clonehigh

Clone High (alternatively titled Clone High U.S.A.) is an adult animated comedy series that parodies the teen drama genre. It is an American-Canadian co-production created by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and Bill Lawrence. It ran from November 2nd, 2002 to March 2nd, 2003 on MTV and Teletoon. The theme song to the show is written by Liam Lynch and performed by alternative rock band Abandoned Pools, who also provided much of the series' background music.

The series first premiered in Canada on Teletoon on November 2, 2002, before premiering in the United States on MTV on January 20, 2003. The series was cancelled on March 2, 2003 with one season. The last five episodes were never broadcast in the United States.

On May 23, 2023 the series was revived with a second season, which aired worldwide on Max. This revival was later announced to have been cancelled after 2 seasons on July 26th, 2024, ending the franchise with a total of 3 seasons, spanning 33 episodes. [1]

Premise

Clone High is set in a high school 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 clones of famous historical figures that have been created and raised with the intent of having their various strengths and abilities harnessed by the armed forces. The principal of the high school, Cinnamon J. Scudworth, has his own plans for the clones, and secretly tries to undermine the wishes of the Board. Scudworth wants to use the clones to create a clone-themed amusement park, dubbed "Cloney Island", his intentions with the clones being decidedly less evil than those of the Board. He is assisted by the robotic vice principal, Mr. Butlertron, who is programmed to call everyone "Wesley".

The main protagonists of Clone High are the clones of Abraham Lincoln, Jeanne D'arc, and (in the first season) Mahatma Gandhi. Much of the plot of the show revolves around the attempts of Abe to woo the vain and promiscuous clone of Cleopatra VII of Egypt, while being oblivious to the fact that Joan of Arc is attracted to him. Meanwhile, John F. Kennedy's clone (referred to as "JFK"), a macho, narcissistic womanizer, is also attempting to win over Cleopatra, and has a long-standing rivalry with Abe.

Many celebrities, including Tom Green, Andy Dick, Mandy Moore, John Stamos, Marilyn Manson, Michael J. Fox, and Jack Black make guest appearances on the show (sometimes as themselves). In addition, there are many portrayals of clones of famous historical figures, such as Julius Caesar, Catherine the Great, Genghis Khan, Vincent Van Gogh, Juan Ponce de León, Maria Sklodowska-Curie (who is deformed, due to radiation damage to her DNA), and even Jesus Christ (portrayed as a Latino man named Jesús Cristo).

Humor

Much of the humor in the show comes from the large contrast between the personality of the clones and the actual values and legacy of the historical figures they are descended from. For instance, Gandhi is portrayed as a hyperactive jerk-with-a-heart-of-gold whose biggest dream is to be accepted by those around him, in contrast to his historical legacy of calm nonviolence. Abe Lincoln is similarly portrayed as weak and indecisive, completely lacking the resolve of the 16th United States President whose DNA he shares. All of the clones are also given mismatched foster parents who have little in common with them. Gandhi's parents are a stereotypical Jewish-American couple, while JFK is raised by a gay interracial couple; Joan's "foster grandpa" is an elderly blind musician similar to Ray Charles named Toots, who fills the stereotypical wise old man role found in most teen shows.

The show also includes humor based on the historical figures themselves. For example, the diner the clones frequent is called The Grassy Knoll, a nod to the JFK assassination conspiracy theory about a second shooter, often dubbed "the Man on the Grassy Knoll". Other references seen are the flag at The Grassy Knoll being permanently at half mast and the car on the roof of the diner containing the original JFK's body leaning over the edge. There are pictures of assassinations hanging on the walls of the restaurant, such as the famous Currier and Ives print of the Lincoln assassination (though this version is in color and considerably more graphic than the original print). The genetic ancestors of all of the main five clones died of similarly irregular causes: three assassinations, one execution, and one suicide. Other historical figure-based humor includes offhand coincidental remarks to other students, such as Abe mentioning that the clone of Napoleon I of France is so annoying because of "some kind of complex", or Gandhi telling a rude Catherine II of Russoc to "get off her high horse".

The show is also a parody of "issue" episodes of high-school themed comedies; in fact, almost every episode opens with a voice-over parodying the "very special episodes" of TV shows. Episodes center on various social issues, including Gandhi being shunned by his school for having ADD (because of misinformation about the disorder), parodying shows which tackle AIDS awareness (it even included a special guest celebrity who tries to educate the students). Other episodes tackle drug use (smoking raisins), the environment, and underage drinking in a similarly ridiculous fashion. In a clear sign that it is parodying the high school genre, it even ends at prom: a stereotypical "high school show" ending. Even the prom is a joke however, as we learn it is only the Winter Prom.

There was a running gag that creators Phil Lord and Christopher Miller wanted to include in the show "where Clone High – being an exaggeration of typical high schools in teen dramas – would have many proms throughout the year". Planned proms included "an Early Winter Prom, a Late Winter/Early Spring Prom, a Mid-Semester Prom, a Post-Prom Clean Up Prom, etc". Due to the show's early cancellation, the only references to this joke are the Homecoming Prom in "Homecoming: A Shot in D'Arc", and the winter prom in episode 13, "Changes: The Big Prom: The Sex Romp: The Season Finale".

During the process of writing an episode, the writers would all get together to pitch jokes. Often, a writer would pitch an extension onto a joke, then another writer would pitch another extension, and so on, until it became what the writers called a "wacky stack", a joke so bloated and over-written that it was no longer funny.

Characters

Main cast

School faculty

Other students

Parents

Episodes

See List of Clone High Episodes

Reboot

On July 2, 2020, MTV announced that the show will return as a revival, with all original creators returning. [1] The revival premiered on May 23, 2023.

References

  1. ↑ https://www.indiewire.com/2020/07/mtv-rebooting-clone-high-1234571244/