Mr. Pickles
| Mr. Pickles | |
|---|---|
| Genre |
|
| Created by |
|
| Written by |
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| Directed by |
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| Voices of |
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| Theme music composer | Mark Rivers |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 (2 ordered) |
| No. of episodes | 10 (and 1 pilot) (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
|
| Producer(s) |
Micheal J. Rizzo Eric Binns Ollie Green |
| Running time | 11 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
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| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Adult Swim |
| Picture format | 1080i (16:9 HDTV) |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original run | September 21, 2014 – present |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Mr. Pickles is an animated television series created by Will Carsola & Dave Stewart for Adult Swim. The series revolves around the Goodman family, namely their 6-year-old son named Tommy and the family's Border Collie, the demonic Mr. Pickles. The series has been picked up for 10 quarter-hour episodes for its first season, which premiered on the network on September 21, 2014, following the ninth season premiere of Squidbillies, and ended on November 23, 2014. It has since been renewed for a second season.
Plot
In the small, old-fashioned world of Old Town that is slowly being taken over by the modern world, the Goodman family and their innocent 6-year-old son Tommy obtain a Border Collie named Mr. Pickles. The two spend their days romping around Old Town on classic adventures — while unbeknownst to Tommy and the family (except for Tommy's grandfather), Mr. Pickles' secret evil streak drives him to slip away to kill, mutilate and hump his victims.
Characters
- Mr. Pickles - The titular character of the series. He is the Goodman family's pet Border Collie who loves to eat pickles (hence his name) which Tommy regularly feeds him. He also enjoys mutilating, killing, and humping as well as engaging in sexual debauchery. He possesses demonic powers which allows him to control local animals to do his bidding. Despite his evil ways, he actually is quite protective of the impressionable young Tommy: protecting him from danger and will often kill those who might mean to do the boy harm (such as murdering a group of pedophiles or turning an unlicensed breast surgeon who gave Tommy breast implants into a multiple breasts freak). He has a long-standing feud with Tommy's Grandpa, who is the only family member aware of Mr. Pickles' evil nature. Despite Grandpa's attempts to expose him, Mr. Pickles himself does not do anything to actually harm him or the rest of the family. Mr. Pickles enjoys playing pranks on Grandpa now and then. He has also shown to be sexually attracted to Tommy's mother by often groping or touching her private areas. Mr. Pickles' doghouse leads to a hidden, underground lair that's filled with blood, satanic imagery, victims (both living slaves and dead, mutilated bodies), and a throne where he usually eats his pickles. He is shown to be highly intelligent, a skilled surgeon, and is even capable of building high-tech androids.
- Tommy Goodman (voiced by Kaitlyn Robrock) - The Goodman family's physically disabled young son who wears leg-braces and considers Mr. Pickles as his best friend, often feeding him pickles whenever he behaves. Tommy is often protected by Mr. Pickles and is protective of Mr. Pickles as well, such as when he took it upon himself to search for Mr. Pickles after he was kidnapped by mercenaries. Due to his naive personality (since he is a child), Tommy usually gets involved in dangerous situations and Mr. Pickles steps in to save him and dispose of the bad people involved. Like most characters on the show, Tommy is unaware of Mr. Pickles' evil nature.
- Stanley Goodman (voiced by Jay Johnston) - Tommy's father who works as a telemarketer. Stanley is constantly bullied by his boss; as a result, Stanley hardly has time to spend with his family, especially his son. Nevertheless, Stanley means well and is committed to his family.
- Beverly Goodman (voiced by Brooke Shields) - Tommy's stay-at-home mother who is the tradition dutiful mother and wife. Beverly is oblivious of Mr. Pickles' evil nature (especially by her father's stories) & dismisses the dog's sexual behavior (e.g. groping and touching her) as simple dog mannerisms.
- Grandpa Goodman (voiced by Frank Collison) - Tommy's grandfather and Mrs. Goodman's father. He is the only family member aware of Mr. Pickles' evil ways and has borne witness to several murders and other depraved acts committed by Mr. Pickles. However, most his family and the town Sheriff dismiss his tales of Mr. Pickles' evil as just another of one of his "evil Mr. Pickles stories". He views Mr. Pickles as a monster and is only trying to protect himself and his family from the dog's evil nature. However, he himself is unaware of Mr. Pickles' protectiveness towards young Tommy.
- Sheriff (voiced by Will Carsola) - The unnamed sheriff of Old Town. He lives with his mother and sister. He behaves like a young boy and has a doll named Abbigail, whom he often talks to and has tea parties with. He is often called upon by Grandpa when the old man has evidence of Mr. Pickles being evil, but Mr. Pickles usually manages to place the blame on somebody else or remove the evidence causing the Sheriff to remain skeptical of Grandpa's claims. Ironically, despite his dubious abilities as a police officer, the Sheriff is often credited with the capture and arrest of individuals Mr. Pickles sets up to take the fall, contributing to the towns view that the Sheriff is a competent law enforcement official.
- Steve - Mr. Pickles pet human gimp who walks on all fours and behaves like a dog, even barking like one. The gimp lives in the caves under Mr. Pickles' dog house. He often takes part in Mr. Pickles' depraved activities.
Episodes
Pilot (2014)
| Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Pilot" | Will Carsola | Will Carsola and Dave Stewart | Unaired |
Season 1 (2014)
| No. in series |
No. in season |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Production code |
U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Tommy's Big Job" | Will Carsola | Will Carsola & Dave Stewart and Sean Conroy | September 21, 2014 | 102 | 1.43 |
| Tommy sets out for a job when he falls for a young farmer girl. | |||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Father's Day Pie" | Will Carsola | Will Carsola & Dave Stewart and Sean Conroy | September 28, 2014 | 101 | 1.70 |
| Tommy hunts for the missing Father's Day pie, but encounters Bigfoot instead who is actually a man named Jon Gabagooli who is in this form as part of a witness protection program. | |||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Foul Ball" | Will Carsola | Will Carsola & Dave Stewart and Sean Conroy | October 5, 2014 | 104 | 1.47 |
| The Goodmans go to a baseball game and Tommy hopes to catch a highly sought after, record-breaking foul ball. | |||||||
| 4 | 4 | "The Cheeseman" | Will Carsola | Will Carsola & Dave Stewart and Sean Conroy | October 12, 2014 | 107 | 1.64 |
| The Goodmans go on a family camping trip and Tommy learns the frightening legend of The Cheeseman. | |||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Dead Man's Curve" | Will Carsola | Will Carsola & Dave Stewart and Sean Conroy | October 19, 2014 | 105 | 1.39 |
| Tommy enters the soapbox derby and Grandpa finds Mr. Pickles' biggest fear. | |||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Loose Tooth" | Will Carsola | Will Carsola & Dave Stewart and Sean Conroy | October 26, 2014 | 1.27 | |
| Tommy sets out with Mr. Pickles to lose his tooth so he can meet the Tooth Fairy. Meanwhile, the Sheriff searches for a group of wanted pedophiles. | |||||||
| 7 | 7 | "Grandpa's Night Out" | Will Carsola | Will Carsola & Dave Stewart and Sean Conroy | November 2, 2014 | 1.23 | |
| After a night of heavy drinking, Grandpa awakes married to Crazy Linda and resorts to drastic measures to end the marriage. Meanwhile, Tommy seeks advice from the local town mutants to learn how to be himself. | |||||||
| 8 | 8 | "Coma" | Will Carsola | Will Carsola & Dave Stewart and Sean Conroy | November 9, 2014 | 1.17 | |
| Mr. Goodman falls into a coma and dreams of a world where he and Mr. Pickles have switched places. | |||||||
| 9 | 9 | "Where is Mr. Pickles?" | Will Carsola | Will Carsola & Dave Stewart and Sean Conroy | November 16, 2014 | 1.21 | |
| A disgruntled farmer hires mercenaries to capture and kill Mr. Pickles, and Tommy seeks help from the sheriff when he goes missing. Meanwhile, the Goodmans enjoy Floyd's hospitality where Mr. Goodman is shocked by Floyd's successful lifestyle. | |||||||
| 10 | 10 | "The Lair" | Will Carsola | Will Carsola & Dave Stewart and Sean Conroy | November 23, 2014 | 1.33 | |
| Grandpa wants to learn what actually goes on inside Mr. Pickles' doghouse to prove that he has not gone crazy, and gets more than he bargained for. | |||||||
Cast
- Brooke Shields as Mrs. Goodman
- Dave Stewart as Floyd
- Frank Collison as Grandpa, Mr. Bojenkins
- Jay Johnston as Mr. Goodman
- Kaitlyn Robrock as Tommy Goodman
- Will Carsola as Sheriff
Additional Voices
- Joey Lauren Adams as The Girl
- Andrew Daly as Doctor
- Dave Foley as Scientist
- Christine Lakin as Blonde Girl
- Tracy Morgan as Skids
- Iggy Pop as Texas Red
- Amy Sedaris as Sally
- Frank Vincent as Jon Gabagooli
- Sean Conroy
Production
 Dave Stewart and Will Carsola at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con International |
The series is created by Will Carsola & Dave Stewart (of Funny or Die Presents fame) and executively produced by Michael J. Rizzo.[1] The series was one of several shows pitched to Adult Swim, according to the creators, who also operate under the name "Day by Day". Stewart recalled promoting it as a "one-line sentence", while Carsola remembered that it derived from a "write-off" session, where the two present ideas to each other in the form of scribbles for their amusement. Carsola explained that ideas in this process are released from the pressure "of them being good", occasionally finding "one that sticks".[2] They later explained at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con International that the idea was based on Lassie, but has become "more of its own thing since then".[3]
Stewart's own female pet dog served as inspiration for the animators on the character of Mr. Pickles.[3][lower-alpha 1] Animation director Mike L. Mayfield recorded Stewart's dog playing around on video, with animators using the resulting footage as a base for the character's movements;[4] the series is animated using Adobe Flash.[5][lower-alpha 2] Its setting is roughly based on Richmond, Virginia, where the creators started out in entertainment before moving to Los Angeles.[2] In the United States, the series is rated TV-MA for graphic violence;[7] the creators are given creative freedom by the network, with Stewart explaining the notes received by them as "minimal", much to their surprise.[2] The creators observed some inconsistencies as to what is considered unacceptable, but try not to question it and compromise instead.[3]
Elaborating on its 11-minute running time, Carsola described it as a 22-minute show "squished" into a quarter hour.[8] Among the voices for the characters include Brooke Shields,[2] Frank Collison, Jay Johnston and Carsola and Stewart themselves.[1] Shields's role in the series came after looking at the creator's work for Funny or Die and obtaining the script for Mr. Pickles. According to Carsola, the two were dubious over her interest in the series, but after being cast she provided lines in a recording booth in New York City while the creators supervised over Skype.[2]
Broadcast and reception
The series has been picked up for ten quarter-hour episodes for its first season,[9] to premiere on the network on September 21, 2014 following the ninth season premiere of Squidbillies.[1] In July 2013, the pilot episode was released online as part of a presentation of in-development shows for the network, partnered with KFC; viewers could vote for their favorite pilot, with the winner being broadcast on August 26, 2013.[10][11] The series lost to Übermansion, a Stoopid Buddy Stoodios production, although the presentation as a whole won an Internet Advertising Campaign Award in 2014 for "Best TV Integrated Ad Campaign".[12][13] The pilot was later published on the network's website on January 23, 2014,[7] and on YouTube on March 10 of the same year, becoming viral with over 700,000 views after roughly a month later.[2] A second season was mentioned at the 2014 Comic-Con.[3]
Writing for Strange Kids Club, Mat Spitkovsky stated the series' extreme content matter left him at a loss for words as well as confused. Afterwards, he found it lacking in "class, creativity and goddammit, originality" in the vein of Superjail!, although its "brazen approach at crass offense ... all in good fun" was "kind of cool."[14] Aaron Simpson of Cold Hard Flash called the series an amalgamation of Lassie and Superjail!, while observing some social commentary "to ensure this is more than just a multi-episodic sketch."[5] Mike Hale of The New York Times labeled it "the less tasteful but more mainstream" counterpart to Tim & Eric's Bedtime Stories, another addition to the network.[15] He wrote that the show was "more grisly than funny," but predicted it to have a cult following and that Shields' voice would add "surreal-pop-culture cachet".[15]
Explanatory notes
- ↑ Stewart mentioned that she was an Australian Cattle Dog.[4] He also pointed out similarities between her and the main character, and jokingly called her "Ms. Pickles".[3]
- ↑ Cold Hard Flash is an entertainment and news website dedicated to media produced with Adobe Flash, founded by Aaron Simpson.[6]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Milligan, Mercedes (July 30, 2014). "Adult Swim Premiering Mr. Pickles September 21". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on August 1, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Kutner, Brad (April 1, 2014). "RVA Born Day by Day Premieres the Terrifying Mr. Pickles on Adult Swim, Brooke Shields Lends Voice". RVA Magazine. Archived from the original on August 1, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Begley, Jim (August 17, 2014). "SDCC – Adult Swim's Mr. Pickles Is the Touching Story of a Boy and His Evil Dog". Spinoff Online. Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on August 18, 2014. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Zargari, Shahab; Brunty, Ryan; Davis, Ryan (July 28, 2013). "SDCC 2013 Press Roundtable Interview Series: Mr. Pickles, King Star King, and Superjail!". Verbicide. Scissor Press. See video; 0:20–0:25, 6:00–6:50. Archived from the original on May 26, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Simpson, Aaron (March 24, 2014). "Adult Swim's Mr. Pickles Pilot". Cold Hard Flash. Archived from the original on August 1, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
- ↑ Simpson, Aaron (February 25, 2013). "About Cold Hard Flash". Cold Hard Flash. Archived from the original on August 1, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Mr. Pickles". Adult Swim. Turner Broadcasting System. January 23, 2014. Archived from the original on August 1, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
- ↑ Zargari, Brunty & Davis 2013, 6:45–6:55.
- ↑ Zargari, Brunty & Davis 2013, 7:10–7:20.
- ↑ "'Like a Slap to Your Taste Buds': KFC Gives Bite-Sized Chicken a Hot and Spicy Kick". KFC. July 23, 2013. Archived from the original on August 1, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
- ↑ "Adult Swim Pilots – Mr. Pickles". Adult Swim. Turner Broadcasting System. July 2013. Archived from the original on August 1, 2014. Retrieved May 25, 2014.
- ↑ "Adult Swim Pilots". Adult Swim. Turner Broadcasting System. July 2013. Archived from the original on May 26, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
- ↑ "Adult Swim & KFC Wins 2014 Best TV Integrated Ad Campaign Internet Advertising Award for Adult Swim Pilots". Internet Advertising Competition. The Web Marketing Association. April 8, 2014. Archived from the original on August 1, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
- ↑ Spitkovsky, Mat (April 15, 2014). "Adult Swim Seeks New Levels of Depravity in Mr. Pickles Pilot". Strange Kids Club. Archived from the original on August 1, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Hale, Mike (September 18, 2014). "A Devil Dog Tears into People, and Other Tales". New York Times (The New York Times Company). p. C3. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
External links
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