Sam and Max in the animated series.
Template:Infobox Television
The Adventures of Sam & Max: Freelance Police is an American animated television series which features a pair of crime-fighting private investigators based in New York City. The show was created by Steve Purcell, originator of both the Sam & Max characters and the original comic book series. The series first aired in October 1997 on the FOX television network, producing 24 episodes and winning the 1998 Gemini Award for "Best Animated Series" before it was canceled in April 1998.[1] With the exception of the first and last episodes, which each had a running time of about 20 minutes, each episode was approximately 10 minutes in length, excluding commercials, and were usually aired in pairs.
Plot
The series revolves around the freelance police accepting missions from the mysterious Commissioner, whom they have never seen. The assignments usually lead them into far-off and exotic locales such as the Moon, Mount Olympus, the center of the Earth or the mutant inhabited waters of Bohunk lagoon. In between these official adventures, the pair also manage to squeeze in fridge-spelunking, time-travelling, Bigfoot-hunting and numerous other escapades. There were even holiday episodes, like visiting Blood Island on Christmas and delivering an artificial heart on Valentine's Day.
Characters
- Sam: A 6-foot anthropomorphic canine detective dressed in noir-styled suit and hat. Voiced by Harvey Atkin.
- Max: An easily excitable 3-foot "hyperkinetic rabbity thing." Voiced by Robert Tinkler.
- The Commissioner: Sam and Max's mysterious agent and only known link to any form of official government body. Voiced by Dan Hennessey.
- Darla "The Geek" Gugenheek: The detectives personal teenage scientist and laboratory technician, housed in the pairs very own "Sub-Basement of Solitude." She often provides the pair with new gadgets and inventions to aid them on their missions. She is the only main character who doesn't also appear in the comics. Voiced by Tracey Moore.
Episode list
| # | Title | Director(s) | Writer(s) | Original Airdate(s) | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | The Thing That Wouldn't Stop It | October 4, 1997 | A strange monster living inside The Geek's fridge is attacking people. Sam & Max must find a way to stop it! | ||
| 02 | The Second Show Ever | October 11, 1997 | Sam & Max show up at the school's Career Day and take them to space, where they meet an alien who is plotting to destroy Earth. Can they stop him and look good for the kids? | ||
| 03 | Max's Big Day | October 11, 1997 | Sam & Max are dropped on an island and the New Guinea Pigs think Max is their 'chosen one'. But Max must say goodbye to Sam... can he really do it? | ||
| 04 | Bad Day on the Moon | October 18, 1997 | Taken from the comic, Sam and Max travel to the moon to help rat people handle their roach problem. | ||
| 05 | They Came From Down There | October 25, 1997 | A town has now become fish-like zombies, thanks to Mack Salmon's plan of Sea Chimp food products. | ||
| 06 | The Friend for Life | November 1, 1997 | Lorne, The Friend for Life, accidentally lets 'The Mad Thespian' get away. So, Lorne takes him hostage to try and force Sam & Max to hang out with him at his twisted fun house. | ||
| 07 | The Dysfunction of the Gods | October 18, 1997 | Zeus & Hera are angry at each other and if Sam & Max don't rekindle their love of each other, Sam & Max will age rapidly. | ||
| 08 | Big Trouble at the Earth's Core | October 25, 1997 | Sam & Max must go to the center of the Earth to stop the mole-men from blowing up the Earth by lowering the core temperature and help them find dates. | ||
| 09 | A Glitch in Time | November 1, 1997 | Max obtains a time traveling watch which he and Sam use to alter their own history (back when they were children), causing Sam to have never become a member of the Freelance Police. | ||
| 10 | That Darn Gator | November 8, 1997 | Sam & Max try and raise a baby alligator in their deranged life style. | ||
| 11 | We Drop at Dawn | December 20, 1997 | Sam & Max drop into the jungle (Central Park) to look for the Commissioner's keys. | ||
| 12 | Christmas Bloody Christmas | December 20, 1997 | Sam & Max spend Christmas with Sam's grandma at her maximum prison on Blood Island. But the criminals attempt a jailbreak and the Freelance Police must round them up. | ||
| 13 | It's Dangly Deever Time | February 6, 1998 | After their TV goes out, they try to watch a show on The Geek's antique TV and bring a Howdy Doody-like character to life. But while they are gone, Dangly Deever's evil twin attempts to take over the city. | ||
| 14 | Aaiiieee Robot | February 27, 1998 | After stopping a meteor from hitting Earth with the Mega Max 3000 robot; it sits and rusts away. So, they send it to Japan, where it battles a giant baby. | ||
| 15 | The Glazed McGuffin Affair | February 13, 1998 | Sam & Max try to get Kent Standit, who has banned the Freelance Police's favorite snack 'Glazed McGuffins', to change his mind, by forcing him to at least try it out. | ||
| 16 | The Tell Tale Tail | February 20, 1998 | A Sam & Max version of Frankenstein. Max's tail has come off in an accident and they reanimate it while the doctor also creates a monster! | ||
| 17 | The Trouble with Gary | February 20, 1998 | Sam & Max help babysit the child who changes things with his mind, who helps the Freelance Police with stopping crime and learn how to have fun (Sam & Max style). | ||
| 18 | Tonight We Love | February 13, 1998 | Sam & Max must deliver an artificial heart to the President on Valentine's Day; but the DeSoto is stolen by a loving couple. | ||
| 19 | The Invaders | February 27, 1998 | Two tiny aliens are constantly trying to eliminate Sam & Max (and no matter what they do, the Freelance Police can not stop the Invaders). | ||
| 20 | Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang | February 6, 1998 | Sam & Max must play 007 to stop T.R.U.S.S. leader 'Larvo' and her fast-food minions from releasing an obnoxious tourist virus. | ||
| 21 | Little Bigfoot | April 4, 1998 | The Freelance Police save a kid sasquatch from being a bus boy and try to send it into the wild with its own kind. | ||
| 22 | Fools Die on Friday | ? | Sam & Max attempt to foil a blimp hijacking aimed to crash into The Statue of Liberty, only to find the demented terrorist is Lorne, The Friend for Life. | ||
| 23 | Sam & Max vs. the Uglions | April 4, 1998 | Aliens open a new restaurant, "The Frying Saucer", that serves people (no really, it's people!). Sam & Max must stop the aliens before the US government launch a nuclear holocaust to try and stop the aliens. | ||
| 24 | The Final Episode | April 25, 1998 | Mack Salmon and most of the villains from the season try to kill Sam & Max by strapping them to a bomb and dropping them into a volcano. Can they get free and subdue the bad guys, all while reliving flashbacks from their early life? | ||
| -- | Vice Squad | November 8, 1997 | Short episode featuring Sam & Max showing what fun it is to put junk in your dad's vice. | ||
| -- | Our Bewildering Universe! 'Chock Full O Guts' | April 13, 1998 | Short episode, starring Sam & Max describing the human body, featuring The Pancreas! | ||
| -- | Artsy Craftsy Bit Of Time-Wasting Nonsense | ? | Short episode featuring Sam & Max showing how to make a Max paper bag puppet. The script and images are from the comics and have been reprinted several times since its original publication. |
Production notes
- Nelvana's website lists the series as having a total of 13 episodes, pairing all 10 minute episodes together but leaving the two extended episodes (the first and last) as standalone, reflecting how the series was intended to air.
- Episode 1, "The Thing That Wouldn't Stop It", is twice the normal length of any other episode produced, being approximately 21 minutes long (excluding commercials). The plot and villain in this episode loosely parody John Carpenter's The Thing.
- Episode 3, "Max's Big Day", features an introduction which parodies the beginning of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey with a loud, drawn out, orchestral shriek introducing a large, black pillar surrounded by a group of inquisitive primates. Furthermore, Sam appears dressed in Fred Flintstone's trademark black-spotted orange furs and green necktie. The rest of the episode is a loose parody of The Man Who Would Be King by Rudyard Kipling.
- Episode 4, "Bad Day on the Moon", is a fairly faithful adaptation of the original Sam & Max comic of the same name.
- Episode 11, "We Drop at Dawn", has a theme reminiscent of Apocalypse Now, including a character impersonating Marlon Brando.
- Episode 14, "Aaiiieee Robot", refers to Isaac Asimov's famous I, Robot collection of short stories.
- Episode 16, "The Tell Tale Tail", is a Sam & Max version of Mary Shelly's: Frankenstein
- Episode 17, "The Trouble with Gary", is a goofy interpretation of "It's a Good Life".
- Episode 20,"Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang", is a parody of James Bond-style movies, complete with tropical island lair, evil minions, and tuxedos. The phrase "kiss kiss, bang bang" originates from an Italian journalist who referred to James Bond as "Mr. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang."
- Episode 21, "Little Bigfoot", features a reference to the 1991 film Hook and also LucasArts' 1993 adventure game Sam & Max Hit the Road, wherein the pair have managed to dislodge a solitary bolt from a road-side attraction causing the large reptilian structure to fall forward, capturing the two safely in between its jaws. This episode was written by Steve Purcell.
Commercial availability
VHS
Selected episodes from the series had been released in three separate compilations on VHS by Sullivan Entertainment, and remain as the only commercially sold episodes today. The episodes included in the VHS compilations are as follows:
| The Y Files | All Creatures Great and Small | Come Fly With Me |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
DVD
On June 13, 2007, TVShowsOnDVD.com reported a DVD box set currently in development by Shout! Factory.[2] It has also been reported that it will be a 3 disc set, complete with box art by Steve Purcell. Bonus features will include an interview with Purcell.[3]
A Region Free DVD boxset containing the complete series can currently be purchased at the Telltale Store.
It is speculated of a Blu-Ray disc with high-quality episodes.
Web release
GameTap announced on October 11, 2006 that they would shortly be releasing one episode from the series each week on GameTap TV, as a promotion for Telltale Games' Sam & Max video game.[4] Their schedule includes a release of every episode, appearing out of order. Currently all episodes (except "Fools Die on Friday") are available to watch online at GameTap for free. They are also available on www.gametap.com
References
- ↑ 13th Geminis "Best Animated Program or Series" results. Canada's Awards Database, Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. Retrieved on 2006-05-26.
- ↑ http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=7479
- ↑ http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=7891
- ↑ Template:Cite news
External links
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