Sci Fi TV Genre Gems: Forgotten magic and hidden treasures from the worlds of sci fi TV
What Is It? The Tick is a blue-clad superhero who is invulnerable, super strong, and also completely clueless. He believes he is a superhero straight from the comics (and perhaps he is) which leads to him having difficulties relating to the real world. Not that it stops him from gleefully fighting crime in his city, though, where he enlists the help of his sidekick/partner Arthur (aka the Moth) along with fellow crime-fighters Captain Liberty and Batmanuel.
Aired: FOX, 2001-02, One Season Totaling 9 Episodes
Starring: Patrick Warburton, David Burke, Nestor Carbonell, Liz Vassey
Created By: Ben Edlund
Why Does It Stand Out? This series offers the perfect superhero parody, highlighted by excellent performances and witty, well-written scripts.
Is It Must-Watch Sci Fi TV? Yes. With the prevalence of superhero TV shows and movies these days, this is one that genre fans should get on their must-watch list to see the series that beat them to the punch.
The Skinny: The Tick is based on the Ben Edlund comic of the same name and an animated series preceded the live-action version which ran for three seasons as part of the Fox Kids block in the 90’s. The live-action version skewed a little more to adult audiences, though it still had broad appeal similar to the animated series. And the casting is key to what made this such an excellent show. If ever there was a role that was a perfect fit for an actor, Patrick Warburton (best known as Putty from Seinfeld) as the Tick is it. His deadpan yet gleeful approach to the character was spot on and helped the show rise above the level of a one-joke spoof. And the supporting cast helped kick the show to the next level as well. Despite Warburton’s dominating presence, he doesn’t steal all the best lines as the other heroes (and the rotating villains) each manage to hold their own next to the central hero. Excellent writing (with Edlund penning several of the scripts) helped the show stand out as well.
Sadly, though, The Tick was a TV series ahead of its time. The MCU movies and the Arrow-verse were still several years away, with the newly launched X-Men and Spider-Man films as the primary franchises trying to carry the flickering superhero torch at that time. Plus, the fact that the Batman movies had descended into self-parody may have made The Tick seem superfluous to some. Had this incarnation of The Tick appeared ten to fifteen years later, it might have found a larger audience and a television network that would support it better than FOX did. However, this type of show can probably only stay fresh and relevant for a limited amount of time before descending into farce (parody is hard to stretch out), so it may have always been headed to a shortened run (as Amazon’s reboot may have proved, more on that below). But at least a couple more seasons would have been appreciated from this show. Still, the one and only season is definitely worth seeking out and it will not leave you hanging because it did not work in any story arcs. It will definitely leave you with a smile on your face, but you will find yourself wanting more.
>But The Tick on DVD from Amazon.com
Cancelled Too Soon? Yes. Timing was an issue for this show as was scheduling. It debuted only two months after the 911 attacks, and its over-the-top comedy did not sit well with the dark mood that had settled across the country. In addition, it was also scheduled opposite NBC’s juggernaut sitcom Friends, one of the worse slots it could land in. FOX did little to help as their promotion for the show was sparse, and many people just did not know that it was airing. This all led to low ratings and a quick cancellation after only nine episodes.
Should It Be Rebooted? Whether or not is should be, it was by Amazon in 2016. Patrick Warburton was involved with that one as an executive producer, but sadly he did not return to the lead role. Peter Serafinowicz did a pretty darn good job with his interpretation, and the new series was well-received by fans. But Amazon cancelled it after only two seasons which totaled 22 episodes. Another reboot is probably not a good idea at this point, but if they could get Warburton to don the blue suit one more time, plenty of people would tune in for that.
Interesting Fact: Batmanuel and Captain Liberty were created for the live-action series because the studio did not have all the rights to the characters from the animated show. Batmanuel replaced Die Fledermaus while Captain Liberty stepped in for American Maid.
Where Can You Watch It? The entire series has been released on DVD and is currently available at a very economical price. It is not currently streaming on any of the major services, but you can purchase it VOD from Amazon and other sellers.
Read More About the Series: Wikipedia | IMDb.com
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“It is also available for streaming on Prime Video with Amazon Prime membership.”
Where is this? I searched Amazon and there’s https://www.amazon.com/The-Terror/dp/B0013SL6WE/ but, at least in the US, that’s for purchase and *not* included with an Amazon Prime membership.
I’d love to be able to conveniently stream this, without the hassle of ripping DVDs and all that. Thanks for any details!
Apparently it is no longer included with Amazon Prime, I have updated the article with that info. It is available for purchase VOD and it only costs $7.99 for the entire series as of this writing.