Squidbillies

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Squidbillies
Squidbillies title card
Format	Animated Comedy
Created by	Jim Fortier Dave Willis
Voices of	Unknown Hinson (Stuart Daniel Baker) Daniel McDevitt Dana Snyder Bobby Ellerbee
Narrated by	Dave Willis
Composer(s)	David Lee Powell Shawn Coleman
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	4
No. of episodes	48 (List of episodes)
Production
Running time	11 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	Adult Swim
Original run	Unofficial Pilot: November 7, 2004 October 16, 2005 – present

Squidbillies is an animated television series about a family of anthropomorphic hillbilly squids, The Cuyler family, who live in poverty in the Appalachian region of North Georgia's mountains. The show is produced by Williams Street Studios for the Adult Swim programming block of Cartoon Network. It is written by Dave Willis, of Aqua Teen Hunger Force fame, and Jim Fortier, previously of The Brak Show, both of whom worked on the Adult Swim series Space Ghost Coast to Coast.^[1] The animation is done by Radical Axis, with background design by Ben Prisk. The series has thus far aired forty episodes in three^[2] seasons with a fourth season which debuted on May 17, 2009.^[3]

Contents 1 Cast 1.1 Main characters 1.2 Recurring characters 2 Crew 3 Guest appearances 4 DVD releases 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Cast

[edit] Main characters

• Early Cuyler (Unknown Hinson (Stuart Daniel Baker)) - Grandson of Granny and father of Rusty, Early is a barely-literate, foul-mouthed, alcoholic ex-convict. He's also quick to anger, often expressing it in violent ways via sawed-off shotgun, knife, or whatever implement is lying around. Early was given the position of CEO—and scapegoat—at Dan Halen Industries, though he has since been relegated to various lower level positions including product tester. He runs a number of illegal home enterprises including the production of "pine cone" liquor, the cultivation and distribution of marijuana, as well as production and sale of methamphetamine. It is implied in "The Appalachian Mud Squid: Darwin's Dilemma," that he has an incestuous relationship with his sister, Lil. It is implied that Early was raped in prison in the episode,"The Big Gay Throwdown". Early is proud of his "hillbilly" lifestyle and enjoys hunting, fishing, "muddin'", watching mixed martial arts and NASCAR.
• Russell Jesse James "Rusty" Cuyler (Daniel McDevitt) - The hybrid son of Early and Krystal, great-grandson of Granny, Rusty is a dimwitted, abused, backwoods young squid. He seeks his father's approval in nearly everything he does, going out of his way to emulate and impress him. He has a better sense of morals than the rest of his family and will occasionally show compassion. Like his father, he exhibits stereotypical redneck interests and behavior. He is not, however, as naturally violent as his father, and often fails in his attempts to mimic Early's overtly prejudiced and myopic view of the world. Rusty exhibits facial similarities to the stereotypical redneck male: bad teeth, acne, and a mullet.
• Ruby Jean^[4] "Granny" Cuyler (Dana Snyder) - An elderly squid, revealed in the third season to be actually the grandmother, not mother, of Early and Lil. She is purple (in opposition to the rest of the family's pale green), hangs from a walker, and has only five tentacles for unexplained reasons. Granny is a devout Christian and regularly sees visions of Jesus, though like the rest of her family she does not shy away from violence or foul language. She is prone to being rattled and unclear about her current whereabouts due to her senile dementia and is also a nymphomaniac.
• Lil Cuyler (Patricia French) - Granny's granddaughter and Early's sister, cosmetically-challenged Lil wears caucasian flesh-colored eye-shadow and extremely long fake finger nails on her tentacles. Her last name is confirmed to be Cuyler in the episode "Mephistopheles Traveled Below to a Southern State Whose Motto is 'Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation'". With a raspy voice often punctuated by a nasty smoker's cough, Lil' is a worn-out and rather jaded squid. She runs an on and off crystal meth operation, and is a known user of her own product. It is revealed that cigarette smoke has replaced most of the blood in her veins; and that she also suffers from Hepatitis-D. In later episodes, she is only seen passed out in her own filth, likely a victim of drug-induced burnout, and essentially never interacts with other characters anymore as a result. During the time of her extended unconsciousness, she was married to an ultraviolent (even moreso than Early), even terroristic extraterrestiral charachter named Lerm who decapitated her seconds after the marriage.
• "Sheriff" Todd (Charles Napier, episodes 1-9 (uncredited); Bobby Ellerbee, episodes 9-current) - One of only a handful of human recurring characters, the Sheriff is a friendly, even sweet man. He has a close, amicable relationship with the Cuyler family despite—or perhaps because of—having had to arrest Early repeatedly. He is presented as a chain smoker and is foretold to die from emphysema "3 years from now". However, as the show does not follow any particular timeline, this has not taken place. The Sheriff seems to really care about Early, going so far as to arrange couple's therapy for himself and his troubled squid friend. The sheriff character is actually one of many clones grown on a farm as part of a "secret shadow government" developed by Dan Halen. Most are identical—with a few exceptions—and described as having "marginal strength and hypersensitivity to pain." In the episode The Big Gay Throw Down, it was revealed that the Sheriff is gay (and had a lover when he was younger), though not all of his clones are (as not all are exact copies of him). The same episode also revealed that his first name is Todd.
• Krystal (Mary Kraft) - Rusty's human mother is a morbidly obese caucasian woman who lives her life lying on a filthy junkyard mattress, where she had been deemed a local landmark. She spends most of her time drinking from a re-usable over-sized "Sip" convenience store cup and scratching lottery tickets. Her extraordinary promiscuous lifestyle caused problems during her brief marriage to Early.
• Dan Halen (Todd Hanson) - A small, pear-shaped, knee-less, "badger-like" business tycoon. He is the incarnation of evil who has lived since the beginning of time. He is in charge of Dan Halen Industries, a multinational corporation responsible for sheet rock, dangerous (as opposed to simply unsafe) baby furniture, selling arms to third world countries, and various other ventures. His name, hairstyle, and company symbol are direct references to the band Van Halen.

[edit] Recurring characters

• Reverend (Scott Hilley) - The blue, teardrop-shaped preacher at the church the Cuyler family and the Sheriff attend also owns the local mattress store where Early was previously employed. He is fearful of the Cuylers, questioning where they fit in God's plan. He is a figure of religious hypocrisy because of his occasional submission to the temptations of Satan.^[5].
• Boyd (Pete Smith) - The clerk of the town convenience store. Early has robbed and shot him on numerous occasions. His left hand being shot off is one of the series' running gags.
• Dr. Bug (Todd Barry) - A doctor at the local hospital, Dr. Bug is a relative of the Cuylers but he attempts to hide it and to distance himself from the family. Thinking she was on her death bed, Granny tells him that she never meant to flush him down the toilet and that he was always her favorite^[6]. A similar character named Bug (an acronym for Big Uncle Grandpa) appeared in original pilot scripts.
• Jesus (Stewart Briehut) - Jesus appears in visions to Granny and, less frequently, Early. He appears as a floating squid with tentacles bearing signs of the stigmata and a human head matching traditional portrayals of Jesus.
• Devil (Jim Fortier) - A giant squid with a head of fire and talking snakes for tentacles. He has appeared in Granny's visions and taught Rusty and Early to play the guitar in exchange for their souls. Shawn Coleman performs as Satan's singing voice.
• Snakeman (voiceless) - A giant snake like creature with a Mullet. He is often depicted devouring townsfolk. He is also one of Krystal's lovers and the two are often seen together in the outhouse next to her mattress.
• Glenn (Dave Willis) - An employee at Dan Halen Industries. He is often assaulted by Early at work or at home.
• Narrator (Dave Willis) - The narrator, who does not appear in every episode, often makes jokes at the family's expense in a manner similar to the narrator in Dukes of Hazzard. (Both shows have a southern country-boy theme)

[edit] Crew

• Animation Director - Craig Hartin
• Lead Compositor - Jamie Galatas
• Animation Coordinator - Harriss Callahan (Season 1 & 2)
• Supervising Animators (Season 1)- Sean Quinn
• Supervising Animators (Season 2)- Sean Quinn
• Supervising Animators (Season 3)- Marji Fortin, Lars Edwards, Brian Ellis, and Sean Quinn
• Supervising Animators (Season 4)- Melissa Wolfert, Brad "Cotton" Schwab, and Sean Quinn
• Original Character Design (Lead Designer)- Todd Redner
• Animation Compositors - Ray Kim, Timothy Farrell, Michael Bernhardt, Nathan Churney, Joshua Mullinax
• Animators (Season One) - Amber Boardman, Eric Cerda, Marji Fortin
• Animators (Season Two) - Brian Ellis, Hanna Bliss, Lars Edwards, Eric Cerda, Marji Fortin, Justin Hamrick
• Animators (Season Three) - Brian Ellis, Lars Edwards, Eric Cerda, Marji Fortin, Brad Schwab, Dagny Philips-Stumberger, Derrick Canyon, Jason Shwartz, Melissa Wolfert, Missy Feaster, Ralph Sevelius, TJ Buford
• Animators (Season Four) - Brad Schwab, Melissa Wolfert, Dagny Phillips-Stumberger, Jason Shwartz, Missy Roode, Ralph Sevelius, Lamont Russ, Eric Cerda, Claire Almon, Aaron Kablack, Joe Apel

[edit] Guest appearances

• Fred Armisen voiced Miguel in "Take This Job and Love It"(Season 1, Episode 2) and Office Politics Trouble"(Season 1, Episode 6) and Jesus in "Giant Foam Dickhat Trouble"(Season 2, Episode 5). He also voiced Hippie Killed With Chainsaw in "Worst Earth"(Season 3, Episode 6).^[7]

• Todd Barry voiced Glenn in "Office Politics Trouble"(Season 1, Episode 6).^[8]

• Butterbean voiced himself and sung the national anthem in "Condition:Demolition"(Season 3, Episode 9)^[9]

• David Allen Coe voiced himself in "Okaleechee Dam Jam"(Season 3, Episode 17)^[10]

• Vernon Chatman voiced Shuckey the Corn Mascot in "Mud Days and Confused"(Season 3, Episode 18)^[11]

• David Cross

• Rachel Dratch voiced Hippie Woman in "Worst Earth"(Season 3, Episode 6)^[12]

• Mick Foley voiced Thunder Clap, a professional wrestler going through a messy divorce in "Anabolic-holic"(Season 4, Episode 4)^[13]

• Riley Martin voiced the Horseman of Pestulence in "Armageddon It On!"(Season 3, Episode 13) and a voice inside Dan Halen's head in "Pile M For Murder"(Season 3, Episode 19)^[14]

• Larry Munson voiced the Voice of God on "Armageddon It On!(Season 3, Episode 13)^[15]

• Patton Oswalt voiced Shecky Chucklestein in "Surivival of The Dumbest"(Season 2, Episode 12)^[16]

• Brendon Small voiced the Devil in "Mephistopheles Traveled Below to a Southern State Whose Motto Is 'Wisdom, Justice and Moderation'"(Season 3, Episode 5)^[17]

• .38 Special voiced themselves, and their song Hold On Loosely is featured during the credits in "Burned and Reburned Again"(Season 2, Episode 10)^[18]

• Soilent Green performed the main title theme on "Lerm"(Season 4, Episode 1)

[edit] DVD releases

DVD name	Release date	Ep #	Features
Volume 1	October 16, 2007	20	"How I Make The Damn Show!", The Original Pilots, Deleted Scenes, Behind the Scenes Footage, audio commentaries, and Anime Talk Show.
Volume 2	April 21, 2009	20	"Squidbillies Circle Jerk 2: Return Of The Self Congratulation", "Dragonbillies", "Funny Pete Stuff", "Art and Music", "Dragon Con 2008", and audio commentaries.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Squidbillies

• Official Adult Swim site (USA)
• Official Adult Swim site (UK)
• Squidbillies at the Internet Movie Database
• Squidbillies at TV.com
• Article at Gelf Magazine
• (unofficial) 2007 Dave Willis and Jim Fortier interview at Squidbillies Central

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