Nancy's Animated TV Blog

Summer hasn't started officially, but on TV, the lazy days are here. Though primetime animated shows are going into re-runs or being pre-empted, Adult Swim is rolling out new episodes of Metalocalypse and Squidbillies. On Sunday night, Adult Swim will also air a special from Brad Neely, little-known comic book artist. The special consists of four episodes of China, Illinois that originally played online at Super Deluxe. Will Adult Swim give the greenlight to more of Neely's work? Hard to say. Adult Swim seems to stay loyal to long-time animators, like Loren Bouchard of Home Movies. None of the new shows from last year got picked up, such as The Drinky Crow Show or Let's Fish. Clique-ish, much?

Fox is full of season finales tonight. At 8:00 p.m. ET on The Simpsons, Lisa steals the spotlight from her mentor Krusty and gets her own television show, and she's honored as Entertainer of the Year at the Springfield Media Awards, only to realize she may not be cut out for showbiz after all in the "All About Lisa" season finale episode (guest voice Drew Carey). Plus, King of the Hill and American Dad will also air season finales. See the full animated TV schedule for details.
Photo courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox.

The third season of Drawn Together is as raunchy as ever, but getting more mature. Reviewer Mike Brown finds he's acquiring a taste for the low brow humor in his review of the Drawn Together - Uncesored!: Season Three DVD.
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You remember that really fun trilogy of South Park that took place in "Imaginationland" last fall? Hard to believe, but the trilogy will be aired as a feature-length, director's cut film, complete with previously unaired footage, created especially for the movie, on Network TV. (Do you feel like a chump for buying the Imaginationaland DVD? I hope not. It was worth it.) The movie will air July 27, 2008 at 10:00 p.m. ET. on a network-to-be-named.
Photo courtesy of Comedy Central.

Nikki Finke's Deadline Hollywood Blog is reporting that Fox picked up two new animated series for the 2008 - 2009 TV season. The first is Sit Down, Shut Up, which seems promising considering it's from Mitch Hurwitz, who helmed dearly departed Arrested Development. Fox also picked up yet another animated comedy from Seth MacFarlane titled Cleveland, a Family Guy spin-off about, um, Cleveland. I love the character Cleveland, but I imagine a series about Quagmire would be more fertile ground for a comedy harvest. Perhaps too fertile?
Photo courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox.

Fox has had almost two decades of success with animated comedy hits like The Simpsons, Family Guy and King of the Hill. Now Fox Broadcasting (FOX) and sister studio 20th Century Fox Television have partnered on an aggressive initiative entitled Fox Inkubation. They've tapped Jennifer Howell, who's been with Matt Stone and Trey Parker since the beginning of South Park, to run Fox Inkubation. Essentially, writer/animators will receive funding to produce a set of completed 2-minute shorts. If the material shows promise, the individuals or teams will advance through the production process and create additional material, or possibly be teamed with an experienced producer to bring the idea to pilot and ultimately series. Sort of a Project Greenlight for animation, without the nation watching every painful move. This is a great way for the suits to see exactly what creators can produce, without waiting a long time for a script to come to fruition. Let's hope they find some gems.

Cat lovers and lasagna eaters everywhere, take note: Garfield: A Cat and His Nerd is available today. The DVD includes 15 episodes of Garfield and Friends hand-picked by Garfield creator Jim Davis. Watch Jon, Garfield and Odie stumble their way through one adventure after another. Compare prices for Garfield: A Cat and His Nerd.

The third season of Drawn Together is released today. Watch as Captain Hero tortures his 12-year-old self, Ling-Ling gets put into foster care and Toot finally gets worshipped as the plus-size babe she is. The Drawn Together Season Three: Uncensored DVD is a two-disc set and features an extended version of each episode. Bonus materials include karaoke sing-along songs, classic network promos and audio commentary. Compare prices for Drawn Together Season Three: Uncensored.
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South Park is airing "Casa Bonita" on Comedy Central Tuesday night. I love that episode because Cartman's passion for Casa Bonita mirrors how I felt about the restaurant as a child. Wednesday night brings the semi-downer of a South Park episode, "Britney's new look." Metalocalypse begins new episodes Sunday night on Adult Swim. Also on Sunday night, Fox airs three season finales, including one for The Simpsons. See the full animated TV schedule for more details.

Celebrate with Fox tonight. You can disco with Peggy Hill at 7:30 p.m. ET. Then, cut the apron strings with Marge Simpson at 7:30 p.m. ET. Next, Mourn the death of Homer's mom at 8:00 p.m. Sympathize with Peggy, again, when Hank and Bobby take over the garage at 8:30 p.m. ET. Cry out to Lois Griffin at 9:00 p.m. ET. And finally, watch Francine Smith fight for her family at 9:30 p.m. ET. All in a day's work for every mom.
Photo courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox.