Regular Show (season 1)

Regular Show (season 1)
Blu-ray cover
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	12
Release
Original network	Cartoon Network
Original release	September 6 – November 22, 2010
Season chronology

The first season of American animated television series Regular Show originally aired on Cartoon Network in the United States. Many of the characters are loosely based on those developed for J.G. Quintel's student films at California Institute of the Arts: The Naïve Man From Lolliland and 2 in the AM PM. Quintel pitched Regular Show for Cartoon Network's Cartoonstitute project, in which the network allowed young artists to create pilots with no notes to possibly be optioned as a show. After being green-lit, Quintel recruited several indie comic book artists, plus some of the crew members he had worked with on The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, to compose the staff of the show, as their style matched close to what he desired for the series. Regular Show was picked up by Cartoon Network, who decided to create a twelve-episode first season.

The first episode of Regular Show's first season is "The Power", ending with the season finale "Mordecai and the Rigbys". The season was storyboarded and written by J. G. Quintel, Sean Szeles, Shion Takeuchi, Mike Roth, Jake Armstrong, Benton Connor, Kat Morris, Paul Scarlata, and Kent Osborne, while being produced by Cartoon Network Studios. The show is rated TV-PG for rude language, mild sexual innuendo, and suggestive humor/themes, and occasionally TV-PG-V for mild to moderate violence, including comic slapstick, fantasy violence, scenes of peril and threat, nonlethal use of explosives, weapons, and firearms, and visual and verbal references to death and dying. Despite not airing on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim line-up, it is considered more of a traditional adult's animated comedy than a children's cartoon.

Development

Concept

Two 23-year-old friends,^[1] a blue jay named Mordecai and a raccoon named Rigby, are employed as groundskeepers at a park and spend their days trying to slack off and entertain themselves by any means. This is much to the chagrin of their boss Benson and their coworker, Skips, but to the delight of Pops. Their other coworkers, Muscle Man (an overweight green man) and High Five Ghost (a ghost with a hand extending from the top of his head), serve as rivals to Mordecai and Rigby.^[2] The show usually revolves around Mordecai and Rigby's attempts to avoid work and enjoy themselves. However, they often, at times, have to pay for their irresponsible actions, as they always get into more trouble than they thought. This typically results in Mordecai and Rigby going through bizarre and surrealistic misadventures, many of which nearly kill them or others around them.

Production

Many of the characters are loosely based on those developed for Quintel's student films at California Institute of the Arts: The Naive Man From Lolliland and 2 in the AM PM.^[3] Quintel pitched Regular Show for Cartoon Network's Cartoonstitute project, in which the network allowed young artists to create pilots with no notes to possibly be optioned as a show. After being green-lit, Quintel recruited several indie comic book artists to compose the staff of the show, as their style matched close to what he desired for the series. The season was storyboarded and written by J. G. Quintel, Sean Szeles, Shion Takeuchi, Mike Roth, Jake Armstrong, Benton Connor, Kat Morris, Paul Scarlata and Kent Osborne, while being produced by Cartoon Network Studios. Roth is Creative Director and Janet Dimon is producer. The show is rated TV-PG for rude language, mild sexual innuendo, and suggestive humor/themes, and occasionally TV-PG-V for mild to moderate violence, including comic slapstick, fantasy violence, scenes of peril and threat, nonlethal use of explosives, weapons, and firearms, and visual and verbal references to death and dying. Despite not airing on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim line-up, it is considered more of a traditional adult's animated comedy than a children's cartoon.

The first season of Regular Show was produced with heavy use of double entendres and mildly offensive language. Quintel stated that, although the network wanted to step up from the more child-oriented fare, there were some restrictions that came along with this switch.

Cast

J. G. Quintel, creator of the show and voice of Mordecai, based the show off his student films produced at CalArts

The voice actors include Quintel himself (who portrays Mordecai) and William Salyers (as Rigby). Quintel states that the writing crew tries to "come up with dialogue that sounds conversational and not too cartoony so that the characters are more relatable." In addition, Sam Marin portrays the voice of Benson, Pops, and Muscle Man, and Mark Hamill provides the voice of Skips, a yeti groundskeeper.

The character of Mordecai embodies Quintel during his college years, specifically at CalArts: "That's that time when you're hanging out with your friends and getting into stupid situations, but you're also taking it seriously enough."^[4] The character of Rigby developed randomly when Quintel drew a raccoon hula-hooping on a Post-It. He liked the design and developed the character of Rigby to be a jerk character who is far more irresponsible than his companion.^[5]

Reception

The season received generally positive reviews from most critics, gaining a Metascore—a weighted average based on the impression of critical reviews—of 76 percent. Critics enjoyed the risque and adult innuendos and humor, the animation style, and the voice acting.^[6]

Episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Written and storyboarded by	Original air date [7]	Prod. code [8]	U.S. viewers (millions)
1	1	"The Power"	J. G. Quintel	September 6, 2010	697-003	2.10[9]
Slacker park workers Mordecai (an anthropomorphic bluejay) and Rigby (an anthropomorphic raccoon) use a magic keyboard (left behind by a wizard who was urinating in a bush) to give them anything they want, but things take a turn for the worst when they accidentally use the keyboard to send Skips (a yeti and the park's resident handyman) to the moon and must find a way to get him back with help before the moon monster destroys them.
2	2	"Just Set Up the Chairs"	Sean Szeles and Shion Takeuchi	September 13, 2010	697-004	1.90[10]
When Mordecai and Rigby are assigned to set up chairs for a birthday party, they choose to play an old arcade game instead and accidentally unleash a chaotic villain from the game and must defeat it before it destroys the park.
3	3	"Caffeinated Concert Tickets"	J. G. Quintel, and J. G. Quintel with Mike Roth (story)	September 20, 2010	697-001	1.72[11]
Mordecai and Rigby work overtime in order make extra money to buy tickets to a concert, but then blindly make a deal with a giant coffee bean and its Japanese translator that quickly backfires on them. Song: "Working for the Weekend" by Loverboy Guest voices: S. Scott Bullock as the Giant Coffee Bean
4	4	"Death Punchies"	J. G. Quintel, Mike Roth, and Jake Armstrong	September 27, 2010	N/A	1.98[12]
Rigby steals instructions from "Death Kwon Do" on how to perform a powerful punching move in order to beat Mordecai at a game where he always gets punched. But it backfires when Mordecai discover his secret and use a block move to counter the powerful punch. Song: "You're the Best" by Joe Esposito
5	5	"Free Cake"	Kat Morris and Paul Scarlata	October 4, 2010	N/A	2.10[13]
Mordecai and Rigby plan to throw a surprise birthday party for Skips so they can eat free cake, but realize their accident ruins Skips ritual to stay immortal. Guest voices: Robin Atkin Downes as Gary and David Kaye as the Guardians of Eternal Youth
6	6	"Meat Your Maker"	Sean Szeles and Shion Takeuchi	October 11, 2010	N/A	1.87[14]
Mordecai and Rigby get trapped in a meat locker while searching for hot dogs after Rigby sets them on fire with too much oil. They meet talking hot dogs who agree to help them, but their real goal is to eat them instead. Guest voices: Tim Curry as the leader of the talking hot dogs.
7	7	"Grilled Cheese Deluxe"	Sean Szeles and Shion Takeuchi	October 18, 2010	697-008	2.16[15]
After eating Benson's grilled cheese sandwich and being sent out to get him another one, Mordecai and Rigby compete with each other to see who can lie better, which quickly gets them into bigger trouble with two astronauts that they try to impress. Song: "Lies" by The Thompson Twins
8	8	"The Unicorns Have Got to Go"	Kat Morris and Paul Scarlata	October 25, 2010	N/A	2.42[16]
Mordecai buys a new cologne to attract Margaret, but instead attracts a gang of troublemaking unicorns and must find a way to get rid of them.
9	9	"Prank Callers"	J. G. Quintel, Mike Roth, and Kent Osborne	November 1, 2010	N/A	2.10[17]
Mordecai and Rigby are sent back to 1982 after attempting to prank call the "Master Prank Caller" and need help to get back to their normal time. Guest voices: Tim Curry as the Master Prank Caller
10	10	"Don"	Benton Connor, Kat Morris, and J. G. Quintel	November 8, 2010	N/A	2.09[18]
Rigby's taller-in-size but younger-in-age brother, Don, is called to the park to save it from financial ruin much to Rigby's annoyance. Rigby's refusal to be Don's "sugar" cause the park to slowly disappear. This forces Rigby to reconcile his differences to his brother. Guest voices: Julian Dean as Don
11	11	"Rigby's Body"	J. G. Quintel and Mike Roth	November 15, 2010	697-002	1.93[19]
When Rigby's body forces itself out of his consciousness after he eats too much junk food, Mordecai and Skips try to return him back to normal before the change becomes permanent, but the bodybuilder also wants Rigby's body too. Guest voices: Jeff Bennett as the bodybuilder
12	12	"Mordecai and the Rigbys"	Sean Szeles and Shion Takeuchi Sean Szeles and J. G. Quintel (story)	November 22, 2010	N/A	2.03[20]
After Mordecai and Rigby accidentally pass themselves off as a real band, their future selves appear to help them out. But after finding out that it's a hoax, they end the band causing the future selves to disappear. Song: "Party Tonight" by Sean Szeles sung by Mordecai Guest voices: Paul F. Tompkins as the voice on Pops' "How To Be A Musician – with Sir Geoffrey" instructional records

Home video release

Regular Show: The Complete First & Second Seasons
Set details[21][22]				Special features[21][22]
40 episodes 2-disc set 1.78:1 aspect ratio Subtitles: English English (Dolby Stereo)				Commentaries for all 40 episodes The Unaired Regular Show Pilot Animatic for the Pilot Animatic for “The Power” Original Pencil Tests from Saerom CG Test for Hodgepodge Monster 2010 Comic Con Teaser Trailer The Naïve Man from Lolliland Student Short Party Tonight Music Video Interview with JG Quintel JG Pitches “The Power” Original Regular Show Commercials
Release dates
Region 1		Region 2		Region 4		Region A
July 16, 2013[21]		October 6, 2014[23]		October 2, 2013[24]		July 16, 2013[22]

References

1. "The Power". Regular Show. Season 1. Episode 1. September 6, 2010. Cartoon Network. Dude, we're 23 years old, we shouldn't be busting holes in walls.
2. Cruz, Eileen (April 21, 2010). "Toonzone at the Cartoon Network 2010 Upfront". Toonzone.net. Archived from the original on 2011-11-27. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
3. "JG Quintel - The Naive Man From Lolliland & 2 In The AM PM". YouTube. 2011-03-17. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
4. "Regular Show's J.G. Quintel Is Just a Regular Guy". Wired. April 3, 2012. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
5. Charles Webb (April 3, 2012). "Interview: The Regular Show Creator J.G. Quintel". MTV News. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
6. "Regular Show - Season 1 Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More". Metacritic. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
7. "Regular Show Season 1 episodes". TV Guide. Archived from the original on May 21, 2013. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
8. References for season 1 production codes:
   • Adams, Ben (October 7, 2010). "Regular Show Character Designs". Ben Adams Art Blog. Blogspot. Retrieved May 27, 2014.
9. Seidman, Robert (September 8, 2010). "Monday Cable Ratings : Boise St. Vs. Va. Tech Dominates; 'The Closer & 'Rizzoli & Isles' Get Bigger & Much More". TV by the Numbers. Zap2it. Retrieved March 19, 2011.
10. Seidman, Robert (September 15, 2010). "Monday Cable Ratings: 'American Pickers' & 'Pawn Stars' Continue to Shine & Much More". TV by the Numbers. Zap2it. Retrieved March 19, 2011.
11. Seidman, Robert (September 21, 2010). "Monday Cable Ratings: 'Saints–49ers' Dominate Monday; 'Pawn Stars' Still Holds Up OK Against Broadcast Originals & Much More". TV by the Numbers. Zap2it. Retrieved March 19, 2011.
12. Gorman, Bill (September 28, 2010). "Monday Cable Ratings : 'Packer-Bears' Huge; 'WWE Raw,' 'Weeds,' 'The Big C,' 'Buried Life' & Much More". TV by the Numbers. Zap2it. Retrieved March 19, 2011.
13. Seidman, Robert (October 5, 2010). "Monday Cable Ratings : Monday Night Football Down; 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' Premieres + 'WWE Raw,' 'Weeds' & Much More". TV by the Numbers. Zap2it. Retrieved March 19, 2011.
14. Gorman, Bill (October 12, 2010). "Monday Cable Ratings: Monday Night Football Up; 'Real Housewives of Atlanta,' 'American Pickers' Slip, MLB Playoffs & More". TV by the Numbers. Zap2it. Retrieved October 12, 2010.
15. Seidman, Robert (October 19, 2010). "Monday Cable Ratings: Monday Night Football Plunges, But Still On Top + Yankees/Rangers, Pawn Stars, WWE RAW, Real Housewives of Atlanta & Much More". TV by the Numbers. Zap2it. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
16. Gorman, Bill (October 26, 2010). "Monday Cable Ratings: Monday Night Football Giant(s); Pawn Stars Way Up Real Housewives, WWE RAW, Weeds & Much More". TV by the Numbers. Zap2it. Retrieved March 19, 2011.
17. Seidman, Robert (November 2, 2010). "Monday Cable Ratings : Monday Night Football Leads; Weeds, The Big C, WWE Raw, NeNe Rise; Pawn Stars Falls & Much More". TV by the Numbers. Zap2it. Retrieved March 19, 2011.
18. Gorman, Bill (November 9, 2010). "Monday Cable Ratings : Monday Night Football Tops; WWE RAW, Weeds, Hoarders, Cake Boss & Much More". TV by the Numbers. Zap2it. Retrieved March 19, 2011.
19. Seidman, Robert (November 16, 2010). "Monday Cable Ratings : Michael Vick Runs Over Redskins & Ratings + WWE RAW, Weeds, Hoarders, In Treatment & Much More". TV by the Numbers. Zap2it. Retrieved March 19, 2011.
20. Seidman, Robert (November 23, 2010). "Monday Cable Ratings : Monday Night Football Down, But Coasts to Victory + WWE RAW & More". TV by the Numbers. Zap2it. Archived from the original on January 31, 2011. Retrieved March 19, 2011.
21. "Regular Show: Season 1 & Season 2". Amazon.com. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
22. "Regular Show: The Complete First & Second Seasons Blu-ray". [blu-ray.com Blu-ray.com]/Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. March 14, 2013. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
23. "Regular Show - Season 1 [DVD] [2014]: Amazon.co.uk: J.G Quintel, William Salyers, Sam Marin, Mark Hamill, Roger Craig Smith, Janie Haddad Tompkins, Minty Lewis, Courtenay Taylor: DVD & Blu-ray". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
24. "Buy Regular Show: Season 1 on DVD-Video from EzyDVD.com.au". EzyDVD. Retrieved April 13, 2015.