Writer: Jonathan Sullivan
I would go gay for Kevin Smith. I know that he may not be the hottest dude ever, like say Brad Pitt or Crispin Glover, but if he walked up to me and was all "witty comment witty comment put it in my mouth", I would probably do it. Ever since 8th grade when I bought the VHS of Clerks and watched it four times in a night, I have been hooked onto his movies. Save for Zack and Miri, his most recent, I have loved every single one (yes, even Jersey Girl...which I may have to put into Watch This at a future date...) and own them in different versions. However, to me, Kevin Smith's greatest work was not his films, as great as they are. My favorite Kevin Smith project of all-time is this week's edition of Watch This!: Clerks The Animated Series.
Clerks: TAS was an ABC late night cartoon that was released in 2000 that ran for...two episodes. That's right. Not one, not five, but two. Due to low ratings, and let's face it Kevin Smith fans are loyal but aren't the majority, the show was quickly canceled and swept under the rug until released on DVD years later, complete with the four episodes never aired and a very bitter commentary track.
What was great about this show was how far removed from the original Clerks film it was. Instead of just making it a cartoon version of people working at a convienence store and talking pop culture for thirty minutes a week, the show was complete insanity. Dante and Randal still worked their crappy jobs, and Jay and Silent Bob were still around (except selling fireworks instead of weed), but the show also introduced the character of crazy million Leonardo Leonardo (voiced by Alec Baldwin, which gives it awesome points), the arch villain of Dante and Randal who was hell bent on putting them out of business...for about an episode, then just became a recurring character. The show also featured crazy plotlines, like an episode that mixed The Last Starfighter, Temple of Doom, and Bad News Bears into a hodge podge of hilarity. Simply put, Kevin Smith was smart; he knew he could not replicate the movie's success, and he decided to have fun with it and make a cartoon both zany and damned funny.
Another really interesting part was the way Clerks: TAS had to skirt around the vulgarity of the film and the characters in the View Askewniverse. They were on ABC and could not get away with the words and ideas they expressed in the film. Instead, they had to do cleaner humor and it actually made it more funny, proving the old adage that clean humor when done right is the funniest and most clever
out there.
Clerks: The Animated Series needs to be seen to be believed and since Smith wasn't 100% behind all the writing and directing (there was a staff), it has a different feel to it than his films. If you don't like Kevin Smith, this show will still be funny to you guaranteed and if you love Kevin Smith, it's even funnier.
Clerks: TAS was an ABC late night cartoon that was released in 2000 that ran for...two episodes. That's right. Not one, not five, but two. Due to low ratings, and let's face it Kevin Smith fans are loyal but aren't the majority, the show was quickly canceled and swept under the rug until released on DVD years later, complete with the four episodes never aired and a very bitter commentary track.
What was great about this show was how far removed from the original Clerks film it was. Instead of just making it a cartoon version of people working at a convienence store and talking pop culture for thirty minutes a week, the show was complete insanity. Dante and Randal still worked their crappy jobs, and Jay and Silent Bob were still around (except selling fireworks instead of weed), but the show also introduced the character of crazy million Leonardo Leonardo (voiced by Alec Baldwin, which gives it awesome points), the arch villain of Dante and Randal who was hell bent on putting them out of business...for about an episode, then just became a recurring character. The show also featured crazy plotlines, like an episode that mixed The Last Starfighter, Temple of Doom, and Bad News Bears into a hodge podge of hilarity. Simply put, Kevin Smith was smart; he knew he could not replicate the movie's success, and he decided to have fun with it and make a cartoon both zany and damned funny.
Another really interesting part was the way Clerks: TAS had to skirt around the vulgarity of the film and the characters in the View Askewniverse. They were on ABC and could not get away with the words and ideas they expressed in the film. Instead, they had to do cleaner humor and it actually made it more funny, proving the old adage that clean humor when done right is the funniest and most clever
out there.
Clerks: The Animated Series needs to be seen to be believed and since Smith wasn't 100% behind all the writing and directing (there was a staff), it has a different feel to it than his films. If you don't like Kevin Smith, this show will still be funny to you guaranteed and if you love Kevin Smith, it's even funnier.