July 26, 2001

8:31 PM

"Evil is afoot, and hoofing it with dark gusto!" Finally, the Fox show The Tick is slated to run in November and the official site is now open with clips, pics, and screensavers.
posted by Sal Amander (16 comments total)

please let this be as awesome as I hope... I have been checking in on this for about a year (it seems).
posted by hotdoughnutsnow at 8:46 PM on July 26, 2001

The wishlist has been made, Tivo has been ready.. I'm waiting... and waiting... I hope this thing is good.
posted by tomplus2 at 8:47 PM on July 26, 2001

I cannot imagine this will not be good. Why did the cartoon go away?
posted by thirteen at 8:58 PM on July 26, 2001

You know, chum, evil comes in many packages, small as well as large, and the real Tick is the U.S. Postal Service of evil package handling. Ever since Comedy Central (complain to them here) bagged the Blue One and Fox purchased the rights, they've been working on this lame impersonation, this feeble shadow of the Mighty Tick. Arrrgghhh! The injustice of it all! Compare this loser with the genuine article. Why, the Man-Eating Cow could put this clown out of commission in a New York minute, to say nothing of El Seed, The Human Ton, or the Swiss Industrial Spies. Life isn't always a bowl of cherries, my friend. Can you dig it?
posted by JParker at 9:08 PM on July 26, 2001

how can it compete with the cartoon? i mean, c'mon, how do you satisfactorily have a villain with a chair for a head in live-action?
posted by o2b at 9:14 PM on July 26, 2001

how can it compete with the cartoon? I mean, c'mon, how do you satisfactorily have a villain with a chair for a head in live-action?


They reworked and renamed some of the characters for this version but you simply cannot compete with a cartoon. Want a scene to take place on the enterprise - draw it. Want the same scene on the show - build the set.


A staple of the cartoon world is crossovers and guest stars. I'd like to see Jon Lovitz come by as The Critic in live action or one of the Simpsons characters. I think people would just tune in to see who they picked to play Homer.
posted by skallas at 9:58 PM on July 26, 2001

Just as long as they bring back the ninjas, they're wacky.
posted by Tenuki at 11:17 PM on July 26, 2001

The reason that this version of The Tick may still be good (although it will never match the cartoon or the comic) is that it's written and co-produced by Ben Edlund, the Tick's creator. Here's is a pretty favorable review of the pilot.

On a side note; have you noticed that Fox has brought back the Family Guy, and they have it in their Fall lineup? That show is so warped...which is why I love it so!
posted by Sal Amander at 12:17 AM on July 27, 2001

I've seen the pilot (its currently floating around on Kazaa) and while its not terrible, it certainly isn't the cartoon either. For one thing, I can't get past that guy from Seinfeld playing the Tick.
posted by shinji_ikari at 4:56 AM on July 27, 2001

I hope that the music that they used in the Flash trailer is going to be the actual theme. Very cool spyjazz stuff. I'm a bit disappointed that they chose not to use the full facemasks on Arthur and the Tick though.
posted by MrBaliHai at 6:22 AM on July 27, 2001

I couldn't get past the guy from Dave's World on Seinfeld.

I think this is going to be funny and twisted, but without the mass appeal it takes to survive on network television... stupid masses, ruining everything.
posted by hotdoughnutsnow at 6:31 AM on July 27, 2001

I think Patrick Warburton is a great choice for the role. If you have any doubts about his abilities beyond his Seinfeld appearances, go rent this movie. I promise it will change your mind.
posted by gimli at 6:35 AM on July 27, 2001

Better links. I really liked this movie!
posted by gimli at 6:45 AM on July 27, 2001

Dave Burke, who is playing Arthur, did improv in my troupe in college, and he can be very, very funny if cut loose. So here's hoping.

And for my money, Patrick Warburton is perfect -- the Woman Chaser wasn't all there for me, but he was great (and very cluelessly Tick-like) in it.
posted by BT at 8:44 AM on July 27, 2001

Spoon!
posted by christina at 8:46 AM on July 27, 2001

Saw the pilot (not telling how or where). It's good. Has Ben Edlund's fingerprints all over it. Incidentally, anyone know the going rate for mint first prints of The Tick comics #1-11?
posted by dithered at 8:46 AM on July 27, 2001