| Spicy City | |
|---|---|
 Raven inSpicy City | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | Ralph Bakshi |
| Written by | Various |
| Directed by | Various |
| Voices of | Michelle Phillips |
| Composer | John McCarthy |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Ralph Bakshi |
| Producer | Catherine Winder |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network | HBO |
| Release | July 11 (1997-07-11) – August 22, 1997 (1997-08-22) |
Spicy City is an Americanadult animatederoticcyberpunk television series which was created byRalph Bakshi forHBO. The first of two adult animated series to air on HBO in the same year,[1][a] the show serves as ananthology series in a similar format as television programs such asThe Twilight Zone andTales from the Crypt. The series premiered on July 11, 1997, and ended on August 22, with a total of 6 episodes over the course of 1 season.[2]
The plot was described as ascience fictionanthology series set in a futuristic city with a steamy side.[3][4] Each episode is introduced by Raven, a nightclub hostess who also makes brief appearances in the tales.
Discussions involving a series based uponTrey Parker andMatt Stone's video Christmas cardJesus vs. Santa (which would becomeSouth Park) ledHBO to contact Ralph Bakshi in order to produce the first animated series targeted specifically toward adults.[1] Bakshi enlisted a team of writers, including (besides his son Preston) Asian, Black, Transvestite, and previously incarcerated individuals[5] to developSpicy Detective, later renamedSpicy City.[1]South Korea-based studiosKoko Enterprises and Seoul Moive animated the series whileFunbag Animation Studios inOttawa animated the virtual reality scenes from the first episode.
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Love Is a Download" | John Kafka | Preston Bakshi | July 11, 1997 (1997-07-11) | |
A blonde woman named Alice seeking escape from her abusive boyfriend Jake finds true love in a virtual world in aGeisha avatar with the washed-up veteran now working as a "virtual investigator" Champ. | |||||
| 2 | "Mano's Hands" | Ralph Bakshi | Lawrence Chua & Willie Perdomo | July 18, 1997 (1997-07-18) | |
The tale of abongo player named Mano´s hands coming to life and terrorizing civilians after mob members chop them off. | |||||
| 3 | "Tears of a Clone" | Ennio Torresan Jr. | Franz Henkel and Lou Walker | August 1, 1997 (1997-08-01) | |
A detective and his guide Harry goes on a search to the underground to find the daughter of a rich old man named Flaxton, only to return with her clone instead. | |||||
| 4 | "An Eye for an Eye" | Ennio Torresan Jr. | Douglas Brooks West | August 8, 1997 (1997-08-08) | |
A femalepolice officer named Margo plots to blackmail Spicy City's judge, and her partner, Ernie, must choose between staying out of it and stopping Margo's reign of terror once and for all. | |||||
| 5 | "Sex Drive" | Ralph Bakshi | Preston Bakshi | August 15, 1997 (1997-08-15) | |
A female police officer named Nisa who is being mistreated by her coworkers teams up with acyborgprostitute named Virus whose business is struggling thanks to her male clients using virtual prostitutes when the virtual prostitutes begin sucking the intelligence out of their "Johnsons" while they have to fight a Japanese scientist named Otaku. | |||||
| 6 | "Raven's Revenge" | John Kafka | Douglas Brooks West | August 22, 1997 (1997-08-22) | |
Raven is hounded by robot police officers for being born with aDNA pattern that brands her as a freak. | |||||
The series premiered on 11 July 1997 at midnight, beatingSouth Park to television by over a month and becoming the first "adults only" cartoon series.[1]
Although critical reaction was mixed and largely unfavorable,Spicy City received acceptable ratings.[6] TheLos Angeles Times called the series "Adolescent Humor for Adults".[7] TheDallas Morning News said the series "exploits the female form while also condemning the practice."[8]
A second season was approved, but the network wanted to fire Bakshi's writing team and hire professional Los Angeles screenwriters. When Bakshi refused to cooperate with the network, the series was cancelled.[1]