Gary & Mike

Gary & Mike is an American adult animated sitcom that aired on UPN in 2001 and Comedy Central in 2003. It was Big Ticket Television’s first animated show. [1] The show was produced in stop motion clay animation and lasted only one season. A total of thirteen episodes were produced.[2] The series was initially proposed to Fox, but was eventually passed over to UPN. UPN had aired the episodes out of order, leading to inconsistencies within the plot serialization (save for the production placement of the third and fourth episodes).

Gary & Mike
Genre	Animated sitcom
Created by	Fax Bahr Adam Small
Developed by	Will Vinton Studios
Voices of	Harland Williams Christopher Moynihan Kurtwood Smith Bryan Cranston
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	13
Production
Executive producer(s)	Fax Bahr Adam Small Tom Turpin Will Vinton
Running time	20–23 mins
Production company(s)	Bahr-Small Productions Will Vinton Studios Big Ticket Television
Release
Original network	UPN
Original release	January 12 (2001-01-12) – April 13, 2001 (2001-04-13)

In addition to its own musical score with the title being composed by Bottlefly (as listed in the credits), the series has had a number of licensed songs that can be heard throughout most of the episodes. [3]

The Sizzle that was initially proposed to Fox was animated by Corky Quakenbush before the series was passed over to Will Vinton Studios. [4] It featured the songs Girls by Beastie Boys and Heroes by The Wallflowers. [5]

Plot summary

This mid-season replacement show was about best friends traveling across the United States on a road trip, accomplishing nothing of importance, and unwittingly destroying hopes, dreams, and personal property. Gary is a fairly normal, albeit high-strung, uptight, good hearted loser while Mike is the fun-loving, laid back, "best friend from hell" with a sex addiction. They meet hookers, mole people, and a scheming murderer, all while a vengeful father pursues Mike for bedding his daughter.

Although the final episode included a "to be continued" message, the show was canceled after its first season.[6] According to co-creator Adam Small, 10 more episodes were planned for the second season. The cancellation was actually a result of the financial issues UPN was facing at the time rather than a ratings issue.

Episode list

#	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original airdate
1	"Dawn of the New Millennium"	Robin Ator & Doug Aberle	Fax Bahr & Adam Small	January 12, 2001 (2001-01-12)
The story begins in St. Louis, Missouri where Gary Newton is saying his last goodbyes to his patients at the nursing home before he goes to follow the Lewis and Clark trail.
2	"Cult Status"	Paul Harrod	Fax Bahr & Adam Small	March 2, 2001 (2001-03-02)
In Minnesota, as Hasselhoff's comet nears, Gary and Mike meet up with two girls whom turn out to be part of a cult.
3	"Springered"	Doug Aberle	Fax Bahr & Adam Small	March 23, 2001 (2001-03-23)
While making their way to Chicago, Illinois, Gary has the inside of his mouth stung by a bee and is rushed to a hospital. After a close call with death, Gary soon decides he should come clean with his father about his road trip with his buddy Mike and breaks the news to him on a special Father's Day episode of "Jerry".
4	"The Virgin Gary"	Ken Pontac	Michael Kaplan	February 9, 2001 (2001-02-09)
Mike forms a plan to help Gary get rid of his "virginitis" by setting an unknowing Gary up with an escort. Gary thinks the girl really likes him and ends up falling for her hard. Meanwhile Mike is counting cards in the casino owned by the same honked-off mobsters who gave them their hotel room, as his source of income.
5	"The Scene"	Gayle Ayres	Richard Doctorow	April 6, 2001 (2001-04-06)
In Hollywood, California, the guys attempt to party with the celebrities. They elude an oversexed TV mother and then encounter a strangely compliant person who might be Gwyneth Paltrow.
6	"Washington D.C."	Gayle Ayres	Barry O'Brien	February 2, 2001 (2001-02-02)
Gary and Mike enter the nation's capital, where they are in desperate need of money. Mike finds himself falling for a much older woman who is a Supreme Court Justice.
7	"New York, New York"	Sean Burns & Ken Pontac	Howard Gewirtz	February 16, 2001 (2001-02-16)
Gary and Mike are in New York, and their car gets stolen; so they decide to disguise themselves as Jews and go to a bar mitzvah. Some other Jewish people chase them down to the subway.
8	"The Furry Duffel"	David Bleiman & Brad Schiff	Will Gluck	January 12, 2001 (2001-01-12)
On their way through the Bible Belt, in Wenville, Texas, they stop to get some food. They pull in to a Jesus-themed restaurant, and Gary and the drive-thru clerk become smitten with each other.
9	"Phish Phry"	Ken Pontac	Howard Gewirtz	January 19, 2001 (2001-01-19)
The duo now find themselves at a Phish concert in Vermont where Gary accidentally takes acid. When he comes to his senses, he discovers he is married to a 35-year-old hippie woman (voice by Shannen Doherty) with three kids. Officer Dick also manages to find the duo’s car after tracking them for so long and seeks to exact his revenge on Mike, under the cover as a hippie himself. Meanwhile, Mike discovers the secret evil behind the band's unwarranted success. This episode features a strata-cut animation sequence by David Daniels.
10	"Road Rage"	Jim Hardison	Richard Doctorow	January 26, 2001 (2001-01-26)
Gary and Mike go on MTV's Road Rage (a play on Road Rules) and visit Mike's brother, Ben in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Ben gets jealous of Mike because he becomes more popular than him, and Gary meets a new "friend". WWF wrestler Chyna makes a guest appearance and falls in love with Gary's new "friend" at the end of the episode. Officer Dick catches up with Ben, whom he believes is Mike under an assumed identity, and shoots out the tires of his SUV which he won at the end of the Road Rage program.
11	"Shotgun Wedding"	Doug Aberle	Heather MacGillvray & Linda Mathious	March 30, 2001 (2001-03-30)
After traveling from Miami, Florida to Seattle, Washington, the duo discover Mike's ex-girlfriend, Beth, who has been seen as RazorKat's drummer, is getting married in Miami, prompting Mike to drive all the way back.
12	"Corn Ugly Dog"	Ken Pontac & Doug Aberle	Matthew Berry & Eric Abrams	April 13, 2001 (2001-04-13)
Between Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, the duo make their way to the Mall of North America (a parody of Mall of America) to spend a large amount of coupons to support themselves for the whole winter.
13	"Crisscross"	David Bleiman & Brad Schiff	Drake Sather	April 13, 2001 (2001-04-13)
In San Francisco, California Officer Dick finally manages to catch up with the duo again, and pursues them in a high-speed chase, which ends at an incomplete highway. Gary tells Mike to make the suicidal jump. The episode ends with a fade to white with the caption "To Be Continued..." According to co-creator Adam Small, the duo was scripted to survive. Ten more episodes were planned and fully developed for a second season but never saw production on account of the circumstances surrounding the show's cancellation.

Awards

The show won two Emmy awards for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation. It was also nominated in the category for Outstanding Music & Lyrics.[7] Gary and Mike was also nominated by the Casting Society of America for Best Casting for Animated Voiceover-Television.[7]

References

1. Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 364–365. ISBN 978-1476665993.
2. Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 234. ISBN 978-1538103739.
3. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3JBRUNKVE0FCaOmh8gGZUd?si=GgB0MwIAQB6lWey64Y6_vw
4. https://www.facebook.com/38495803047/posts/10158406817973048/?vh=e&d=n
5. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3JBRUNKVE0FCaOmh8gGZUd?si=GgB0MwIAQB6lWey64Y6_vw
6. "Gary and Mike: Crisscross Episode Summary on TV.com". Retrieved 11 January 2011.
7. "'Gary & Mike"' (2001) - Awards on IMDb". Retrieved 11 January 2011.

External links

• Gary & Mike on IMDb
• Gary & Mike at TV.com