Capitol Critters

{{Infobox television

| image = Capitol Critters.jpg

| creator = Nat Mauldin
Steven Bochco
Michael Wagner

| starring = Neil Patrick Harris
Charlie Adler
Patti Deutsch
Jennifer Darling
Dorian Harewood
Bobcat Goldthwait
Frank Welker

| theme_music_composer = Bruce Broughton

| composer = Don Davis
Steven Bramson
J.A.C. Redford
Bruce Broughton

| country = United States

| language = English

| num_seasons = 1

| num_episodes = 13

| executive_producer = Nat Mauldin
David Kirschner

| producer = Dayna Kalins
Steven Bochco

| runtime = 22 minutes

| company = Steven Bochco Productions
Hanna-Barbera, Inc.
20th Century Fox Television

| network = ABC (1992)
Cartoon Network (1995–1996)

| first_aired = {{Start date|1992|1|28}}

| last_aired = {{End date|1996|9|17}}

}}

Capitol Critters is an American animated sitcom produced by Steven Bochco Productions and Hanna-Barbera in association with 20th Century Fox Television for ABC. The show is about the lives of mice, rats, and roaches who reside in the basement and walls of the White House in Washington, D.C.{{cite book |last1=Perlmutter |first1=David |title=The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows |date=2018 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1538103739 |page=108}} Seven out of the show's 13 episodes were aired on ABC from January 28 to March 14, 1992.{{cite book |last1=Erickson |first1=Hal |title=Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 |date=2005 |edition=2nd |publisher=McFarland & Co |isbn=978-1476665993 |pages=175–177}} Cartoon Network later aired all 13 episodes (including the unaired episodes) from 1995 through 1996. 20th Television currently holds the rights to the show.

The series was part of a spate of attempts by major networks to develop prime time animated shows to compete with the success of Fox's The Simpsons, alongside CBS's Fish Police (also produced by Hanna-Barbera) and Family Dog.Daniel Cerone, [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-02-28-ca-2993-story.html 'Fish Police' on Endangered Species List], Los Angeles Times, February 28, 1992, accessed January 20, 2011. The latter two, along with Capitol Critters, proved unsuccessful and were quickly cancelled.

Premise

A young mouse named Max is forced to flee his home on a farm in Nebraska after his family is killed by exterminators. He travels to Washington, D.C. to live with his hippie cousin Berkley, rebellious rat Jammet, and Jammet’s mother Trixie. Max also befriends a hip cockroach named Moze and a former laboratory rat named Muggle who still suffers from the side effects of the experiments he is put through that often have him exploding.

The group has to deal with the White House's resident cats, which are caricatures of then-President George H. W. Bush and Vice President Dan Quayle. The episodes' themes reference current issues of the day, including gun control and drug abuse.

Cast

Neil Patrick Harris as Max
Charlie Adler as Jammet
Patti Deutsch as Trixie
Jennifer Darling as Berkeley
Dorian Harewood as Moze
Bobcat Goldthwait as Muggle
Frank Welker as Presidential Cats

= Additional voices =

Lewis Arquette
Michael Bell as Roach Husband, Various
Gregg Berger
Earl Boen as Lawyer (in "The Bug House")
Sorrell Booke
Hamilton Camp
Brian Cummings
Jim Cummings as Kid Vicious (in "Hat and Mouse"), Various
Tim Curry as Senator (in "Max Goes To Washington")
Jeff Doucette
Nancy Dussault
Paul Eiding as Max's Father (in "Max Goes to Washington")
Richard Erdman
Takayo Fischer as Kazuko (in "A Little Romance")
Linda Gary
Joan Gerber as Roach Wife
Ed Gilbert
Dan Gilvezan
Danny Goldman as Opie the Squirrel (in "Opie's Choice")
Arlene Golonka
David Graham
Whitby Hertford
Gordon Hunt
Helen Hunt
Robert Ito as Ichiro (in "A Little Romance")
Nick Jameson
David Jolliffe
Janice Kawaye as Miko (in "A Little Romance")
Tony Lamond
Steve Landesberg as Owl (in "Into the Woods")
Jarrett Lennon
Anndi McAfee
Scott Menville
Brian Stokes Mitchell
Rob Paulsen as Janitor, Pigeon (in "The KiloWatts Riots"), Various
Robert Picardo
Michael Tucker as Phil (in "Gimme Shelter")
Noam Pitlik as Sydney (in "Gimme Shelter")
Don Reed
Peter Renaday
Ariana Richards as President's Granddaughter (in "If Lovin' You Is Wrong, I Don't Wanna Be Rat")
Robert Ridgely
Neil Ross as Newscaster
Beverly Sanders
Pamela Segall as Violet (in "If Lovin' You Is Wrong, I Don't Wanna Be Rat")
Jeffrey Tambor
Mark L. Taylor
Russi Taylor as Bluebird (in "Into the Woods")
Marcelo Tubert
Chick Vennera
B.J. Ward as Max's Mother (in "Max Goes to Washington")
Lee Wilkof
Eugene Williams
Patty Wirtz
Bill Woodson
Patric Zimmerman as Felix (in "The Rat to Bear Arms")

Episodes

{{Episode table|background=#afd3ed |overall=6 |title=30 |writer= |airdate=20 |prodcode= |viewers=9 |episodes=

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=1

|Title=Max Goes to Washington

|WrittenBy=Nat Mauldin

|OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|1992|1|28}}

|ProdCode = ORO1

|Viewers = 25.1{{cite news|title=A show of CBS strength|department=Life|work=USA Today|page=3D|date=February 5, 1992|author=Donlon, Brian}}

|ShortSummary = After Max the mouse's family is murdered by pest control workers, he moves to Washington, D.C. to live with his cousin Berkley.

|LineColor=afd3ed

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=2

|Title=Of Thee I Sting

|WrittenBy=Nat Mauldin

|OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|1992|1|31}}

|ProdCode = ORO3

|Viewers = 20.6

|ShortSummary = Max gets trapped in the briefcase of a charismatic but crooked politician.

|LineColor=afd3ed

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=3

|Title=The Rat to Bear Arms

|WrittenBy=Nat Mauldin

|OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|1992|2|1}}

|ProdCode = ORO4

|Viewers = 11.1

|ShortSummary = Jammett finds a gun and plans to obliterate the presidential cats to avenge the death of a young rat named Felix, who was killed by one of the cats.

|LineColor=afd3ed

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=4

|Title=Hat & Mouse

|WrittenBy=Nat Mauldin

|OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|1992|2|8}}

|ProdCode = ORO2

|Viewers = 11.6{{cite news|title=CBS mines Olympic gold|department=Life|work=USA Today|page=3D|date=February 12, 1992|author=Donlon, Brian}}

|ShortSummary = Moze shows up to return Max's hat, but Max's fellow rodents don't take kindly to a cockroach in their midst.

|LineColor=afd3ed

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=5

|Title=A Little Romance

|WrittenBy=Kathleen Hardin

|OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|1992|2|15}}

|ProdCode = ORO5

|Viewers = 10.4{{cite news|title=CBS wins, but ABC gets silver|department=Life|work=USA Today|page=3D|date=February 19, 1992|author=Donlon, Brian}}

|ShortSummary = When a stowaway family of Japanese mice arrive at the White House, Max rescues their daughter from the presidential cat and falls in love with her.

|LineColor=afd3ed

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=6

|Title=Opie's Choice

|WrittenBy=Nat Mauldin

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1992|2|29}}

|ProdCode = ORO6

|Viewers = 10.6{{cite news|title=Last-place Fox is rising fast|department=Life|work=USA Today|page=3D|date=March 4, 1992|author=Donlon, Brian}}

|ShortSummary = Jammett begins supplying Opie the squirrel with caffeine pills.

|LineColor=afd3ed

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=7

|Title=An Embarrassment of Roaches

|WrittenBy=Nat Mauldin

|OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|1992|3|14}}

|ProdCode = ORO7

|Viewers = 8.9{{cite news|title=Hit comedies lift ABC|department=Life|work=USA Today|page=3D|date=March 18, 1992}}

|ShortSummary = Max encourages his friends to let an elderly cockroach couple move in next door, but soon the rodents are up to their ears in baby roaches.

|LineColor=afd3ed

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=8

|Title=Into the Woods

|WrittenBy=Nat Mauldin

|OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|1995|9|15}} (on Cartoon Network)

|ProdCode = ORO8

|Viewers =

|ShortSummary = Trixie mistakes one of Jammett's marbles as a grape and bites into it, causing a massive toothache. Meanwhile, Jammett tries to help an owl who's in danger of losing his home when a crew shows up to tear down the forest and erect a shopping mall.

|LineColor=afd3ed

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=9

|Title=Gimme Shelter

|WrittenBy=Nat Mauldin

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1995|9|22}} (on Cartoon Network)

|ProdCode = ORO9

|Viewers =

|ShortSummary = Max discovers a rat and a cockroach who've been living in a fallout shelter for 30 years.

|LineColor=afd3ed

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=10

|WrittenBy=Rob Cohen

|Title=The KiloWatts Riots

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1995|9|29}} (on Cartoon Network)

|ProdCode = ORO12

|Viewers =

|ShortSummary = When the power goes out below the White House, Jammett begins doling out extension cords in return for favors. Meanwhile, Muggle tries to devise an alternative power source.

|LineColor=afd3ed

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=11

|Title=The Bug House

|WrittenBy=Nat Mauldin

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1996|9|3}} (on Cartoon Network)

|ProdCode = ORO11

|Viewers =

|ShortSummary = Jammett's attempt at cheating during a baseball game lands him, Max and Moze in Roach Prison.

|LineColor=afd3ed

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=12

|Title=The Lady Doth Protest to Munch

|WrittenBy=Nat Mauldin

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1996|9|10}} (on Cartoon Network)

|ProdCode = ORO10

|Viewers =

|ShortSummary = When an important bill is vetoed, Berkley protests by going on a hunger strike. Of course temptation lies around every corner.

|LineColor=afd3ed

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=13

|Title=If Lovin' You Is Wrong, I Don't Wanna Be Rat

|WrittenBy=Karl Fink & Roberto Benabib

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1996|9|17}} (on Cartoon Network)

|ProdCode = ORO13

|Viewers =

|ShortSummary = When the president's grandchildren visit the White House, Jammett falls in love with their pet hamster.

|LineColor=afd3ed

}}

Reception

Capitol Critters was cancelled after less than two months.{{cite book |editor1-first=Carol A. |editor1-last=Stabile |editor2-first=Mark |editor2-last=Harrison |title=Prime Time Animation: Television Animation and American Culture |year=2003 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=0-415-28326-4 |page=79 |chapter=The second prime time animation boom}} In its short run, the series dealt with such topics as politics, racial segregation, drug addiction, and mortality.{{cite book |last1=Lowry |first1=Brian |title=Variety Television Reviews 1991-92 |year=1994 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=0-8240-3796-0 |chapter=Capitol Critters}} In his review of the series, Variety critic Brian Lowry wrote that "at its best, the show seems to ape the work of film director Ralph Bakshi by using an animated setting to explore adult themes", and that "the bland central character and cartoonish elements [...] will likely be off-putting to many adults, who won't find the political satire biting enough to merit their continued attention. Similarly, kids probably won't be as smitten with the cartoon aspects or look". Capitol Critters had their own Burger King Kids Club toys in 1992, which featured Jammet, Max, Muggle, and a Presidential Cat sitting on or emerging from miniature Washington, D.C., monuments.

References

External links

{{IMDb title|103383}}
[https://archive.today/20130118035303/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoons/Hanna-Barbera_Studios/A-C/Capitol_Critters/ Capitol Critters at the Big Cartoon Database]

Category:1992 American animated television series debuts

Category:1992 American television series endings

Category:1990s American adult animated television series

Category:1990s American animated comedy television series

Category:1990s American political comedy television series

Category:1990s American satirical television series

Category:1990s American sitcoms

Category:American adult animated comedy television series

Category:American adult animated drama television series

Category:Animated adult television sitcoms

Category:American animated sitcoms

Category:American English-language television shows