''The Garfield Show'' is an animated television series produced by French animation production company

Dargaud Media Dargaud Media is a French production company and animation studio that produces animation, documentaries and feature-length films. It was created in 1984 by the French-Belgian comic book publishing house Dargaud. It is one of the production labe ...

and Paws, Inc. It is based on the American ''

Garfield ''Garfield'' is an American comic strip created by Jim Davis (cartoonist), Jim Davis. Originally published locally as ''Jon'' in 1976 (later changed to ''Garfield'' in 1977), then in nationwide Print syndication, syndication from 1978, it chro ...

'' comic strip created by Jim Davis. The animated series focuses on a new series of adventures for the characters of Garfield, Odie, and their owner Jon Arbuckle, alongside staple characters from the strip and a number of unique additions for the program. Both Davis and producer

Mark Evanier Mark Stephen Evanier (; born March 2, 1952) is an American comic book and television writer, known for his work on the animated TV series '' Garfield and Friends'' and on the comic book '' Groo the Wanderer''. He is also known for his columns and ...

, who previously wrote episodes for the 1988 original cartoon animated series ''

Garfield and Friends ''Garfield and Friends'' is an American animated television series based on the comic strip '' Garfield'' by Jim Davis. The show aired on CBS as part of its Saturday morning children's lineup from September 17, 1988, to December 10, 1994. Th ...

'', co-wrote stories for the program, with the cast including

Frank Welker Franklin Wendell Welker (born March 12, 1946) is an American actor who specializes in voice acting. He began his career in the 1960s, and held around 850 film, television, and video game credits as of 2020, making him one of the most prolific v ...

Wally Wingert Wallace Wingert is an American voice actor and former DJ. His roles include Almighty Tallest Red in ''Invader Zim'', Renji Abarai in ''Bleach'', Psycho Blue in '' Power Rangers In Space'', Kotetsu T. Kaburagi / Wild Tiger in ''Tiger & Bunny'' ...

, Julie Payne,

Jason Marsden Jason Christopher Marsden (born January 3, 1975) is an American actor, director and producer, who has done numerous voice roles in animated films, as well as various television series and video games. He is best known for his voice roles as the ...

, and

Gregg Berger Gregory Alan Berger (born December 10, 1950) is an American voice actor. He is known for his roles as Jecht from ''Final Fantasy X'' and the ''Dissidia Final Fantasy'' games, Grimlock from ''The Transformers (TV series), The Transformers'', Myste ...

. Welker and Berger had previously voiced various characters in ''Garfield and Friends''. The animated series premiered on 22 December 2008 in France as ''Garfield & Cie'', in early 2009 in Japan as ''Gāfīrudo to shī'', and on 2 November 2009 in the United States. It ran for five seasons, with its last episodes airing in the US on October 24, 2016; Evanier stated shortly afterward that it was on hiatus. On August 6, 2019, an untitled

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...

series based on the ''Garfield'' comic strip was announced, seemingly ending any chances of ''The Garfield Show'' coming back.

Plot

The show features loose continuity and is set in a different universe to the previous Garfield cartoon series ''

'', which is occasionally referenced. Liz is now considered a main character and has an official relationship with Jon to reflect their current status in the comic strip. ''The Garfield Show'' also reestablishes Arlene as Garfield's potential love interest, as in the comic strip, (despite being advertised as a main character, her actual role in the series is rather minor). In addition, Garfield is now a talking character. Nevertheless, only other animals are usually able to understand him, although Jon and other humans sometimes can. ''The Garfield Show'' also features many new characters that are part of the regular cast, such as Vito, a local Italian chef and restaurant owner whose cooking Garfield enjoys, and Harry, a

stray cat Stray or The Stray or ''variation'', may refer to: Animals * A feral (abandoned or escaped) domestic animal; see also estray * A stray or free-ranging dog Places * Areas of open grassland in North Yorkshire: ** Strays of York ** The Stray (Harro ...

who acts as both a friend and a nemesis to Garfield. Squeak, Garfield's mouse friend that lives in Jon's house, also appears, having previously in the comic strip.

Episodes

Cast and characters

Main characters

(voiced by

) is a lazy and sarcastic lasagna-loving orange tabby cat and the protagonist of the show. *

Odie This is a list of characters in the ''Garfield'' comic strip, created by Jim Davis (cartoonist), Jim Davis, organized by category and date of first appearance. Main characters Garfield First Appearance: June 19, 1978 Garfield is Jon's orang ...

(voiced by

) is a fun-loving brown and yellow beagle dog and Garfield's best friend. *

Jon Arbuckle Jonathan Q. "Jon" Arbuckle is a fictional character from the ''Garfield'' comic strip by Jim Davis. He also appears in the animated television series ''Garfield and Friends'' and ''The Garfield Show'', two live-action/animated feature films, a ...

(voiced by

) is Garfield and Odie's dorky owner who is employed as a cartoonist. *

Nermal This is a list of characters in the ''Garfield'' comic strip, created by Jim Davis, organized by category and date of first appearance. Main characters Garfield First Appearance: June 19, 1978 Garfield is Jon's orange tabby cat. Some of hi ...

(voiced by

) is a mischievous grey tabby cat with a cute appearance who is Garfield's

frenemy ''Frenemy'' is a portmanteau of the words ''friend'' and ''enemy'' that refers to "a person with whom one is friendly, despite a fundamental dislike or rivalry" or "a person who combines the characteristics of a friend and an enemy". The term ...

and often visits the latter's house. *

Arlene Arlene may refer to: * Arleen, a feminine name, also spelled Arlene * "Arlene" (song), the 1985 debut single by American country music artist Marty Stuart * Arlene, a Beanie Baby cat produced by Ty, Inc. * List of storms named Arlene, the name of ...

(voiced by

Audrey Wasilewski Audrey Wasilewski is an American television, film and voice actress. She is known for her prolific voice work including Arlene in the ''Garfield'' franchise, Stealth Elf in the '' Skylanders'' video games, and roles in '' My Life as a Teenage Ro ...

) is a kind yet snarky pink tinted white short haired Turkish angora cat who serves as Garfield's love interest. * Dr. Liz Wilson (voiced by Julie Payne) is the local veterinarian and Jon's love interest. * Squeak (voiced by Gregg Berger) is a kind and loyal house mouse and one of Garfield's closest friends who regularly invades Jon's kitchen.

Recurring characters

* Eddie Gourmand (voiced by Frank Welker) is a famous overweight but fun-loving food critic whose opinions on restaurants usually have a major impact on their success. He often crosses paths with Garfield, as they both enjoy Vito's cooking. * Dr. Whipple (voiced by

Stan Freberg Stan Freberg (born Stanley Friberg; August 7, 1926 – April 7, 2015) was an American actor, author, comedian, musician, puppeteer, radio personality and advertising creative director. His best-known works include " St. George and the Dragonet ...

) is a recurring antagonist who, while helping others, is usually out for his own gain. He is a parody of

Dr. Phil Phillip Calvin McGraw (born September 1, 1950), also known as Dr. Phil, is an American television personality and author who is best known for hosting the talk show '' Dr. Phil''. He holds a doctorate in clinical psychology, though he ceased ...

. * Professor Thaddeus Bonkers (voiced by Jason Marsden) is a mad scientist whose discoveries tend to lead to disaster. * Doc "Doc Boy" Arbuckle (voiced by

David Lander David L. Lander (born David Leonard Landau; June 22, 1947 – December 4, 2020) was an American actor, comedian, musician, and baseball scout. He was best known for his portrayal of Andrew "Squiggy" Squiggman in the ABC sitcom '' Laverne & Shir ...

) is Jon's younger brother who owns a farm. Jon always teases him by calling him "Doc Boy," much to his irritation. * Aunt Ivy (voiced by

Laraine Newman Laraine Newman (born March 2, 1952) is an American actress, comedian, and writer. Newman was part of the original cast of NBC's sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' from its inception in 1975 until her departure in 1980. Newman took an ...

) is Jon and Doc Boy's bossy aunt who often harasses Jon whenever she comes to visit. * Vito Cappelletti (voiced by Jason Marsden) is an Italian chef who owns Vito's Pizzeria, whom Garfield admires for his amazing cooking. * Harry (voiced by Gregg Berger) is a stray cat who lives in Garfield's neighborhood and is a sometimes friend of Garfield. * Drusilla and Minerva (voiced by Laura Summer) are two annoying twins that like to dress up any animal they come across, often Garfield. They are hinted to be either Jon's cousins or nieces. * Herman Post (voiced by Gregg Berger) is the mailman that works in Garfield's neighborhood. Garfield often plays pranks on him for "delivering nothing but bills". much to his dismay. He regularly earns salary raises as other mailmen are too scared of Garfield to permanently replace him. * Al the Dog Catcher (voiced by Wally Wingert) is a clumsy dog catcher who is often fired for his incompetence only to be rehired for lack of a suitable replacement. His associate is Pete (voiced by Jason Marsden). * Mama Meanie (voiced by Gregg Berger) is the greedy owner of a pizza place that rivals Vito's who usually resorts to underhanded tactics to make money since the food he sells tastes terrible and barely edible. * Bruno (voiced by Wally Wingert) is a sadistic alley cat that bullies Garfield. * The Evil Space Lasagnas are an alien race of living lasagnas that try to conquer Earth. * Hercules (voiced by Wally Wingert) is a mean chihuahua "with a bad attitude" who is actually a troubled loner deep on the inside. He sometimes associates with Mademoiselle Fifi, the chihuahua belonging to Jon's boss. * Mr. Barker (voiced by Gregg Berger) is Jon's kind but demanding former boss who commissions Jon's comics. * Anthony Allwork (voiced by Jack Riley) is a lawyer and businessman who acts as an antagonist. He usually tries to come up with schemes to make himself richer. He has a soft spot for his son Jack. * Esmeralda Brubaker (voiced by

Tress MacNeille Teressa Claire "Tress" MacNeille (; born June 20, 1951) >https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/macneille-tress-1951 is an American voice actress, who has contributed to voice-over work with credits including vo ...

) is a museum curator who prioritizes science over any person's individual life. She'll stop at nothing to get what she wants and usually finds a way to do so legally. * Neferkitty (voiced by

Susan Silo Susan Silo (born July 27, 1942) is an American actress who is known for her work in voice-over roles. Early life Susan Silo was born in New York City. Both her parents were actors Jon Silo and Ruth Silo. Career Her acting career started in ...

) is the leader of an ancient tribe of cats that once tried to take over the world and were banished to another dimension. Garfield tricks her into entering the human world alone where she is forcibly adopted by Liz's annoying niece Heather who renames her "Fuzzbutton," much to her chagrin. Since then, she swore vengeance on Garfield and Odie.

Additional characters

*News Anchorwoman Winona, Angelica, Bella Bellissima, Tyham, Aunt Esther, Queen Tania, and Abigail, voiced by Laraine Newman *Celeste, Chester, Lester, Mary Margaret Reporter, and Squirrel #2, voiced by

Candi Milo Candyce Anne Rose Milo (born January 9, 1961) Timestamps: (00:27:12-00:27:45) Milo states that she is "firmly 51". (00:06:40-00:06:47) Milo states that she was born in Palm Springs. (00:16:23-00:16:25) She says her birthday is in January. (00:48 ...

*Buckley, General Gorgonzola, and Jim Davis, voiced by Gregg Berger. *Fluffykins, Hippo, Mole, and Spencer Spendington voiced by Stan Freberg *Mr. Arbuckle, Nimbus, Ricotta, and Spumoni, voiced by Frank Welker *Charley, Irv, and The Lasagna King, voiced by Wally Wingert *Humphrey, Gnarley, and Mr. Wilson, voiced by Jason Marsden *Brandon Scoop, King Glorm, and Tyler Edge, voiced by

Neil Ross Neil David Ross is a British–born actor. Noted for his Trans-Atlantic accent, he has provided voices in many American cartoons, most notably ''G.I. Joe'', '' Spider-Man: The Animated Series'', '' My Life as a Teenage Robot'', '' Voltron'', a ...

*Biff and Dirk Dinkum, voiced by

Fred Tatasciore Fred Tatasciore ( , , born June 13, 1967) is an American voice actor who has provided voices in animated and live-action films, television shows, and video games. He is known for voicing the Hulk, Volstagg, and Beast in various Marvel media and ...

*Gloria and Newscaster, voiced by Audrey Wasilewski *Mrs. Arbuckle and Mrs. Wilson, voiced by Julie Payne * Jack Allwork and Sandra, voiced by

Grey DeLisle Grey DeLisle (; born Erin Grey Van Oosbree; August 24, 1973), sometimes credited as Grey Griffin, is an American voice actress and singer-songwriter. DeLisle is known for various roles in animated productions and video games. On September 27, ...

*Farley and The Sandman, voiced by

Joe Alaskey Joseph Francis Alaskey III (April 17, 1952 – February 3, 2016) was an American actor and comedian. He was one of Mel Blanc's successors at the Warner Bros. Animation studio until his death. He alternated with Jeff Bergman, Greg Burson, Ji ...

*Angie and Scheherazade, voiced by

Misty Lee Misty Lee is an American voice actress, comedian and magician. Early life Misty Lee was born in Mount Clemens, Michigan, and spent most of her childhood in Detroit, which she credits as inspiration for her unique sense of humor and interest in ...

*Hostess and Squirrel #1, voiced by Tress MacNeille *Lucerita and Tabitha, voiced by Laura Summer *Armstrong, voiced by

Phil LaMarr Phil LaMarr is an American actor and comedian. He was one of the original featured cast members on the sketch comedy television series '' Mad TV'', where he stayed for five seasons. His voice acting roles in animated series include the Sam B of ' ...

*Mrs. Cauldron, voiced by

June Foray June Foray (born June Lucille Forer; September 18, 1917 – July 26, 2017) was an American Voice acting, voice actress and radio personality, best known as the voice of such animation, animated characters as Rocky the Flying Squirrel, Natasha F ...

*Cousin Ratzo, voiced by

Corey Burton Corey Burton is an American voice actor. He is the current voice of Captain Hook, Ludwig Von Drake and others for The Walt Disney Company, Shockwave on '' The Transformers'', Brainiac in the DC Animated Universe, Count Dooku and Cad Bane in ...

*Ghost Cat, voiced by Jack Riley *Ms. Gourmand, voiced by

April Winchell April Terri Winchell (born January 4, 1960) is an American actress, writer, and radio host. Since 1996, she has been the voice of Clarabelle Cow. Early life Born on January 4, 1960, in Whitestone, New York, but raised in the Greater Los Angel ...

*Health Inspector, voiced by

Bob Bergen Robert Berger (born March 8, 1964), known professionally as Bob Bergen, is an American voice actor. He voices Warner Bros. cartoon characters Porky Pig and Tweety and has voiced characters in the English dubs of various anime. He formerly hosted ...

*Hiram “Hi” Pressure, voiced by

Marvin Kaplan Marvin Wilbur Kaplan (January 24, 1927 – August 25, 2016) was an American actor, playwright and screenwriter who was best known as Henry Beesmeyer in ''Alice'' (1978–1985). Early years Kaplan was born on January 24, 1927, in Brooklyn, New Y ...

*Lyman, voiced by

Frank Ferrante Frank Vincent Ferrante (born April 26, 1963) is an American stage actor, comedian and director known for his improvisation and audience interactive comedy. He has performed as Groucho Marx in the Arthur Marx/ Robert Fisher play '' Groucho: A Lif ...

*Master Control, voiced by

Mark Hamill Mark Richard Hamill (; born September 25, 1951) is an American actor. He is best known for starring as Luke Skywalker in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, and the Joker (character), Joker in various animated DC Comics projects, starting with ''Batm ...

*Mayor Graffton, voiced by

Chuck McCann Charles John Thomas McCann (September 2, 1934 – April 8, 2018) was an American actor, comedian, puppeteer, commercial presenter and television host. His career spanned over 70 years. He was best known for his work in presenting children's televi ...

*Metalla, voiced by Susan Silo *McCuckoo, voiced by

Bill Farmer Bill Farmer (born November 14, 1952) is an American voice actor. He has performed the voice of the Disney character Goofy since 1987, and has also been the voice of Pluto and Horace Horsecollar since 1990. Early life Farmer was born on Novembe ...

*Officer Reed, voiced by

Jewel Shepard Jewel Shepard is an American writer, photographer, and actress, best known for her roles in movies such as '' Party Camp'' (1987) and ''The Return of the Living Dead'' (1985). Career Acting Jewel Shepard arrived in California in the early 1980s ...

*Nathan, voiced by

Melissa Disney Melissa Disney is an American voice actress and writer. She is most known as the voice of the titular character in the Nickelodeon animated series '' As Told by Ginger''. Disney's other voice roles include Vivi Ornitier in ''Kingdom Hearts II'', ...

*Samuel W. Underberger, voiced by

Maurice LaMarche Maurice LaMarche (born March 30, 1958) is a Canadian voice actor. Across a career spanning more than four decades he has voiced Chief Quimby on Inspector Gadget, Egon Spengler on ''The Real Ghostbusters'', The Brain on ''Animaniacs'' and its spi ...

*Varicella, voiced by

Rose Marie Rose Marie (born Rose Marie Mazzetta; August 15, 1923 – December 28, 2017) was an American actress, singer, comedian, and vaudeville performer with a career spanning nine decades, which included film, radio, records, theater, night clubs and ...

Development

Development for ''The Garfield Show'' began in 2007 to coincide with the strip's 30th anniversary. Many crew members from the previous animated series based on ''Garfield'' that debuted in 1988 returned to work on ''The Garfield Show''.

Broadcast

The series premiered in France on

France 3 France 3 () is a French free-to-air Public broadcasting, public television network. The second flagship network of France Télévisions, it broadcasts a wide range of general and specialized programming. France 3 is structured as a Region ...

on 22 December 2008 and in Japan on

NHK , also known by its Romanization of Japanese, romanized initialism NHK, is a Japanese public broadcasting, public broadcaster. It is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television licence, television license fee. NHK ope ...

in early 2009. The series also airing on

Gulli Gulli (; stylised as gulli) is a French free-to-air television channel focused on kids' programming for those aged 3 to 14. It was created as a result of a partnership between Lagardère Active and state-owned broadcaster France Télévisions. ...

since, 25 October 2021 in France English-language episodes started airing on Boomerang UK on 5 May 2009. English-language episodes started airing on Boomerang (Middle East and Africa) and on

Boomerang (Central and Eastern Europe) Boomerang is an American cable television network owned by The Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. The network primarily broadcasts animated programming from the Warn ...

on 7 November 2009. It aired on

YTV YTV or ytv may refer to: * YTV (Canadian TV channel), a Canadian youth television station owned by Corus Entertainment * YTV (Burmese TV network), a Burmese television channel owned by MY Multimedia Co., Ltd * YTV (Botswanan TV channel), a Botswana ...

in Canada from 13 September 2009 to 30 December 2011. In the United States, it aired on

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...

from November 2, 2009 to May 23, 2014. It also aired on

Boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool typically constructed with airfoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight, designed to return to the thrower. The origin of the word is from Australian Aborigin ...

from February 4, 2013 to December 30, 2016. In Bangladesh, the series aired on

Duronto TV Duronto TV (; ) is a Bangladeshi Bengali-language satellite and cable children's television channel, and the first of its kind in the country. It was initially licensed in 2013 as "Renaissance TV", but was later renamed to its current name. The c ...

from 12 January 2020.

Home media

Reception

Common Sense Media Common Sense Media (CSM) is an American nonprofit organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children.

gave the show 3 stars out of 5, saying "Infamous cat's antics are fun, if not exactly message laden." Kevin Carr of ''7M pictures'' gave the show 2 stars out of 5 stating that the animation felt unpolished compared to the direct-to-video movies and that the show was full of "throwaway stories" because it "aims for a more kid-friendly presentation of the fat feline." He concluded his review stating he preferred "old-school cell animation as the week-to-week series CGI looks too much like cheap video game emulations, but I’m not the target market of these things". Justin Felix of ''DVD talk'' gave the show 2.5 out of 5 stating that "The Garfield Show isn't some great work of art, but it efficiently delivers cartoon animal fun that little kids would probably enjoy. The animation is a tad rudimentary and clunky at times, but it's good enough to pass muster for cartoon fare of this type." Mike Gencarelli of ''Media Mikes'' gave the show 3.5 out of 5 stating "it doesn’t compare to the classic Jim Davis cartoon but it is all we have right now."

Video game

''The Garfield Show: Threat of the Space Lasagna'', a

party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a Hospitality, host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will oft ...

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

, was released in July 2010 for the

Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America, and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, f ...

. A PC port was released in 2011 exclusively in

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. It includes over 12 minigames and supports the

Wii Balance Board The is an accessory for the Wii and Wii U video game consoles. Unlike the usual balance board for exercise, it does not rock but instead tracks the user's center of balance. Along with ''Wii Fit'', it was introduced on July 11, 2007, at the Elec ...

and

Wii Motion Plus The is an expansion device for the Wii Remote, the primary game controller for the Wii. The device allows more complex motion to be interpreted than the Wii Remote can do alone. Both the Wii and its successor, the Wii U, support the Wii MotionP ...

. The game was critically panned for its short length, lack of interactivity and monotonous gameplay.

References

External links

Plot

Episodes

Cast and characters

Main characters

Recurring characters

Additional characters

Development

Broadcast

Home media

Reception

Video game

See also

References

External links