That's My Bush!

infobox television
show_name = That's My Bush!


caption = DVD release
rating = *****
format = Sitcom/Satire
runtime = 21-23 minutes
creator = Trey Parker
Matt Stone
starring = Timothy Bottoms
Carrie Quinn Dolin
Kurt Fuller
Kristen Miller
Marcia Wallace
John D'Aquino
Charly Sianipar
country = USA
network = Comedy Central
first_aired = April 4, 2001
last_aired = May 23, 2001
num_seasons = 1
num_episodes = 8

"That's My Bush!" is a live-action political satire/sitcom from creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. It aired on Comedy Central from April through June 2001.

The series centered on the fictitious personal life of George W. Bush, as played by Timothy Bottoms, who would later portray the President in the somber "DC 9/11" telefilm. Carrie Quinn Dolin played Laura Bush, and Kurt Fuller played Karl Rove. The show itself was a lampoon of classic American sitcoms, with characters such as klutzy bimbo secretary Princess (Kristen Miller), know-it-all maid Maggie (Marcia Wallace), and supposedly helpful "wacky" next-door neighbor Larry (John D'Aquino).

Episode formula

Episodes dealt (with deliberate heavy-handedness) with the topics of abortion, gun control, the war on drugs, drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and the death penalty. Every episode ended with George saying "One of these days Laura, I'm gonna punch you in the face!", a parody of Jackie Gleason's line from "The Honeymooners", "One of these days, Alice... Bang, zoom! Right to the moon!"

The show was more of a spoof of the banality of TV sitcoms in general rather than a cutting political satire. As The AV Club put it: " [That's my] Bush!'s irresistibly gimmicky premise — a workplace sitcom centering on Bush and his wife Laura — represents a perverse act of extended misdirection. While audiences waited for Parker and Stone to tear into the Bush administration, they instead attacked the hoary conventions of 1970s and 1980s sitcoms, which proved a surprisingly apt target for satire and pop-culture riffing." Indeed, episodes do not often make definitive political statements, usually remaining in the center while making fun of all sides and saying that neither side is entirely correct, which better represents the opinions of Parker and Stone, who are both self-described libertarians.

Cast

* Timothy Bottoms as President George Walker Bush
* Carrie Quinn Dolin as First Lady Laura Bush
* Kurt Fuller as Karl Rove
* Marcia Wallace as Maggie Hawley
* Kristen Miller as Princess Stevenson
* John D'Aquino as Larry O'Shea
* Chris Borkovec as Officer Smiley (starred in two episodes)
* Bob Legionaire as Charlton Heston (starred in two episodes)
* Toddy Walters as Tour Guide (starred in two episodes)
* Pun'kin the cat (starred in one episode)

Cancellation

Although the show received a fair amount of publicity and critical acclaim, according to a studio spokesman, "the cost per ratings point was just too expensive" (at about $700,000 per episode). Comedy Central decided not to continue the series as part of a cost-cutting move. There was talk of a spin-off feature film for the series entitled "George W. Bush and the Secret of the Glass Tiger". Trey Parker and Matt Stone got the project picked up by Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures but it was never produced due to the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Prior to the 2000 Presidential Election

Parker and Stone stated before the 2000 Presidential Election that they would create a satire about whoever won. According to their DVD commentary, they were "95% certain that Gore would win" and started developing the series under the title "Everybody Loves Al". When the final election results were in limbo, production was delayed until the winner was determined. With George W. Bush's election, the title became the entendre-rich "That's My Bush!" The final episode involved Dick Cheney forcing Bush to step down, and featured an alternate title music called "That's My Dick!" which, later in the episode, changed to "What A Dick!"

Unlike in most Trey Parker and Matt Stone creations, the pair do not act nor appear in the series at all, except for additional voices/voice-overs and the theme song which their band DVDA performs.

DVD

A DVD set containing the entire series, plus commentaries by cast and crew, was released in North America on October 24, 2006.

outh Park Crossover

The Cast appeared as they were depicted in That's My Bush as a Cameo in "Super Best Friends" episode of South Park. Also, President Bush was portrayed in "South Park" in a similar fashion to the one in "That's My Bush" until "Cartoon Wars Part I".

ee also

* List of That's My Bush! episodes
* Strip Mall - another Comedy Central sitcom cancelled at the same time as "That's My Bush!" due to cost reasons.
* Lil' Bush - animated series satirizing Bush, also on Comedy Central

External links

* [http://www.comedycentral.com/tv_shows/thatsmybush/ Comedy Central site]
*
* [http://www.jumptheshark.com/topic/thats-bush-general-comments/1967 Jump the Shark review]