Men in Black: The Series

Men in Black: The Series
Genre	Science fiction/Action
Format	Animated series
Developed by	Adelaide Productions Columbia Tristar Television
Voices of	Ed O'Ross Gregg Berger Keith Diamond Jennifer Lien Jennifer Martin Charles Napier
Theme music composer	Jim Latham
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	4
No. of episodes	53 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Laurie MacDonald Walter F. Parkes Richard Raynis Rafael Rosado
Producer(s)	Kim Bass Duane Capizzi Frank Paur
Running time	22–24 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	The WB
Original run	October 11, 1997 (1997-10-11) – June 30, 2001 (2001-06-30)
Chronology
Preceded by	Men in Black

Men in Black: The Series (informally MIB: The Series) is an American animated television series that aired during The WB's Kids' WB programming block for four seasons^[1] from 1997 through 2001.

The show features characters from 1997's science fiction film Men in Black^[2], which was based on the comic book series The Men in Black by Lowell Cunningham^[3], originally published by Aircel Comics.

MIB: The Series was made by Adelaide Productions Inc. (a unit of Sony Pictures Television) as a half-hour series airing on Saturday mornings originally and then moving to weekdays.

Premise

MIB: The Series was based on the 1997 blockbuster Men In Black and continued where the film left off, though with some minor changes. Agent K remained an agent^[2] and partner to Agent J (although a Marvel Comics one-shot revealed that K's memories were restored in an unseen case). Agent L was moved to the lab inside MiB Headquarters. The headquarters itself was no longer under the ventilator building of the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, but now at what looked like a disused area under LaGuardia airport. These differences are possibly addressed in one episode of the series, where it is revealed that every so often some writer or Hollywood-type learns of the MIB and makes a movie about them, possibly hinting that the live-action movie was one of these incidents. There were some further differences in appearances in the characters in the cartoon. Agent L had blond hair and a different hairstyle, Agent J did not have a mustache, Edgar bug (in a Flashback sequence) was given an appearance that resembled his look in the comic adaptation of the film, and Zed in the movie had dark hair and a goatee, whereas in the series he had white hair and no goatee. Zed's eyes were dramatically shaded in to give an impression of a lack of sleep. After season one, Agent K also received a facial redesign that made him appear younger, with the lines in his face removed and his eye color changed from brown to blue.

The show had varied writing in its episodes. Some episodes were based on the plot to the film, and brought back characters like the Bug, and the Arquillians, though these are portrayed as peaceful and benevolent. MIB: The Series itself had a long-running plot where the Men In Black fought Alpha, a former MIB chief who previously had been Agent K's friend and mentor. Eventually, Alpha had turned maverick with greed and sought to achieve immortality by assimilating rare alien body parts into his body. He returned numerous times and his appearance grew grislier each time with the help of the 'Cosmic Integrator', a device that let him combine alien appendages to his own body.

Ultimately, the basic plot formula was for the MIB to protect the Earth from harm, and this extended into keeping peace throughout the galaxy. Technology, as well as intergalactic politics and peacekeeping played a part, along with common criminal activity on a science fiction level.

Besides Agent K, the founding members of the MIB were Agents T, H, Q, and D (Kay's first partner from the first movie).

A cliche in the series was a scene where it seems like Agent K was killed in some terrible way, only to be proven alive later in the episode. Another running gag in the series was Kay frequently denying Jay's requests to drive his car. Also, Jay's primary weapon is "the Noisy Cricket" that no longer sounds like a cricket chirping; Jay still hasn't gotten used to the kick it creates. In the second season, Jay upgraded the weapon with a suppressor which limited the violent kicks.

Characters

Along with Agents J, K and Elle (L), the show included a larger cast of regular and semi-regular characters. Some were based from their film counterparts while others were new additions to the MIB Universe.

Characters to return from the film:

• Agent K

• Agent J

• Elle (Agent L)

• Chief Zed – the Head of MiB

• Agent D (Agent D) – Kay's retired former partner who along with Kay was a founding member of the MIB. He briefly appears in "The Head Trip Syndrome" enjoying his retirement with his wife, before he is wiped out of existence due to the actions of a time traveling alien-hating bigot. However, history is restored by the actions of Agent Kay and a Cerebro-Enhanced Agent Jay.

• Jack Jeebs the Pawnshop Alien – a humanoid alien who runs a pawn shop, carrying both alien and human merchandise. Jeebs' head is frequently blasted off but grows back. Unlike his brother, he hates the stinging sensation caused by the process.

• Edgar the Bug – A bug alien that eats a lot of sugar and was a personal friend of Frank. He has only been mentioned in one episode and in the flashback he was destroyed by Agent L. His clone appeared in seasons 3 and 4 where he joins the MiB.

• Frank the Pug

• The Worm Aliens (The Worm Guys) – the four alien Worms that love coffee. On the show, they know many figures of speech and the MiB rulebook inside-out.

• Arquillians – a diminutive and pacifist race

• Baltians – the first aliens encountered by the original agents of MIB. They are a tall, slender species that vaguely resemble Grey Aliens. Agent K gave them flowers to greet them. The Baltians return to Earth every ten years to provide new alien technologies to help fund MIB.

• The Twins (Idikiukup and Bob)

Additions to the program:

• Alpha AKA Agent A – K's former mentor who got greedy with alien technology and now uses it to integrate alien body parts into his body. He is the sworn enemy of the MIB and Agent Kay, battling them over the series before being jailed with his alien parts removed and placed on life support. Near the finale, allying himself with Vangus after escaping the MIB, Alpha turned himself into a cyborg. J often mockingly calls him "Alfalfa".

• Buzzard – a Zombarian bounty hunter who is an occasional adversary of Agent's Jay and Kay.

• Dak Jeebs – Jack Jeebs' twin brother. Like Jeebs he is immortal, yet unlike Jeebs he actually likes the "stinging" sensation that occurs when his head is blown off. Considers himself to be the more handsome of the two.

• Drekk – He has a rap sheet "longer than Van Allen's belt" according to Zed. First see him a week after he broke out of the Alpha-Centuri Maximum Security wing. Certified psycho felon and former cell-mate of Frank the Pug. Drekk shoots fire out of the palms of his hands and likes to plan getting even with everyone that has crossed him since the first grade, usually by boiling them alive real slow. Has a bad habit of picking his feet.

• The Emperor Worm – The King of the Worm Guys' home planet. It's revealed that drinking coffee is only reserved for royalty and is upset that the Worm Guys stayed on Earth to drink coffee.

• Agent T (Agent T) – One of the Founding Members of the MIB. Once mistook an Ivatokki gender changer for a phone booth.

• Agent H – One of the Founding Members of the MIB. Was responsible for most of MIB's medical equipment.

• Agent Q – One of the Founding Members of the MIB. Was responsible for the weapons and vehicles of MIB. In "The Head Trip Syndrome", when Q was erased from history, all the weapons and vehicles he developed were erased too, as well as reducing MIB headquarters to a manicure workshop.

• Aileen – A female alien MiB Agent who has a long working (and romantic) relationship with Kay. Aileen is a blue skinned humanoid (members of her species can transform their hands into tendrils). She lost her former partner to an alien shapeshifter called an Inanimate. She is later assigned another partner named Eidi, whom she treats similarly to Kay's treatment of Jay (such as not being allowed to drive). Like Kay, she is a legendary agent on her home planet.

• Eidi – Aileen's rookie partner who was assigned to her some point after the capture of the Inanimate. She is the same species as Aileen, yet is taller and slightly bulkier. She makes her first appearance in "The Sonic Boom Syndrome" working aside Aileen transporting a sonic powered alien named Aldoosi into MIB custody (this also happens to be her first case), only for Aldoosi to escape during transport (forcing her and Aileen to team up with Jay and Kay). Eidi becomes intent on recapturing Aldoosi (as she views his escape as a failure on her part). While chasing Aldoosi with Jay, she commandeers the LTD (despite Jay objections and her own admission that Aileen doesn't let her drive either) and ends up crashing it (however Jay takes the blame for Eidi's crashing of the LTD). Working together Jay & Eidi manage to capture Aldoosi. Eidi and Jay bond while working the case due to their shared status as being rookie agents who happen to be partnered with their planet's best agent (Jay to Kay and Eidi to Aileen).

• Agent U – An average MIB Agent who is a bit of a kiss-up. His name before joining MIB was Upton (which Jay easily deduced). There is a running gag where U's MIB codename and the word "you" are often confused.

• Agent E – who was also a Hollywood Agent, specializing in getting work for aliens in movies and television shows. Most of her clients resemble aliens like the Xenomorph and Alf.

• Agent X – a big-earred, green-skinned alien originating from the G-Dan galaxy. X was recruited into in MIB as Elle's partner in Season 4, to smooth over human-alien relations. X's demeanor is usually callous towards humans, believing that humans have a superiority complex. Though he has an impeccable record, X was suspended six times in his home galaxy.

• Dr. Zan'dozz Zeeltor – a blue-skinned humanoid alien who replaces Elle as chief scientific officer of MIB in Season 4. He is very eccentric about the simple items around Earth. Most of his inventions usually cause more harm around Jay, such as a sticky note pad that started to constrict him. Zeeltor has a pet named Lucy, or more specifically a Futavian colony bacteria that makes a roaring sound.

• Klah'Mikk – a paperwork filing alien.

• The Bugs in Edgar's family, including his twin brother Edwin and the Queen.

• The Fmecks – The evil warmongering counterparts of the Arquillians.

• The Ixions, including Vangus – A race of oil-loving creatures of habit.

• Zanzar Canicus (Troy) the Symbiote – A young adventurous symbiote who has a playful relationship with J. His dream is to work for the MiB, much to his mother's distress.

Cast

• Agent Kay (K): Season 1: Ed O'Ross Seasons 2–4: Gregg Berger^[3]
• Agent Jay (J): Keith Diamond^[3]
• Agent Elle (L): Seasons 1–3: Jennifer Lien Season 4: Jennifer Martin
• Agent X (Season 4): Adam Baldwin
• Zed: Charles Napier
• Dr. Zan'dozz Zeeltor (Season 4): Steve Kehela
• The Twins: Pat Pinney as Blblup and Pat Fraley as Bob
• The Worm Aliens: Pat Pinney and Pat Fraley as two worms each.
• Aileen: Beth Broderick
• Jeebs: Tony Shalhoub reprised his role for a few episodes, but ultimately was replaced by Billy West.
• Frank the Pug: Eddie Barth
• Alpha: David Warner
• Buzzard: Sherman Howard
• Edgar Bug/Edwin Bug/Queen Of The Bugs/Bug Aliens: Vincent D'Onofrio
• Troy the Symbiote: Rino Romano

Additional Cast

• Charlie Adler
• Carlos Alazraqui
• Joe Alaskey
• Tony Jay
• Tony Pope
• Miguel Ferrer
• Joanna Cassidy
• Jeff Bennett
• Phil Morris
• Pat Musick
• Valerie Pappas
• Jim Wise
• Charles Fleischer
• Cree Summer
• Clancy Brown
• Pam Dawber
• Debi Mae West
• David Daniels
• Gabriele Chateris
• Danny Mann
• Peter MacNicol
• Jess Harnell
• Thomas Dekker
• Peter Strauss
• John Rubinow
• Grey DeLisle
• Debi Derryberry
• Michael Gough
• Kevin Michael Richardson
• Jennifer Darling
• Susan Silo
• Joe Lala
• Pat Pinney
• Ed Gilbert
• Mark Rolston
• Sherman Howard
• Sheryl Bernstein
• Mark Hamill
• Rino Romano
• Mary Kay Bergman
• John Mariano
• John DiMaggio
• Susan Blu
• Maurice LaMarche
• Thomas F Wilson
• Roger Rose
• Alexander Polinsky
• Jennifer Hale
• Thom Adcox
• April Winchell
• Justin Jon Ross
• Dave Fennoy
• David Paymer
• Charity James

Episodes

Main article: List of Men in Black: The Series episodes

Syndication

The series ran briefly on Nickelodeon's SLAM! block in 2002. It also aired on Canada's YTV. It also aired in Sri Lanka.

The series is currently running on The Hub network as of October 10, 2010, 5:00 p.m. EST. As of at least August 12th 2011 the series is currently running on The Hub network as of October 10, 2010, 3:00 p.m. EST.

Home video

Six episodes from the first season have been released on three North American (NTSC) VHS video tapes, available separately or as a set. Sony Pictures Entertainment released the first season on DVD in Australia as two separate volumes (the first containing seven episodes, the second containing six) on July 4, 2007. The same volumes were released in the UK twelve days later. There are no announced plans for a Region 1 (North American) release at the present time, nor a complete series release in any region (as of July 2011).

References

1. ^ Fritz, Steve (September 18, 2000). "MEN IN BLACK and JACKIE CHAN ADVENTURES" (in English). Mania. USA. http://www.mania.com/men-black-jackie-chan-adventures_article_24267.html. Retrieved 7 May 2011. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Raiti, Gerard (January 9, 1998). "Mania: Animated Men in Black" (in English). Mania. Archived from the original on January 10, 1998. http://classic-web.archive.org/web/19980110193640/http://www.mania.com/tv/features/meninblack010998.html. Retrieved 7 May 2011. 
3. ^ ^{a b c} Allstetter, Rob (1998). "Mania: Men In Black Animated Series" (in English). Mania. USA. Archived from the original on January 16, 1999. http://classic-web.archive.org/web/19990116231756/http://www.mania.com/tv/features/mibcartoon.html. Retrieved 7 May 2011. 

External links

• Men in Black: The Series at the Internet Movie Database
• Men in Black: The Series at TV.com