''Glenn Martin, DDS'' is a

stop-motion Stop motion is an animated filmmaking technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exhibit independent motion or change when the series of frames ...

adult An adult is a human or other animal that has reached full growth. In human context, the term ''adult'' has meanings associated with social and legal concepts. In contrast to a " minor", a legal adult is a person who has attained the age of maj ...

animated sitcom An animated sitcom is a subgenre of the sitcom that is animated instead of live action and is generally made or created for adult audiences in most cases. ''SpongeBob SquarePants'', ''The Simpsons'', ''South Park'', and ''Family Guy'' are four of ...

that premiered on

Nick at Nite Nick at Nite (stylized as nick@nite) is an American nighttime basic cable television channel that broadcasts over the channel space of Nickelodeon. It typically broadcasts Mondays to Thursday nights from 9 p.m. - 6:30 a.m. ET/ PT, Friday nights fr ...

on August 17, 2009. The series was produced by Tornante Animation and

Cuppa Coffee Studios Cuppa Coffee Studios (formerly known as Cuppa Coffee Animation) is a Canadian production company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Cuppa Coffee was founded by Adam Shaheen in 1992. It specializes in both stop-motion animation and 2D animation, ...

, in association with

Rogers Communications Rogers Communications Inc. is a Canadian communications and media company operating primarily in the fields of wireless communications, cable television, telephony and Internet, with significant additional telecommunications and mass media ass ...

. ''Glenn Martin, DDS'' was Nick at Nite's fourth original series (after ''

Hi Honey, I'm Home! ''Hi Honey, I'm Home!'' is an American television sitcom that ran from July 19, 1991, to July 12, 1992 for 13 episodes. Each week, a new episode of the series aired on ABC as part of its Friday night '' TGIF'' lineup. The same episode would re-a ...

'', ''

Fatherhood A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. An adoptive fathe ...

'' and '' Hi-Jinks''). One of the show's creators was Eric Fogel, who had success creating the

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

claymation series ''

Celebrity Deathmatch ''Celebrity Deathmatch'' is an adult stop-motion claymated series created by Eric Fogel and produced by John Worth Lynn Jr. for MTV. A parody of sports entertainment programs, ''Celebrity Deathmatch'' depicted various celebrities engaging in ...

''. The show premiered in Canada on October 3, 2009 on

Citytv Citytv is a Canadian television network owned by the Rogers Sports & Media subsidiary of Rogers Communications. The licence of the original Citytv station, granted the callsign of CITY-TV by the CRTC on November 25, 1971 to Cable Television ...

, and March 18, 2010 on

Sky One Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non- terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...

in the UK and Ireland. Season two premiered on June 11, 2010. The show ended on November 7, 2011.

Overview

After accidentally burning down his house in

Freeland, Pennsylvania Freeland is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It was originally called Birbeckville, South Heberton, and Freehold. Freeland is south of Wilkes-Barre and northeast of Hazleton. It was incorporated as a borough on Septembe ...

, loving father and dentist Glenn Martin, DDS takes his family — his beautiful wife Jackie, their hormone-addled 13-year-old son Conor, their power suit-wearing 11-year-old daughter Courtney, Courtney's overachieving assistant Wendy, and Canine (the family's dog who has an oversized

anus The anus (Latin, 'ring' or 'circle') is an opening at the opposite end of an animal's digestive tract from the mouth. Its function is to control the expulsion of feces, the residual semi-solid waste that remains after food digestion, which, ...

, which Glenn in the opening sequence calls a

heart The heart is a muscular Organ (biology), organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as ca ...

) — on a cross-country road trip in order to strengthen their family bond together.

Cast and characters

Kevin Nealon Kevin Nealon (; born November 18, 1953) is an American comedian and actor. He was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1986 to 1995, acted in several of the Happy Madison films, played Doug Wilson on the Showtime series '' Weeds'', and p ...

as Dr. Glenn Campbell Martin, an optimistic travelling

dentist A dentist, also known as a dental surgeon, is a health care professional who specializes in dentistry (the diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the oral cavity and other aspects of the craniofacial c ...

who dreams of becoming closer with his family. He is a Doctor of Dental Surgery. *

Catherine O'Hara Catherine Anne O'Hara (born March 4, 1954) is a Canadian-American actress. She is known for her comedy work on ''Second City Television'' (1976–84) and ''Schitt's Creek'' (2015–2020) and in films such as '' After Hours'' (1985), '' Beetlej ...

as Jackie Robinson Martin, Glenn's wife and the mother of Conor and Courtney. She is often stressed with the problems involved in raising a family in an RV. * Peter Oldring as Conor Martin, the thirteen-year-old son of the Martins. He is going through puberty and is hormonal. He also tends to be the subject of pratfalls due to his clumsiness. He also has a crush on Wendy, but always gets rejected. *

Jackie Clarke Jacqueline Emma Clarke (born 1966) is a New Zealand entertainer, singer and comedian. She was a judge on ''New Zealand Idol'' in 2005. In 2016, she was named Top Female Artist by the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand. In the 2018 Queen's B ...

as Courtney Martin, the eleven-year-old daughter of the Martins, who acts like an adult business woman. She is competitive, outspoken and boastful. * Judy Greer as Wendy Park (real name Bon Wa-Fo) is Courtney's assistant and employee. She was born in

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

. Her age is unclear; Glenn has referred to her as a tweenager, but she later claims to be thirteen years old. *Canine, the Martins' dog who has an oversized

Development

Former Paramount and

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

chief executive

Michael Eisner Michael Dammann Eisner (born March 7, 1942) is an American businessman and former chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of The Walt Disney Company from September 1984 to September 2005. Prior to Disney, Eisner was president of rival film s ...

, who put up his own money to produce the pilot episode, pitched it to Nick at Nite rather than ABC. Eisner was quoted as saying the decision was based on Nick at Nite's record of nurturing shows. The show has a 1970s sensibility including the design of the Winnebago which is driven across the country. It was reportedly inspired by the 1971 ABC made-for-TV movie ''In Search of America'', which starred

Jeff Bridges Jeffrey Leon Bridges (born December 4, 1949) is an American actor. He has received various accolades throughout his career spanning over seven decades, including an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards. Bridges comes from a prominent ac ...

as a college dropout who drove a Winnebago across the country with his family.

Laugh track

Unusual for a modern animated sitcom, the show featured a laugh track in early episodes intended to mimic 1970s sitcoms. This was later removed at the request of the series' creators, with Eric Fogel citing the show having "too much internal thinking". Part of the criticism was leveled at the overuse of laugh tracks (which were permanently removed a month after the show's premiere). Mike Hale of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' wrote: "''Glenn Martin, DDS'' is pretty much laugh-free (though it does have a laugh track)". ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...

'' wrote: "Ignore the stilted jokes ndthe limp characterization. ..Just understand this: ''Martin'' is an animated show with a laugh track. Imagination comes in handy, though, in trying to figure out how someone approved this concept, labored on this and then let it free into the world."

Awards and nominations

In December 2009, the show was nominated for an

Annie Award The Annie Awards are accolades which the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood, has presented each year since 1972 to recognize excellence in animation shown in cinema and television. Originally de ...

for Best Animated Television Production. In November 2010, the show won two

Gemini Awards The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in the United States ...

for Best Animated Series and Best Direction for an Animated Series (Cuppa Coffee/Ken Cunningham for "The Tooth Will Set You Free").

Episodes

Critical reception

''Glenn Martin, DDS'' received mixed to negative reviews from critics, garnering a 48/100 from Metacritic based on 9 reviews after the series premiere. ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' wrote: "Despite the contributions of Eric Fogel (MTV's ''

''), ''Glenn Martin'' isn't as bad as visiting the dentist, but isn't much better than sitting in the waiting room. Positioned as a spoof of classic sitcoms, ''Glenn Martin'' gets off to a bad start by incorporating a laugh track, which only highlights some of the deficiencies in the writing." The ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

'' wrote: "Still, except for the dog's hindquarters, I like the look of it. (Eric Fogel of MTV's ''Celebrity Deathmatch'' oversees the animation.) Press materials indicate that the Martins will be visiting

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Veg ...

Yellowstone Yellowstone National Park is an American national park located in the western United States, largely in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U.S. Congress with the Yellow ...

, the

Mall of America Mall of America (MOA) is a large shopping mall located in Bloomington, Minnesota, United States. Located within the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area, the mall lies southeast of the junction of Interstate 494 and Minnesota State Highway ...

and

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

in future adventures, and as a fan of the form, I'm interested to see what the animators make of them." ''

New York Daily News The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ...

'' writer David Hinkley gave the show 4 out of 5 stars, calling it "satire with biting wit". ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' called it "cute, giggle-worthy, and only a smidgen dangerous". ''

The Detroit News ''The Detroit News'' is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan. The paper began in 1873, when it rented space in the rival ''Detroit Free Press'' building. ''The News'' absorbed the ''Detroit Tribune'' on Februar ...

'' wrote that the show is "full of enough end-of-the week laughs to help you giggle yourself into the weekend". Website Shakefire.com rated the show an "A−".

Controversy

In November 2009, Maura Buete, a Florida mother, was outraged that the series contained sexual references despite airing in an 8 p.m. weekday slot, immediately following the children's show ''

SpongeBob SquarePants ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' (or simply ''SpongeBob'') is an American Animated series, animated Television comedy, comedy Television show, television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It ...

''. In response to several complaints from parents, Nickelodeon (whose spokesman David Bittler had stated complaints were minimal) moved the show to Friday nights at 10:30 p.m.

References

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Glenn Martin 2009 American television series debuts 2009 Canadian television series debuts 2011 American television series endings 2011 Canadian television series endings 2000s American adult animated television series 2010s American adult animated television series 2000s American satirical television series 2010s American satirical television series 2000s American sitcoms 2010s American sitcoms 2000s Canadian adult animated television series 2010s Canadian adult animated television series 2000s Canadian satirical television series 2010s Canadian satirical television series 2000s Canadian sitcoms 2010s Canadian sitcoms American adult animated comedy television series American stop-motion adult animated television series Animated satirical television series Animated television series about dysfunctional families Canadian adult animated comedy television series Canadian stop-motion adult animated television series English-language television shows Nick at Nite original programming Citytv original programming Sky UK original programming Animation controversies in television Television controversies in the United States Television controversies in Canada Television series created by Eric Fogel Television series by The Tornante Company Television series by Cuppa Coffee Studios Television shows filmed in Toronto Television shows filmed in California American animated sitcoms Canadian animated sitcoms