The Garfield Show is an animated television series produced byDargaud Media andPaws, Inc. It is based on the AmericanGarfield comic strip[1] created byJim Davis. The animated series focuses on a new series of adventures for the characters of Garfield, Odie, and their owner Jon Arbuckle, alongside staple characters from the strip and a number of unique additions for the program.[2] Both Davis and producerMark Evanier, who previously wrote episodes for the 1988 original cartoon animated seriesGarfield and Friends, co-wrote stories for the program, with the cast includingFrank Welker,Wally Wingert,Julie Payne,Jason Marsden andGregg Berger. Welker and Berger had previously voiced various characters inGarfield and Friends.
The animated series premiered on 22 December 2008 in France asGarfield & Cie, in early 2009 in Japan asGāfīrudo to shī, and on 2 November 2009 in the United States. It ran for five seasons, with its last episodes airing in the US on October 24, 2016; Evanier stated shortly afterward that it was on hiatus.[3][4] On August 6, 2019, an untitledNickelodeon series based on theGarfield comic strip was announced,[5] seemingly ending any chances ofThe Garfield Show coming back.
The show features loose continuity and is set in a different universe to the previous Garfield cartoon seriesGarfield and Friends, which is occasionally referenced. Liz is now considered a main character and has an official relationship with Jon to reflect their current status in the comic strip.The Garfield Show also reestablishes Arlene as Garfield's potential love interest, as in the comic strip, (despite being advertised as a main character, her actual role in the series is rather minor). In addition, Garfield is now a talking character. Nevertheless, only other animals are usually able to understand him, although Jon and other humans sometimes can.
The Garfield Show also features many new characters that are part of the regular cast, such as Vito, a local Italian chef and restaurant owner whose cooking Garfield enjoys, and Harry, astray cat who acts as both a friend and a nemesis to Garfield. Squeak, Garfield's mouse friend that lives in Jon's house, also appears, having previously in the comic strip.
Eddie Gourmand (voiced by Frank Welker) is a famous overweight but fun-loving food critic whose opinions on restaurants usually have a major impact on their success. He often crosses paths with Garfield, as they both enjoy Vito's cooking.
Dr. Whipple (voiced byStan Freberg) is a recurring antagonist who, while helping others, is usually out for his own gain. He is a parody ofDr. Phil.
Professor Thaddeus Bonkers (voiced by Jason Marsden) is a mad scientist whose discoveries tend to lead to disaster.
Doc "Doc Boy" Arbuckle (voiced byDavid Lander) is Jon's younger brother who owns a farm. Jon always teases him by calling him "Doc Boy," much to his irritation.
Aunt Ivy (voiced byLaraine Newman) is Jon and Doc Boy's bossy aunt who often harasses Jon whenever she comes to visit.
Vito Cappelletti (voiced by Jason Marsden) is an Italian chef who owns Vito's Pizzeria, whom Garfield admires for his amazing cooking.
Harry (voiced by Gregg Berger) is a stray cat who lives in Garfield's neighborhood and is a sometimes friend of Garfield.
Drusilla andMinerva (voiced byLaura Summer) are two annoying twins that like to dress up any animal they come across, often Garfield. They are hinted to be either Jon's cousins or nieces.
Herman Post (voiced by Gregg Berger) is the mailman that works in Garfield's neighborhood. Garfield often plays pranks on him for "delivering nothing but bills". much to his dismay. He regularly earns salary raises as other mailmen are too scared of Garfield to permanently replace him.
Al the Dog Catcher (voiced by Wally Wingert) is a clumsy dog catcher who is often fired for his incompetence only to be rehired for lack of a suitable replacement. His associate is Pete (voiced by Jason Marsden).
Mama Meanie (voiced by Gregg Berger) is the greedy owner of a pizza place that rivals Vito's who usually resorts to underhanded tactics to make money since the food he sells tastes terrible and barely edible.
Bruno (voiced by Wally Wingert) is a sadistic alley cat that bullies Garfield.
TheEvil Space Lasagnas are an alien race of living lasagnas that try to conquer Earth.
Hercules (voiced by Wally Wingert) is a meanchihuahua "with a bad attitude" who is actually a troubled loner deep on the inside. He sometimes associates with Mademoiselle Fifi, the chihuahua belonging to Jon's boss.
Mr. Barker (voiced by Gregg Berger) is Jon's kind but demanding former boss who commissions Jon's comics.
Anthony Allwork (voiced byJack Riley) is a lawyer and businessman who acts as an antagonist. He usually tries to come up with schemes to make himself richer. He has a soft spot for his son Jack.
Esmeralda Brubaker (voiced byTress MacNeille) is a museum curator who prioritizes science over any person's individual life. She'll stop at nothing to get what she wants and usually finds a way to do so legally.
Neferkitty (voiced bySusan Silo) is the leader of an ancient tribe of cats that once tried to take over the world and were banished to another dimension. Garfield tricks her into entering the human world alone where she is forcibly adopted by Liz's annoying niece Heather who renames her "Fuzzbutton," much to her chagrin. Since then, she swore vengeance on Garfield and Odie.
Development forThe Garfield Show began in 2007 to coincide with the strip's 30th anniversary.[7] Many crew members from theprevious animated series based onGarfield that debuted in 1988 returned to work onThe Garfield Show.
It aired onYTV in Canada from 13 September 2009 to 30 December 2011.
In the United States, it aired onCartoon Network from November 2, 2009 to May 23, 2014. It also aired onBoomerang from February 4, 2013 to December 30, 2016.[8]
In Bangladesh, the series aired onDuronto TV from 12 January 2020.[9]
Common Sense Media gave the show 3 stars out of 5, saying "Infamous cat's antics are fun, if not exactly message laden."[10]
Kevin Carr of7M pictures gave the show 2 stars out of 5 stating that the animation felt unpolished compared to the direct-to-video movies and that the show was full of "throwaway stories" because it "aims for a more kid-friendly presentation of the fat feline." He concluded his review stating he preferred "old-school cell animation as the week-to-week series CGI looks too much like cheap video game emulations, but I’m not the target market of these things".[11]
Justin Felix ofDVD talk gave the show 2.5 out of 5 stating that "The Garfield Show isn't some great work of art, but it efficiently delivers cartoon animal fun that little kids would probably enjoy. The animation is a tad rudimentary and clunky at times, but it's good enough to pass muster for cartoon fare of this type."[12]
Mike Gencarelli ofMedia Mikes gave the show 3.5 out of 5 stating "it doesn’t compare to the classic Jim Davis cartoon but it is all we have right now."[13]
The Garfield Show: Threat of the Space Lasagna, apartyvideo game, was released in July 2010 for theWii. A PC port was released in 2011 exclusively inRussia. It includes over 12 minigames and supports theWii Balance Board andWii Motion Plus. The game was critically panned for its short length, lack of interactivity and monotonous gameplay.[14]
