Transcript," "Sharrock," "Boo," "Freak Show," "Switcheroo," "Surprise," "Glen Campbell," "Jacksonville," "Late Show," "Cookout," "Art Show," and "Woody Allen's Fall Project" Special features include "Andy's Pilot", a performance by Thurston Moore, the unedited version of Matt Groening's interview from "Glen Campbell," pencil test footage, and bonus footage.
Volume Three April 12, 2005 24 This two disc boxset collects 24 episodes from the show's fourth season, some of which have been extended.

"Rehearsal," "Gallagher," "Edelweiss," "Anniversary," "Zoltran," "Pilot," "Speck," "Zorak," "Switcheroo," "Mayonnaise," "Brilliant Number One," "Boo Boo Kitty," "Needledrop," "Sphinx," "Pavement," "Untitled," "Hipster," "Piledriver," "Suckup," "Dam," "Boatshow," "Telethon," "Dimethylpyrimidinol Bisulfite," and "Joshua." It also features commentaries by cast members, new footage, deleted scenes, and 1994's World Premiere Toon-In, "President's Day Nightmare" (without any footage from the cartoons featured).
Volume Four Sometime in 2007 11 This one disc boxset will collect 11 episodes from the show's 1998 season. It was announced on the Adult Swim message boards that Volume Four was to be released sometime in November exclusively on the new AdultSwim.com Shop. [2] However, the release date was not met and has been set back to an undetermined time. No word yet on whether or not these will be available in stores. It is to be a cheaper, simpler design with Easter Eggs.

[edit] Guest List

[edit] Writers

[edit] Spinoffs

  • Cartoon Planet: Space Ghost, Zorak, and Brak try to host a show on Cartoon Planet.
  • The Brak Show: Stars Brak and Zorak from Space Ghost. Space Ghost himself also made several appearances.
  • Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Episode 87, "Baffler Meal," reveals that ATHF was conceptualized on Space Ghost C2C before it was turned into a series, although the actual episode aired after ATHF became its own series. The episode, as revealed in the commentary track on the ATHF Vol. 2 DVD was also produced after ATHF first showed on Adult Swim.
  • 12 oz. Mouse: Though not a direct spin-off, the Shark character is from Episode 79, "Kentucky Nightmare," where his original name was "Old Kentucky Shark."
  • Perfect Hair Forever: Again, not a direct spin-off, but Space Ghost and references to Space Ghost appear every episode.
  • Toonami: Once again, not a direct spin-off, but Moltar was host of this block in its early days. Perhaps this is why he did not appear in Cartoon Planet.

[edit] External links

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