| Mr. Pickles | |
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| Genre | |
| Created by | Will Carsola Dave Stewart |
| Written by | Will Carsola Dave Stewart Sean Conroy |
| Directed by | Will Carsola |
| Voices of |
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| Theme music composer | Mark Rivers |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 32 (including pilot and series finale)(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers | Michael J. Rizzo Eric Binns Ollie Green Sean Conroy |
| Editor | Will Carsola |
| Running time | 11 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | Adult Swim |
| Release | August 25, 2013 (2013-08-25) |
| Release | September 21, 2014 (2014-09-21) – November 18, 2019 (2019-11-18) |
| Related | |
Mr. Pickles is an Americanadult animatedhorror comedyslasher series created by Will Carsola and Dave Stewart forAdult Swim. The series revolves around the Goodman family, especially their 6-year-old son named Tommy and the family'sborder collie dog, the satanicMr. Pickles. The series aired from September 21, 2014, to November 18, 2019.[1][2][3]
The first episode of season 4 was a surprise series finale, replacing the show with a new spin-off series titledMomma Named Me Sheriff.[4]
In the small, old-fashioned community of Old Town, the Goodman family and their innocent and dimwitted 6-year-old son Tommy have a satanicborder collie dog named Mr. Pickles. The two spend their days romping around Old Town, while unknown to Tommy, the family or anyone except for Tommy's grandfather, Mr. Pickles secretly slips away to kill and mutilate his countless victims. Mr. Pickles will often reassemble and resurrect his victims which then reside in his underground lair and do his bidding. Through his evil, murderous rampage against those that threaten his boy, get in his way or annoy him, Mr. Pickles brings some order to Old Town, which is otherwise riddled with crime in the face of the dimwittedsheriff.
Additional voices
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The series, which isanimated using Adobe Flash,[5] was created by Will Carsola and Dave Stewart – known forFunny or Die Presents – and executive-produced by Will Carsola, Dave Stewart, and Michael J. Rizzo.[6] The series was one of several shows pitched toAdult 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".[7] They later explained at the 2014San Diego Comic-Con that the idea was based onLassie, but has become "more of its own thing since then."[8]
Stewart's own femaleAustralian Cattle Dog[9] served as inspiration for the animators on the character of Mr. Pickles.[8] Stewart even pointed out similarities between her and the main character, and jokingly called her "Ms. Pickles".[8] Animation director Mike L. Mayfield recorded Stewart's dog playing around on video, with animators using the resulting footage as a basis for the character's movements.[9] Its setting is roughly based onRichmond, Virginia, where the creators started out in entertainment before moving to Los Angeles.[7] The creators are given creative freedom by the network, with Stewart explaining the notes received by them as "minimal", much to their surprise.[7] The creators observed some inconsistencies as to what is considered unacceptable, but try not to question it and compromise instead.[8]
Elaborating on its 11-minute running time, Carsola described it as a 22-minute show "squished" into a quarter-hour.[10] Among the voices for the characters includeBrooke Shields,[7]Frank Collison,Jay Johnston and Carsola and Stewart themselves.[6] Shields' role in the series came after looking at the creator's work forFunny or Die and obtaining the script forMr. 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 overSkype.[7]
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||
| Pilot | August 25, 2013 (2013-8-25) | |||
| 1 | 10 | September 21, 2014 (2014-9-21) | November 23, 2014 (2014-11-23) | |
| 2 | 10 | April 17, 2016 (2016-4-17) | June 26, 2016 (2016-6-26) | |
| 3 | 10 | February 26, 2018 (2018-2-26) | March 26, 2018 (2018-3-26) | |
| Finale | November 18, 2019 (2019-11-18)[11] | |||
The series was picked up for ten quarter-hour episodes for its first season,[12] premiering on the network on September 21, 2014, following the ninth-season premiere ofSquidbillies.[6] In July 2013, thepilot episode was released online as part of a presentation of in-development shows for the network, partnered withKFC; viewers could vote for their favorite pilot, with the winner being broadcast on August 26, 2013.[13][14] The series lost toÜbermansion, aStoopid Buddy Stoodios production, although the presentation as a whole won an Internet Advertising Campaign Award in 2014 for "Best TV Integrated Ad Campaign".[15][16] The pilot was later published on the network's website on January 23, 2014,[17] and onYouTube on March 10 of the same year, becomingviral with over 700,000 views after roughly a month later.[7] A second season was mentioned at the 2014 Comic-Con.[8]
Aaron Simpson ofCold Hard Flash called the series an amalgamation ofLassie andSuperjail!, while observing some social commentary "to ensure this is more than just a multi-episodic sketch."[5] Mike Hale ofThe New York Times labeled it "the less tasteful but more mainstream" counterpart toTim & Eric's Bedtime Stories, another addition to the network.[18] 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".[18]
InAustralia, the series premiered on August 3, 2015, onThe Comedy Channel,[19] and then moved to the free to airAdult Swim block on9Go!
InCanada, the series premiered on April 1, 2019, onAdult Swim.[20]
In April 2017, a trailer was released promoting the season 3 premiere to air in fall 2017;[21] however, this was later pushed back, for unknown reasons, to the following year. The first episode of season three premiered on February 26, 2018.[22] The show was renewed for a fourth season before the third one even premiered.[1]
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