''Clone High'' is an
adult animated science fiction
Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
sitcom
A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...
created by
Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and
Bill Lawrence for
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 ...
. It premiered on November 2, 2002, in Canada, and January 20, 2003, in the United States. Set at a
high school
A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...
populated by the
clones of well-known
historical figure
A historical figure is a significant person in history, who may have made important cultural, social, political, scientific or technological impacts on humanity. They are often widely known for their achievements, whether favourably or unfavoura ...
s, the series follows its central cast which includes adolescent depictions of
Abe Lincoln,
Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc ( ; ; – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the Coronation of the French monarch, coronation of Charles VII o ...
,
Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India's independence from British ...
,
Cleopatra
Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator (; The name Cleopatra is pronounced , or sometimes in both British and American English, see and respectively. Her name was pronounced in the Greek dialect of Egypt (see Koine Greek phonology). She was ...
and
JFK
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until Assassination of John F. Kennedy, his assassination in 1963. He was the first Catholic Chur ...
. The series also serves as a parody of
teen drama
In film and television show, television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or docudrama, semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humour, humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional te ...
s such as ''
Dawson's Creek
''Dawson's Creek'' is an American teen drama television series about the lives of a close-knit group of friends in the fictional town of Capeside, Massachusetts, beginning in high school and continuing into college. It aired from January 20, 19 ...
'', ''
Degrassi'', and ''
Beverly Hills, 90210
''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (often referred to as ''90210'') is an American teen drama television series created by Darren Star and produced by Aaron Spelling via his production company Spelling Television. The series ran for 10 seasons on Fo ...
''; every episode is humorously introduced as a "
very special episode
A "very special episode" is an advertising term originally used in American television promos to refer to an episode of a sitcom or drama series which deals with a difficult or controversial social issue. The usage of the term peaked in the 198 ...
" with narration provided by
Will Forte.
Lord and Miller first developed the series' concept, originally titled ''Clone High School, USA!'', while at
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...
in the 1990s, later pitching it to executives of the
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, LLC (commonly known as Fox; stylized in all caps) is an Television in the United States, American commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast television broadcaster, television network serving as the flagship proper ...
during their tenure at
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
, who ultimately decided to pass on the program. The rights were purchased by
Viacom International
Viacom, an abbreviation of Video and Audio Communications, may refer to:
* Viacom (1952–2005), a former American media conglomerate
* Viacom (2005–2019), a former company spun off from the original Viacom
* Viacom18, a joint venture between Pa ...
to air on their
cable
Cable may refer to:
Mechanical
* Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof
* Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...
channel
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 ...
, producing the series between 2002 and 2003; Disney's television arm
Touchstone Television retains a production credit. The show's design is heavily stylized and its animation style is limited, emphasizing humor and story over visuals. The ''Clone High'' theme song, "Master (Clone High Theme)", was written by
Tommy Walter and performed by his
alternative rock
Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
band
Abandoned Pools. The series was produced by
Bill Lawrence, who also produced ''
Scrubs'', ''
Spin City'' and ''
Cougar Town
''Cougar Town'' is an American television sitcom that ran for 102 episodes over six seasons, from September 23, 2009, until March 31, 2015. The first three seasons aired on ABC, with the series moving to TBS for the remaining three seasons. AB ...
''. Many ''Scrubs'' alumni, such as
Zach Braff
Zachary Israel Braff (born April 6, 1975) is an American actor and filmmaker. He portrayed J.D. (Scrubs), John Michael "J.D." Dorian on the NBC/American Broadcasting Company, ABC television series ''Scrubs (TV series), Scrubs'' (2001–2010), for ...
,
Donald Faison,
Sarah Chalke,
John C. McGinley,
Neil Flynn
Neil Richard Flynn (born November 13, 1960) is an American actor and comedian. After performing with numerous comedy troupes in the Chicago area during the 1980s, he made his film debut in ''Major League (film), Major League'' (1989). During the ...
, and
Christa Miller, provided the voices of characters in ''Clone High'' for free, with Flynn also reprising his role from ''Scrubs'' as
the Janitor (Glenn) in a recurring role. Writing and voice work were done at
North Hollywood Medical Center, where ''Scrubs'' was filmed.
The first season premiered on Canadian cable channel
Teletoon
Cartoon Network (formerly Teletoon) is a Canadian English-language discretionary specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment. The channel primarily broadcasts animated series aimed at children and teenagers. It was launched on October 17 ...
's late-night programming block
The Detour on Teletoon on November 2, 2002, and
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 ...
in the United States on January 20, 2003. It became embroiled in controversy regarding its depiction of Gandhi soon afterward, which prompted over 100 people in
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
to mount a
hunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance where participants fasting, fast as an act of political protest, usually with the objective of achieving a specific goal, such as a policy change. Hunger strikers that do not take fluids are ...
in response. Shortly after, MTV canceled the series, which had been receiving low ratings; the last episodes of the first season were seen in 2016 on
MTV Classic in the United States. ''Clone High'' received mixed reviews from television critics upon its premiere, but it has since received critical acclaim and a
cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The latter is often called a cult classic. A film, boo ...
.
On July 2, 2020, it was announced that a revival of the series was in development at
MTV Entertainment Studios
MTV Entertainment Studios (formerly MTV Production Development from 2003 until 2018 and MTV Studios from 2018 until 2021) is an American film and television production and distribution company and is the film and television production arm of ...
with the creators Lord, Miller, and Lawrence returning. On February 10, 2021, it was announced that HBO Max had ordered two seasons of the revival, which premiered on May 23, 2023. The second season of the revival (third season overall) premiered with all ten episodes on February 1, 2024. On July 26, 2024, the revival of the series was canceled after two seasons, leaving the series on another cliffhanger.
Premise
''Clone High'' is set in a
high school
A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...
in the fictional town of Exclamation, US, that is secretly being run as an elaborate military experiment orchestrated by a
government office called the Secret Board of Shadowy Figures.
The school is entirely populated by the
clones of famous historical figures who were created in the 1980s
and raised with the intent of having their various strengths and abilities harnessed by the
United States military
The United States Armed Forces are the Military, military forces of the United States. U.S. United States Code, federal law names six armed forces: the United States Army, Army, United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps, United States Navy, Na ...
.
The
principal of the high school, Cinnamon J. Scudworth, who wants to use the clones to create a clone-themed amusement park, dubbed "Cloney Island",
has his plans for the clones and secretly tries to undermine the wishes of the Board. He is assisted by his
robot
A robot is a machine—especially one Computer program, programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions Automation, automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the robot control, co ...
butler/
vice principal/
dehumidifier
A dehumidifier is an air conditioning device which reduces and maintains the level of humidity in the air. This is done usually for health or thermal comfort reasons or to eliminate musty odor and to prevent the growth of mildew by extracting wate ...
, Mr. Butlertron,
who is programmed to call everyone "Wesley"
and speak in three distinct intonations.
The show centers on the clones of five famous figures: Abe Lincoln, Joan of Arc, Cleopatra, JFK, and Gandhi.
The central plot of the show revolves the clones going through day-to-day struggles and boundaries.
The show also involves Abe either realizing and reciprocate the feelings of Joan of Arc, who is attracted to him, or stay with the vain and promiscuous clone of
Cleopatra
Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator (; The name Cleopatra is pronounced , or sometimes in both British and American English, see and respectively. Her name was pronounced in the Greek dialect of Egypt (see Koine Greek phonology). She was ...
.
Meanwhile,
JFK
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until Assassination of John F. Kennedy, his assassination in 1963. He was the first Catholic Chur ...
's clone, a macho, narcissistic womanizer,
is also attempting to win over Cleopatra and has a long-standing rivalry with Abe.
Characters
Season 1
*Abe Lincoln (voiced by
Will Forte)
is a clone of
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...
and the main
protagonist
A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...
. He admires his "clonefather" Abraham Lincoln and feels that he is struggling to live up to him. He is in love with Cleopatra,
and has an awkward and honest personality.
Abe does not notice that Joan has feelings for him and unintentionally mistreats her by reinterpreting it as a sign of friendship.
* Joan of Arc (voiced by
Nicole Sullivan)
is a clone of
Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc ( ; ; – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the Coronation of the French monarch, coronation of Charles VII o ...
and Abe's closest friend and confidante. She is an intelligent, cynical, and angsty goth.
She secretly has a crush on Abe
and resents how he ignores her advances in favor of hooking up with Cleopatra.
She holds progressive political views, and "somewhat naively support
every special-interest cause".
*
Cleopatra "Cleo" Smith (voiced by
Christa Miller in season 1,
Mitra Jouhari in seasons 2 & 3)
is a clone of
Cleopatra VII
Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator (; The name Cleopatra is pronounced , or sometimes in both British and American English, see and respectively. Her name was pronounced in the Greek dialect of Egypt (see Koine Greek phonology). She was ...
and a self-absorbed, vain, and often mean-spirited popular cheerleader.
Cleo exerts power over everyone for her appearance and intelligence.
She has relationships with both JFK and Abe. She becomes Joan of Arc's foster sister when Cleopatra's foster mother begins dating Joan's foster grandfather. Her animation and character design are inspired by the depiction of people in
Ancient Egyptian wall painting, drawn in profile with eyes highlighted by
eyeliner.
* JFK (voiced by
Christopher Miller)
is a clone of
John F. Kennedy and a handsome, popular, arrogant, and horny jock
as well as Abe's on-and-off rival for Cleo's affections. He speaks with a
Boston accent
A Boston accent is a local accent of Eastern New England English, native specifically to the city of Boston and its suburbs. Northeastern New England English is classified as traditionally including New Hampshire, Maine, and all of eastern Mass ...
and pursues women, who he calls them "broads".
* Gandhi (season 1, voiced by
Michael McDonald)
is a clone of
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethics, political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful Indian ...
and Abe's other best friend. He, like Abe, is struggling to live up to his "clonefather" Mahatma Gandhi. As a result, he rebelled against his "clonefather" and reinvents himself as a wild party animal
and serves as the show's
comic relief
Comic Relief is a British charity, founded in 1986 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Sir Lenny Henry in response to the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. The concept of Comic Relief was to get British comedians to make t ...
. Gandhi sees himself as a music artist and calls himself the "G-Man". He did not return in the revival series after members of
India's parliament protested ''Clone Highs depiction of Gandhi in 2003, shown to be still frozen in 2023 (with Abe not noticing his absence, and Joan not remembering him at all due to the memory wipe machine used on all clones).
*
Principal Cinnamon J. Scudworth (voiced by
Phil Lord
Philip Anderson Lord (born July 12, 1975) and Christopher Robert Miller (born September 23, 1975) are an American filmmaking and acting duo. Their films are known for subversion of genre and detailed visual sensation, spanning various styles of ...
)
is a
mad scientist
The mad scientist (also mad doctor or mad professor) is a stock character of a scientist who is perceived as "mad, bad and dangerous to know" or "insanity, insane" owing to a combination of unusual or unsettling personality traits and the unabas ...
and the principal of Clone High, who initially secretly plans to use the clones as attractions for his hypothetical amusement park, dubbed "Cloney Island",
and many of the series' subplots surround him trying to find ways to accelerate his plans. After these plans are thwarted, he freezes his original batch of clones for twenty years, immediately resuming Clone High in the adjoining years with new clones. Scudworth is usually centered on the subplots of the show.
*
Mr. Besley Lynn Butlertron (voiced by
Christopher Miller)
is Principal Scudworth's
Mr. Belvedere
''Mr. Belvedere'' is an American sitcom that originally broadcasting, aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from March 15, 1985 until its cancellation (television), cancellation following the 107th episodic television, episode on December ...
-esque sane robotic butler and reluctant sidekick.
Seasons 2 & 3
* Candide Sampson (voiced by Christa Miller)
is Principal Scudworth's strict, cold-hearted superior in the second and third season, put in charge by the Secret Board of Shadowy Figures as running Operation Spread Eagle. Principal Scudworth is shown to have a romantic interest in her. She is revealed to be Joan's new foster mother in "Sleepover".
* Frida Kahlo (voiced by
Vicci Martinez)
is a clone of
Frida Kahlo
Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón (; 6 July 1907 – 13 July 1954) was a Mexican painter known for her many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico. Inspired by Culture of Mexico, the country' ...
, who is the most popular of the second generation of clones. She is shown to be a fan of skateboarding. She is a separate clone from the Frida Kahlo clone in the first season who appeared as a background character.
* Harriet Tubman (voiced by
Ayo Edebiri)
is a clone of
Harriet Tubman, who is very preppy and Frida's best friend. She is a separate clone from the Harriet Tubman clone voiced by
Debra Wilson
Debra Wilson is an American actress and comedian. She is the longest-serving original cast member on the sketch comedy series ''Mad TV'', having appeared on the show's first eight seasons from 1995 to 2003. As a voice actress, she has voiced va ...
in the first season.
* Confucius (voiced by
Kelvin Yu)
is a clone of
Confucius
Confucius (; pinyin: ; ; ), born Kong Qiu (), was a Chinese philosopher of the Spring and Autumn period who is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages. Much of the shared cultural heritage of the Sinosphere originates in the phil ...
, who is obsessed with the Internet and various social media trends. He is a separate clone from the Confucius clone in the first season who appeared as a background character.
* Topher Bus (voiced by
Neil Casey)
is a clone of
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus (; between 25 August and 31 October 1451 – 20 May 1506) was an Italians, Italian explorer and navigator from the Republic of Genoa who completed Voyages of Christopher Columbus, four Spanish-based voyages across the At ...
, who tries to distance himself from his "clone-father" by shortening his name and appearing to be supportive of social movements and trends. This appears to be a façade, as he is shown to troll people online through anonymous, hurtful comments.
Episodes
Season 1 (2002–03)
This was the only season to be created in traditional
digital ink-and-paint animation by
Rough Draft Studios.
Season 2 (2023)
Seasons 2 and 3 were created by
ShadowMachine
ShadowMachine is an American animation studio and production company specialized in film, television, commercials and music videos.
Since its early days producing the stop-motion animation show '' Robot Chicken'', the company has been producing ...
Animation studio.
Season 3 (2024)
Production
Development
Phil Lord
Philip Anderson Lord (born July 12, 1975) and Christopher Robert Miller (born September 23, 1975) are an American filmmaking and acting duo. Their films are known for subversion of genre and detailed visual sensation, spanning various styles of ...
and
Christopher Miller first met together while they were attending
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...
.
The profiles of Lord and Miller on the college's newspaper caught the attention to former
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
chairman
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 ...
. Lord and Miller attended a two-minute interview with animation executives at
Walt Disney Studios in
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank had a Census-estimated population of 102,755 as of 2023. The city was ...
.
The next day, they signed a development deal at
Walt Disney Television Animation to create Saturday-morning cartoons.
They spent a year trying to create a Saturday morning show but felt that they were not "Disney brand" enough to pitch it.
They were later hired by
Touchstone Television to create primetime programming,''
''
and they wrote a few episodes of ''
Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane'' and ''
Go Fish.
'' The show was originally pitched to the
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, LLC (commonly known as Fox; stylized in all caps) is an Television in the United States, American commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast television broadcaster, television network serving as the flagship proper ...
, who purchased the show but decided not to order it to series due to a "regime change".
Miller deemed it the "easiest pitch ever," considering the show's use of famous figures.
Following Fox's rejection, MTV purchased the program in May 2001. Lord and Miller met and pitched the idea to their godfather
Bill Lawrence, who started working on the first season of ''
Scrubs'' at the time.
Having difficulty affording an office, Lawrence helped Lord and Miller to have their offices at an empty part of
North Hollywood Medical Center, where ''Scrubs'' was filmed.
The show was at a low, limited budget,
costing approximately $750,000 per episode.
According to Miller during an interview with ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' in 2017, ''Clone High'' helped Lord and Miller learn about filmmaking, including editing and execution of timing.
The series started development after they graduated in college and landed a deal at Walt Disney Television Animation.
While attempting to develop a Saturday-morning cartoon,
Miller developed the show's premise with the clones attending at a university on a notebook.
Lord later changed the show's setting to a high school, attempting to lean into the tropes of
teen dramas, a popular genre at the time.
While making lists of people "everybody
adheard of", they found themselves limited in the number of historical figures they could depict, in consideration with avoiding "litigious estates" (such as the families of
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein (14 March 187918 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who is best known for developing the theory of relativity. Einstein also made important contributions to quantum mechanics. His mass–energy equivalence f ...
and
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe ( ; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; June 1, 1926 August 4, 1962) was an American actress and model. Known for playing comic "Blonde stereotype#Blonde bombshell, blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex ...
) and "keeping in mind" with the viewership of
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 ...
.
The show's depiction of
Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India's independence from British ...
was based on people in high school and college Lord and Miller knew, who were of Indian descent that had a lot of boundaries and expectations by their families.''
''
His "party guy" persona was borrowed from their research, through which Lord and Miller found out that he was a party guy when he was young and in law enforcement school.
Voice cast and recording
Lord and Miller cast actors that had backgrounds on
improv
Improv may refer to:
*Improvisation, an act of spontaneous invention
**Improvisational theatre (includes improvisational comedy)
**Musical improvisation
Musical improvisation (also known as musical extemporization) is the creative activity of im ...
and
comedy
Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium.
Origins
Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...
.
Will Forte was cast as Abe Lincoln during production of the first season.
His first voice-acting role,
Forte was asked by Lord and Miller, who were friends with him, to voice Abe for the show.
Forte had a positive feeling about the show, but felt nervous.
When Forte first voiced the character, he thought that his voice performance for the role was boring, though he admitted that the emotions, the screams, and the singing of the character were "fun to do".
In 2024, Forte recalled on ''
Animation World Network
Animation World Network (often just "AWN") is an online publishing group that specializes in resources for animators, with an extensive website offering news, articles and links for professional animators and animation fans.
Content
Specifically ...
'' that he was "terrified and overthinking it", thinking he was not good as the other voice actors in the show.
Nicole Sullivan, who was a friend of
Christa Miller in her mid-20s, was convinced to visit the booth by Christopher and Christa Miller during a phone call.
Sullivan had mixed thoughts due to her level of success in ''
Mad TV
''Mad TV'' (stylized as ''MADtv'') is an American sketch comedy television series created by David Salzman, Fax Bahr, and Adam Small. Loosely based on the humor magazine '' Mad'', ''Mad TVs pre-taped satirical sketches were primarily parodie ...
'', ''
Kim Possible
''Kim Possible'' is an American animated Action comedy TV series, action comedy television series created by Bob Schooley and Mark McCorkle for Disney Channel. The Kim Possible (character), title character is a teenage girl tasked with saving ...
'', ''
Buzz Lightyear of Star Command
''Buzz Lightyear of Star Command'' is an American animated science fiction comedy television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation and co-produced by Pixar Animation Studios. It is a spin-off of Pixar's ''Toy Story'' franchise a ...
'', and ''
The King of Queens
''The King of Queens'' is an American television sitcom that ran on CBS from September 21, 1998, to May 14, 2007, with a total of 207 half-hour episodes spanning nine seasons. The series was created by Michael J. Weithorn and David Litt, who al ...
''.
When Sullivan read the lines for Joan of Arc,
Sullivan did not understand the show,
feeling that the show was for a young audience.
She recalled on ''Animation World Network'' that for the first five episodes of the first season, she did not "know what
hewas doing" with the character.
By production of the second season, Sullivan felt more comfortable with the character, commenting that she was "just as easy to play".
Phil Lord provided the voice of Cinnamon Scudworth.
In ''
The Gazette'' article from 2003, Lord described the experience of voicing the character as "fun", stating "It's just me screaming and pouting and being especially whiny."
Lord also felt emotional when voicing the character.
Allowing the voice actors to improvise while recording the lines, they occasionally make little additions in the lines, such as in the middle of a monologue.
The series also featured guest stars. Several of them were well-known celebrities, including
Marilyn Manson
Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician. He is the lead singer and the only original member remaining of the Marilyn Manson (band), same-titled band he founded in 1989. Th ...
,
''
''
Michael J. Fox
Michael Andrew Fox (born June 9, 1961), known professionally as Michael J. Fox, is a Canadian and American actor and activist. Beginning his career as a child actor in the 1970s, he rose to prominence portraying Alex P. Keaton on the NBC sitcom ...
,''
''
Mandy Moore
Amanda Leigh "Mandy" Moore (born April 10, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She rose to fame with her 1999 debut single "Candy (Mandy Moore song), Candy", which peaked at number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot ...
,
''
''
Tom Green,
''
''
Luke Perry,
''
'' and
Jack Black
Thomas Jacob "Jack" Black (born August 28, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is known for roles in family and comedy films, in addition to his voice work in animated films. His awards include a Children's and Family Emmy ...
.
''
'' Prior to the show's premiere, Marilyn Manson received the script to record his lines for the show.
Writing
The writing staff of the show were picked by the creators for their specific sense of humor.
The team included
Judah Miller,
Tom Martin,
Murray Miller, Eric Kentoff, and
Erica Rivinoja.
The writing staff of ''Scrubs'' were also involved in the writing process, giving them "jokes and thoughts".
Several plotlines were based on Lord and Miller's experiences.
During an interview with ''Entertainment Weekly'' in 2017, Bill Lawrence stated that the writers would sometimes "stay in the psych ward
n North Hollywood Medical Center and make the creators laugh, which was cited as one of the reasons why many cast members of ''Scrubs'' appeared in the show.
Animation and design
The art design was characterized by a flat appearance with a limited animation technique known as "pose-to-pose" animation, which was used as an influence to ''
Samurai Jack''.
According to Jack Coleman of ''
Collider'', the characters were bordered with thick outlines and usually made up of "strange evocative shapes" and "hard angles", a style similar to old
UPA animated shows and other animated series at the time.
The characters have little movements when they speak, and several assets of the animation were reused.
The animation generally had a quick pace for comic timing, but the scenes with more emotional content had slower and more fluid movements.
According to Lord, they never wanted the viewers to pay attention to the animation, but it was there to serve the show's sense of humor and its stories.
Gandhi is the most animated character on the show; he requires twice as many storyboard poses as any other character. The characters and backgrounds were
traditionally drawn, and frames and cels were frequently recycled.
Lord and Miller drew several concept drawings of JFK and Joan of Arc during development.
''
Total Drama'' character designer
Todd Kauffman did designs for the show's intro. Kauffman later used ''Clone High'' as an influence to design the ''Total Drama'' characters as requested by the producers. The first season was animated by
Rough Draft Studios. The second and third seasons were animated by
Jam Filled Entertainment
Jam Filled Entertainment is a Canadian animation studio based in Ottawa, Ontario (with additional facilities in Toronto and Halifax), and a subsidiary of Boat Rocker Media.
The company is known for animating several Nicktoons series such as ''T ...
.
Music
''Clone High'' featured a wide variety of music, usually exclusive to
alternative rock
Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
,
indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...
,
midwest emo,
hardcore punk
Hardcore punk (commonly abbreviated to hardcore or hXc) is a punk rock music genre#subtypes, subgenre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots ...
,
pop rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...
,
metalcore
Metalcore is a broadly defined fusion genre combining elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk, originating in the 1990s United States and becoming popular in the 2000s. Metalcore typically has aggressive verses and melodic choruses, combined ...
, from mostly unknown and
underground bands and musicians. The soundtrack included songs by
Alkaline Trio,
American Football
American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...
,
Ritalin,
Catch 22,
Ilya
Ilya, Iliya, Ilia, Ilja, Ilija, or Illia ( , or ; ; ) is the East Slavic form of the male Hebrew name Eliyahu (Eliahu), meaning "My God is Yahu/ Jah." It comes from the Byzantine Greek pronunciation of the vocative (Ilía) of the Greek Eli ...
, The Gentleman, Drex,
Taking Back Sunday
Taking Back Sunday is an American rock band from Amityville, New York, formed by guitarist Eddie Reyes and bassist Jesse Lacey in late 1999. The band's current members are Adam Lazzara (lead vocals), John Nolan (lead guitar, keyboards, voc ...
,
The Gloria Record,
The Stereo, Jo Davidson,
Saves the Day,
Hot Rod Circuit,
Thursday
Thursday is the day of the week between Wednesday and Friday. According to the ISO 8601 international standard, it is the fourth day of the week. In countries which adopt the "Sunday-first" convention, it is the fifth day of the week.
Name
Th ...
, Helicopter Helicopter,
Owen,
Dashboard Confessional,
Elf Power
Elf Power is an American indie rock band that originated in Athens, Georgia, United States. The line-up consists of guitarist/vocalist Andrew Rieger, keyboardist Laura Carter, guitarist Dave Wrathgabar, bassist Bryan Poole, and drummer Peter ...
,
Abandoned Pools,
The Get Up Kids,
Mink Lungs,
Mates of State,
Snapcase,
The Mooney Suzuki,
Jon DeRosa,
Ephemera
Ephemera are items which were not originally designed to be retained or preserved, but have been collected or retained. The word is etymologically derived from the Greek ephēmeros 'lasting only a day'. The word is both plural and singular.
On ...
, Jinnrall,
Avoid One Thing
Avoid One Thing is a punk band that started as a side project by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones' bassist Joe Gittleman. The Boston, Massachusetts, Boston-based group's first album, titled ''Avoid One Thing (album), Avoid One Thing'', was released ...
, DJ Cellulitis, DJ Piccolo,
Whippersnapper,
Matt Pond PA, Mad City and
Bumblefoot. The series' other background music and original score was written and produced by Scott Nickoley and Jamie Dunlap of Mad City Productions.
Humor
''Clone High'' uses two main sources of comedy:
teen drama
In film and television show, television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or docudrama, semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humour, humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional te ...
parodies and historical references.
''Clone High'' experimented long storylines with romances and running gags,
constructed with adult jokes,
conspiracy theories
A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that asserts the existence of a conspiracy (generally by powerful sinister groups, often political in motivation), when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources:
*
...
, and
melodrama
A melodrama is a Drama, dramatic work in which plot, typically sensationalized for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodrama is "an exaggerated version of drama". Melodramas typically concentrate on ...
.''
'' With each episode is introduced as a "
very special episode
A "very special episode" is an advertising term originally used in American television promos to refer to an episode of a sitcom or drama series which deals with a difficult or controversial social issue. The usage of the term peaked in the 198 ...
",
the show uses satire to appeal to MTV's male targeted demographic, aged 17 to 25. The show parodied dramas that appeared on American television in the 1990s that dealt with themes such as
drug abuse
Substance misuse, also known as drug misuse or, in older vernacular, substance abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods that are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder, differing definitions ...
,
AIDS
The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...
,
alternative lifestyle
An alternative lifestyle or unconventional lifestyle is a lifestyle (sociology), lifestyle perceived to be outside the social norm, norm for a given culture. The term ''alternative lifestyle'' is often used pejoratively. Description of a related ...
s,
racism
Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...
,
ostracism
Ostracism (, ''ostrakismos'') was an Athenian democratic procedure in which any citizen could be expelled from the city-state of Athens for ten years. While some instances clearly expressed popular anger at the citizen, ostracism was often us ...
, and consequences of
prom
A promenade dance or prom is a formal dance party for graduating high school students at the end of the school year.
Students participating in the prom will typically vote for a ''prom king'' and ''prom queen''. Other students may be honored ...
. The show also parodied aspects of teenagers on television,
centering on school narratives, including
presidential elections,
standardized testing
A standardized test is a test that is administered and scored in a consistent or standard manner. Standardized tests are designed in such a way that the questions and interpretations are consistent and are administered and scored in a predetermine ...
,
makeovers,
school musicals,
celebrities
Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group due to the attention given to them by mass media. The word is also used to refer to famous individuals. A person may attain celebrity status by having great w ...
,
the prom, school athletics, and
fundraisers. A lot of the show's humor were references cited from common knowledge of the historical figures, including JFK yelling "Nothing bad ever happens to the
Kennedys
The Kennedy family () is an American political family that has long been prominent in American politics, public service, entertainment, and business. In 1884, 35 years after the family's arrival from County Wexford, Ireland, Patrick Joseph "P ...
!" before crashing his car in the fifth episode of the first season.
Several aspects of the show parodied teen dramas. Part of the humor for this trope was that it mocked the misery of high school, tackling the issues with wit and absurdity.
Themes of ''
Dawson's Creek
''Dawson's Creek'' is an American teen drama television series about the lives of a close-knit group of friends in the fictional town of Capeside, Massachusetts, beginning in high school and continuing into college. It aired from January 20, 19 ...
'' were used to parody the themes of
homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or Human sexual activity, sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexu ...
,
eating disorder
An eating disorder is a mental disorder defined by abnormal eating behaviors that adversely affect a person's health, physical or mental health, mental health. These behaviors may include eating too much food or too little food. Types of eatin ...
s,
sex,
disease
A disease is a particular abnormal condition that adversely affects the structure or function (biology), function of all or part of an organism and is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical condi ...
s, and
morality
Morality () is the categorization of intentions, Decision-making, decisions and Social actions, actions into those that are ''proper'', or ''right'', and those that are ''improper'', or ''wrong''. Morality can be a body of standards or principle ...
.
Plots, themes, and scenes of teen series and films were referenced: The love triangle of Abe, Joan, and Cleo parodied ''Dawson's Creek'',
the "parents-are-away" parties paid homage to ''
Freaks and Geeks
''Freaks and Geeks'' is an American teen comedy-drama television series created by Paul Feig and executive-produced by Judd Apatow that aired on NBC during the 1999–2000 television season. The show is set in a suburban high school near ...
'',
the makeover plotline was reminiscent of
teen film
Teen film is a film genre targeted at teenagers, preteens and/or young adults by the plot being based on their special interests, such as coming of age, attempting to fit in, bullying, peer pressure, first love, teen rebellion, conflict with pa ...
s at the time (including ''
Clueless''), and a teen-suicide hotline subplot referenced ''
Heathers''.
The idea of the characters having to live up to their expectations, an aspect common in teen dramas, was also used to style the show's humor.
While ''Clone High'' includes a sexually and diverse society, other themes satirize American racial and gendered norms, including the transformation of Gandhi from a geek into "a shorter, browner
Kennedy" in the twelfth episode of the first season. There is an image of a
dolphin
A dolphin is an aquatic mammal in the cetacean clade Odontoceti (toothed whale). Dolphins belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontopori ...
hidden in almost every episode.
Release
''Clone High'' was originally slated to premiere at the same time in Canada and the United States.
The first episode debuted on November 2, 2002, on the Canadian cable network
Teletoon
Cartoon Network (formerly Teletoon) is a Canadian English-language discretionary specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment. The channel primarily broadcasts animated series aimed at children and teenagers. It was launched on October 17 ...
.
[ Reruns of the series were formerly aired on Teletoon's now-defunct '']Teletoon at Night
Teletoon at Night was a late night programming block that aired on Teletoon. It primarily carried adult animation and other programming targeting teen and adult audiences.
Teletoon had carried programming targeting teen and adult audiences du ...
'' (formerly known as "Teletoon Detour") block. Also, it briefly aired on MTV Canada, Razer (now MTV2), and Much and currently airs on 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 ...
in Canada. In the United States, the series premiered on January 20, 2003, on 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 ...
. ''Clone High'' was a commercial failure, and it suffered low ratings during the run. After MTV publicists finished an apology to India on the show's depiction of Gandhi on its press, Lord and Miller were forced to cancel the show. The remaining episodes can be viewed on unauthorized websites in the United States. In 2016, the entire first season aired in the United States for the first time on MTV Classic.
Initial reviews
Upon the first season's premiere, ''Clone High'' initially received mixed reviews from television critics. On Metacritic
Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, the show has a score of 60 out of 100 based on seven reviews from critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Several critics likened the "enjoyably nervy" humor to that of C''urb Your Enthusiasm''. In a positive review, Dakota Loomis of '' Flak Magazine'' stated that "''Clone High'' is original, quirky and worthwhile television, head and shoulders above the endlessly replicating reality show rabble." David Bianculli of the ''New York Daily News
The ''Daily News'' is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson in New York City as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in Tabloid (newspaper format ...
'' gave the series three stars, praising the vocal talents as "entertaining" and listed the show's depictions of Joan of Arc and Cleopatra as the show's best central characters. He concluded, "''Clone High'' is the highest of high concepts, a weird idea even for a season that brings us '' Joe Millionaire''." ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving Greater Pittsburgh, metropolitan Pittsburgh in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the fi ...
'' Rob Owen complimented the show: "Yes, ''Clone High'' has the MTV-requisite sexual innuendo, but it's more clever than much of what passes for humor in prime time today. And like ''Scrubs'', it has heart, particularly when it comes to Abe and Joan."
Anita Gates of ''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 ...
'' opined that "the dialogue isn't always exactly funny, but it's smile worthy," observing, "the characters are intriguing in a lightweight way but could lose their appeal fast." Scott Sandell of the ''Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' felt that the show's debut episode "doesn't quite live up to the obvious comedic potential behind the killer premise." ''The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' Michael Farkash felt similarly, writing, "The premise sounds intriguing, but what hatches in the first episode is a disappointing, weak strain of comic material, lacking the cunning, subversive quality of, say, ''South Park
''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boysStan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand the ...
''."
Home video and streaming
On January 24, 2005, Nelvana
Nelvana Limited (; also known as Nelvana Enterprises, Nelvana International or Nelvana Digital; commonly known as Nelvana; stylized as "nelvana") is a Canadian animation studio and entertainment production company owned by Corus Entertainment s ...
announced on Corus Entertainment
Corus Entertainment Inc. (often simply known as Corus) is a Canadian mass media and television production company. The company was founded in 1987 as Shaw Radio Ltd. as a subsidiary of Shaw Communications and was spun-off from Shaw in 1999. It h ...
's website that ''Clone High'', along with several others, would be released on home video with the retail initiative '' Teletoon Presents''. The series was released as "The Complete First Season" in Canada by Kaboom! Entertainment and Nelvana. The DVD contains every episode from the original first season, including the five episodes which did not originally air in the United States. As of 2023, the series is available to be streamed 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 ...
in the United States. On April 14, 2023, the first season was added to Max
Max or MAX may refer to:
Animals
* Max (American dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog
* Max (British dog), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of the OBE)
* Max (gorilla) ...
, ahead of the revival's premiere. The revival, alongside the first season of the original show, was added to Hulu
Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...
in October 2024.
Gandhi controversy
In early 2003, an article in ''Maxim
Maxim or Maksim may refer to:
Entertainment
*Maxim (magazine), ''Maxim'' (magazine), an international men's magazine
** Maxim (Australia), ''Maxim'' (Australia), the Australian edition
** Maxim (India), ''Maxim'' (India), the Indian edition
*Maxim ...
'' magazine depicting Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethics, political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful Indian ...
being beaten up by a muscular man sparked outrage in India. ''Clone High'' was caught in the crossfire when citizens in the country conducted internet searches on the ''Maxim'' article but also found out about the show's Gandhi character on MTV's website. This sparked an outrage in India over the show's depiction of Gandhi. On January 30, 2003, the 55th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi's assassination, approximately 150 protesters (including members of parliament) gathered in New Delhi
New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...
and vowed to fast in response to ''Clone High'', including Gandhi's great-grandson Tushar Gandhi. Tom Freston, the head of Viacom (owner of MTV), was visiting the network's India branch and was "trapped in the building". In 2014, he recalled that protestors "basically threatened that they'd revoke MTV's broadcasting license in India if they didn't take the show off the air".
MTV offered a quick apology, stating that "''Clone High'' was created and intended for an American audience", and "we recognize and respect that various cultures may view this programming differently, and we regret any offense taken by the content in the show". Miller would later recall that executives at MTV enjoyed the show, and asked for the duo to pitch a second season without Gandhi. Lord and Miller's two potential versions of a second season included one that made no mention of Gandhi's absence, and another that revealed that the character was a clone of actor Gary Coleman
Gary Wayne Coleman (February 8, 1968 – May 28, 2010) was an American actor, known as a high-profile child star of the late 1970s and 1980s. Born in Zion, Illinois, Coleman grew up with his adopted parents, and a kidney disease; due to the co ...
. "We pitched that, and it went up to the top at Viacom again and it got a big no," he remembered. This idea has since been scrapped as Gandhi did not return in the revival.
Cult following and legacy
Retrospective reviews
The first season of ''Clone High'' garnered wide reappraisal and praise from television critics. Heather Marulli of Television Without Pity called the series "a mini-masterpiece of the animated genre; an opus to the primetime cartoon". David Broermann of the website Freakin' Awesome Network gave the series an "A+", saying it has "some really really good character development and depth" and an "amazing soundtrack". He notes the fantastic use of multiple running gags keeping viewers on their toes. In 2009, the show was listed as number five on IGN
''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
's "Reader Choice: Top Animated Series". In a 2014 retrospective piece on the series, Jesse David Fox of ''Vulture
A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to Nort ...
'' praised the premise, characters, and voice-acting, writing that "''Clone High'' still holds up more than a decade later as a brilliantly funny, completely nuts, surprisingly heartfelt, tonally inventive masterpiece."
Popularity
After its initial cancelation in 2003, ''Clone High'' fell into obscurity in the United States. However, it survived on the internet and gained a fanbase throughout the years. A clip of Gandhi and George Washington Carver going "Say what?" inspired parody and remix videos on YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
. After the show was announced to have a revival in 2020, the first season of the show gained popularity, with several memes posted on Instagram
Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
. ''Clone High'' also gained popularity on TikTok
TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...
, which drew new audiences to the show. In late August 2020, a tweet that included a clip of JFK went viral on Twitter
Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
, spreading memes of JFK by September. Several memes included audio clips of JFK and videos of fans cosplaying as JFK on TikTok. Several fans also cosplayed other characters, such as Joan of Arc, for TikTok.
Revival
Lord and Miller have stated that they have "considered" a live-action film adaptation of the series. In 2014, they explained that as they at that time were under contract with Fox, Lawrence had a television deal at Warner Bros. Television and the rights to ''Clone High'' were owned by MTV/Viacom, it would be difficult to resurrect the show. References to ''Clone High'' are present in their later productions: the duo admitted many jokes in ''22 Jump Street
''22 Jump Street'' is a 2014 American adult buddy cop action comedy film directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, written by Jonah Hill, Michael Bacall, Oren Uziel and Rodney Rothman and produced by and starring Hill and Channing T ...
'' were "ripped off straight from ''Clone High''", while Forte also voices a Lego
Lego (, ; ; stylised as LEGO) is a line of plastic construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. Lego consists of variously coloured interlocking plastic bricks made of acrylonitri ...
version of Lincoln in '' The Lego Movie'' (2014), and the original version of Lincoln in '' America: The Motion Picture'' (2021). In a Grantland article from 2014, the two joked that "our entire career has just been about getting ''Clone High'' back on the air". In the 2018 film '' Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,'' produced by Lord and Miller, a billboard, designed in parody to the original poster for 22 Jump Street, appears promoting a movie titled ''Clone College'', starring Abe and JFK.
In March 2020, Lord and Miller brought the first pitch of the revival to HBO Max (currently Max
Max or MAX may refer to:
Animals
* Max (American dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog
* Max (British dog), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of the OBE)
* Max (gorilla) ...
) on Zoom, along with others. On July 2, 2020, it was announced that a revival of the series was in development at MTV Entertainment Studios
MTV Entertainment Studios (formerly MTV Production Development from 2003 until 2018 and MTV Studios from 2018 until 2021) is an American film and television production and distribution company and is the film and television production arm of ...
, with creators Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and Bill Lawrence returning; it was also revealed that original series writer Erica Rivinoja would serve as showrunner
A showrunner is the top-level executive producer of a television series. The position outranks other creative and management personnel, including episode directors, in contrast to feature films, in which the director has creative control over th ...
of the series, while also co-writing the pilot with Lord and Miller. On February 10, 2021, the series was ordered for two seasons by HBO Max
Max (known in other countries as, and soon to be reverted globally to HBO Max) is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. It is a proprietary unit of Warner Bros. Discovery Streaming on behalf of Home Box Of ...
. On June 23, 2021, Christopher Miller revealed the title of the revival's first episode as "Let's Try This Again". On September 16, 2021, Tara Billinger, who is known for Paul Rudish's ''Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is an American cartoon character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime icon and mascot of the Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red shorts, large shoes, and white ...
'' universe and created '' Long Gone Gulch'', announced that she would be serving as art director. On October 29, 2022, Miller announced via Twitter
Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
, that the revival would premiere in the first half of 2023. On November 2, 2022, Lord, Miller, and Billinger posted teasers of the show on their Twitter
Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
pages. On January 28, 2023, the unfinished first episode of the revival was leaked.
On March 24, 2023, it was announced that a majority of the original cast would be returning, but the role of Cleopatra
Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator (; The name Cleopatra is pronounced , or sometimes in both British and American English, see and respectively. Her name was pronounced in the Greek dialect of Egypt (see Koine Greek phonology). She was ...
, who was originally voiced by Christa Miller, will now be voiced by Mitra Jouhari, while Christa Miller will now be playing Candide Simpson. Lord and Miller revealed that the character of Gandhi will not be returning in the first two seasons of the revival due to the controversy the original series faced over his portrayal, with the former stating that he may return in a potential fourth season. Joining the cast were Ayo Edebiri as Harriet Tubman (replacing Debra Wilson), Vicci Martinez as Frida Kahlo
Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón (; 6 July 1907 – 13 July 1954) was a Mexican painter known for her many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico. Inspired by Culture of Mexico, the country' ...
, Kelvin Yu as Confucius
Confucius (; pinyin: ; ; ), born Kong Qiu (), was a Chinese philosopher of the Spring and Autumn period who is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages. Much of the shared cultural heritage of the Sinosphere originates in the phil ...
, Neil Casey as Topher Bus, Jana Schmieding as Sacagawea, Sam Richardson as Wesley, Mo Gaffney as Ms. Grumbles, Al Madrigal as Frederico, Danny Pudi as Dr. Neelankavil, Emily Maya Mills as Ethel Merman
Ethel Merman (born Ethel Agnes Zimmermann; January 16, 1908 – February 15, 1984) was an American singer and actress. Known for her distinctive, powerful voice, and her leading roles in musical theatre, musical theater,Obituary ''Variety Obitua ...
, and Michael Bolton
Michael Bolotin (born February 26, 1953), known professionally as Michael Bolton, is an American singer and songwriter. Bolton performed in the hard rock and heavy metal music genres from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, both on his early solo a ...
, Ian Ziering, Steve Kerr
Stephen Douglas Kerr (born September 27, 1965) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the United States men's national ...
, and a returning Mandy Moore
Amanda Leigh "Mandy" Moore (born April 10, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She rose to fame with her 1999 debut single "Candy (Mandy Moore song), Candy", which peaked at number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot ...
as fictionalized versions of themselves. On April 5, 2023, an official teaser trailer was uploaded on the official channel for HBO Max. The final trailer was later released on May 8, 2023. The revival premiered on May 23, 2023.
In January 2024, the second season of the revival (third season overall) announced several new cast members joining the series. Consisting of Jermaine Fowler as Toussaint Louverture
François-Dominique Toussaint Louverture (, ) also known as Toussaint L'Ouverture or Toussaint Bréda (20 May 1743 – 7 April 1803), was a Haitian general and the most prominent leader of the Haitian Revolution. During his life, Louvertu ...
, Paul F. Tompkins as Professor Hirsute, Stephen Root as Schneider Snorkelle, Jackée Harry as a fictionalized version of herself based on Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper was an unidentified serial killer who was active in and around the impoverished Whitechapel district of London, England, in 1888. In both criminal case files and the contemporaneous journalistic accounts, the killer was also ...
, Hannah Simone as Lady Godiva
Lady Godiva (; died between 1066 and 1086), in Old English , was a late Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who is relatively well documented as the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, and a patron of various churches and monasteries.
She is mainly remembere ...
, D'Arcy Carden as Bloody Mary, Randall Park as Mr. Kim, Jameela Jamil
Jameela Alia Jamil (born 25 February 1986) is an English actress, activist and presenter. She began her career on Channel 4, where she hosted a pop culture series in the ''T4 (Channel 4), T4'' strand from 2009 until 2012. She then became the ra ...
as Mrs. C, Renee Elise Goldsberry as Sandra Sandria and Richard Kind
Richard Bruce Kind (born November 22, 1956) is an American actor and comedian. His television roles include '' Carol & Company'' (1990–1991), Dr. Mark Devanow in '' Mad About You'' (1992–1999, 2019), Paul Lassiter in '' Spin City'' (1996–20 ...
as Nostradamus
Michel de Nostredame (December 1503 – July 1566), usually Latinisation of names, Latinised as Nostradamus, was a French Astrology, astrologer, apothecary, physician, and reputed Oracle, seer, who is best known for his book ''Les Prophéti ...
(replacing Andy Dick). The trailer was uploaded the following week, confirming the entirety of the season airing on February 1. On July 26, 2024, it was announced that the revival would not be returning for a third season (fourth season overall), once again ending the series on a cliffhanger.
See also
Fictional works with a similar premise
* " The Savage Curtain" (''Star Trek'' episode)
* '' Riverworld''
* '' Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure''
* ''Night at the Museum'' series
* '' Afterschool Charisma''
Related overall themes
* Cultural depictions of Abraham Lincoln
Since his Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, death in 1865, Abraham Lincoln has been an iconic American figure depicted, usually favorably or heroically, in many forms. Lincoln has often been portrayed by Hollywood, almost always in a flattering ...
* Cultural depictions of Joan of Arc
* Cultural depictions of John F. Kennedy
* Cultural depictions of Cleopatra
* List of artistic depictions of Mahatma Gandhi
* Dolly the sheep
Notes
References
Bibliography
*
External links
*
''Clone High'' on Max
* (2002–2003)
* (2023–present)
{{Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
2002 American animated television series debuts
2003 American television series endings
2002 Canadian television series debuts
2003 Canadian television series endings
2023 animated television series debuts
2023 American television series debuts
2024 American television series endings
2000s American adult animated television series
2000s American animated comedy television series
2000s American comic science fiction television series
2000s American high school television series
2000s American LGBTQ-related animated television series
2000s American LGBTQ-related sitcoms
2000s American satirical television series
2000s American teen sitcoms
2000s Canadian adult animated television series
2000s Canadian animated comedy television series
2000s Canadian comic science fiction television series
2000s Canadian high school television series
2000s Canadian satirical television series
2000s Canadian teen sitcoms
2020s American adult animated television series
2020s American animated comedy television series
2020s American comic science fiction television series
2020s American LGBTQ-related animated television series
2020s American LGBTQ-related sitcoms
2020s American high school television series
2020s American satirical television series
2020s American teen sitcoms
American adult animated comedy television series
American adult animated science fiction television series
American animated sitcoms
American flash adult animated television series
American teen animated television series
American television series revived after cancellation
Animated television series set in the United States
Animation based on real people
Animation controversies in television
Canadian adult animated comedy television series
Canadian adult animated science fiction television series
Canadian animated sitcoms
Canadian teen animated television series
Canadian television series revived after cancellation
American English-language television shows
Max (streaming service) original programming
MTV cartoons
Teletoon original programming
Television controversies in the United States
Television controversies in Canada
Television series about cloning
Television series by Paramount Television
Television series by ABC Studios
Television series by Nelvana
Television series by Rough Draft Studios
Television series by ShadowMachine
Television series by Jam Filled Entertainment
Television series created by Bill Lawrence (TV producer)
Television series created by Christopher Miller (filmmaker)
Depictions of Abraham Lincoln on television
Cultural depictions of Joan of Arc
Cultural depictions of Mahatma Gandhi
Cultural depictions of John F. Kennedy
Depictions of Cleopatra on television
Cultural depictions of Frida Kahlo
Cultural depictions of Harriet Tubman
Cultural depictions of Confucius
Cultural depictions of Christopher Columbus
Clone High