The Brak Show
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| The Brak Show | |
|---|---|
| Format | Animated series |
| Created by | Jim Fortier Andy Merrill Pete Smith |
| Starring | Andy Merrill C. Martin Croker George Lowe Marsha Crenshaw (episodes 1-13) Joanna Daniel (episodes 14-28) |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 28 (plus 1 special) |
| Production | |
| Running time | approx. 12 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Cartoon Network |
| Original run | December 21, 2000 – December 31, 2003 |
The Brak Show was an animated series consisting of 15-minute episodes on the Cartoon Network that aired during Adult Swim. The show was a spin-off of Space Ghost: Coast to Coast, and featured recurring characters from that show and Cartoon Planet. Both programs used stock footage from the Hanna-Barbera cartoon Space Ghost and Dino-Boy. The protagonist is a Space Ghost villain named "Brak", voiced by Andy Merrill, who developed a quirky persona for the character.
The Brak Show was preceded by two specials entitled Brak Presents The Brak Show Starring Brak. Despite the similarities in the titles, the two Brak Shows have very little in common. The latter show was a spoof of early sitcoms, while the former parodied the genre of variety shows. Both of the episodes aired in the US only once in 2000, although clips of the show could be viewed after the Space Ghost Coast to Coast time slot on occasion. In the UK only one of the two specials aired on Bravo on August 23, 2006 and then again on December 23, 2007. There are also clips from the shows on The Brak Show Volume 1 DVD and AdultSwim.com.
The Brak Show series premiered unannounced in the early hours of December 21, 2000, along with the "Radio Free Sealab" episode of Sealab 2021. This "stealth" pilot (titled "Leave it to Brak") featured hand-drawn backgrounds and different opening titles. The show's second showing was on Adult Swim's debut on September 2, 2001. As with most of the first original Adult Swim shows it was produced by Williams Street Studios.
The show is about Brak's suburban life with his alien mother and Cuban father. It originally started off as a parody of situation comedies, but just like its sister show, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, the plot dissolved over time and became increasingly bizarre. The setting is suburbia with an extra-planetary hint. A Saturn-like planet appears in the background on occasion, and many of the extras are aliens.
The show was canceled in December of 2003. However, Adult Swim announced in a bump on October 22, 2006 that, The Brak Show would return to production as an internet cartoon on the network's website. On May 24, 2007, a new webisode premiered online, but was later removed.
Contents |
[edit] Character Guide
Brak (voiced by Andy Merrill) is some sort of anthropomorphic "space cat" (according to one episode) with an eccentric personality and a speaking lisp. He is quite unintelligent but with a very sweet and gentle personality (although very occasionally he displays a more aggressive or sinister side which more closely resembles his original chracter From Space Goast and Dino-Boy) and seems to be a pre-teen adolescent. He still has attachments to stuffed animals (such as "Hippo", who is actually a lobster plush-toy), yet nonetheless is starting to be attracted to girls (as in the episode "Poppy"). He often randomly breaks into (usually non-rhyming) song. The writers use a wide variety of musical styles for the songs--covering jazz, country, showtunes, rap, and rock & roll. He considers Zorak a close friend, although in return Zorak treats him with open contempt.
Dad (voiced by George Lowe) is a small (about 4 feet tall, apparently due to a freak accident involving a shrink ray) human illegal alien with a Cuban accent (likely an homage to Desi Arnaz), who is extremely self-centered, lazy and nonsensical. Unemployed since 1984, most of his time is spent sitting at the kitchen table and reading the newspaper, although it was revealed in an episode he was a secret agent. An episode seldom goes by without him delivering a moral to the story that is completely incoherent, has no relevance to the situation and typically ends in a non sequitur. Occasionally, he displays prominent womanizing and male-chauvinistic behavior, which is sometimes rebuked by Brak's mom. Brak's father is generally an extremely poor role model, although he does display a certain protectiveness towards his son and once told him, "I love you like a brother, man." However, he also does tend to criticize people such as he did with Mother "Did I complain when you got all fat and had that stupid baby?"
Mom (voiced by Marsha Crenshaw for the first 13 episodes and web episodes, and Joanna Daniel for the remainder of the series on TV) is a creature of the same "species" as Brak, with the fashions of a housewife character on a 1950s sitcom. She is largely the only (semi-)sane character on the show. She displays little romantic or sexual interest in Brak's Dad, and often does not tolerate him. It has been established, however, that when she gets drunk she finds him suddenly irresistible. As voiced by Crenshaw, she is most often an homage to June Cleaver and similar motherly characters, with occasional hints of discontent with her husband's laziness and sexism. When Daniel took over the role, Brak's Mom inexplicably acquired a British accent, and became far more open in her discontent with domestic life and her annoyance with and disdain for Brak's Dad. Her change in accent has been commented upon several times on the show.
Zorak Jones (voiced by C. Martin Croker) is another character from Space Ghost: Coast to Coast, a human-sized mantis. On this show, he plays the role of an Eddie Haskell character, who's also a sociopathic, sadistic, morally-bankrupt misanthrope. He often hangs out with Brak, but usually only as a way to force him into doing something for his own benefit. Zorak considers himself "above" Brak and his entire family, and is constantly criticizing and insulting them. Zorak also enjoys bullying Clarence, the neighborhood nerd. One Zorak quote: "Why are you all still alive? Oh wait, it's only Tuesday." Brak's mom sometimes calls him Arthur, which may be a reference to Happy Days or Night of the Twisters.
He often gets killed off in the show, in the same way he did in Space Ghost: Coast to Coast. Despite his usual grating voice, he occasionally exhibits a "beautiful man-voice" ("Psychoklahoma", "War Next Door").
Zorak also appears a villain of one episode of Jabberjaw series.
Sisto was Brak's identical but smaller and red suited brother who made cameo appearances on the show in which all he did was walk across the screen and flatulate, until he was killed off in season two by having cannibalistic aliens eat him. This is likely an allusion to Chuck Cunningham Syndrome.
Thundercleese (voiced by Carey Means) is Brak's next-door-neighbor, a militant Killbot (with the visual appearance of a Gundam or a similar anime-style robot) who is also passionate about his lawn and garden, particularly the gnomes that decorate it. A short-lived shtick on the show involved Thundercleese blasting Zorak often (inherited from Space Ghost Coast to Coast, see above). He is very aggressive and warlike, always speaking in a loud, robotic monotone. When Brak is troubled, no matter what the problem is, Thundercleese invariably suggests swift and brutal retaliation. Thundercleese's social skills are rather lacking, and before social get-togethers he will study very bad "party jokes" in preparation. On the Adult Swim New Year's party it was shown that Frylock of Aqua Teen Hunger Force created Thundercleese, which is why they sound alike (both characters were voiced by Means).
Clarence (also voiced by Andy Merrill) is a chubby purple alien and schoolmate of Brak's at Learnmore High School. He was a supporting character on the show who made more regular appearances towards the end of the series. Clarence is very socially awkward, but idolizes Brak. His constant talking often annoys those around him, and when faced with an extremely stressful situation he will wear his mother's sundress and bonnet for comfort. In a rap contest, he revealed that he dearly misses his father, who left them for unknown reasons. In this same contest, he also noted that his mom has since married a man named Gary that he does not like. Many of his appearances end with him being maimed, usually by Zorak.
Marlon the Magician was the original inventor of the double-beer hat and the golden showerhead (see time machine episode). He was also called upon in a later episode to revive a slain Zorak (or at least the parts that Brak's family hadn't already eaten). He is a decrepit old wizard who seems much more interested in partying than the dark arts. He is also an excellent rapper.
Don Tickles, Notary Public is the reclusive identical twin of Thundercleese's beloved pet fish, Mr. Tickles. He lived in One Fish Lake at one point. Some say he grew a beard and still lives there, although the current occupant, who very closely resembles Mr. Tickles wearing a beard, denies this and states that he just did not bother to change the name on the mailbox.
Space Ghost Appears in an episode to arrest Brak for comminting crimes in the past, on a televison show that took place in the future, but leaves when Brak isn't there. Dad refers to him as his best friend and even invited him to live at their house. Retired from superheroism, Space Ghost works in endorsments for stain removal and even purchased a remote theme park and employed ex-convicts wh he couldn't pay, which is why he resides in the attic of Brak's house, until he was kicked out.
[edit] Trivia
- In the original episodes of the show, the titles of the show appearing in the opening credits were different for each episode, derivatives of classic TV show titles such as Petticoat Brak (named after Petticoat Junction), usually having nothing to do with the content of the episode nor with the actual name of the episode (given in the table below; as used in the DVD contents listing, for example). After about a dozen episodes, the title The Brak Show became standardized in the opening credits.
- In Episode 14 of The Brak Show Meatwad from Aqua Teen Hunger Force made 2 brief cameos riding a scooter in the street. His name is seen in the credits as a "Special Guest". Meatwad is also seen as one of Brak's "Carrot-Catures" in Episode 11.
- In Episode 3 of The Brak Show we see a flashback of Zorak in Grandma Prison. His prisoner number is #655321, the same number Alexander DeLarge wears in the Stanley Kubrick film A Clockwork Orange.
- In episode 9, Brak's jaw is put back on at a wrong angle which makes his voice exactly like Meatwad's voice from Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Aqua Teen Hunger Force co-creator Matt Maiellaro's name is in the credits under "waspoligist."
- In the episode "Hippo," a postcard for 2 Stupid Dogs is seen on Brak's bulletin board.
- In an episode of Space Ghost: Coast to Coast called "Sweet For Brak," Brak leaves Space Ghost's show for his own sitcom. In this episode, Zorak says the same line he says in the first episode of The Brak Show.
- In the season 1 DVD, all menu screens (including languages, episodes, and extras) had original songs voiced by Brak. In the season two DVD; the songs were voiced by MC Chris.
- A cartoon planet segment shows Brak singing a song about beans. In the episode "New Brak" Clarence is singing this song on his show.
- The clock in Brak's room is the beef-log symbol from a "Brak Presents The Brak Show Starring Brak" segment.
- In the final episode "Cardburkey", when Brak turned everyone into penguins, the brief aside near the end of the episode shows two penguins bearing the voices of both incarnations of Mother. Joanna Daniel addresses Marsha Crenshaw about the fact that the family took her over Marsha, which prompts Marsha Crenshaw's penguin to retort "Check the Internet, honey. I'm still the star here." The final line is Brak's, lamenting both his choice to turn everyone into penguins and that "his show was canceled". There is then a cut to the standard end frame--the last bar of the theme song played over the Cartoon Network logo--but the music is played with a sudden "power-loss" wind down, alluding to the show's sudden cancellation.
[edit] Episode Guide
[edit] Season 1: 2001
| Ep # | Designation | Title | Airdate | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2001 | Mr. Bawk Ba Gawk | December 21, 2000 | Zorak convinces Brak he will be more popular at school if he steals the mascot from rival Jerkwater High School. |
| 2 | 2101 | Goldfish | September 2, 2001 | Brak promises to take care of Mr. Thundercleese's goldfish, Mr. Tickles, while he is away. Goldfish eat ham, don't they? |
| 3 | 2102 | Time Machine | September 2, 2001 | Brak and Zorak didn't finish their homework on time, so they use Thundercleese's time machine to go back in time to set things right. |
| 4 | 2103 | War Next Door | September 9, 2001 | Zorak makes Brak jealous when he develops a wonderful singing voice after accidentally having a pink lump knocked out of his throat. |
| 5 | 2104 | Hippo | September 9, 2001 | Brak is upset because Zorak made him get rid of his lobster doll, Hippo. |
| 6 | 2105 | Mobab | October 21, 2001 | When an alien blob named Mobab falls in love with Mom and takes her away to his home planet, Dad realizes how much he needs her and he and Brak go into outer space to save her. |
| 7 | 2106 | Expiration Day | November 4, 2001 | Thundercleese finds his powers have been deactivated by his creators Moroccobotix Inc., which is a bad thing as there is an asteroid heading for The Planet. Dad and Brak go on a mission to return his weapons, so he can save everyone. |
| 8 | 2107 | Psychoklahoma | December 2, 2001 | Brak and company attempt to raise money to save Señor Science by putting on a musical (A merger of Psycho and Oklahoma!). |
| 9 | 2108 | The Eye | December 30, 2001 | Brak's Father, retired staring-contest expert, is challenged by Brak, Zorak, and a mysterious guest. Father has no choice but to take them on. |
[edit] Season 2: 2002
| Ep # | Designation | Title | Airdate | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 2201 | Poppy | April 14, 2002 | While watching his favorite cop show, 'Schnozzo', Brak tells Zorak that he wants to get some action. Brak asks Dad and Mom for some advice. They give Brak some help passed down from Brak's Grandfather, Poppy, which Brak puts to use. |
| 11 | 2202 | Bully | April 28, 2002 | Zorak has set up a booth where children give him money to beat them up. Unfortunately, the business has been taken over by the new kid in town, Roy "Butchy" Toughington. |
| 12 | 2203 | Mother, Did You Move My Chair? | May 12, 2002 | Brak tries to get out of going to school to avoid dissecting a clam in Biology class. |
| 13 | 2204 | President Dad | May 26, 2002 | Dad decides to run for President of the neighborhood association. Unfortunately, he doesn't know that the incumbent Galrog, used to be a terrible planet-eating monster. |
| 14 | 2209 | Brakstreet: Men in the Band | November 3, 2002 | With high hopes of winning a fabulous spa resort vacation, Brak enters a rap contest. Rapper Cee-Lo guest stars. |
| 15 | 2207 | Feud | November 10, 2002 | Dad and Thundercleese are in the midst of a neighborhood feud. "Weird Al" Yankovic guest voices as "Petroleum Joe". |
| 16 | 2208 | Runaway | November 17, 2002 | Brak gets grounded and decides to run away from home. Special guest Space Ghost arrives at the house to arrest Brak for crimes he has committed in the future. |
| 17 | 2206 | The New Brak | November 24, 2002 | Brak has a devoted admirer which is initially quite flattering. But, when the admirer starts imitating him, Brak worries that he might be replaced. |
| 18 | 2205 | Pepper | December 1, 2002 | Dad believes the mothership will take him away to be king of the alien world. Meanwhile, Zorak begins a relationship with an interesting alien named Pepper. Sisto joins the aliens on the mothership for dinner. |
| 19 | 2210 | Dinner Party | December 15, 2002 | Brak, Mom, Dad and Thundercleese have been invited to a dinner party at the new neighbors' house. The neighbours include Franklin (A nervous dad, whose nose grows everytime he lies), Rhonda From The Seventh Level of Yar (A mother who lives in a steel box, and keeps talking about everyone's judgement), and Winston (Their son, a large man that looks similar to an infant, and is incapicitated due to his size). |
| 20 | 2211 | We Ski in Peace | December 29, 2002 | Brak wants to go to work with Father for "Go To Work with your Father Day". Brak's mom tells Brak the truth that Father doesn't work. Father shows mother a secret underground base, where he works for no money keeping Earth safe. Brak's mom forces him to get a real job at the local Ice Cream Shop. Meanwhile, Alien Ants from Outer Space attack while Father is away from his old job... |
[edit] Season 3: 2003
| Ep # | Designation | Title | Airdate | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | 2301 | Braklet, Prince of Spaceland | October 5, 2003 | The Brak Family Players present their take on the classic Hamlet story. |
| 22 | 2302 | Coma | October 12, 2003 | Brak's father offers to help Thundercleese win the heart of his true love. Zorak burns things. |
| 23 | 2303 | Shadows of Heat | October 19, 2003 | Brak's Father is playing a dangerous game, with George Martinez, Hector Riviera, and Rudolpho the butcher. Quickly, Father's 'dirty world of espionage and intrigue' drags in Brak's Mother, Brak, and even Zorak. All the while, The Shadows of Heat flicker and swirl. |
| 24 | 2305 | Splat | October 26, 2003 | Mom and Dad are involved in an accident that must be kept secret. |
| 25 | 2304 | Enter the Hump | November 2, 2003 | After being bitten by a radioactive camel, Dad is given super-powers. |
| 26 | 2306 | Sexy New Brak Show Go | November 9, 2003 | Brak wins a cereal contest, giving him his own TV show. A man from Japan directs Family. |
| 27 | 2307 | All That I Desire You | November 16, 2003 | The Brak Family Players present their take on a soap opera. Tragedy! Wealth! Passion! Betrayal! Incest! Doctors! The Photographs! Zorak! |
| 28 | 2308 | Cardburkey | December 31, 2003 | In the series finale, Brak decides that living in a cardboard box will help him snare some women. Clarence loses his virginity to a vicious bloodcat who turns out to be a buxom blonde woman placed under a spell by her mother-in-law. |
| 29 | Special | New Year's Eve Party at Brak's House | December 31, 2003 | Brak's family throws a New Year's Eve bash. Includes additional characters from Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Harvey Birdman: Attorney At Law, Sealab 2021, and Space Ghost: Coast to Coast. |
[edit] DVD boxsets
| DVD Name | Cover | Release Date | Ep # | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Volume One | February 1, 2005 | 14 | This two-disc box set contains the first 14 episodes of The Brak Show in production order. Bonus features include commentaries on two episodes, a never produced pilot for a radio version of the show, an episode of Brak presents the Brak Show starring Brak, a few segments from Cartoon Planet, and a few "Easter eggs". | |
| Volume Two |  |
August 8, 2006 | 14 | This two-disc box set contains the final 14 episodes of The Brak Show in production order. There are no bonus features. For this set, Cartoon Network abandoned their usual digipak packaging design in favor of a more traditional amaray style keep case |
[edit] Program Notes
- The episode "Pepper" airs on Adult Swim with Joanna Daniel voicing Brak's Mom, but for the version released on The Brak Show: Volume One DVD, the role was re-recorded with the original voice actress, Marsha Crenshaw.
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
[edit] External links
- Official Brak Show Website
- AdultSwim.co.uk - The Brak Show on Adult Swim UK
- TV.com entry
- The Brak Show at the Internet Movie Database
- The Brak Show - a Titles & Air Dates Guide by Dan Pawlak
- The Dad Shrine: A website dedicated to Brak's Dad
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