Clone High

Clone High (Clone High, USA in the United States) is an American animated sitcom created by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and Bill Lawrence for MTV. It premiered on November 2, 2002, in Canada, and January 20, 2003, in the United States. Set in a fictional high school populated by the clones of well-known historical figures, the series follows its central cast which includes adolescent depictions of Abraham Lincoln, Joan of Arc, Mahatma Gandhi, Cleopatra and JFK. The series also serves as a parody of teen dramas such as Dawson's Creek, Degrassi, and Beverly Hills, 90210; every episode is humorously introduced as a "very special episode" with narration provided by Will Forte. Lord and Miller first developed the series' concept, originally titled Clone High School, USA!, while at Dartmouth College in the 1990s, later pitching it to executives of the Fox Broadcasting Company during their tenure at Disney, who ultimately decided to pass on the program. The rights were purchased by Viacom International to air on their cable channel MTV, producing the series between 2002 and 2003; Disney's television arm Touchstone Television retains a production credit. The show's design is heavily stylized and its animation style is limited, emphasizing humor and story over visuals.…

Clone High (Clone High, USA in the United States) is an American animated sitcom created by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and Bill Lawrence for MTV. It premiered on November 2, 2002, in Canada, and January 20, 2003, in the United States. Set in a fictional high school populated by the clones of well-known historical figures, the series follows its central cast which includes adolescent depictions of Abraham Lincoln, Joan of Arc, Mahatma Gandhi, Cleopatra and JFK. The series also serves as a parody of teen dramas such as Dawson's Creek, Degrassi, and Beverly Hills, 90210; every episode is humorously introduced as a "very special episode" with narration provided by Will Forte. Lord and Miller first developed the series' concept, originally titled Clone High School, USA!, while at Dartmouth College in the 1990s, later pitching it to executives of the Fox Broadcasting Company during their tenure at Disney, who ultimately decided to pass on the program. The rights were purchased by Viacom International to air on their cable channel MTV, producing the series between 2002 and 2003; Disney's television arm Touchstone Television retains a production credit. The show's design is heavily stylized and its animation style is limited, emphasizing humor and story over visuals. The Clone High theme song, "Master (Clone High Theme)", was written by Tommy Walter and performed by his alternative rock band Abandoned Pools. The series was produced by its co-creator Bill Lawrence, who also produced Scrubs, Spin City and Cougar Town. Many Scrubs alumni, such as Zach Braff, Donald Faison, Sarah Chalke, John C. McGinley, Neil Flynn, and Christa Miller, provided the voices of characters in Clone High for free, with Flynn also reprising his role from Scrubs as the Janitor (Glenn) in a recurring role. Writing and voice work were done at North Hollywood Medical Center, where Scrubs was filmed. The first season premiered on now-defunct Canadian cable channel Teletoon's late-night programming block The Detour on Teletoon on November 2, 2002, and MTV in the United States on January 20, 2003. It became embroiled in controversy regarding its depiction of Gandhi soon afterward, which prompted over 100 people¹ in India to mount a hunger strike in response from India's parliament members and Gandhi's great-grandson. Shortly after, MTV canceled the series, which had been receiving low ratings; the last episodes of the first season were seen in 2016 on the rebranded MTV Classic in the United States. Clone High received mixed reviews from television critics upon its premiere, but it has since received critical acclaim and a cult following. On July 2, 2020, it was announced that a revival of the series was in development at MTV Entertainment Studios with the creators Lord, Miller, and Lawrence returning. On February 10, 2021, it was announced that HBO Max had ordered two seasons of the revival, which premiered on May 23, 2023. The second season of the revival (third season overall) premiered with all ten episodes on February 1, 2024. On July 26, 2024, the revival of the series was canceled after two seasons, leaving the series on another cliffhanger. ==Premise== Clone High is set in a high school in the fictional town of Exclamation, USA, that is secretly being run as an elaborate military experiment orchestrated by a government office called the Secret Board of Shadowy Figures. The school is entirely populated by the clones of famous historical figures who were created in the 1980s and raised with the intent of having their different strengths and abilities harnessed by the United States military. The principal of the high school, mad scientist Cinnamon J. Scudworth, who wants to use the clones to create a clone-themed amusement park, dubbed "Cloney Island", has his plans for the clones and secretly tries to undermine the wishes of the Board. He is assisted by his robot butler/vice principal/dehumidifier, Mr. Butlertron, who is programmed to call everyone "Wesley" and speak in three distinct intonations. The show centers on the clones of five famous figures: Abe Lincoln, Joan of Arc, Cleopatra, JFK, and Gandhi. The central plot of the show revolves around the clones going through day-to-day struggles and navigating boundaries. The show also involves Abe having to either realize and reciprocate the feelings of Joan of Arc, who is attracted to him, or stay with the vain and promiscuous clone of Cleopatra. Meanwhile, JFK's clone, a macho, narcissistic womanizer, is also attempting to win over Cleopatra and has a long-standing rivalry with Abe. ===Season 1 (2002–03)=== This was the only season to be created in traditional digital ink-and-paint animation by Rough Draft Studios. ===Season 2 (2023)=== Seasons 2 and 3 were produced in Flash animation by ShadowMachine and Animation services was done by Jam Filled Entertainment. ===Season 3 (2024)=== ==Production== ==Release== Clone High was originally slated to premiere at the same time in Canada and the United States. The first episode debuted on November 2, 2002, on the Canadian cable network Teletoon. Reruns of the series were formerly aired on Teletoon's now-defunct Teletoon at Night (formerly known as "Teletoon Detour") block. Also, it briefly aired on MTV Canada, Razer (now MTV2), and Much and currently airs on Adult Swim in Canada. In the United States, the series premiered on January 20, 2003, on MTV. Clone High was a commercial failure, and it suffered low ratings during the run. After MTV publicists finished an apology to India on the show's depiction of Gandhi on its press, Lord and Miller were forced to cancel the show. The remaining episodes can be viewed on unauthorized websites in the United States. In 2016, the entire first season aired in the United States for the first time on MTV Classic. ===Initial reviews=== Upon the first season's premiere, Clone High initially received mixed reviews from television critics. On Metacritic, the show has a score of 60 out of 100 based on seven reviews from critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Several critics likened the "enjoyably nervy" humor to that of Curb Your Enthusiasm. In a positive review, Dakota Loomis of Flak Magazine stated that "Clone High is original, quirky and worthwhile television, head and shoulders above the endlessly replicating reality show rabble." David Bianculli of the New York Daily News gave the series three stars, praising the vocal talents as "entertaining" and listed the show's depictions of Joan of Arc and Cleopatra as the show's best central characters. He concluded, "Clone High is the highest of high concepts, a weird idea even for a season that brings us Joe Millionaire." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Rob Owen complimented the show: "Yes, Clone High has the MTV-requisite sexual innuendo, but it's more clever than much of what passes for humor in prime time today. And like Scrubs, it has heart, particularly when it comes to Abe and Joan." Anita Gates of The New York Times opined that "the dialogue isn't always exactly funny, but it's smile worthy," observing, "the characters are intriguing in a lightweight way but could lose their appeal fast." Scott Sandell of the Los Angeles Times felt that the show's debut episode "doesn't quite live up to the obvious comedic potential behind the killer premise." The Hollywood Reporter Michael Farkash felt similarly, writing, "The premise sounds intriguing, but what hatches in the first episode is a disappointing, weak strain of comic material, lacking the cunning, subversive quality of, say, South Park." ===Home video and streaming=== On January 24, 2005, Nelvana announced on Corus Entertainment's website that Clone High, along with several others, would be released on home video with the retail initiative Teletoon Presents. The series was released as "The Complete First Season" in Canada by Kaboom! Entertainment and Nelvana. The DVD contains every episode from the original first season, including the five episodes which did not originally air in the United States. As of 2023, the series is available to be streamed on Paramount+ in the United States. On April 14, 2023, the first season was added to Max, ahead of the revival's premiere. The revival, alongside the first season of the original show, was added to Hulu in October 2024. ==See also== ===Fictional works with a similar premise=== "The Savage Curtain" (Star Trek episode) Riverworld Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure Night at the Museum series Afterschool Charisma ===Related overall themes=== Cultural depictions of Abraham Lincoln Cultural depictions of Joan of Arc Cultural depictions of John F. Kennedy Cultural depictions of Cleopatra List of artistic depictions of Mahatma Gandhi Dolly the sheep ==Notes== ==References== ==External links== Clone High on Max Official behind the scenes website (2002–2003) (2023–present)

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