| Fish Police | |
|---|---|
 Fish Police characters and their voice actors from left to right: Angel Jones voiced byJoBeth Williams, Crabby voiced byBuddy Hackett, Chief Abalone voiced byEd Asner, and Det. Catfish voiced byRobert Guillaume | |
| Genre | Comedy Police procedural |
| Based on | Fish Police by Steve Moncuse |
| Developed by | Jeanne Romano |
| Voices of | |
| Theme music composer | James Horner |
| Composer | Steve Bramson |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Producers |
|
| Production company | Hanna-Barbera, Inc.[a] |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS[1] |
| Release | February 28 (1992-02-28) – June 16, 1992 (1992-06-16) |
Fish Police is an Americanadult animated television series produced byHanna-Barbera forCBS. It is based on thecomic book series of the same name created by Steve Moncuse.[2] It first aired in 1992, broadcasting three episodes before being axed for low ratings.[3] A further three episodes never aired in the United States, although the entire series ran in European syndication.
The show has a decidedly more mature tone than most other animated Hanna-Barbera shows; episodes often containedinnuendo and mildprofanity.[4][5]
The series was part of a spate of attempts by major networks to developprime time animated shows to compete with the success ofFox'sThe Simpsons, alongsideABC'sCapitol Critters (also produced by Hanna-Barbera) and CBS'sFamily Dog. Hanna-Barbera Productionspitched the series to CBS Entertainment, which agreed to pick it up.[5] All three were canceled in their first seasons.
Beneath the ocean, a fish named Inspector Gil works for his police department under Chief Abalone. He solves the various crimes in his city while tangling with Biscotti Calamari.
| No. | Title | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Shell Game" | Jeanne Romano | February 28, 1992 (1992-02-28) | |
A wealthy casino owner, Clams Casino, is found murdered, and Angel is the primary suspect. Gil, however, senses something more sinister behind the murder, suspecting a link between Calamari and Clams's widow. | ||||
| 2 | "A Fish Out of Water" | Jeanne Romano | March 6, 1992 (1992-03-06) | |
Gil is partnered with a new Casanova of a cop, Inspector C. Bass, much to his chagrin. When their first investigation together goes bust, Gil becomes convinced that Bass, despite his clean record, is on the take. | ||||
| 3 | "Beauty's Only Fin Deep" | Michele Gendelman & Bonnie DeSouza | March 13, 1992 (1992-03-13) | |
A beauty contest nears Fish City, with the grand prize being a year's worth of holidays, and a jealous Pearl immediately schemes to ensure Angel wins the contest. Meanwhile, a bitter assassin begins targeting the competitors. | ||||
| 4 | "The Codfather" | Story by Don Rhymer, written by Michele Gendelman & Bonnie DeSouza | April 4, 1992 (1992-04-04) | |
A high-ranking mob boss, the Codfather, is found murdered shortly after attempting to "do business" with Calamari, with one of Calamari's signature napkins on the crime scene. Calamari is arrested, but Gil begins to voice doubts about Calamari's guilt when the Codfather's tax records come up. | ||||
| 5 | "The Two Gils" | Barbara Davilman | May 5, 1992 (1992-05-05) | |
Calamari employs Bill, a doppelgänger for Gil, to impersonate the real Inspector Gil and take his place in Fish Police as his mole, but things start to get complicated when Gil's personal life and Bill's greed are involved. | ||||
| 6 | "No Way to Treat a Fillet-dy" | Michele Gendelman & Bonnie DeSouza | June 16, 1992 (1992-06-16) | |
Calamari brings his three nephews to Fish City, and around the same time, a mugger steals the Charity Ball savings from Goldie. Gil turns his eyes to Calamari's nephews, but they appear to be innocent after they and Calamari are robbed, while having to deal with accidentally having asked both Pearl and Angel to the Charity Ball. | ||||
Critics' opinions were mixed to negative.Ken Tucker ofEntertainment Weekly gave the show a "C", saying that the "comics are a lot more varied and better constructed — their plots worked as mysteries, whereas here the stories are just excuses for more fish humor".[6] Marion Garmel of theIndianapolis Star thought that the show lacked the "dark edge" of the comics.[7] In a 2010 interview, Moncuse said of the show: "The less said about the animated series the better".[8]