Spicy City
| Spicy City | |
|---|---|
 Raven in Spicy City |
|
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Created by | Ralph Bakshi |
| Written by | Various |
| Directed by | Various |
| Voices of | Michelle Phillips |
| Composer(s) | John McCarthy |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Ralph Bakshi |
| Producer(s) | Catherine Winder |
| Running time | 25 min. |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | HBO |
| Original run | July 11, 1997 – August 22, 1997 |
Spicy City is an animated television series which was created by Ralph Bakshi for HBO. The series lasted for one season which consisted of six episodes.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
The plot was described as a science fiction anthology series set in a futuristic city with a seamy side.[1][2] Each episode is introduced by Raven, a nightclub hostess.
[edit] Production
Discussions involving a series based upon Trey Parker and Matt Stone's video Christmas card, Jesus vs. Santa, led HBO to contact Ralph Bakshi in order to produce the first animated series targeted specifically toward adults.[3] Bakshi enlisted a team of writers, including his son, Preston, to develop Spicy Detective, later renamed Spicy City.[3]
[edit] Cast
- Michelle Phillips - Raven
- Ralph Bakshi - Connelly
- James Keane - Flaxson
- Lewis Arquette - Corbin
- Pamela Tyson - Bruja
- Tuesday Knight - Prostitute
- Charlie Adler - Additional Voices
- Matthew Flint - Additional Voices
- Letitia Hicks - Additional Voices
[edit] Reception
The series premiered in July 1997, beating South Park to television by over a month and becoming the first "adults only" cartoon series.[3]
Although critical reaction was mixed and largely unfavorable, Spicy City received acceptable ratings.[4] The Los Angeles Times called the series "Adolescent Humor for Adults"[5] The Dallas Morning News said the series "exploits the female form".[6]
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.[3]
[edit] Episodes
| # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Love is a Download" | John Kafka | Preston Bakshi | July 11, 1997 |
| A woman seeking escape from her abusive boyfriend finds true love in a virtual world in the guise of a geisha. | ||||
| 2 | "Mano's Hands" | Ralph Bakshi | Lawrence Chua & Willie Perdomo | July 18, 1997 |
| A strange tale of a bongo player's hands coming to life and terrorizing civilians after mob members chop them off. | ||||
| 3 | "Tears of a Clone" | Ennio Torresan, Jr | Franz Henkel & Lou Walker | August 1, 1997 |
| A detective goes on a search to find a rich man's daughter, only to return with her clone instead. | ||||
| 4 | "An Eye for an Eye" | Ennio Torresan, Jr | Douglas Brooks West | August 8, 1997 |
| A ruthless female cop named Margo, known for betraying and blackmailing people, gets her comeuppance when she is arrested for killing her partner's wife and is sentenced to death by vivisection. | ||||
| 5 | "Sex Drive" | Ralph Bakshi | Preston Bakshi | August 15, 1997 |
| A female police detective and a cyborg prostitute uncover a plot to suck the intelligence from men with virtual girls. | ||||
| 6 | "Raven's Revenge" | John Kafka | August 22, 1997 | |
| Raven is hounded by futuristic police forces for being born with a DNA pattern that brands her as a freak. | ||||
[edit] References
- ^ Moore, Scott (February 9, 1997). "Fox's `King' Signals Prime Move". The Washington Post. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-705437.html. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
- ^ McConville, Jim (October 7, 1996). "HBO creates animation division; HBO Animation will focus on adult-oriented fare.". Broadcasting & Cable. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-18747461.html. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
- ^ a b c d Gibson, Jon M.; McDonnell, Chris (2008). "Ups & Downs". Unfiltered: The Complete Ralph Bakshi. Universe Publishing. pp. 234–235. ISBN 0789316846.
- ^ Grant, John (2001). "Ralph Bakshi". Masters of Animation. Watson-Guptill. pp. 18–29. ISBN 0823030415.
- ^ Solomon, Charles (July 11, 1997). "TV Review; 'Spicy City': Adolescent Humor for Adults". Los Angeles Times. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/12955637.html?dids=12955637:12955637&FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:FT&date=Jul+11%2C+1997&author=CHARLES+SOLOMON&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=TV+Review%3B+%27Spicy+City%27%3A+Adolescent+Humor+for+Adults&pqatl=google. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
- ^ Mendoza, Manuel (July 18, 1997). "`Spicy City' is seasoned with sex, but its stories are half-baked". Dallas Morning News. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=DM&p_theme=dm&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0ED3D92E2D933EF0&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
[edit] External links
- Spicy City at the Internet Movie Database
- Gary's "Spicy City" Page with screencaps of each episode.
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