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Mr. Pickles

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Mr. Pickles
Genre
Created by
  • Will Carsola
  • Dave Stewart
Written by
  • Will Carsola
  • Dave Stewart
Directed by
  • Will Carsola
  • Animation director
  • Mike L. Mayfield
Voices of
Theme music composerMark Rivers
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes10
Production
Executive producers
  • Will Carsola
  • Dave Stewart
  • Micheal Rizzo
  • Mike L. Mayfield
  • Keith Crofford
  • Walter Newman
ProducerOllie Green
Running time11 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkAdult Swim
ReleaseSeptember 21, 2014 (2014-09-21) –
present

Mr. Pickles is an animated television series created by Will Carsola and Dave Stewart for Adult Swim. The series revolves around the Goodman family, namely their six-year-old son named Tommy and the family's Border Collie, the demonic Mr. Pickles. The series has been picked up for ten quarter-hour episodes for its first season, to premiere on the network on September 21, 2014, following the ninth season premiere of Squidbillies.

Plot

The series revolves around the Goodman family and their six-year-old son named Tommy (Kaitlyn Robrock), who spends most of his time with his best friend and the family's Border Collie, Mr. Pickles (Will Carsola). The two enjoy commuting from their home to the center of Old Town, an old-fashioned community being taken over by modern appliances. Together, they embark on classic adventures, although he and the rest of the town are oblivious to Mr. Pickles' secret streak of wickedness—one that drives him to "kill, mutilate and hump his victims."[1]

Production

External image
image icon Dave Stewart and Will Carsola at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con International

The series is created by Will Carsola and Dave Stewart (of Funny or Die Presents fame) and executively produced by Michael Rizzo.[1] The series was one of several shows pitched to Adult Swim, according to the creators, who also operate under the name "Day by Day". Stewart recalled promoting it as a "one-line sentence", while Carsola remembered that it derived from a "write-off" session, where the two present ideas to each other in the form of scribbles for their amusement. Carsola explained that ideas in this process are released from the pressure "of them being good", occasionally finding "one that sticks".[2] They later explained at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con International that the idea was about based on Lassie, but became "more of its own thing since then".[3]

Stewart's own female pet dog served as inspiration for the animators on the character of Mr. Pickles.[3][a] Animation director Mike L. Mayfield recorded Stewart's dog playing around on video, with animators using the resulting footage as a base for the character's movements;[4] the series is animated using Adobe Flash.[5][b] Its setting is roughly based on Richmond, Virginia, where the creators started out in entertainment before moving to Los Angeles.[2] In the United States, the series is rated TV-MA for graphic violence;[7] the creators are given creative freedom by the network, with Stewart explaining the notes received by them as "minimal," much to their surprise.[2] The creators observed some inconsistencies as to what is considered unacceptable, but try not to question it and compromise instead.[3]

Elaborating on its 11-minute running time, Carsola described it as a 22-minute show "squished" into a quarter hour.[8] Among the voices for the characters include Brooke Shields,[2] Frank Collison, Jay Johnston and Carsola and Stewart themselves.[1] Shields's role in the series came after looking at the creator's work for Funny or Die and obtaining the script for Mr. Pickles. According to Carsola, the two were dubious over her interest in the series, but after being cast she provided lines in a recording booth in New York City while the creators supervised over Skype.[2]

Broadcast and reception

The series has been picked up for ten quarter-hour episodes for its first season,[9] to premiere on the network on September 21, 2014 following the eighth season premiere of Squidbillies.[1] In July 2013, the pilot episode was released online as part of a presentation of in-development shows for the network, partnered with KFC; viewers could vote for their favorite pilot, with the winner being broadcast on August 26, 2013.[10][11] The series lost to Übermansion, a Stoopid Buddy Stoodios production, although the presentation as a whole won an Internet Advertising Campaign Award in 2014 for "Best TV Integrated Ad Campaign".[12][13] The pilot was later published on the network's website on January 23, 2014,[7] and on YouTube on March 10 of the same year, becoming viral with over 700,000 views after roughly a month later.[2] A second season was mentioned at the 2014 Comic-Con.[3]

The series has received mixed critical reception. Writing for Strange Kids Club, Mat Spitkovsky stated the series' extreme content matter left him at a loss for words as well as confused. Afterwards, he found it lacking in "class, creativity and goddammit, originality" in the vein of Superjail!, although its "brazen approach at crass offense ... all in good fun" was "kind of cool."[14] Aaron Simpson of Cold Hard Flash called the series an amalgamation of Lassie and Superjail!, while observing some social commentary "to ensure this is more than just a multi-episodic sketch."[5] Mike Hale of The New York Times labeled it "the less tasteful but more mainstream" counterpart to Tim & Eric's Bedtime Stories, another addition to the network.[15] He wrote that the show was "more grisly than funny," but predicted it to have a cult following and that Shields' voice would add "surreal-pop-culture cachet".[15]

Episodes

Pilot (2014)

No. in
series 		No. in
season 		Title Directed by Written by Original air date Production
code 		U.S. viewers
(in millions)
PilotN–A"Pilot"Will CarsolaWill Carsola and Dave StewartUnairedN/AN/A

Season 1

No. in
series 		No. in
season 		Title Directed by Written by Original air date Production
code 		U.S. viewers
(in millions)
11"Tommy's Big Job"Will CarsolaWill Carsola & Dave Stewart and Sean ConroySeptember 21, 2014 (2014-09-21)101TBA
Tommy sets out for a job when he falls for a young farmer girl.
22"Father's Day Pie"TBATBASeptember 28, 2014 (2014-09-28)TBATBA

Explanatory notes

  1. ^ Stewart mentioned that she was an Australian Cattle Dog.[4] He also pointed out similarities between her and the main character, and jokingly called her "Ms. Pickles".[3]
  2. ^ Cold Hard Flash is an entertainment and news website dedicated to media produced with Adobe Flash, founded by Aaron Simpson.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Milligan, Mercedes (July 30, 2014). "Adult Swim Premiering Mr. Pickles September 21". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on August 1, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ a b c d e f Kutner, Brad (April 1, 2014). "RVA Born Day by Day Premieres the Terrifying Mr. Pickles on Adult Swim, Brooke Shields Lends Voice". RVA Magazine. Archived from the original on August 1, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ a b c d e Begley, Jim (August 17, 2014). "SDCC – Adult Swim's Mr. Pickles Is the Touching Story of a Boy and His Evil Dog". Spinoff Online. Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on August 18, 2014. Retrieved August 18, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ a b Zargari, Shahab; Brunty, Ryan; Davis, Ryan (July 28, 2013). "SDCC 2013 Press Roundtable Interview Series: Mr. Pickles, King Star King, and Superjail!". Verbicide. Scissor Press. See video; 0:20–0:25, 6:00–6:50. Archived from the original on May 26, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ a b Simpson, Aaron (March 24, 2014). "Adult Swim's Mr. Pickles Pilot". Cold Hard Flash. Archived from the original on August 1, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ Simpson, Aaron (February 25, 2013). "About Cold Hard Flash". Cold Hard Flash. Archived from the original on August 1, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ a b "Mr. Pickles". Adult Swim. Turner Broadcasting System. January 23, 2014. Archived from the original on August 1, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ Zargari, Brunty & Davis 2013, 6:45–6:55.
  9. ^ Zargari, Brunty & Davis 2013, 7:10–7:20.
  10. ^ "'Like a Slap to Your Taste Buds': KFC Gives Bite-Sized Chicken a Hot and Spicy Kick". KFC. July 23, 2013. Archived from the original on August 1, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ "Adult Swim Pilots – Mr. Pickles". Adult Swim. Turner Broadcasting System. July 2013. Archived from the original on August 1, 2014. Retrieved May 25, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ "Adult Swim Pilots". Adult Swim. Turner Broadcasting System. July 2013. Archived from the original on May 26, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ "Adult Swim & KFC Wins 2014 Best TV Integrated Ad Campaign Internet Advertising Award for Adult Swim Pilots". Internet Advertising Competition. The Web Marketing Association. April 8, 2014. Archived from the original on August 1, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ Spitkovsky, Mat (April 15, 2014). "Adult Swim Seeks New Levels of Depravity in Mr. Pickles Pilot". Strange Kids Club. Archived from the original on August 1, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  15. ^ a b Hale, Mike (September 18, 2014). "A Devil Dog Tears into People, and Other Tales". New York Times. The New York Times Company. p. C3. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
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