''Wonder Showzen'' is an American adult puppet

black comedy Black comedy, also known as black humor, bleak comedy, dark comedy, dark humor, gallows humor or morbid humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally ...

television series that aired between 2005 and 2006 on

MTV2 MTV2 (formerly M2) is an American pay television Cable television, channel owned by the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global, through PMN’s MTV Entertainment Group Subdivision. The channel launched initially as an all-music ...

. It was created by

Vernon Chatman Vernon Chatman (born October 31, 1972) is an American screenwriter, producer, director, voice actor, stand-up comedian, musician, and a member of PFFR, an art collective based in Brooklyn, New York City. He created the television series ''Wonder ...

and John Lee of PFFR. Described as a

children's television series Children's television series (or children's television shows) are Television show, television programs designed specifically for Child, children. They are typically characterised by easy-going content devoid of sensitive or adult themes and are ...

for adults, the show's format is a parody of educational

PBS Kids PBS Kids (stylized as PBS KIDS) is the branding used for nationally distributed children's programming carried by the U.S. public television network PBS. The brand encompasses a daytime block of children's programming carried daily by most PBS ...

shows such as ''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational television, educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation, and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Worksh ...

'' and ''

The Electric Company ''The Electric Company'' is an American educational children's television series produced by the Children's Television Workshop (CTW, now known as Sesame Workshop). It was co-created by Paul Dooley, Joan Ganz Cooney, and Lloyd Morrisett. ...

'' (e.g. use of

stock footage Stock footage, and similarly, archive footage, library pictures, and file footage is film or video footage that can be used again in other films. Stock footage is beneficial to filmmakers as it saves shooting new material. A single piece of stock ...

puppetry Puppetry is a form of theatre or performance that involves the manipulation of puppets – wikt:inanimate, inanimate objects, often resembling some type of human or animal figure, that are animated or manipulated by a human called a puppeteer. S ...

, and clips of children being interviewed). In addition to general controversial comedy, it satirizes politics, religion, war, violence, sex, racism and culture with

Production

''Wonder Showzen'' was created by

and John Lee, who originally made an early concept of it back in 1999, and pitched to the

USA Network USA Network (or simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Media Group division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It was launched in 1977 as Madison Square Garden Sports Network, one of the first national sports ...

in 2000, but after a few minutes of viewing, executives there quickly concluded it did not fit the network's programming style. However, Viacom was re-branding MTV2 and made ''Wonder Showzen'' part of its new programming lineup. It aired as part of Sic 'Em Fridays, along with '' Dirty Sanchez'' and '' Wildboyz''. The pilot and early concept were named simply "Kids Show". The ''Wonder Showzen'' theme song was also called 'Kids Show'. Reruns of the show also aired on MTV and

Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American Cable television in the United States, cable television channel, channel owned by Paramount Global through its Paramount Media Networks, network division's Paramount Media Networks#MTV Entertainment Group, MTV Ente ...

. The first episode had animated segments provided by Raw Power, while the rest of the series had animated segments done by Augenblick Studios. Ben Q. Jones, who was a member of the art collective Paper Rad, did some animations for the series, before continuing to work with PFFR again on his failed

Adult Swim Adult Swim (stylized as dult swimand s is an American adult-oriented television programming block that airs on Cartoon Network which broadcasts during the evening, prime time, and Late-night television, late-night Dayparting, dayparts. T ...

pilot ''Neon Knome'', which was rejected, yet turned a show 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 ...

called '' The Problem Solverz'', which Jones himself created. Another notable crew member who worked on ''Wonder Showzen'' was Mark Marek, who also worked on Cartoon Network's '' Mad'' and

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 ...

's '' KaBlam!''; he created ''Yuck, Yuck, Goose, and his sidekick, his Butt'' for ''Wonder Showzen''. MTV released the first season of ''Wonder Showzen'' on DVD March 28, 2006. The second season of Wonder Showzen premiered on March 31, 2006, and had its season-two finale starring Clarence on May 19, 2006, on MTV2. This season was released on DVD October 10, 2006, with an

easter egg Easter eggs, also called Paschal eggs, are eggs that are decorated for the Christian holiday of Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. As such, Easter eggs are commonly used during the season of Eastertide (Easter season). The ...

that featured an animation contest. The grand prize was announced as the winner's animation appearing on "the next DVD", but the creators later said a third season was unlikely, and MTV afterward canceled the show.

Cast and characters

Adults

(Chauncey/Clarence/Various Voices) * John Lee (Wordsworth/Him/Various Voices) * Alyson Levy (Sthugar/Various Voices) * Jim Tozzi (Various Voices)

Kids

* Benjamin Krueger * Evan Seligman * Taylor Bedlivy * P.J. Connaire * Jacob Kogan * Michael Samms * Trevor Heins * Kyle Bogert * Miles Kath * Jasmina Lee * Dominic Payer * Mike Gibbons * Alexandra Rose * Frankie Scapoli * Ryan Soos * Brianna Simpkins * Miles Williams * Pierce Gidez * Madison Rose * Ameerah Moore * Ryan Simpkins * Juliet DePaula *Sam Kaufman

Cameos

Season one

* Jon Glaser as Mr. Story in episode 101. *

Flavor Flav William Jonathan Drayton Jr. (born March 16, 1959), known by his stage name Flavor Flav ( ), is an American rapper and television personality. Known for his catchphrase "Yeah, boyeeeeee!" when performing, he is a founding member alongside Chuck ...

as himself in episode 101, The full "Storytime with Flavor Flav" was cut from the broadcast version of the episode. It still appears however on the Season One DVD. * Dick Gregory as Mr. Sun in episode 103. *

Amy Sedaris Amy Louise Sedaris (; born March 29, 1961) is an American actress, comedian, and writer. She played Jerri Blank in the Comedy Central comedy series '' Strangers with Candy'' (1999–2000) and the prequel film '' Strangers with Candy'' (2005), wh ...

as Miss Amy in episode 106. *

Christopher Meloni Christopher Peter Meloni (; born April 2, 1961) is an American actor. He is known for portraying NYPD Detective Elliot Stabler on the NBC legal drama series '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' (1999–2011, 2021–present) and its spin-off '' ...

as the Chewties Spokesman in episode 107. *Chris Anderson as Koby Teeth in episode 104. *Madison Rose as herself in episodes 106 and 108.

Season two

David Cross David Cross (born April 4, 1964) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and director. Cross is best known for his stand-up performances, the HBO sketch comedy series '' Mr. Show with Bob and David'' (1995–1998), his role as Ian Hawk ...

as T-Totaled Timbo in episode 203, Hostage in episode 206, and Junkyard Jessip in episode 207. *

Judah Friedlander Judah Friedlander (born March 16, 1969) is an American actor and stand-up comedian. He is known for playing the role of writer Frank Rossitano on the NBC sitcom ''30 Rock''. Friedlander is also known for his role as Toby Radloff in the film ''Am ...

as Crickey in episodes 203 and 207. * Jon Glaser as Dr. Rawstein in episodes 203 and 207. *Darlene Violette as Bettsy Beth Bethanie in episodes 203 and 207. *

Amy Poehler Amy Meredith Poehler ( ; born September 16, 1971) is an American actress and comedian. Known for her roles in sketch comedy, sitcoms and comedy films, she has earned acclaim and several accolades including a Primetime Emmy Award (out of 26 nom ...

as Miss Mary in episodes 203 and 206. *

John Oates John William Oates (born April 7, 1948) is an American musician, best known as half of the rock and soul duo Hall & Oates along with Daryl Hall. He has played rock, R&B, and soul music, serving as a guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record ...

as himself, singing in the song, "War never solves anything" in episode 206. *

Devendra Banhart Devendra Obi Banhart (born May 30, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter and visual artist. Banhart was born in Texas and raised in Venezuela and California. In 2000, he dropped out of the San Francisco Art Institute to pursue a musical career. ...

as himself, singing in the song, "War never solves anything" in episode 206. *

Rick Springfield Richard Lewis Springthorpe (born 23 August 1949), known professionally as Rick Springfield, is an Australian-American musician and actor. He was a member of the pop rock group Zoot from 1969 to 1971, then started his solo career with his debut ...

as himself, singing in the song, "War never solves anything" in episode 206. *

Corin Tucker Corin Lisa Tucker (born November 9, 1972) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist best known for her work with rock band Sleater-Kinney. Tucker is also a member of the alternative rock supergroup Filthy Friends, and previously record ...

as herself, singing in the song, "War never solves anything" in episode 206. *

Todd Barry Todd Barry (born March 26, 1964) is an American stand-up comedian and actorZinoman, Jason (March 21, 2012)How a Master of Stand-Up Sells the Joke.''New York Times'' best known for his "bone-dry" and extremely sarcastic deadpan delivery. He grew up ...

as Barold Q. Mosley in episode 207. *

Zach Galifianakis Zachary Knight Galifianakis (; born October 1, 1969) is an American actor, comedian and writer. The accolades he has received include two Primetime Emmy Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Critics' Choice Movie Award. Galifianakis ...

as Uncle Daddy in episode 207. *

Will Oldham Joseph Will Oldham (born January 15, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. From 1993 to 1997, he performed and recorded in collaboration with dozens of other musicians under variations of Palace (Palace, Palace Brothers, Palace Son ...

as Pastor Pigmeat in episode 207. * Heather Lawless as Permanently Pregnant Peggy in episode 203 and 207. *Barbara Ann Davison as Cousin Grandma Pervis in episode 203 and 207. *Chris Anderson as Mr. Corn in episode 203

Recurring segments

* Beat Kids – One of the children, most often Trevor, leads a journalistic segment with mostly offensive, humorous questions, ridiculing interviewees at a given venue. The segment appears in almost every episode. * What's Jim Drawing? – Appeared in episode 202 and 206. * Horse Apples – A segment in episode 203, which later expanded into an entire episode in 207, that parodies ''

Hee Haw ''Hee Haw'' is an American television variety show featuring country music and humor with the fictional rural "Kornfield Kounty" as the backdrop. It aired from 1969 to 1993, and on TNN from 1996 to 1997. Reruns of the series were broadcast on ...

'' and redneck comedy. The latter episode featured several guest actors. * Funny/Not Funny – A series of clips, often depicting violent or macabre images, airs with a chorus of children saying either "funny" or "not funny". * So Now You Know – A parody of "

The More You Know ''The More You Know'' is a series of public service announcements (PSAs) broadcast on the NBCUniversal family of networks in the United States and other locations, featuring educational messages. These PSAs are broadcast occasionally during NB ...

", Where kids say questions and a computer shows their answers. It appeared twice on season one and once on season two in episode 205. * Q&A – A series of children each answer a single question. * Breaking News – Features the news reporter. * We Went To... – Children narrate an ostensibly educational trip while old stock film airs. * Clarence's Movies – Clarence the puppet interviews people on the street on a common theme, usually antagonistically or obnoxiously, which is often reciprocated by violence or threats. * Story Time – A special guest reads a story to the children. Guests have included

(as himself although it was unaired), Jon Glaser (as Mr. Story),

(as a hostage), and

(as Ms. Amy). * Mr. Body – A cartoon segment that parodies the Slim Goodbody character from the

Captain Kangaroo ''Captain Kangaroo'' is an American children's television series that aired weekday mornings on the American television network CBS for 29 years, from 1955 to 1984, making it the longest-running nationally broadcast children's television program ...

television series. * D.O.G.O.B.G.Y.N – A cartoon chronicling a dog with the ability to aid in childbirth; part of the title derives from a short form for "

obstetrics and gynecology Obstetrics and gynaecology (also spelled as obstetrics and gynecology; abbreviated as Obst and Gynae, O&G, OB-GYN and OB/GYN) is the medical specialty that encompasses the two subspecialties of obstetrics (covering pregnancy, childbirth, and t ...

", and part of it comes from the common domesticated dog.

Episodes

Series overview

Early concept

Pilot

Season 1 (2005)

Season 2 (2006)

Broadcast

It aired in Canada on

, the United Kingdom and Ireland on

MTV Two MTV Rocks (formerly MTV Two, MTV2 Europe and M2) was a British pay television music channel that was operated by ViacomCBS Networks UK & Australia. Its programming consisted of 24-hour non-stop rock/alternative music. The channel closed on 20 ...

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

and TMF, Australia on

, Germany and Italy on MTV Entertainment,

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

MTV Latin America MTV is a Latin American pay television network that was launched on 1 October 1993 as the Hispanic American version of MTV. It is owned by Paramount Networks Americas, a subsidiary of Paramount Global. The channel broadcasts music videos as ...

and in the Baltics on

MTV Networks Baltic Paramount International Networks (PIN) is the international division of the Paramount Media Networks subsidiary of Paramount Global that oversees the production, broadcasting and promotion of its brands outside of the United States. These brands ...

. In

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, it aired on Euro D with graphic scenes cut.

Reception

Matt Groening Matthew Abram Groening ( ; born February 15, 1954) is an American cartoonist, writer, producer, and animator. He is best known as the creator of the television series ''The Simpsons'' (1989–present), ''Futurama'' (1999–2003, 2008–2013, 2 ...

, creator of ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...

'' and ''

Futurama ''Futurama'' is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company and later revived by Comedy Central, and then Hulu. The series follows Philip J. Fry, who is cryogenically preserved for 1 ...

'' said "Wonder Showzen is so weirdly funny the top of your head will burst and your skull will fly out."

, who PFFR would later make shows for, said "It's a show about kids, for freaks, and we love it." The first season holds a 100% on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

Eric André Eric Samuel André (born April 4, 1983) is an American comedian, actor, television host, writer, producer, and musician. He is best known as the creator, host, and co-writer of the Adult Swim surreal comedy series '' The Eric Andre Show'' (2012� ...

also praised ''Wonder Showzen'', commenting "'Wonder Showzen' is one of my favorite shows of all time. When I first saw it, I thought it was so funny and new and original and edgy and insane and subversive. I didn't know comedy could do that. It redefined what I thought you could do with a TV show.". He's even cited the show as an influence behind the writing and editing of ''

The Eric André Show ''The Eric Andre Show'' is an American sketch comedy television series created and hosted by comedian Eric André. A parody of late night talk shows, it premiered on Cartoon Network's night-time programming block Adult Swim on May 20, 2012. The ...

'' on Adult Swim. The series was also praised by

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...

and

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

Home releases

A gift set containing both seasons was scheduled for release on December 12, 2006, but it was cancelled.TVShowsOnDVD.com
/ref> A similar set eventually released on March 16, 2021. The show is also streaming on

Paramount+ Paramount+ (formerly known as CBS All Access in the United States and 10 All Access in Australia) is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, stream ...

, although episodes "History" and "Time" are missing.

Notes

References

Other sources

Wonder Showzen's page on MTV2.comInterview with The A.V. ClubRotten Library

External links

* *
Wonder Showzen animated shorts from Augenblick studios
(requires flash).

{{MTV2 original programs 2000s American adult animated television series 2000s American animated comedy television series 2000s American black comedy television series 2000s American political comedy television series 2000s American parody television series 2000s American satirical television series 2000s American sketch comedy television series 2000s American surreal comedy television series 2005 American animated television series debuts 2006 American television series endings Animated television series set in New York City American adult animated comedy television series American television shows featuring puppetry American English-language television shows MTV cartoons MTV2 original programming Political satirical television series American television series with live action and animation Television series by PFFR Television controversies in the United States

Production

Cast and characters

Adults

Kids

Cameos

Season one

Season two

Recurring segments

Episodes

Series overview

Early concept

Pilot

Season 1 (2005)

Season 2 (2006)

Broadcast

Reception

Home releases

See also

Notes

References

Other sources

Further reading

External links