August 1, 2017 (2017-08-01) – September 6, 2019 (2019-09-06)
OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes[2] is an Americananimated television series created byIan Jones-Quartey forCartoon Network. The show is based on Jones-Quartey's pilotLakewood Plaza Turbo, which was released as part of Cartoon Network's 2013 Summer Shorts project. It was produced byCartoon Network Studios. Theweb series premiered on Cartoon Network'sYouTube channel and onCartoon Network Video on February 4, 2016.[3][4] On March 9, 2017, nearly four years after the originalwebisodes premiere, Cartoon Network announced that the television series had been greenlit, and it premiered on August 1, 2017.[5] The opening sequence was storyboarded by Japanese artistHiroyuki Imaishi, co-founder ofStudio Trigger.
On December 4, 2017, the series was confirmed to be renewed for a second season, which premiered on March 18, 2018.[6] A third and final season, which was announced on June 26, 2019,[7][8] premiered on July 7, 2019; the final episode aired on September 6, 2019.[9] The show was available to stream onHulu until it was removed in October 2024;[10] It was also available onHBO Max, but was one of several shows removed in August 2022 as a result of theWarner Bros. Discovery merger.[11]
OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes is set in theretro-futuristic year of 201X. The series follows the titular character, K.O., and his efforts to become the world's greatest hero while working at Gar'sBodega (run by Mr. Gar), a hero supply shop in Lakewood Plaza Turbo. Alongside him are his best friends and coworkers Radicles, an egotistical alien, and Enid, a level headed big–sister–like ninja, as well as other heroes who work in the area.[12]
Courtenay Taylor as K.O., T.K.O., Blue Power, Whistle, Baby Shannon, Hon Dew
Ashly Burch as Enid Mettle (series and shorts), Gladys, Ms. Mummy, Foxy, Cherry, Ball Monster, Rippy Roo, Baby Teeth, Glitter Starlight, Tumbles, Plazamo ("Dark Plaza"), Hamster, Classmate 1 & 2 ("You're a Good Friend, KO!")
Ian Jones-Quartey as Radicles X, Darrell, Crinkly Wrinkly, Cookie Man, Pird (episode 11), Frat Boy 2, Gregg, Point Trooper, Drone ("Mystery Sleepover"), URL, Gauntlet, Pickle, Nerd 2, Janner
David Herman as Mr. Gar, Brandon, Jethro, Mad Sam, Beardo, Rat, Steamborg Robot, Young Crinkly Wrinkly, Action News Narrator, Heroic Guy, Boxgar, Dragon
In addition,Stephanie Nadolny played K.O. and Gladys in the pilot and several episodes of the first season, andMena Suvari portrayed Enid in the pilot.
The pilot, "Lakewood Plaza Turbo", aired in 2013 (and in 2016[2]), and the show was announced in March 2017, with the first episode airing on August 1.[12] To promoteOK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes,Cartoon Network's Chief Content OfficerRob Sorcher hinted many times that it would become a full series.[15] On March 9, 2017 onPlayStation's Blog, Chris Waldron, the VP of Games & Digital Products for Cartoon Network, announced a series in the works, along with a video game.[16] It was announced as part of a slate of animations for the 2017-2018 season, alongside new series such asCraig of the Creek andSummer Camp Island, and recurring series.[17] In September 2017, Jones-Quartey said thatDobbin Center was the inspiration for the Lakewood Plaza, while Boxmore representedColumbia Crossing, astrip mall which opened in 1997. He also stated that each episode takes nine months to work on "from start to finish", and stated that the series spoke to kids who are interested in superheroes, "special powers" and enjoy drawing.[12]
In August 2021, Ian Jones-Quartey toldInsider that in hiring people for the show, he avoided relying on a trusted network of people, prioritizing finding a diverse group of people, doing many open calls, with the studio having a database with which they "sort of cold emailed people", then asking people to come in after looking at what they had done in the past.[18]
The show was traditionally animated in South Korea byDigital eMation andSunmin Image Pictures.[19][20] Unlike many animated programs, which are inked on paper and then scanned for coloring,OK K.O.! was drawn in pencil. The animators pencil each frame on paper using alight table, and then color them digitally on a layer beneath the transparent line work, to retain a hand-drawn quality. For Jones-Quartey, it was important for the audience to "never forget that these are drawings". This was partially inspired by thefirst season ofThe Simpsons.Animation Magazine later stated that the 30-person production team at Cartoon Network's studios that works on the series was "ruled by storyboards", which refers to the show being board-driven rather than script-driven.[20] Diego Molano, later a creator ofVictor and Valentino, was a character designer on the series.[21]
Series creatorIan Jones-Quartey hinted at this in an interview withDen of Geek published a day before the first episode aired, saying those watching it would "be delighted" by the LGBTQ representation in the series.[22] There were LGBTQ characters in the main cast, among supporting characters and other recurring characters. For instance, the series featured two married couples: Lord Boxman and Professor Venomous, two villains, and Joff and Nick Army, two recurring heroes.[23] The series was noted as portraying Boxman and Venomous romantically, and ending with asame-sexwedding between Joff and Army in the series finale "Thank You for Watching the Show" on September 6, 2019.[24][25] Before the episode aired, Jones-Quartey confirmed Army and Joff as a canon gay couple[26] and Gregg, a minor character, as non-binary.[27] Enid, a bisexualninja andwitch,[28][29] and Red Action, alesbian, were recognized byGLAAD as a couple,[30] and kissed in the episode "Red Action 3: Grudgement Day".[25][24][31] The series was later recognized byPhiladelphia Gay News andOut for its LGBTQ representation.[32][33]
The show creators also stated that Yellow was possibly Red's ex-girlfriend,[29][34] with the show's crew calling Enid and Red a "committed couple", and saying their relationship developed "very naturally".[35][36] Jones-Quartey later said that Red Action and Enid "run a dojo together and kiss".[37] Other reviewers stated that Enid has possible romantic feelings toward Elodie.[38] Additionally, Gregg, a minor character, was confirmed as non-binary by Jones-Quartey,[27] who also confirmed Venomous as bisexual, but not non-binary,[39][40] and Boxman as pansexual.[41] In October 2020, Jones-Quartey added that Professor Venomous and Lord Boxman ofOK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes were married at the end of the series.[42] Jones-Quartey also said that The Hue Troop, which Red was once part of, are all LGBTQ characters.[43] When asked about Radicles' sexuality, Toby Jones, one of the supervising directors, confirmed that Rad is "pretty fluid and I think he understands that about himself".[44]
OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes premiered on Cartoon Network on August 1, 2017. The first 6 episodes were released online on June 13, 2017.[45] It also aired on sister networkBoomerang from August 7 to September 1, 2017.[46] It was also featured at the 2017San Diego Comic-Con.[47] On December 7, 2017, the series was renewed for a second season. In early 2018, Let’s Play Heroes, a video game adaptation of the series premiered.[48] The second season premiered on March 19, 2018.[49][50] On October 8, 2018, a crossover episode entitled "Crossover Nexus" between characters inOK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes,Steven Universe,Ben 10, andTeen Titans Go! aired.[51] On July 9, 2019, the third and final season ofOK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes began airing on Cartoon Network.[52] On August 4, 2019, the episode "Let's Meet Sonic" aired, a crossover episode with characters fromSonic the Hedgehog.[53] On August 6, 2019, Ian Jones-Quartey announced that Cartoon Network opted to not renew the show for a fourth season.[7][54] The series finale aired on September 6, 2019.[9]
On September 1, 2020, the entire series became available onHBO Max. On August 17, 2022, it was announced that the platform would be removing several series, includingOK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes.[55] All videos and tweets of the show published by Cartoon Network were taken down shortly after. Creator Ian Jones-Quartey was not informed of the reason for the content removal.[56] As of August 2022, all episodes from the show were available onHulu.[10][57] The show was removed in September 2024. The show was formerly available for digital purchase onVudu,Apple TV, andAmazon Prime Video; the show began to be removed from these platforms in October 2023.[58]
Amobile game,OK K.O.! Lakewood Plaza Turbo, was launched onAndroid[61] andiOS[62] on February 4, 2016 as a free game for those platforms. It is abeat 'em up developed by Double Stallion Games and published byCartoon Network Games. The game's original score was composed by Mathieu Lavoie and FX Dupas at Vibe Avenue in Montreal, Canada.[63] The game is no longer available.
The series was received positively. Melissa Camacho ofCommon Sense Media described the series as fun, with a "hard-working wannabe hero" but warned ofcartoon violence. She also called the series "quirky", said it has "lots of positive messages" and "clever moments", with some scenes understood more by youngtweens rather than small children.[64]
Shamus Kelley ofDen of Geek said that "The show’s humor is mostly very strong. While some of it is situational, the series so far heavily relies on sight gags. Most of these are very well executed and feature some wonderfully loose animation". And he argues that "if the show doesn’t delve into that kind of world building, it still has the potential to be a zany comedy with a ton of heart that’s a cut above the rest." And at the end he said that "Many other series on Cartoon Network,Steven Universe andWe Bare Bears especially, took more than a season to really find their footing and I whole heartedly believeOK K.O.!: Let’s Be Heroes will be worth the long-term investment."[65] Praise has been given to the series' overarching storyline and character writing, as well as for its LGBTQ representation.[66][67]
Stephanie Nadolny, Courtenay Taylor, Ashly Burch, Ian Jones-Quartey, David Herman, Kate Flannery, Melissa Villaseñor, Ben Jones, Kari Wahlgren, Marina Sirtis,
Nominated
"Best Female Lead Vocal Performance in a Television Series" for role as: Enid
Ashly Burch
"Best Male Vocal Performance in a Television Series in a Guest Role" for role as: Captain Planet
David Coburn
"Best Female Vocal Performance in a Television Series in a Guest Role" for role as: Dr. Blight
^abJones-Quartey, Ian [@ianjq] (August 30, 2019)."Gregg is NB for sure" (Tweet).Archived from the original on May 13, 2020. RetrievedMarch 13, 2020 – viaTwitter. The question asked was: "Are Bobo and Gregg nonbinary?" While Bobo's gender identity is not outright confirmed, they are implied that they are not male nor female and uses they/them pronouns.
