Animated Tron Spoof Coming to UPN

Gudlyf writes "Sci Fi Wire is reporting that executive producers of 'That 70's Show,' Marcy Carsey, Tom Werner and Caryn Mandabach, are doing a CGI-animated midseason replacement show for UPN called 'Game Over,' which is best described as a sitcom spoofing 'Tron.' The show centers on the Smashenburns, an ordinary suburban family who live in an alternate video-game universe inhabited by action heroes, monsters and cartoon characters. Patrick Warburton and Marisa Tomei will be voicing the husband Rip and wife Raquel respectively."

Comments

Cast Details

[henbane]

CHARACTER VOICES
Marisa Tomei/Raquel
Patrick Warburton/Rip
D.L.Hughley/Turbo
Rachel Dratch/Alice
James Sie/Sam Chang
Marie Matiko/Vox
E.G.Dailey/Billy

WRITERS
David Sacks ("The Simpsons"), Ross Venokur,Jason Venokur and David Goetsch

And some pictures here (pdf)

Huh?

[rampant mac]

"...an ordinary suburban family who live in an alternate video-game universe..."

"Hi honey, what's on TV tonight?"

*Rail Gun*

OMG wtf l4m3r, sh0uld4 |)uck3d f4gg0t!

In case of /.

[n1nj4k3n]

UPN All Over Game

UPN announced that it has picked up the computer-animated SF comedy pilot Game Over as a series. The network has given a six-episode midseason order to the Carsey-Werner-Mandabach show, which features the voices of Marisa Tomei and Patrick Warburton.

Written and executive produced by David Sacks, David Goestch, Jason Venokur and Ross Venokur, Game Over centers on the Smashenburns, an ordinary suburban family who live in an alternate video-game universe inhabited by action heroes, monsters and cartoon characters. Also executive producing are CWM's Marcy Carsey, Tom Werner and Caryn Mandabach. In addition to Tomei and Warburton, who will voice Mrs. and Mr. Smashenburn, the voice cast also includes E.G. Daily and Rachel Dratch, who portray their teen kids, and Artie Lange as the family's 300-pound pet creature.

Horay for Animation

[luzrek]

Didn't see any screenshots, but it sounds like it might be fun to watch.

More seriously, perhaps the people in th US are finally realizing that animation isn't just for children. TNN (I think) has also just started airing three new animated shows Ren & Stimpy's Adult Party Cartoon, Gerry the Rat (spelling?), and Stan Lee's Striperella (spelling?). While I'm not a huge Ren & Stimpy fan, all three seem pretty good. Kelsey Grammar's voice acting as a bitter and sarcastic giant rat is pretty good, and there seem to be quite a few running jokes (in just the first two episodes). Additionally, the show is able to deal with issues of race/class/ethanticity/whatever with species standing in for the politically untouchable subject (much as robots do in Futurama). Stripperella is obviously intended to be much more comical, and suceeds in at least two areas. First, the general atmosphere is a throwback to the 1960's batman series (campy villans, secret identities, etc., but no "Biff" or "Baff"). Second, the degree of normalcy that the public persona and the other exotic dancers enjoy is stressed to the point of being funny (or perhaps I'm not ready for porn to be mainstreamed).

Anyway, horay for more animation (that isn't aimed at kids).

Re:Horay for Animation

[golgotha007]

More seriously, perhaps the people in th US are finally realizing that animation isn't just for children.

perhaps you meant that people in the world are finally realizing this. the US has been responsible for shows like The Simpsons, Futurama, Family Guy and Beavis and Butthead (and more i am sure).

i don't know what country you're from, but it seems the US makes the best adult oriented animated shows. why do i think this? why, here in Russia i can see all the shows mentioned above. of course, the voice overdubs in Russian are sometimes lame, but oh well.

Re:Horay for Animation

[Babbster]

I've only seen one of the new cartoons on the TNN Thursday, and that's "Gary The Rat." Stan Lee has been a hack since almost before I was BORN [1972], and combining him with Pamela "Social Disease" Anderson doesn't do anything for me; Ren & Stimpy was over years ago.

Anyway, I watched the first episode and I didn't laugh once. I've been a Kelsey Grammer fan for a long, long time but I found his performance just as wooden and painful to listen to as everyone else's in that episode. The story and script were just dreck (concept great, execution pitiful - see "Enterprise"). The only redeeming quality was the art style which I thought was excellent.

Usually, I give new shows three or four episodes (my time permitting) to get a head of steam but I didn't even see potential in Gary The Rat.

If this is where "cartoons for adults" are heading they're going to go away again, sooner rather than later.

reboot

[tonyt]

i liked this show when it was called reboot

(slowly counts to 20)

Obligatory Simpsons Reference

[MalleusEBHC]

Homer: Uh...it's like...did anyone see the movie "Tron"?
Hibbert: No.
Lisa: No.
Marge: No.
Wiggum: No.
Bart: No.
Patty: No.
Wiggum: No.
Ned: No.
Selma: No.
Frink: No.
Lovejoy: No.
Wiggum: Yes. I mean -- um, I mean, no. No, heh.

Has it come to this

[panurge]

Did anyone else read an ordinary suburban family who live in an alternate video-game universe and think "So that's what all those ordinary suburban families do nowadays. That's why I never see them about anymore" ?

My vote goes for

[Phekko]

we don't get UPN you insensitive clod!

Typecasting!

[Ridge]

"...and Artie Lange as the family's 300-pound pet creature."

Poor Artie.

Dilbert instead?

[DarkHelmet]

Maybe I'm the only one thinking this, but since Buffy is no longer on TV, taking up the nerd demographic, shouldn't they instead focus on bringing Dilbert back on the air?

For the most part, the stations get it. Do NOT align your shows with other stations so that you're vying for the same demographic. This was dilbert's failure, and this is why it tanked.

If / when this Tron-clone show fails, I hope it's not because of their poor choice on where to have it.

Even More Timely than SpaceBalls

[nightsweat]

A parody of "Tron"? That's a little out of date, isn't it? What's next, a sizzling indictment of shark movies?

Mel Brooks must be kicking himself.

Like Tron - Not

[Chasuk]

This show is like Tron? How?

In Tron, a video game programmer gets sucked into a virtual world by something called the MCP (forget what that stands for, after all these years), and is forced into gladiatorial games...

And because they both involve video games, this show about the Smashenburns is like Tron?

Is Beevis and Butthead like the Flintstones because they are both cartoons?

Re:Like Tron - Not

[Anonymous Coward]

Master Control Program