China, IL: Difference between revisions
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Season two titles: |
Season two titles: |
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*201 The Perfect Lecture |
*201 The Perfect Lecture September 22, 2013 |
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Frank wants to have a perfect lecture. |
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*202 Prank Week |
*202 Prank Week September 29, 2013 |
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*203 Kenny Winker Rules |
*203 Kenny Winker Rules October 6, 2013 |
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*204 Surfer God |
*204 Surfer God October 13, 2013 |
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*205 The Diamond Castle |
*205 The Diamond Castle October 20, 2013 |
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*206 Is College Worth It? |
*206 Is College Worth It? October 27, 2013 |
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*207 China-man Begins |
*207 China-man Begins November 3, 2013 |
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*208 Do You Know Who You Look Like? |
*208 Do You Know Who You Look Like? November 10, 2013 |
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*209 Total Validation |
*209 Total Validation November 17, 2013 |
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*210 Wild Hogs |
*210 Wild Hogs |
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Revision as of 20:18, 16 September 2013
China, IL | |
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File:China, Il cast.png The main characters. From the left: Steve Smith, Dr. Jack Falgot, Pony, The Dean, Baby Cakes, Professor Cakes, and Frank Smith. | |
Created by | Brad Neely |
Written by | Brad Neely |
Directed by | Mike L. Mayfield |
Starring | Brad Neely Greta Gerwig Hulk Hogan |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 10 (and 1 backdoor pilot) (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers | Brad Neely Daniel Weidenfeld Keith Crofford Nick Weidenfeld |
Producers | Chris Prynoski Shannon Prynoski Dave Newberg Vernon Chatman |
Running time | 11 minutes (Season 1) 22 minutes (Season 2) |
Production companies | Titmouse, Inc. Williams Street |
Original release | |
Network | Adult Swim |
Release | Backdoor pilot: May 25, 2008 Official: October 2, 2011 – present |
China, IL – meaning "China, Illinois" – is an animated television series for the cable network Adult Swim. The series is created by Brad Neely, and features Neely's existing characters from the China, IL web series and special. Characters include Frank and Steve Smith, aka "The Professor Brothers," and Mark "Baby" Cakes.[1][2] Neely provides the voice for all three characters. The series is produced by Williams Street and animated by Titmouse, Inc.[3] China, IL has been renewed for a second season with the possibility of a new half-hour runtime.
On May 25, 2008, Adult Swim ran The Funeral, an 11-minute special which was streamed on the now defunct Super Deluxe website. The special combined Brad Neely's Professor Brothers and Baby Cakes webseries, which were also streamed at Super Deluxe, and established a larger environment for the characters. The special, as well as Brad Neely's other videos, can be viewed at Neely's YouTube page.
Plot
The series takes place at the "Worst College in America", located at the edge of town. The school's poor reputation is celebrated by the school's uncaring faculty and staff, constantly shown drinking while teaching and/or trying to avoid teaching altogether. Steve and Frank Smith are twin professors at the college, teaching different subjects with limited success, while Professor Cakes is the father of undergraduate Baby Cakes, who spends his time at college with the school staff. Pony is the teacher's aide at the school, and the most rational of the staff, but still willing to go along with the staff's insane plots to avoid working.
The town is often destroyed by the bizarre antics at the school, something that angers the Mayor to psychotic levels, as he's left with the task of cleaning up the city.
Cast
Main
- Brad Neely as Steve Smith, Frank Smith, Mark "Baby" Cakes
- Greta Gerwig as Pony
- Hulk Hogan as The Dean (credited as "Terry 'Hulk' Hogan")
Recurring
- Tommy Blacha as The Mayor
- Chelsea Peretti as Crystal Peppers
- Jeffrey Tambor as Professor Leonard Cakes
- Jason Walden as Sammy Davis
- Gary Anthony Williams as Dr. Jack Falgot
Various
- Jackie Buscarino
- Dave Coulier
- Jason Alexander
Episodes
Backdoor pilot (2008)
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Production code |
---|---|---|---|---|
"China, IL: The Funeral" | Brad Neely | Brad Neely | May 25, 2008 | 000 |
Baby Cakes finds the diary of a dead professor. NOTE: This 4-act special was originally made for SuperDeluxe.com, and drawn in the style of Neely's Creased Comics videos. |
Season 1 (2011–2012)
# | Total | Title | Directed by | Written by | U.S. viewers (millions) |
Original air date | Production code |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | "Rewind, Pause, Pay!" | Mike L. Mayfield | Brad Neely | 0.89 [4] | October 2, 2011 | 101 |
A time-traveling Ronald Reagan attempts to have his revenge on Professor Steve Smith for doing Reagan impressions in a talent show. | |||||||
2 | 2 | "Dean Vs. Mayor" | Mike L. Mayfield | Brad Neely | 1.06 [5] | October 9, 2011 | 102 |
The Mayor is tired of the riots sparked by UCI after the latest one following a math competition and challenges The Dean to an arm wrestling contest for control of the school. | |||||||
3 | 3 | "Baby Boom" | Mike L. Mayfield | Brad Neely | 1.10[6] | October 16, 2011 | 103 |
When a freak accident causes a science experiment to go horribly wrong, the college has to deal with a giant baby on campus. | |||||||
4 | 4 | "Coming Out of the Casket" | Mike L. Mayfield | Brad Neely | 1.07 [7] | October 23, 2011 | 104 |
The ghost of a dead professor (Jason Alexander) becomes a little too friendly with Professor Frank, while Steve and Crystal wage war over who will have more students for the upcoming semester. | |||||||
5 | 5 | "Secret Society" | Mike L. Mayfield | Brad Neely | 1.15 [8] | October 30, 2011 | 105 |
Steve becomes a tenured professor while Pony blackmails The Dean, threatening to expose his sexual fetishism for old strippers, to gain tenure herself. | |||||||
6 | 6 | "Prom Face/Off" | Mike L. Mayfield | Brad Neely | N/A | November 6, 2011 | 106 |
The staff-only prom is held in a condemned building formerly used by Professor Cakes, and Baby Cakes falls for a feral girl with a dark secret. | |||||||
7 | 7 | "Chinese New Year" | Mike L. Mayfield | Brad Neely | N/A | December 27, 2011 | 108 |
The students all fail their finals and the governor threatens to shut down UCI unless they retake the exams and pass. Professor Cakes builds robotic replicas of the professors so they don’t have to teach, but the robots revolt when they learn that the New Year’s ball drop will trigger a self-destruct mechanism. | |||||||
8 | 8 | "Frankensteve" | Mike L. Mayfield | Brad Neely | 1.28 [9] | February 19, 2012 | 107 |
After suffering near-fatal internal injuries from the annual Faculty League Wrestling match, Professors Frank and Steve are literally joined at the hip to save both their lives, but use their new joined body to start winning wrestling matches instead. | |||||||
9 | 9 | "Dream Reamer" | Mike L. Mayfield | Brad Neely | N/A | February 26, 2012 | 109 |
Babycakes "friends" his imaginary friend Dream Reamer on Facebook. Now Babycakes must go back into the dream world to defeat Reamer. | |||||||
10 | 10 | "The Dean's List" | Mike L. Mayfield | Brad Neely | N/A | March 4, 2012 | 110 |
The Dean issues his Dean's List, which forces professors and students to form teams and compete in a scavenger hunt, which he watches on monitors with China, Illinois' elites, including Baby Cakes. However, to make the contest more interesting, the Dean turns the scavenger hunt into a Hunger Games-style fight for survival. |
Season 2
On May 17, 2012, Brad Neely made a Tweet confirming that he is currently working on Season 2 of the show. On June 17, 2013 Brad Neely stated via Facebook that Season 2 will begin airing September 2013.[10] Season 2 will consist of 30 minute episodes, instead of the previous 11 minute run-time of Season 1.[11] On July 16, 2013, Neely confirmed via his twitter[12] that actor Hannibal Buress would join the cast as a new character named Matt Attack. On August 20, 2013, it was revealed that China, IL Season 2 would start September 22, 2013 at 11:30pm.
Season two titles:
- 201 The Perfect Lecture September 22, 2013
Frank wants to have a perfect lecture.
- 202 Prank Week September 29, 2013
- 203 Kenny Winker Rules October 6, 2013
- 204 Surfer God October 13, 2013
- 205 The Diamond Castle October 20, 2013
- 206 Is College Worth It? October 27, 2013
- 207 China-man Begins November 3, 2013
- 208 Do You Know Who You Look Like? November 10, 2013
- 209 Total Validation November 17, 2013
- 210 Wild Hogs
Reception
Critical reception for the show has been positive, with the A.V. Club stating "This is probably the most charming comedy you'll ever see that includes a scene hinting that the wily Ronald Reagan was faking his Alzheimer's."[13] The New York Times called China, IL "the first new cartoon in years truly to live up to the renegade spirit of the golden era of Spike & Mike’s Sick and Twisted Animation".[14] MTV Geek called China, IL "one of the most enjoyably demented shows to make its debut in the Adult Swim lineup this year".[15]
References
- ^ EXCLUSIVE: Brad Neely and Daniel Weidenfeld Talk China, IL Season 1 MovieWeb
- ^ Awesome animator Brad Neely lands on Adult Swim USA Today
- ^ Minovitz, Ethan (May 25, 2012). "AS Announces Largest Programming Schedule Ever". Big Cartoon News. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
- ^ The Voice of TV. Sunday, October 2, 2011 Broadcast & Cable Final Ratings
- ^ The Voice of TV. Adult Swim ratings (October 3-9, 2011)
- ^ The Voice of TV. Adult Swim ratings (October 10-16, 2011)
- ^ The Voice of TV. Adult Swim ratings (October 17-20 & 22-23, 2011).
- ^ The Voice of TV. Adult Swim ratings (October 24-30, 2011).
- ^ The Voice of TV. Adult Swim ratings (February 13-19, 2012).
- ^ Brad Neely's Facebook China, IL. Season 2 Air Date.
- ^ Brad Neely's Twitter China, IL. Season 2.
- ^ [1]
- ^ OTHER SHOWS: China, Il AV Club
- ^ When Teachers Go Bad, They Get Animated New York Times
- ^ Adult Swim's 'China, IL' Is Getting A New Year's Special MTV Geek