''Hey Monie!'' is an American animated sitcom produced by

Soup2Nuts Soup2Nuts (sometimes referred to as Soup2Nuts Studios, and formerly part of Tom Snyder Productions) was an American animation studio founded by Tom Snyder. The studio is known for its animated comedy series, its use of Squigglevision, a techni ...

. It features heavily

improvised Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...

dialogue by the Second City cast, similarly to Soup2Nuts animated sitcom ''Home Movies''. Its creator and executive producer was

Dorothea Gillim Dorothea Gillim (born July 18, 1964) is an American television producer. She is the creator of the animated series ''WordGirl'' and '' Hey Monie!'' and co-creator of ''Molly of Denali''. Under GBH, Gillim has produced multiple animated series in ...

, creator of ''

WordGirl ''WordGirl'' (stylized as ''W✪RD GIRL'') is an American children's Flash animated superhero television series produced by the Soup2Nuts animation unit of Scholastic Entertainment for PBS Kids. The series began as a series of shorts entitled ...

'', who also produced animated series ''Curious George'', ''

Pinkalicious & Peterrific ''Pinkalicious & Peterrific'' is an educational animated children's television series on PBS Kids, based upon the '' Pinkalicious'' book series by Victoria and Elizabeth Kann. The series is produced by Sixteen South in association with WGBH Kids ...

'', ''

Molly of Denali ''Molly of Denali'' (stylized as ''MOLLY of DENALI'') is an animated children's television series produced by Atomic Cartoons in association with WGBH Kids, created by Dorothea Gillim and Kathy Waugh for PBS Kids and CBC Kids.

'', and '' Time Warp Trio''. The show began as 5-minute shorts that were part of Oxygen Network's animation series ''X-Chromosome.'' It achieved 11-minute episodes ''Hey Monie!'' aired on BET and, afterward, on the

Oxygen Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements as we ...

in 2003. It was BET's first animated series; BET stated that it followed "the tradition of entertaining and satirical animated programming like ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer Simpson, Homer, Marge ...

The Critic ''The Critic'' was an American primetime adult animated sitcom revolving around the life of New York film critic Jay Sherman, voiced by Jon Lovitz. It was created by writing partners Al Jean and Mike Reiss, who had previously worked as writers ...

'', and ''

Daria ''Daria'' is an American adult animated sitcom created by Glenn Eichler and Susie Lewis Lynn. The series ran from March 3, 1997, to January 21, 2002, on MTV. It focuses on the title character, Daria Morgendorffer, an intelligent, cynical high ...

''." In 2003, '' Seattle PI'' described the series as "smart, and at times wickedly funny." It is one of the only adult animated series to feature a Black woman as its protagonist.

Plot

Simone a.k.a. "Monie" ( Angela V. Shelton), is a

publicist A publicist is a person whose job is to generate and manage publicity for a company, a brand, or public figure – especially a celebrity – or for a work such as a book, film, or album. Publicists are public relations specialists w ...

at a PR agency in Chicago. She lives in an apartment building with her best friend, Yvette (

Frances Callier Eleanor Frances Callier (born May 17, 1969), better known as Frances Callier, is an American producer, writer, comedian and retired actress. Her television credits include ''According to Jim'', ''My Name Is Earl'', ''Frasier'', and ''Curb Your ...

). The show chronicles her life living as a single

career woman A career woman is a term which describes a woman whose main goal in life is to create a career for herself. At the time that the term was first used in the 1930s American context, it was specifically used to differentiate between women who either ...

in the big city.

Cast

The series protagonists are voiced by the improv comedy Frangela duo, who are real-life best friends. * Angela V. Shelton as Monie * Frances Callier as Yvette * Melissa Bardin Galsky as Robin *

Dean Edwards Dean Edwards (born July 30, 1970) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, singer, writer and musician. His work as a voice actor includes Scottie Pippen and Spike Lee in ''Celebrity Deathmatch'', a robot in '' Robotomy'', and Donkey in '' Sc ...

Sam Seder Samuel Lincoln Seder (born November 28, 1966) is an American actor, political commentator, and media host. His works include the film ''Who's the Caboose?'' (1997) as well as the television shows ''Beat Cops'' (2001) and '' Pilot Season'' (2004 ...

* H. Jon Benjamin as a self-defense instructor * Oprah Winfrey as herself

Legacy

''Hey Monie!'' was not released on DVD; this may explain its multiple half-hour

lost episodes A total of 121 ''Lost'' episodes aired between September 22, 2004, and May 23, 2010. J. J. Abrams, who co-created the American serial drama television series ''Lost'' with Damon Lindelof, directed the pilot episode, which was based upon an ori ...

. This also may explain why ''Hey Monie!'' did not amass a

fandom A fandom is a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of empathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the objects of their fandom and spend a significan ...

as numerous as that of ''Home Movies''; creator

Brendon Small Brendon Small (born February 15, 1975) is an American actor, stand-up comedian, animator, writer, director, producer, and musician known for co-creating the animated series '' Home Movies'' (1999–2004, with Loren Bouchard) and '' Metalocalypse ...

has attributed ''Home Movies''' DVD release "for its increased popularity and cult following." A 2004 ''

SFGate The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. The pap ...

'' article lamented the previous year's cancellation of ''Hey Monie!'', as the show positively impacted diversity on television''.'' That year, the show was recommended in self-help book ''Beautylicious!'' In 2006, television scholar Amanda D. Lotz praised the show's cast for bringing "an authentic feel to the show's language and dialogue." In 2016, ''Bustle'' described the show as a feminist cartoon "way before its time and gone way too soon." That year, the show was listed in ''Vibe'''s "Forgotten Laughs: 9 Black Shows You Missed Out On." In 2018, Flood Magazine interviewed show creators and stars about the show, although series creator Gillim "was astonished that she was contacted for an interview for this piece, based on how little updated information about the show is available online." Once it was cancelled, Shelton and Callier stated "the show's momentum halted when executives got involved, hiring a white writer—without consulting either of them—to pen the final episodes." These episodes are now lost due to a lack of DVD release. In 2019, '' Tuca & Bertie'' creator Lisa Hanawalt mentioned the show while compiling a list of adult animated shows created by women.

References

External links

* {{BET 2003 American television series debuts 2003 American television series endings 2000s American adult animated television series 2000s American black cartoons 2000s American black sitcoms American adult animated comedy television series American animated sitcoms American flash adult animated television series English-language television shows BET original programming Oxygen (TV channel) original programming Television series by Soup2Nuts Television shows set in Chicago

Plot

Cast

Legacy

See also

References

External links