Saul of the Mole Men
| Saul of the Mole Men | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Craig Lewis |
| Starring | Josh Gardner |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of episodes | 15 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 11 minutes approx. |
| Original release | |
| Network | Adult Swim |
| Release | February 11, 2007 – Present |
Saul of the Mole Men is a live action show created by Craig Lewis, writer on The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy and Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. The series first aired February 11, 2007 on Adult Swim. Described as "an ultra-patriotic Land of the Lost set in the center of the Earth," the series is directed by Tom Stern and stars Josh Gardner. Josh Gardner is known for his previous collaboration with Tom Stern, Gerhard Reinke's Wanderlust.
Craig Lewis' primary inspirations behind this comedic homage to 1970s-era Saturday morning live-action television were Sid and Marty Krofft (Land of the Lost), Doctor Who (Tom Baker-era), and the Planet of the Apes franchise.
The STRATA Promo/first episode opening of the program featured brief introductions for the crew of a subterranean drill module. The team, known as STRATA, included Captain Jim J. James, Lieutenant Jen E. James, Robot, Kiko the Mute Wildboy, and the "rest" of the STRATA action team (which included Saul and Don Rogers, a man with a shovel). The main character, Saul, is seen in the background in many of these scenes. All of the characters are killed within the first few seconds of the first episode, except Saul, Robot, and a revived Johnny Tambourine.
Advertisements had begun airing on Adult Swim advertising the show as STRATA instead of the original title, making the series appear much like Electric Shock!! Strada 5 (電撃!! ストラダ5, Dengeki!! Sutorada Faibu). More recent advertisements, however, focus more on Saul and reveal the actual title of the show.
The STRATA headquarters building seen on the show is actually the engineering building at University of California, Irvine, with a false background inserted behind it.
The show's theme song is sung by South Park co-creator Trey Parker.
Episode List
Inhabitants
- Birdbat
- Mole Men
- Rockhead
- Gnard
Major Characters
- Saul Malone
- Johnny Tambourine
- Robot
- Bertram Burrows
- Clancy Burrows
- Fallopia
- Lil' Lil Burrows
Minor Characters
- Blob Doctor
- Captain Jim J. James, Strata Captain
- John Henry, the Steel Driving Man
- Kiko, the Mute Wild Boy
- Lieutenant Jen E. James
- Mother Rock
- Otnip
- Brad, Strata Operator 1
- Strata Operator 2
- Todd Rogers, Strata Member
- Zan Grey, the Healer
- Astromulus Wondor, Birdbat Leader (Voiced by Carlos Alazraqui)
- Princesa, Daughter of Birdbat leader
- Benjamin Franklin
- Thomas Jefferson
External links
- Official
- Adult Swim
- Funny Garbage - Production Company
- Freekland: The Official Homepage of Alex Winter, Tom Stern and Tim Burns
- Press Releases
- The Futon Critic - Adult Swim Unloads New Slate at Upfront (March 24, 2005)
- Cartoon Network Pressroom - Adult Swim Announces Five Additional Comedy Series Premieres for 2006 (March 30, 2006)
- The Futon Critic - Adult Swim Premieres Two Original Live-Action Series (January 23, 2007)
- Articles
- Los Angeles Times - Juvenile, but with an adult bent (February 10, 2007)
- Newsarama - Inside Saul of the Mole Men (February 11, 2007)
- Philadelphia Inquirer - Truly screwy, from minds molded here (February 18, 2007)
- Interviews
- SuicideGirls - Tom Stern Interview (April 27, 2006)
- SuicideGirls - Marty Krofft Interview (May 23, 2006)
- The Apiary - Jonah Ray Interview (August 23, 2006)
- WizardUniverse.com - ToyFare: Craig Lewis Interview (September 28, 2006)
- Las Vegas Weekly - Dana Snyder Interview (December 28, 2006)
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution - Gary Anthony Williams Interview (January 16, 2007)
- Images
- Video
- Reference for Series Influences