Extreme Ghostbusters
{{short description|1997 American animated television series}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox television
| image = Extreme Ghostbusters (logo).png
| caption =
| genre = {{Plainlist|
}}
| based_on = {{Based on|Ghostbusters|Dan Aykroyd|{{quad}}Harold Ramis}}
| developer = {{Plainlist|
}}
| voices = {{Plainlist|
}}
| theme_music_composer =
| opentheme = "Ghostbusters", performed by Jim Cummings
| composer = Jim Latham
| country = United States
| language = English
| num_seasons = 1
| num_episodes = 40
| executive_producer = {{Plainlist|
- Joe Medjuck
- Danny Goldberg
- Richard Raynis
}}
| producer = {{Plainlist|
- Audu Paden
- Duane Capizzi
}}
| runtime = 22 minutes
| company = {{Plainlist|
}}
| network = Syndication (Bohbot Kids Network)
| first_aired = {{Start date|1997|09|01}}
| last_aired = {{End date|1997|12|08}}
| related = {{Plainlist|
- The Real Ghostbusters (1986–1991)
}}
}}
Extreme Ghostbusters is an American animated television series, based on the Ghostbusters franchise, which initially aired from September 1 to December 8, 1997. A sequel to The Real Ghostbusters, which aired from 1986 to 1991 on ABC, Extreme Ghostbusters is set after that series' finale.{{Cite book |last=Perlmutter |first=David |title=The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows |date=2018 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1538103739 |pages=491–493}} The 40-episode series initially aired on the syndicated Bohbot Kids Network's "Extreme Block" in 1997, and featured a team of college-aged Ghostbusters led by veteran Ghostbuster Egon Spengler.{{Cite book |last=Erickson |first=Hal |title=Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 |date=2005 |publisher=McFarland & Co |isbn=978-1476665993 |edition=2nd |pages=653–654}} In some TV listings, the series was called Ghostbusters Dark.{{Cite book |title=The Complete SFX Guide to Ghostbusters |year=2014 |page=190 |chapter=Extreme Makeover}}
Plot
Several years after the end of The Real Ghostbusters, a lack of supernatural activity has put the Ghostbusters out of business. The members have gone their separate ways except for Egon Spengler, who still lives in the firehouse, monitors the containment unit, takes care of Slimer, furthers his education, and teaches a class on the paranormal at a local college. When ghosts begin to reappear, Egon is forced to recruit four students as the new Ghostbusters: Kylie Griffin, a goth genius and expert on occultism; Eduardo Rivera, a cynical Latino slacker; Garrett Miller, a young wheelchair athlete; and Roland Jackson, a studious African-American machinery whiz. The cast also includes Janine Melnitz (the Ghostbusters' secretary, who returns to the job) and Slimer, a hungry ghost.
The series follows the next generation of Ghostbusters, who track down and capture ghosts throughout New York and (occasionally) beyond the city. A supernatural comedy, following the trend set by its predecessor, it has an updated, darker feel exemplified by a gritty, punk-inspired variation of Ray Parker Jr.'s song "Ghostbusters" as its opening theme. The song, written by Jim Latham, is performed by voice actor Jim Cummings. Throughout the series, the new team learns to work together despite their differences: Janine's largely-unrequited affection for Egon, the unresolved love-hate relationship between Kylie and Eduardo, and the Ghostbusters' frequent clashes with authority figures who are skeptical about their work.
Characters
{{Main|List of Ghostbusters characters}}
File:Extreme-Ghostbusters-Cast-1.png.]]
- Slimer (voiced by Billy West) – Slimer, the least-changed of all the characters in terms of personality, has a less-cartoonish look. Well-meaning, he is often pushed around by the Ghostbusters because his constant eating gets in their way. Slimer tries to fix his mistakes, often with unintended consequences. He is heroic, wielding a proton pack in "Bird of Prey". Slimer is a rival of Eduardo, who (with the other Ghostbusters) cares for him despite his annoying traits. He has lived with Egon for over a decade, and they are closer than in the original series.
- {{vanchor|Eduardo Rivera}} (voiced by Rino Romano) – Lazy, sarcastic and apparently clueless, Eduardo is also determined and reliable; he and Garrett resemble original Ghostbuster Peter Venkman. Eduardo has a love-hate relationship with Kylie, of whom he loves. He has an older brother, Carlos "Carl" Rivera, an NYPD officer who resents Eduardo's not being a police officer like the rest of their family and thinks the Ghostbusters are a scam (the reason Eduardo kept his job a secret). Eduardo has a friendly rivalry with Garrett, and his apparent laziness is due to his fear of failure.{{Cite web |title=Extreme Ghostbusters.com – Eduardo |url=http://www.extremeghostbusters.org/profiles/eduardo.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141024081140/http://www.extremeghostbusters.org/profiles/eduardo.html |archive-date=24 October 2014 |access-date=30 October 2014}} In an interview and the book "Ghostbusters: The Ultimate Visual History," Rino Romano said: "Spiritually, and I know this sounds kind of stupid, but I thought I was born to play that role. Eduardo was basically the lovable character. He's in love with the girl but he's too much of a wuss to admit it. He's both the comic relief, the antihero, and the romantic foil. Extreme Ghostbusters was the best-written show, because it wasn't just about the ghostbusting, it was about the characters".{{full citation needed|date=May 2023}}
- Kylie Griffin (voiced by Tara Strong, credited as Tara Charendoff) – Kylie is the only member of the new team with prior paranormal knowledge; her friend, Jack, was a victim of the Grundel. In awe of Egon when the series begins, they shift to a more equal footing. Kylie's calm exterior often makes her a foil for Eduardo's brashness. Her parents are divorced, and she lives alone with her cat. She was close to her grandmother Rose, who died a year before the series begins; her interest in the paranormal and her goth appearance may be related to her grandmother's death. Kylie also appears in the IDW Publishing Ghostbusters comic books, where she works at Ray Stantz's occult book shop before becoming a Ghostbuster in 2013.{{Cite web |title='Ghostbusters' Gets New Recruits This February In IDW's Ongoing Series – ComicsAlliance | Comic book culture, news, humor, commentary, and reviews |url=http://www.comicsalliance.com/2012/11/15/new-ghostbusters-ongoing-extreme/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121119044037/http://www.comicsalliance.com/2012/11/15/new-ghostbusters-ongoing-extreme |archive-date=2012-11-19 |access-date=2012-12-11 |publisher=ComicsAlliance}}
- Roland Jackson (voiced by Alfonso Ribeiro) – Roland is the most level-headed and mechanically gifted of the new Ghostbusters, helping Egon repair and improve the proton packs and Ecto-1; he joined Egon's class after seeing the Ecto-1 at an auto show. Wanting to become an Ivy League doctor, he is slow to anger. Roland, the oldest child of a lower-middle-class family, has a mischievous younger brother he refuses to believe is a troublemaker.
- Garrett Miller (voiced by Jason Marsden) – Garret has a jock-like attitude and is a fan of extreme sports and mad stunts. Born a paraplegic, he mocks his condition and feigns helplessness to convince two FBI agents to un-cuff him. Garret is studying to be a physical therapist, but secretly dreams of being an NBA star. Bob Higgins said that in a focus group of young children, the creators found that Garrett was the most popular character: "When we asked ... which of these characters would you want to be and they all wanted to be Garrett, they all wanted to be the guy that does the crazy things. They all wanted to be the guy that was the leader, and they all saw him as the leader of this group [even though he was not]."{{Cite web |title=Extreme Ghostbusters|url=http://www.abilitymagazine.com/ghostbusters_story.html |access-date=2012-12-11 |work=Ability|archive-date=2012-12-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121208052719/http://abilitymagazine.com/ghostbusters_story.html |url-status=live }}
- Egon Spengler (voiced by Maurice LaMarche) – The series' only original Ghostbuster, Egon mentors the new Ghostbusters team. He still lives in the firehouse with Slimer, enabling the building to become the Ghostbusters headquarters when paranormal activity resumes. Before the first ghost escaped, Egon taught classes on the paranormal at New York City College; four people took his class, double the usual number. He usually leaves field work to the new members (providing audio backup from the firehouse and information on their current adversary), but joins them when he feels that a crisis requires his presence. Egon is also interested in mold, and grows cultures in Eduardo's bathtub when they room together. His romantic tension with Janine continues.{{Cite web |title=ExtremeGhostbusters.com – Egon |url=http://www.extremeghostbusters.org/profiles/egon.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141023202111/http://www.extremeghostbusters.org/profiles/egon.html |archive-date=23 October 2014 |access-date=30 October 2014}}
- Janine Melnitz (voiced by Pat Musick) – The Ghostbusters' original receptionist is reunited with Egon in his Paranormal 101 class at New York City College. Like Egon, she supervises the new team and occasionally contributes to ghostbusting. Egon calls her the team's accountant and collector, and her attraction to him remains unrequited: "She's spent the last decade flitting from job to job ... trying not to pine for Prof. Spengler".{{Cite web |title=Extreme Ghostbusters – Janine |url=http://www.extremeghostbusters.org/profiles/janine.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141024081150/http://www.extremeghostbusters.org/profiles/janine.html |archive-date=24 October 2014 |access-date=30 October 2014}}
Production
Showrunner Bob Higgins told Ability that the decision to create a new Ghostbusters was made by the studio, which hoped to reinvigorate a lucrative franchise. Originally announced as Super Ghostbusters in 1996, its initial press release had Janine teaching history at a local college and bringing together a team with "a hip new attitude" to face a plague of ghosts; "Short on time and more than a little desperate, Janine turns to four of her teenaged students." Egon was "huddled in front of a computer screen, battling program bugs instead of spooks."{{Cite web |title=Spook Central: "Extreme Ghostbusters – The Original Version" |url=http://www.theraffon.net/~spookcentral/egb_original.htm |access-date=30 October 2014 |archive-date=27 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141027074158/http://www.theraffon.net/~spookcentral/egb_original.htm |url-status=live }}
The show's creators decided "to put together a team of misfits in a way, people that you would not necessarily associate with being superheroes on television"; Eduardo is a slacker, Roland is a "square," and Kylie is moody and sarcastic. Garrett provides balance, "an adrenaline junkie, who could kind of kick start the team." Designer Fil Barlow was given rough outlines and originally designed all the characters except Eduardo as girls (Garrett as Lucy and Roland as Julia), with Egon originally bearded and robed.The Complete SFX Guide to Ghostbusters (2014), "Extreme Makeover" (pg 119)Barlow's DeviantArt section: [http://filbarlow.deviantart.com/art/XGB-Early-Concept-Female-Characters-367108793 XGB: Early Concept ~ Female Characters] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141029050529/http://filbarlow.deviantart.com/art/XGB-Early-Concept-Female-Characters-367108793 |date=2014-10-29 }}, [http://filbarlow.deviantart.com/art/XGB-Early-Concept-Julia-367189053 XGB: Early Concept ~ Julia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141029050740/http://filbarlow.deviantart.com/art/XGB-Early-Concept-Julia-367189053 |date=2014-10-29 }} Barlow imagined Egon as "an ambassador to the ghost realm trying to stop an impending war on the other side."{{Cite web |title=Egon: Conceptual Design XGB |date=March 2012 |url=http://filbarlow.deviantart.com/art/Egon-Conceptual-Design-XGB-287969364 |access-date=30 October 2014 |archive-date=29 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141029050745/http://filbarlow.deviantart.com/art/Egon-Conceptual-Design-XGB-287969364 |url-status=live }}
During production, Lucy/Garrett was bland until producer Jeff Kline suggested putting the character in a wheelchair; Higgins said that this made Garrett more interesting to write, as he was now "one of these guys that takes what he is given and makes the best of it and lives up to any potential that he has." When the character was Lucy, she was given proton-blasting calipers and crutches. Producer Richard Raynis requested a wheelchair instead; although Barlow attempted to show that a female character could "be fearless and gung ho," Raynis requested the gender change. The series received an award from the Los Angeles Commission on Disabilities for its depiction of Garrett.{{Cite web |title=DeviantArt: "XGB: Early Concept ~ Lucy ~ Part 1 by filbarlow" |date=11 April 2013 |url=http://filbarlow.deviantart.com/art/XGB-Early-Concept-Lucy-Part-1-364823229 |access-date=30 October 2014 |archive-date=29 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141029043029/http://filbarlow.deviantart.com/art/XGB-Early-Concept-Lucy-Part-1-364823229 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=Lucy – Part 2 |date=11 April 2013 |url=http://filbarlow.deviantart.com/art/XGB-Early-Concept-Lucy-Part-2-364827780 |access-date=30 October 2014 |archive-date=29 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141029043245/http://filbarlow.deviantart.com/art/XGB-Early-Concept-Lucy-Part-2-364827780 |url-status=live }}
Other elements were changed during production: Egon replaced Janine as the teacher, Slimer lost a goblin sidekick called Gnat, and Garrett was originally Lucas. Roland was originally a clumsy "gentle giant," and Eduardo dreamed of running in the Olympics. "Lucas" had a hair-trigger temper. The team which helmed Extreme Ghostbusters consisted of a number of producers and writers who had worked on The Real Ghostbusters (including Raynis), and the series was a sequel of the earlier show. It was one of the few sequels of a 1980s cartoon series; Masters of the Universe and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles opted for series relaunches, but Extreme Ghostbusters opted for a more realistic passage of time. Maurice LaMarche was brought back to voice Egon Spengler, but Frank Welker and Laura Summer did not return as Slimer and Janine. The series had more explicit tie-ins to The Real Ghostbusters as it continued. "Slimer's Sacrifice" referenced Egon entering the containment unit in the Real Ghostbusters episode "Xmas Marks the Spot"; "Grundelesque" is a sequel of the Real Ghostbusters episode "The Grundel," bringing back the villain and revealing that Kylie lost a friend during its first attack. "Back in the Saddle," the two-part finale, featured the remaining original Ghostbusters joining their successors; Dave Coulier (the second voice of Peter Venkman), Buster Jones (the second voice of Winston Zeddemore), and Frank Welker (the voice of Ray Stantz) reprised their roles.
Episodes
{{Episode table |background=#153625 |overall= |title= |director= |writer= |airdate= |episodes=
{{Episode list
| Title = Darkness at Noon, Part 1
| DirectedBy = Rafael Rosado
| WrittenBy = Billy Brown, Dan Angel & Dean Stefan
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|9|1}}
| EpisodeNumber = 1
| ShortSummary = Part one of two. Several years after The Real Ghostbusters ended, there is a lull in supernatural activity in New York City and the team has gone their separate ways.
In 1997, during excavation of a new subway, three construction workers find skeletons and antiquities in a tunnel. As they discuss what to do, a green vapor seeps out and a multi-armed ghost appears.
At New York City College, former Ghostbuster Egon Spengler is teaching a class on the paranormal. His students include Garrett Miller, a young paraplegic athlete; Kylie Griffin, a genius and expert on the occult; Eduardo Rivera, a cynical Latino slacker; and Roland, a mechanical whiz. Janine Melnitz is also in attendance. After she was downsized, Janine continued her education. She and Egon catch up, and Egon says that he still lives in the old firehouse. When the ghost Achira appears in the city and declares that the 11th prophecy will be fulfilled, Egon drafts his students to help him stop this; Achira possesses Kylie.
| LineColor = 153625
}}
{{Episode list
| Title = Darkness at Noon, Part 2
| DirectedBy = Rafael Rosado
| WrittenBy = Billy Brown, Dan Angel & Dean Stefan
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|9|2}}
| EpisodeNumber = 2
| ShortSummary = Conclusion. With Achira spreading disease through the possessed Kylie, the infected Egon helps train and equip the recruits for battle.
In Part 1 and most of Part 2, the XGB uses the original equipment in The Real Ghostbusters. In this episode, Egon and the team design and build new equipment.
| LineColor = 153625
}}
{{Episode list
| Title = The True Face of a Monster
| DirectedBy = Rafael Rosado
| WrittenBy = Bob Skir & Marty Isenberg
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|9|3}}
| EpisodeNumber = 3
| ShortSummary = A rabbi's son brings to life a golem to protect his father's synagogue from antisemitic vandalism. Garrett reunites with his old friends, unaware that they are not as nice as he thinks.
| LineColor = 153625
}}
{{Episode list
| Title = Fear Itself
| DirectedBy = Audu Paden
| WrittenBy = Duane Capizzi
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|9|4}}
| EpisodeNumber = 4
| ShortSummary = The XGBs investigate strange occurrences in a recently-renovated hotel, and face a creature which brings to life an intruder's innermost fears.
| LineColor = 153625
}}
{{Episode list
| Title = Deadliners
| DirectedBy = Scott Wood
| WrittenBy = Duane Capizzi
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|9|5}}
| EpisodeNumber = 5
| ShortSummary = The XGBs investigate a string of disappearances in the outskirts of town. In doing so they discover three monsters created by children's-horror author J. N. Kline (a parody of R.L. Stine) have come to life and converting people into monsters.
| LineColor = 153625
}}
{{Episode list
| Title = Casting the Runes
| DirectedBy = Vic Dal Chele
| WrittenBy = John Semper
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|9|8}}
| EpisodeNumber = 6
| ShortSummary = A petty thief steals a pouch of runes from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and uses its power to get back at anyone who harasses him.
| LineColor = 153625
}}
{{Episode list
| Title = The Infernal Machine
| DirectedBy = Bob Fuentes III
| WrittenBy = Steve Roberts
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|9|9}}
| EpisodeNumber = 7
| ShortSummary = As Roland becomes obsessed with building the perfect invention,The XGBs battle Luko, a demon which jumps into electronic devices and controls them.
| LineColor = 153625
}}
{{Episode list
| Title = Home is Where the Horror Is
| DirectedBy = Frank Squillace
| WrittenBy = Neil Ruttenberg
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|9|10}}
| EpisodeNumber = 8
| ShortSummary = The XGBs investigate a house when two boys go missing. They learn that the house is not just haunted, but {{em|is}} a ghost.
| LineColor = 153625
}}
{{Episode list
| Title = Killjoys
| DirectedBy = Tim Eldred
| WrittenBy = Alexx Van Dyne
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|9|11}}
| EpisodeNumber = 9
| ShortSummary = The XGBs pursue vampire clowns which devour victims who laugh in their presence. When Eduardo captures one of the clowns, he turns into one himself.{{Cite web |last=AJ Quick |date=2010-01-11 |title=GB Fans "Killjoys" |url=http://www.gbfans.com/extreme-ghostbusters/killjoys/ |access-date=2012-12-11 |publisher=Gbfans.com |archive-date=2012-03-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310072150/http://www.gbfans.com/extreme-ghostbusters/killjoys/ |url-status=live }}
| LineColor = 153625
}}
{{Episode list
| Title = The Unseen
| DirectedBy = Tim Eldred
| WrittenBy = Siobhan Byrne
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|9|12}}
| EpisodeNumber = 10
| ShortSummary = A mysterious orb, never before seen by the public, is exhibited at the Manhattan Museum of Natural History. When a person looks at the orb, an entity appears and steals their sight. Kylie and Eduardo set aside their differences when they go through New York City to retrieve their missing proton packs.
| LineColor = 153625
}}
{{Episode list
| Title = The Crawler
| DirectedBy = Scott Wood & Gloria Jenkins
| WrittenBy = Steve Slavkin
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|9|22}}
| EpisodeNumber = 11
| ShortSummary = Fed up with Egon ignoring her, Janine makes him jealous by dating a handsome Hispanic man who turns out to be a bug-like monster in search of a queen.
| LineColor = 153625
}}
{{Episode list
| Title = The Pied Piper of Manhattan
| DirectedBy = Rafael Rosado
| WrittenBy = Steve Cuden
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|9|23}}
| EpisodeNumber = 12
| ShortSummary = The XGBs are useless when a man can apparently lead ghosts away by playing a pipe, until the mayor does not pay the piper.
| LineColor = 153625
}}
{{Episode list
| Title = Be Careful What You Wish For
| DirectedBy = Bob Fuentes III
| WrittenBy = Lara Runnels & Patricia Carr
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|9|24}}
| EpisodeNumber = 13
| ShortSummary = A sinister salesman who can fulfill people's deepest desires arrives in New York City. Each of the granted wishes causes more harm than good, however, particularly for Eduardo (who is trapped inside Kylie's cat, Pagan, after wishing that she would respect him more).
| LineColor = 153625
}}
{{Episode list
| Title = Grease
| DirectedBy = Gloria Jenkins
| WrittenBy = Steve Roberts
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|9|25}}
| EpisodeNumber = 14
| ShortSummary = The XGBs combat a mischievous gremlin on a plane, under the watchful eyes of two government agents who think that they are criminals.
| LineColor = 153625
}}
{{Episode list
| Title = The Jersey Devil Made Me Do It
| DirectedBy = Tim Eldred
| WrittenBy = Ernie Altbacker & James Krieg
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|9|26}}
| EpisodeNumber = 15
| ShortSummary = During Spring Break, The XGBs arrive in a town from the Jersey Devil, armed with a metal-dissolving breath, Now without any of their equipment, the team has to try to stop it, or the townsfolk with sacrifice them to the Jersey Devil.
| LineColor = 153625
}}
{{Episode list
| Title = Dry Spell
| DirectedBy = Vic Dal Chele
| WrittenBy = Neil Alsip
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|9|29}}
| EpisodeNumber = 16
| ShortSummary = The XGBs combat a creature which can drain moisture from the human body, and an obsessed oceanographer who wants to capture it.
| LineColor = 153625
}}
{{Episode list
| Title = Sonic Youth
| DirectedBy = Bob Fuentes III
| WrittenBy = Greg Pincus
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|9|30}}
| EpisodeNumber = 17
| ShortSummary = The hunt for a banshee becomes more difficult when its peace-loving sister, a siren, enchants Roland with her voice.
| LineColor = 153625
}}
{{Episode list
| Title = Ghost Apocalyptic Future
| DirectedBy = Tim Eldred
| WrittenBy = Steve Perry
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|10|1}}
| EpisodeNumber = 18
| ShortSummary = A disturbance in the space-time continuum results in Kylie switching places with a rebel fighter from the future, when New York is ruled by the paranormal tyrant Tempus. Tempus is split into two versions, one in each times. The future characters know Kylie, Roland, and Eduardo as legendary heroes of the Great Ghost War, but are unfamiliar with Garrett.
| LineColor = 153625
}}
{{Episode list
| Title = Bird of Prey
| DirectedBy = Chris Berkeley
| WrittenBy = Mark Hoffmeier
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|10|2}}
| EpisodeNumber = 19
| ShortSummary = A huge, bird-like dragon known as the Hraesvelg drastically changes the weather in New York, and the XGBs must stop it before the city is threatened.
| LineColor = 153625
}}
{{Episode list
| Title = Seeds of Destruction
| DirectedBy = Sam Liu
| WrittenBy = Richard Mueller
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|10|3}}
| EpisodeNumber = 20
| ShortSummary = A seed inhabited by a vengeful paranormal entity wreaks havoc when it transforms plants into overgrown monstrosities which can destroy buildings.
| LineColor = 153625
}}
{{Episode list
| Title = The Luck of the Irish
| DirectedBy = Frank Squillace
| WrittenBy = Brooks Wachtel
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|11|3}}
| EpisodeNumber = 21
| ShortSummary = A recently-released leprechaun is on a vendetta to persecute those it believes stole his pot of gold, and curses Garrett.
| LineColor = 153625
}}
{{Episode list
| Title = The Ghostmakers
| DirectedBy = Vic Dal Chele
| WrittenBy = Mark Amato
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|11|4}}
| EpisodeNumber = 22
| ShortSummary = People are reportedly acting strangely, and Eduardo is possessed by a mirror-inhabiting demon which mimics his behavior imperfectly. His spirit is consigned to a realm where other ghosts cannot see or hear him.
| LineColor = 153625
}}
{{Episode list
| Title = Slimer's Sacrifice
| DirectedBy = Gloria Jenkins
| WrittenBy = Adam Gilad
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|11|5}}
| EpisodeNumber = 23
| ShortSummary = Slimer is trapped in the containment unit, and the Ghostbusters are being picked off one by one by the aggressive dog-like monster Fenris. Eduardo decides to save Slimer, leaving the others to stop the demon god Surtr's plot to bring about Ragnarök. Several older monsters appear, including the banshee and the siren (who is forced to obey Surtr).
| LineColor = 153625
}}
{{Episode list
| Title = Grundelesque
| DirectedBy = Vic Dal Chele
| WrittenBy = Martin Olson
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|11|6}}
| EpisodeNumber = 24
| ShortSummary = The Grundel, a ghost the Original team caught years ago, appears to be hunting children again. Kylie becomes obsessed with trying to solve this case, believing it has something to do with her missing friend Jack.
| LineColor = 153625
}}
{{Episode list
| Title = In Your Dreams
| DirectedBy = Chris Dozois
| WrittenBy = Steven Melching
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|11|7}}
| EpisodeNumber = 25
| ShortSummary = Morpheus, a dream ghost, uses an obnoxious talk-radio DJ to turn people's dreams into living nightmares.
| LineColor = 153625
}}
{{Episode list
| Title = Moby Ghost
| DirectedBy = Alan Caldwell
| WrittenBy = Richard Stanley
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|11|10}}
| EpisodeNumber = 26
| ShortSummary = When Lotan (a whale-like entity) causes electronic chaos across the city, the XGBs must join forces with a spectral hunter to stop it.
| LineColor = 153625
}}
{{Episode list
| Title = Fallout
| DirectedBy = Chris Berkeley
| WrittenBy = Bruce Reid Schaefer
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|11|12}}
| EpisodeNumber = 27
| ShortSummary = The XGBs have to devise a new plan when an entity which feeds on nuclear isotopes is unaffected by their proton packs. Janine leaves town to visit family, including her sister Doris.
| LineColor = 153625
}}
{{Episode list
| Title = Eyes of a Dragon
| DirectedBy = Sam Liu
| WrittenBy = Joseph Kuhr
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|11|13}}
| EpisodeNumber = 28
| ShortSummary = After a local merchant disappears, the XGBs find that people in Chinatown are having their bones stolen.
| LineColor = 153625
}}
{{Episode list
| Title = Till Death Do We Start
| DirectedBy = Tim Eldred
| WrittenBy = Lane Raichert
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|11|14}}
| EpisodeNumber = 29
| ShortSummary = A yuppie buys a large house in the woods which holds a wishing-well. He offhandedly make a wish for a wife, and gets more than he bargens for when the well generates a demon in a wedding dress.
| LineColor = 153625
}}
{{Episode list
| Title = Glutton for Punishment
| DirectedBy = Gloria Jenkins
| WrittenBy = Steven Melching
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|11|24}}
| EpisodeNumber = 30
| ShortSummary = New York residents are going into inexplicable feeding frenzies, and the disorder also affects Slimer; the Ghostbusters try to stop him from devouring the firehouse.
| LineColor = 153625
}}
{{Episode list
| Title = Ghost in the Machine
| DirectedBy = Bob Fuentes III & Tim Eldred
| WrittenBy = Steve Cuden
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|11|25}}
| EpisodeNumber = 31
| ShortSummary = When an abandoned oil well is reopened, a spirit escapes and begins possessing vehicles.
| LineColor = 153625
}}
{{Episode list
| Title = Dog Days
| DirectedBy = Chris Dozois
| WrittenBy = Barry Hawkins
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|11|26}}
| EpisodeNumber = 32
| ShortSummary = The XGBs combat canine problems when a demonic dog enslaves the city's dogs.
| LineColor = 153625
}}
{{Episode list
| Title = Mole People
| DirectedBy = Vic Dal Chele
| WrittenBy = Reed Moran
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|11|27}}
| EpisodeNumber = 33
| ShortSummary = A string of power outages is blamed on a group of underground people, but the XGBs discover that a quartet of energy-based ghosts are the culprits.
| LineColor = 153625
}}
{{Episode list
| Title = A Temporary Insanity
| DirectedBy = Tim Eldred
| WrittenBy = Richard Mueller
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|11|28}}
| EpisodeNumber = 34
| ShortSummary = When Janine goes on vacation, the XGBs hire a temp who is not all she seems to be.
| LineColor = 153625
}}
{{Episode list
| Title = Rage
| DirectedBy = Frank Squillace
| WrittenBy = Thomas Pugsley & Greg Klein
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|12|1}}
| EpisodeNumber = 35
| ShortSummary = When the firehouse is fumigated, Egon moves in with Eduardo. A troll is loose in the city and Eduardo's brother, who despises him for being a Ghostbuster, responds with the NYPD.
| LineColor = 153625
}}
{{Episode list
| Title = Heart of Darkness
| DirectedBy = Gloria Jenkins
| WrittenBy = Neil Ruttenberg
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|12|2}}
| EpisodeNumber = 36
| ShortSummary = A spate of thefts of electrical equipment and a set of priceless crystal skulls bring Egon into contact with an old associate. Edward Kirilian is voiced by Star Trek: The Next Generation actor John de Lancie.
| LineColor = 153625
}}
{{Episode list
| Title = Back in the Saddle, Part 1
| DirectedBy = Tim Eldred
| WrittenBy = Gary Stuart Kaplan & Larry Swerdlove
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|12|3}}
| EpisodeNumber = 37
| ShortSummary = Janine arranges a unique present for Egon's 40th birthday: a reunion with The Real Ghostbusters{{'}} Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz and Winston Zeddemore. The surprise is spoiled, however, by friction between the old and new Ghostbusters. Part 1 of the series finale.
| LineColor = 153625
}}
{{Episode list
| Title = Back in the Saddle, Part 2
| DirectedBy = Chris Berkeley
| WrittenBy = Brooks Wachtel
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|12|4}}
| EpisodeNumber = 38
| ShortSummary = The Real and Extreme Ghostbusters set aside their differences when a mysterious entity devours people, boats, and towns along the Eastern American Seaboard. The Ghostbusters discover that it is heading for Manhattan from the Bermuda Triangle. Conclusion of the two-part series finale.
| LineColor = 153625
}}
{{Episode list
| Title = The Sphinx
| DirectedBy = Bob Fuentes III & Tim Eldred
| WrittenBy = Steve Roberts
| EpisodeNumber = 39
| ShortSummary = A sphinx is turning Manhattan's intellectuals into idiots as punishment for not solving his riddle. Egon, concerned about getting old, begins to impose himself on the Ghostbusters' fieldwork. Originally aired as the third-last episode, and set before "Back in the Saddle."
| LineColor = 153625
}}
{{Episode list
| Title = Witchy Woman
| DirectedBy = Alan Caldwell
| WrittenBy = Robin Bernheim
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|12|8}}
| EpisodeNumber = 40
| ShortSummary = Three teenaged witches try to recruit Kylie into their coven to evoke a spirit which will give them more power. When Kylie refuses, they recruit the oblivious (and infatuated) Eduardo.
| LineColor = 153625
}}
}}
Broadcast
The series initially aired on the syndicated Bohbot Kids Network (BKN) in 1997, and was aired on ABS-CBN in the Philippines two years later. It aired in the Republic of Ireland on RTE Two from 19 February 1998 to 1999.{{list journal|work=RTÉ Guide|date=14-20 February 1998 edition and subsequent dates}} The channel broadcast a short rerun in the summer of 2007.{{list journal|work=RTÉ Guide|date=14-20 July 2007 edition and subsequent dates}} In 2021, for the upcoming release of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, episodes of The Real Ghostbusters and Extreme Ghostbusters were posted on the Ghostbusters YouTube channel.{{Cite web |last=Squires |first=John |date=February 10, 2021 |title=Classic Episodes of "The Real Ghostbusters" and "Extreme Ghostbusters" Officially Coming to YouTube Each Week! |url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/tv/3651576/classic-episodes-real-ghostbusters-extreme-ghostbusters-officially-coming-youtube-week/ |access-date=December 20, 2021 |website=Bloody Disgusting |archive-date=February 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210222030843/https://bloody-disgusting.com/tv/3651576/classic-episodes-real-ghostbusters-extreme-ghostbusters-officially-coming-youtube-week/ |url-status=live }}
Home media
In 1999, Columbia TriStar Home Video released three VHS volumes of the show. The videotapes were available to purchase separately or as a boxed set of all three volumes. The episodes included in the VHS volumes were:
- Volume 1: "Darkness at Noon, Part 1", "Darkness at Noon, Part 2"
- Volume 2: "The Infernal Machine," "Grundelesque"
- Volume 3: "Back in the Saddle, Part 1", "Back in the Saddle, Part 2"
A two-disc DVD set with the first thirteen episodes of the series was released in Australia on June 2, 2009, and in the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands on June 15 of that year. The UK release was edited to remove scenes of horror and threat. The series was re-released in the UK on June 27, 2016, with the first 13 episodes.
In February 2021, the episodes were uploaded weekly to the Ghostbusters YouTube channel in high definition.{{cite web|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/tv/3651576/classic-episodes-real-ghostbusters-extreme-ghostbusters-officially-coming-youtube-week/|title=Classic Episodes of "The Real Ghostbusters" and "Extreme Ghostbusters" Officially Coming to YouTube Each Week!|website=Bloody Disgusting|first=John|last=Squires|date=February 10, 2021|accessdate=February 10, 2021}}
On March 19, 2024, Sony released the complete series as a 9-disc DVD set.{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Ghostbusters-The-Complete-Series/dp/B0CRRXFVRY|title=Extreme Ghostbusters: The Complete Series [DVD]|website=Amazon.com|date=19 March 2024 }}
Reception and legacy
In a series retrospective, SFX said that the "consensus that any extension of the Ghostbusters brand requires a whole new team of newbies to take on the mantle", and that Extreme Ghostbusters was its first application. The series' failure, blamed by its showrunners on poor US scheduling and the decline of non-educational children's syndication in favor of networks such as Fox Kids and Kids' WB and cable channels (although some American stations carried the series in the 3:00–5:00 pm after-school slot), was seen by SFX as demonstrating that "the appeal of Ghostbusters was only partially the concept, and that it's the characters we love above all must be a sobering thought for anyone charged with rebooting Ghostbusters again." The series was also noted for aiming at "a slightly more adolescent audience with a tougher edge," "clearly intended to test the boundaries of child-friendly horror." The Eduardo/Kylie relationship pushed the edge of the ratings.The Complete SFX Guide to Ghostbusters (2014), "Extreme Makeover" (pp. 118–122)
Merchandise and other media
The series generated a line of action figures manufactured by Trendmasters. The line included Roland, Eduardo, Kylie, several ghosts, and updated versions of Egon Spengler and the Ecto-1; Garrett did not have a figure, although collectors have found a prototype figure that went unreleased. Deluxe versions of the four Ghostbusters figures were also released, featuring electronic light and sound. A role-playing proton pack & plasma blaster, standalone plasma blaster, and ghost trap with positron blaster were released alongside the action figures.
=Website=
The original website included a Flash tour of the firehouse, character profiles, descriptions of ghosts fought, and a Flash game. "Spengler's Spirit Guide" contained journal entries by "Egon" about haunted areas and the how-to of ghostbusting. Two entries, "The Bermuda Triangle" and "The Jersey Devil", appeared in episodes.{{Cite web |title=Extreme Ghostbusters.com: Spengler's Spirit Guide |url=http://www.extremeghostbusters.org/journals/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141024162602/http://www.extremeghostbusters.org/journals/index.html |archive-date=24 October 2014 |access-date=30 October 2014}}
=Video games=
Three video games based on the series were created: Extreme Ghostbusters for the Game Boy Color, Extreme Ghostbusters: Code Ecto-1 for Game Boy Advance, and Extreme Ghostbusters: The Ultimate Invasion for the PlayStation. There are two PC games: Extreme Ghostbusters: Zap The Ghosts! and Extreme Ghostbusters Creativity Centre.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20110704204402/http://www.extremeghostbusters.org Official website]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/19971014022107/http://www.amazin.com/amazin/exghostbustersprecis.html Description of the show (via Internet Archive)]
- {{IMDb title|id=0121932|title=Extreme Ghostbusters}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20111124094321/http://www.extremeghostbusters.org/trendmasters/ Extreme Ghostbusters action figures] Trendmasters Archive
- [http://toonopedia.com/eghstbst.htm Extreme Ghostbusters] at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. [https://archive.today/20240527214133/https://www.webcitation.org/6iZ2sBEKR?url=http://toonopedia.com/eghstbst.htm Archived] from the original on June 26, 2016.
{{Ghostbusters}}
{{Adelaide Productions}}
Category:1990s American animated comedy television series
Category:1990s American children's comedy television series
Category:1990s American daily animated television series
Category:1990s American horror television series
Category:1990s American horror comedy television series
Category:1990s American supernatural television series
Category:1997 American animated television series debuts
Category:1997 American television series endings
Category:American children's animated comic science fiction television series
Category:American children's animated science fantasy television series
Category:American children's animated horror television series
Category:American children's animated supernatural television series
Category:American sequel television series
Category:Animated television series about ghosts
Category:Animated television series set in New York City
Category:Animated television shows based on films
Category:American English-language television shows
Category:First-run syndicated animated television series
Category:Ghostbusters television series
Category:Occult detective fiction
Category:Television series by Adelaide Productions