''Committed'' is a Canadian

animated sitcom An animated sitcom is a subgenre of a television sitcom that is animation, animated instead of being filmed live-action, and is generally made or created for adult animation, adult audiences in most cases. ''The Simpsons'', ''SpongeBob SquarePan ...

based on the comic strip of the same name by

Michael Fry Michael Fry (born August 16, 1959) is an American cartoonist, online media entrepreneur, and screenwriter. Career He is best known for the syndicated comic strips '' Committed'' and ''Over the Hedge'', the latter of which is a collaboration with ...

, co-produced by

Nelvana Limited 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 ...

and Philippine Animation Studio Inc., the series aired on CTV from March 3 to June 8, 2001, and was broadcast by WE: Women's Entertainment as WE TV’s first scripted original series in the United States.

Content

The show is based on the comic strip of the same name. It features mother Liz Larsen, her husband Joe, their children, Tracy, Zelda, and Nicholas; and their pet dog, Bob. The show's comedy focuses on the parents' attempts to balance their careers and personal lives while raising their children. Interludes of the cartoon feature Bob acting as a

Greek chorus A Greek chorus () in the context of ancient Greek tragedy, comedy, satyr plays, is a homogeneous group of performers, who comment with a collective voice on the action of the scene they appear in, or provide necessary insight into action which ...

. Bob also

breaks the fourth wall The fourth wall is a performance convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this "wall", the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. From the 16th centu ...

throughout the series. The show features celebrity voice talents such as

Eugene Levy Eugene Levy (born December 17, 1946) is a Canadian actor and comedian. Known for portraying flustered and unconventional figures, Levy has won multiple accolades throughout his career including four Primetime Emmy Awards, a Grammy Award, and ...

as Joe Larsen, Catherine O' Hara as Liz Larsen,

Andrea Martin Andrea Louise Martin (born January 15, 1947) is an American and Canadian actress, best known for her work in the television series '' SCTV'' and '' Great News''. She has appeared in films such as '' Black Christmas'' (1974), '' Wag the Dog'' (1 ...

as Frances Wilder, and

Dave Foley David Foley (born January 4, 1963) is a Canadian actor, stand-up comedian, director, producer, and writer. He is known as a co-founder of the comedy group The Kids in the Hall, who have appeared together in a number of television, stage and fil ...

as Bob the Dog. Famous country singer celebrity

Trisha Yearwood Patricia Lynn Yearwood (born September 19, 1964) is an American country singer. She rose to fame with her 1991 debut single "She's in Love with the Boy", which became a number one hit on the ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' Hot Country Songs ...

performs the theme song.

Cast

as Joe Larsen *

Catherine O'Hara Catherine Anne O'Hara (born March 4, 1954) is a Canadian and American actress, comedian, and screenwriter. She started her career in sketch comedy, sketch and improvisational comedy in film and television before expanding her career taking dra ...

as Liz Larsen *

as Frances Wilder *

as Bob the Dog *

Annick Obonsawin Annick Obonsawin (born October 12, 1983) is an Abenaki Canadian actress. Career Obonsawin has played roles in many children's shows such as Inez in ''Cyberchase'' and Skunk in '' Franklin''."Banker quit her job for Superman Dreaming up a career i ...

as Tracy Larsen *

Charlotte Arnold Charlotte Arnold (born July 27, 1989) is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her roles as Sadie Hawthorne in '' Naturally, Sadie'' and Holly J. Sinclair in '' Degrassi: The Next Generation'', for which she won a Gemini Award for Best Perf ...

as Zelda Larsen * Cole Caplan as Nicholas Larsen * Oscar Hsu as Gary Wong *

Ron Pardo Ron Pardo is a Canadian actor and comedian. He has performed roles in over 90 animated series. On ''Paw Patrol'', Pardo has voiced Cap'n Turbot since the first episode, and later voiced the breakout villain Mayor Humdinger as well as various ot ...

as Cal *

Linda Kash Linda Kash (born 17 January 1961) is a Canadian actress. Career Kash was born 17 January 1961, in Montreal. She was a cast member of Second City and played Trudy Weissman in the 1998 Jean Smart sitcom '' Style & Substance''; she has also playe ...

as Val *

Len Carlson Len Carlson (September 2, 1937 - January 26, 2006) was a Canadian voice actor who voiced various characters on many animated television series from the 1960s to the 2000s, an occasional live-action TV actor, and a Kraft Canada TV pitchman during ...

as Additional Voices *

Greg Spottiswood Greg Spottiswood is a Canadian actor and television producer.Vit Wagner, "Actor experienced at looking innocent". ''Toronto Star'', April 27, 1990. He is most noted for his leading performance in the 1989 television film '' Looking for Miracles'', ...

as Additional Voices *

Adrian Truss Adrian is a form of the Latin given name Adrianus or Hadrianus. Its ultimate origin is most likely via the former river Adria from the Venetic and Illyrian word ''adur'', meaning "sea" or "water". The Adria was until the 8th century BC the ma ...

as Additional Voices

Episodes

Critical reception

Lynne Heffley of ''

The Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper in the U.S. and the larges ...

'' gave the show a mostly-negative review, stating that "Not even the show's few moments of genuinely resonant parental reality can overcome forced plotlines".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Committed (2001 Tv series) 2000s Canadian adult animated television series 2000s Canadian sitcoms 2001 Canadian television series debuts 2001 Canadian television series endings Canadian adult animated comedy television series Canadian animated sitcoms Canadian English-language television shows CTV Television Network original programming Television series by Bell Media Television series by Nelvana Animated television series about dysfunctional families Television shows based on comic strips 2000s Canadian animated comedy television series Television shows based on American comics