| Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law | |
|---|---|
 Official DVD cover | |
| Created by |
|
| Based on | Characters by Hanna-Barbera |
| Written by |
|
| Directed by |
|
| Voices of |
|
| Theme music composer | Reg Tilsley |
| Opening theme | "Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law", performed by Erik Richter |
| Ending theme | "Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law" (Instrumental) |
| Composer | Michael Kohler |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 39 (and 1 special) (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producers |
|
| Editor | Jon Dilling |
| Running time | 12 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Distributor | Warner Bros. Television Distribution |
| Original release | |
| Network |
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| Release | Cartoon Network run: December 30, 2000 –
|
| Related | |
| Birdgirl | |
Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law is an American adult animated television sitcom created by Michael Ouweleen and Erik Richter for Cartoon Network's late-night programming block, Adult Swim. The show revolves around the activity of the Sebben & Sebben law firm, which is staffed mainly by superheroes and other characters who had originally been featured in past Hanna-Barbera cartoons, most notably Birdman and the Galaxy Trio.
The pilot first aired as a sneak peek on Cartoon Network on December 30, 2000.[2]
The series officially premiered on Adult Swim on September 2, 2001, the night the block launched.[3] It ended on July 22, 2007, with a total of 39 episodes, over the course of four seasons. The entire series has been made available on DVD, and other forms of home media, including on-demand streaming.
A special, entitled Harvey Birdman: Attorney General, premiered on October 15, 2018,[4] and a spin-off, Birdgirl, premiered on April 5, 2021.[5][6]
Premise[]
Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law features ex-superhero Harvey T. Birdman of Birdman and the Galaxy Trio as an attorney working for a law firm alongside other cartoon stars from the 1960s and 1970s Hanna-Barbera cartoon series. Harvey's clients are also primarily characters taken from the Hanna-Barbera cartoon series of the same era.
Many of Birdman's nemeses from his former cartoon series appear as attorneys, often representing the opposing side of a given case. Harvey usually fills the role of a criminal defense attorney, though he will act as a civil litigator or other such a job when the plot calls for it.
The series uses a surrealist style of comedy, featuring characters, objects, and jokes that are briefly introduced and rarely (if ever) referenced thereafter. Because the series relies heavily on popular culture references to classic television animation, Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law constantly delves into parody, featuring clips of these series or specially created scenes which mimic the distinctive style of the animation being referenced.[7]
Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law is the first Williams Street cartoon to maintain continuity through the entire series. Various episodes reference Harvey's (or another superhero's) former crime-fighting career. The episode "Turner Classic Birdman" serves to bridge the gap between Birdman and the Galaxy Trio and Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law.
Much of the humor is derived from giving superheroes and supervillains more eccentric qualities, such as transforming mad scientist Dr. Myron Reducto into a paranoid prosecutor. Several of the plots revolve around popular myths about classic Hanna-Barbera characters, such as Shaggy and Scooby-Doo being recreational drug users.
Voice cast[]
- Gary Cole as Harvey Birdman, Judge Mightor
- Stephen Colbert as Phil Ken Sebben, Myron Reducto
- Joe Alaskey as Peter Potamus (first appearance only)
- Thomas Allen as Peanut
- Paget Brewster as Judy Ken Sebben/Birdgirl
- Grey DeLisle as Debbie, Daphne Blake, Dr. Gale Melody, Mary
- Chris Edgerly as Peter Potamus (every other appearance), DVD, Mr. Finkerton, The Funky Phantom, Augie Doggie, Cumulus the Storm King, Captain Caveman, Gorak, Fancy Fancy
- John Michael Higgins as Mentok the Mindtaker, Zardo, Grape Ape
- Maurice LaMarche as Azul Falcone, Stan Freezoid, Apache Chief, Fred Flintstone, Yogi Bear, Der Spuzmacher, Inch High, Speed Buggy, Hi-Riser, Doggie Daddy, Droopy, Quick Draw McGraw, Wally Gator, Morocco Mole, Garok, Cavey Jr., Magilla Gorilla, Mr. Peebles, Benny the Ball, Dum Dum, Shazzan, Atom Ant, Nitron
- Peter MacNicol as X the Eliminator
- Michael McKean as Evelyn Spyro Throckmorton
- Matt Peccini as The Bear
- Neil Ross as Vulturo, Dr. Benton Quest, Ding-A-Ling Wolf
- Debi Mae West as Gigi
- Paul Adelstein as Murro the Marauder
- Jack Angel as General
- Dee Bradley Baker as Jonny Quest, Lizard Man
- Michael Bell as Zan
- Jeff Bergman as George Jetson (in "Shaggy Busted"), Old Man Bakov, Clown
- Mary Birdsong as Chibo, Tana
- Lewis Black as Elliott the Deadly Duplicator
- Steven Blum as Yakky Doodle, Clamhead, Stavros
- Bill Farmer as Secret Squirrel
- Keith Ferguson as Bill Ken Sebben
- Nika Futterman as Debbie
- Mark Hamill as Ricochet Rabbit
- Toby Huss as Ernie Devlin, Shado
- Scott Innes as Shaggy Rogers, Scooby-Doo, Scrappy-Doo
- Tom Kenny as Boo-Boo Bear, Elroy Jetson, Top Cat, Choo Choo, Computer Voice
- Phil LaMarr as Black Vulcan
- Steve Landesberg as Bailiff, Grok, Doctor Quincy
- Tress MacNeille as Wilma Flintstone, Pebbles Flintstone
- Diane Michelle as Jane Jetson, Orbitty
- Laraine Newman as Sybil Schussler
- Rob Paulsen as Baba Looey
- Doug Preis as Thundarr the Barbarian, Beegle Beagle
- Kevin Michael Richardson as Barney Rubble
- André Sogliuzzo as Dynomutt
- Fred Tatasciore as Nikos
- B.J. Ward as Velma Dinkley
- Frank Welker as Fred Jones, Jabberjaw, Biff, Robot, Avenger
- Billy West as Dr. Zin
- Kym Whitley as Norlissa
- Wally Wingert as Hadji, George Jetson (in "Back to the Present"), Astro, Harry Twiddles, Moby Dick
Episodes[]
List of Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law episodes
Production[]
Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law creators Michael Ouweleen and Erik Richter were originally writers for Space Ghost Coast to Coast, which is where the titular character made his debut. The show was Adult Swim's most expensive original series at the time, and is the most expensive spin-off of Space Ghost Coast to Coast.
Although the first season was animated using digital ink and paint, the remaining seasons were animated using Adobe After Effects. The reason for the switch was that the animation studio was having difficulty maintaining the fast pace of the show, and thus the production of episodes slowed down due to constant retakes.
By animating the later episodes at Turner Studios in Atlanta with Adobe Flash, not only were problems corrected more quickly, but production costs were much lower.[8]
International broadcast[]
In Canada, Harvey Birdman, Attorney At Law previously aired on Teletoon's Teletoon at Night block[9] and later G4's Adult Digital Distraction block.[10] The series currently airs on the Canadian version of Adult Swim.[11][12]
Special[]
On May 14, 2018, it was announced that there would be an upcoming special based on the series entitled Harvey Birdman: Attorney General. In the special, Harvey Birdman becomes the next Attorney General of the United States, under President Phil Ken Sebben. The original voice cast returned for the special. It premiered at midnight on October 15, 2018.[1][4]
Reception[]
In 2009, Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law was named the 91st-best animated series by IGN. They called the concept of the show "wonderful" and the show as a whole "especially clever." The review summarized that "Harvey Birdman worked as both a parody and homage to these animated characters we know and love, with plenty of funny, surreal jokes along the way."[13]
Home media[]
| DVD name | Release date | Ep # | Additional information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volume One | April 12, 2005 | 13 | This two-disc box set contains the first thirteen episodes of the show ("Bannon Custody Battle" through "High Speed Buggy Chase") in production order, along with commentaries on selected episodes, deleted scenes, and other special features. A Region 2 version is to be released on November 3. The colour of the DVD box art is purple. |
| Volume Two | October 10, 2006 | 13 | This two-disc box set contains the next thirteen episodes of the show ("Back to the Present" through "Evolutionary War") in production order, along with commentaries on nine episodes, additional footage, and other special features. The colour of the DVD box art is blue. |
| Volume Three | July 24, 2007 | 13 | This two-disc box set contains the final thirteen episodes of the show ("Turner Classic Birdman" through "The Death of Harvey") in production order, along with special features. The colour of the DVD box art is black. |
Each DVD is in the shape of a law book. Each season's box art is nearly identical, and the only change for each season is the background colour (Volume One is brown purple, Volume Two is blue, and Volume Three is black). The small picture next to the title and the title itself also appears different. In April 2005, Adult Swim had a "Do Our Work For Us" contest for Harvey Birdman Season 1 on DVD. The objective of the contest was to ask viewers to make their own fan-made promo commercial for the upcoming DVD.
Music[]
The theme song is an edited version of the song "Slow Moody Blues" written by Reg Tilsley. Other notable songs used in the show include Charlie Steinman's "It Is Such A Good Night" (also known as "Scoobidoo Love") and a lyricless version of Gianni Morandi's "La Mia Mania" (also known as "Okay Maria").
Video game[]
A video game based on the series has been released for the PlayStation 2,[14] Wii[15] and PlayStation Portable[16] video game consoles. It was developed by High Voltage Software and published by Capcom, with gameplay mechanics similar to Capcom's Ace Attorney series. It was released on January 8, 2008, and includes five new, interactive cases.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Ramos, Dino-Ray (May 14, 2018). "'Harvey Birdman, Attorney General' Lands At Adult Swim With New Special". Deadline. https://deadline.com/2018/05/harvey-birdman-attorney-general-adult-swim-gary-cole-stephen-colbert-1202388059/. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
- ↑ "The Daily Ghost Planet : The Past!". Lustforlunch.com. Archived from the original on 2001-12-20. Retrieved 2011-01-22.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ "Harvey Birdman Finale on Adult Swim". Animation World Network. 2007-07-12. Archived from the original on 2007-10-16. Retrieved 2007-08-06.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2018-09-20. Retrieved 2018-09-18.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ↑ Porter, Rick (May 9, 2019). "'Harvey Birdman' Spinoff With Paget Brewster Greenlit at Adult Swim". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 9, 2019. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ https://www.animationmagazine.net/tv/first-look-birdgirl-takes-flight-on-adult-swim-april-4/
- ↑ Harvey Birdman Volume 1 DVD commentary for episode 1[citation needed]
- ↑ Carrera, Philip (2011). Adobe® Flash® Animation: Creative Storytelling for Web and TV. ISBN 9780763784157. https://books.google.com/books?id=NTGiQL9QCcQC&q=harvey+birdman+adobe&pg=PA253. Retrieved 2016-03-19.
- ↑ https://www.awn.com/news/teletoon-celebrates-canada-day-more-july
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20100107014243/http://www.g4tv.ca/static/schedule.shtml
- ↑ "TELETOON Canada Inc. Announces Cartoon Network and Adult Swim Launch Schedules". Newswire. June 21, 2012.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ https://www.corusent.com/news/corus-entertainment-announces-adult-swim-launch-sponsors/#:~:text=TORONTO%2C%20March%2027%2C%202019%20%E2%80%93,of%20Adult%20Swim%20in%20Canada.
- ↑ "91, Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law". IGN. 2009-01-23. Archived from the original on January 19, 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-23.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ Onyett, Charles (2007-07-12). "E3 2007: Harvey Birdman Preview". Archived from the original on 2007-10-12. Retrieved 2007-08-06.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ Kim, Alicia (2007-09-04). "Wii takes the case – Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law comes home to roost on the latest Nintendo video game system". Archived from the original on 2013-01-18. Retrieved 2007-09-24.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ Baity, Naquan (2007-08-01). "Move Over Phoenix Wright, PSP Has Harvey Birdman on the Case!". Archived from the original on 2007-08-09. Retrieved 2007-08-06.
{{cite web}}:
External links[]
- Official website
- Online Channel Australia
- Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law at the Internet Movie Database
- Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law at TV.com
- IGN's 10 Questions: Harvey Birdman
- IGN's review of the DVD set, Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law, Volume 1
Template:Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law
| Space Ghost Coast to Coast (Episodes) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Characters | Space Ghost • Zorak • Moltar • Brak • Tansit | |
| Cast | George Lowe • C. Martin Croker • Andy Merrill • Don Kennedy | |
| Related shows | Space Ghost • Hanna–Barbera's World of Super Adventure • Space Stars • Cartoon Planet • Sealab 2021 • Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law • Toonami • Brak Presents the Brak Show Starring Brak • The Brak Show • Aqua Teen Hunger Force (alternative titles) • Anime Talk Show • Perfect Hair Forever | |
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| Current | Robot Chicken (since 2005) • Squidbillies (since 2005) • Infomercials (since 2009) • Check It Out! with Dr. Steve Brule (since 2010) • Off the Air (since 2011) • The Eric Andre Show (since 2012) • On Cinema (since 2012) • Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell (since 2013) • Rick and Morty (since 2013) • Decker (since 2014) • Black Jesus (since 2014) • Dream Corp LLC (since 2016) • The Jellies! (since 2017) • Tender Touches (since 2017) • Ballmastrz: 9009 (since 2018) • Joe Pera Talks with You (since 2018) • The Shivering Truth (since 2018) • Tigtone (since 2019) • Gēmusetto (since 2019) • Lazor Wulf (since 2019) • Final Space (since 2019) • Primal (since 2019) • Momma Named Me Sheriff (since 2019) • Three Busy Debras (since 2020) • Beef House (since 2020) • JJ Villard's Fairy Tales (since 2020) • YOLO: Crystal Fantasy (since 2020) | |
| Former | 2000s debuts | The Brak Show (2001–03) • Home Movies (2001–04) • Space Ghost Coast to Coast (2001–04) • Sealab 2021 (2001–05) • Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law (2001–07; 2018) • Aqua Teen Hunger Force (alternative titles) (2001–15) • Stroker & Hoop (2004–05) • Tom Goes to the Mayor (2004–06) • Perfect Hair Forever (2004–07; 2014) • The Venture Bros. (2004–18) • 12 oz. Mouse (2005–06; 2018; 2020) • The Boondocks (2005–14) • Moral Orel (2005–08; 2012) • Minoriteam (2006) • Assy McGee (2006–08) • Metalocalypse (2006–13) • Frisky Dingo (2006–08) • Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! (2007–10; 2017) • Saul of the Mole Men (2007) • Lucy, the Daughter of the Devil (2007) • Xavier: Renegade Angel (2007–09) • Fat Guy Stuck in Internet (2008) • Superjail! (2008–14) • The Drinky Crow Show (2008–09) • Delocated (2009–13) • Titan Maximum (2009) |
| 2010s debuts | Mary Shelley's Frankenhole (2010–12) • Childrens Hospital (2010–16) • Mongo Wrestling Alliance (2011) • Eagleheart (2011–14) • Soul Quest Overdrive (2011) • NTSF:SD:SUV:: (2011–13) • China, IL (2011–15) • The Heart, She Holler (2011–14) • Loiter Squad (2012–14) • Black Dynamite (2012–15) • The Greatest Event in Television History (2012–14) • You're Whole (2012–13) • Newsreaders (2013–15) • Hot Package (2013–15) • King Star King (2014) • Beware the Batman (2014) • Tim & Eric's Bedtime Stories (2014–17) • Mr. Pickles (2014–19) • FishCenter Live (2014–20) • Mike Tyson Mysteries (2014–20) • The Jack and Triumph Show (2015) • Neon Joe, Werewolf Hunter (2015–17) • Brad Neely's Harg Nallin' Sclopio Peepio (2016) • Million Dollar Extreme Presents: World Peace (2016) • Samurai Jack (2017) • Apollo Gauntlet (2017) • FLCL (2018) • Hot Streets (2018–19) • Mostly 4 Millennials (2018) • Tropical Cop Tales (2019) | |
| Upcoming | Uzumaki (2021) • Fena: Pirate Princess (2021) • Blade Runner: Black Lotus (2021) • Tuca & Bertie (2021) • Teenage Euthanasia (2021) • Birdgirl (TBA) • Shenmue (TBA) | |
| See also | Adult Swim pilots and specials | |
| Williams Street | ||
|---|---|---|
| Members | Mike Lazzo • Keith Crofford • Matt Harrigan • Dave Willis • Matt Maiellaro • C. Martin Croker | |
| Assets | Adult Swim (programming) • Toonami (programming • Jetstream) | |
| Record label | ATL RMX • Chocolate Swim • Definitive Swim • Garage Swim • Ghostly Swim • Ghostly Swim 2 • Metal Swim • NOISE • Unclassified • Warm & Scratchy • World Wide Renewal Program | |
| See also | Adult Swim in a Box • Cartoon Network • Super Deluxe | |