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Key Episodes: The Tick Season 1 (1994-95)
The network execs who greenlit The Tick as a Saturday morning cartoon were baldly trying to replicate the smash success of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. This is a bit more obvious upon examination; like the Ninja Turtles, The Tick was based on an indie comics series by an eccentric artist from New England, the show features many toyetic character designs, and much of the TMNT cast was hired to voice various characters (including the titular protagonist). However, while The Tick was popular enough to get renewed for two additional seasons and the IP remained in the public imagination long enough for several attempted reboots, The Tick was never able to sell as many action figures, video games, or breakfast cereal as Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, or Raphael.
There are likely a number of factors behind this aside from the actual creative direction of the show itself, but The Tick's embrace of absurdity (and its eagerness to tailor jokes to the adults in the audience) might've torpedoed its chances of becoming a massive, commercial kiddie franchise. However, in the opinion of Ryan and his co-hosts Sylvan and Cheryl, these creative choices made The Tick a delightful program that has held up a whole lot better than most of the stuff running alongside it. This recording centers upon three core episodes for The Tick's first season, including "The Tick Vs. The Tick", "The Tick Vs. The Uncommon Cold", and "The Tick Vs. Arthur's Bank Account".
In addition to running over how these episodes highlight The Tick's perspective, tone, and construction, Ryan, Sylvan, and Cheryl discuss how The Tick approaches itself as a parody of superhero genre tropes, how The Tick has roots in the tragic farce of Don Quixote, and how The Tick and Arthur work as a symbiotic partnership.
Bad is good! Down with government!
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By Ryan Valentine
5
44 ratings
The network execs who greenlit The Tick as a Saturday morning cartoon were baldly trying to replicate the smash success of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. This is a bit more obvious upon examination; like the Ninja Turtles, The Tick was based on an indie comics series by an eccentric artist from New England, the show features many toyetic character designs, and much of the TMNT cast was hired to voice various characters (including the titular protagonist). However, while The Tick was popular enough to get renewed for two additional seasons and the IP remained in the public imagination long enough for several attempted reboots, The Tick was never able to sell as many action figures, video games, or breakfast cereal as Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, or Raphael.
There are likely a number of factors behind this aside from the actual creative direction of the show itself, but The Tick's embrace of absurdity (and its eagerness to tailor jokes to the adults in the audience) might've torpedoed its chances of becoming a massive, commercial kiddie franchise. However, in the opinion of Ryan and his co-hosts Sylvan and Cheryl, these creative choices made The Tick a delightful program that has held up a whole lot better than most of the stuff running alongside it. This recording centers upon three core episodes for The Tick's first season, including "The Tick Vs. The Tick", "The Tick Vs. The Uncommon Cold", and "The Tick Vs. Arthur's Bank Account".
In addition to running over how these episodes highlight The Tick's perspective, tone, and construction, Ryan, Sylvan, and Cheryl discuss how The Tick approaches itself as a parody of superhero genre tropes, how The Tick has roots in the tragic farce of Don Quixote, and how The Tick and Arthur work as a symbiotic partnership.
Bad is good! Down with government!