Capitol Critters

infobox television
show_name = Capitol Critters


caption =
format = Animated series
runtime = 30 minutes per episode
creator = Nat Mauldin
Steven Bochco
Michael Wagner
starring = Neil Patrick Harris
Charlie Adler
Jennifer Darling
Patti Deutsch
Bobcat Goldthwait
Dorian Harewood
Frank Welker
country = USA
network = ABC
first_aired = January 31, 1992
last_aired = March 14, 1992
num_episodes = 13|

"Capitol Critters" is an animated television series about the lives of mice, rats, and roaches who reside in the basement and walls of the White House in Washington, D.C. The series was produced by Steven Bochco and Hanna-Barbera Productions for the ABC Television Network, which aired 7 out of the show's 13 episodes from January 31, 1992 to March 14, 1992. Cartoon Network began airing all 13 episodes in 1995.

The story

The series began on a Nebraska farm, which was also home to a family of mice, including a young mouse named Max. While Max was outside the farmhouse basement to gather some corn, exterminators had just arrived to eliminate the mice of that basement. Once Max noticed the exterminators from a distance, he quickly returned to the basement only to witness the death of his entire family. Before Max's mother was killed after a failed rescue attempt, she told him to leave for Washington, D.C., where his cousin Berkeley resides. Upon his arrival in the nation's capital Max met a rat named Jammett. who resides along with Berkeley in the White House basement. After meeting Berkeley at last, Max met a former lab rat named Muggle and Jammett's mother Trixie, who allowed him to share her son's room as a place to sleep. When a new set of cats (presidential and vice presidential) were just beginning to be a nuisance for the mice before Max's arrival, the very familiar sight of rat poison returned into the mouse's life at his new home. When death appeared to be Max's fate, a cockroach named Moze came to his aid and brought him outside the White House basement. When Max returned to the basement, the sight of Muggle unconcious brought back terrible memories that caused him to run outside toward a presidential helicopter preparing to take off. Jammett managed to join Max on the helicopter before returning to the White House, giving the two plenty of time to know each other better.

Voice cast

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

Criticism and Reception

"Capitol Critters" is widely seen be one of the many examples of poorly-received, short-lived primetime animated sitcoms. In the early-1990s, television networks scrambled to emulate the same success in ratings that The Simpsons on FOX garnered. However, shows like "Capitol Critters", Family Dog, and Fish Police failed miserably in the Neilsen Ratings. A common reason given for the show's cancellation include the view that it was too "kiddie" in its appearance to appeal to teens and adults, and too heavy-handed in its subject matter to appeal to children. In its short-run "Capitol Critters" dealt with such topics as politics, segregation, drug addiction, and mortality. However, through the emergence of the popularity of the internet, "Capitol Critters" has accumulated a small-yet-appreciative fanbase. Those who enjoy "Capitol Critters" praise the show's characters, humor, and style. The show hasn't been seen in re-runs for almost a decade, and as of 2008, hasn't seen a DVD release.

Episodes

1. Max Goes to Washington 2. Of Thee I Sting 3. The Rat To Bear Arms 4. Hat & Mouse 5. A Little Romance 6. Opie's Choice 7. An Embarrassment of Roaches 8. Into the Woods 9. Gimme Shelter 10. The Kilo Watts Riots 11. The Bug House 12. The Lady Doth Protest Too Much 13. If Loving You is Wrong, I Don't Want To Be Rat

Notes

* The Steven Bochco Productions logo at the end of each episode featured a mouse playing violin instead of the regular live-action logo.
* Burger King released a line of "Capitol Critters" figurines with characters along with famous Washington, D.C. attractions, such as Jammett as a disc jockey above the White House.
* The first three episodes aired during the same week. The second episode aired Friday night at 8:00 p.m. EST before settling into the 8:30 p.m. slot on Saturday.
* The series was put on hiatus twice before cancellation.

External links

* [http://www.ticon.net/~dpoch/critters/ The Capitol Critters Homepage]
*
* [http://www.bcdb.com/cartoons/Hanna-Barbera_Studios/A-C/Capitol_Critters/ Capitol Critters at the Big Cartoon Database]