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12 out of 13 people found the following review useful: An Underrated Series, 2 May 2005 Author: Séamus Hanly from Ireland
I first heard about this on viewaskew.com and was interested as a Jay and Silent Bob fan. I managed to see some episodes and I must say. ABC are stupid, this cartoon manages to be surreal and crazy without destroying the serious bit to the original film, and like any Kevin Smith piece Jay and Silent Bob pop up to annoy Dante and Randall. Now, if you are thinking, "But this show probably doesn't have cursing, how can there be Jay and Silent Bob without cursing?" I don't know how they did it but it works. The stoner duo manage to stay funny without four letter words. This cartoon series, that was sadly cancelled, should have been up there with the likes of Family Guy, Futurama, etc. Hopefully, like Family Guy, it will be resurrected.Probably not.
13 out of 16 people found the following review useful: Why was this cancelled after only 6 episodes???, 6 February 2002 Author: (ajdagreat) from USA
My "Clerks" story.I saw the first episode of "Clerks" ever broadcast (I think it was the 4th episode made). I didn't know there was a movie called "Clerks." But I loved the show. And I also watched the 2nd episode of "Clerks" (which was the second episode), and loved it even more. How absurd! How hilarious to make the 2nd episode a clip show!I was disappointed to learn it was cancelled, but I bought the video of all the episodes, and after watching all of them, I saw the original movie "Clerks" as well. Sure, the movie was better, but I think they pulled off the show quite well without using the dirty words.Bottom line: Watch "Clerks" the movie, and watch "Clerks: The Animated Series" too.
9 out of 9 people found the following review useful: Pretty Good Stuff, 26 February 2001 Author: Kris Earle from Boston, MA
Bought the 6-episode DVD "Clerks" earlier this week -- there is some very funny stuff in it. Not only are all the actors from the film "Clerks" supplying the voices, but there are some great cameos as well. Judge Reinhold, James Woods, Kids in the Hall and Sat Night Live alumni and a recurring character played by Alec Baldwin. It has its moments and it's too bad it was cancelled, but it really could've done much much more being on a pay channel versus a network channel who always need lessons tagged on at the end of a comedy show. Some of the commentary is interesting too. It includes Kevin Smith and the actors and writers. "Clerks" is worth renting - or if you're a fan, buying! Although it's not groundbreaking humor, some of the stuff was pretty funny (satirizes both popular and obscure movies and tv shows) and other stuff falls kind of flat. But worth checking out. My grade: 8 out of 10, a B-. A line that didn't make it into the animated series: "Try not to suck any d--- on your way across the parking lot."
11 out of 13 people found the following review useful: Underrated, 'nuff said, 8 March 2001 Author: mystic80
"Clerks: The Animated Series" didn't get enough airtime considering it was one of the best cartoons on a national network. The cartoon series is a continuation of the adventures of Dante and Randall, two begrudging peddlers of the convenience store trade who make Star Wars references, talk about past relationships, and trying to move up in the world. Granted, it's not going to be like the movie but that's alright. Smith decides to replace it with a particularly offbeat brand of humor with Dante and Randall getting into adventure after adventure. All done on a grand scale. Alec Baldwin is particularly funny as the show's closeted capitalist villain as well as Charles Barkley, completely f**king up his image in good spirits, as himself. Definitely worth a look for it's off the wall comedy.
8 out of 9 people found the following review useful: Animated genius: Kevin Smith enters the world of television, 20 June 2005 Author: Tom Benton from Springfield, VT USA
Recently, I began re-watching my Kevin Smith collection. I've been a fan for some time, but sadly, I only owned "Dogma", "Chasing Amy" and "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back". So I went on a hunt for the films missing from my collection. I found "Clerks - The Animated Series Uncensored" used at an electronics store. I knew I was in for something good as soon as I payed for it. There were two guys at the counter. One of them says hi and then took the DVD and looked it. Suddenly his eyes widened. "Oh, man! We had CLERKS?" he said to his companion. "Yep," the other man replied. "When did this come in?" he asked, running it through the scanner. "I dunno." With a final shake of his head, the man placed the DVD in a bag and said, "I wish I'd known we had this. I would've picked it up!" I smiled and walked out of the store. Oh, yeah. I couldn't wait to watch these babies.In late May 2000, "Clerks: The Animated Series" made its debut on ABC-TV. The show continues the wacky adventures of Quick Stop clerks Dante and Randal and the two stoners who hang out outside the store: Jay and Silent Bob. All the characters in the show were voiced by the actors in the films; many characters from the View Askewniverse have quick, but fan-satisfying appearances, such as Steve-Dave or Fanboy.In the first episode, Dante and Randal try to prevent the destruction of their Quick Stop when a futuristic "Quicker Stop" is invented by billionaire Leonardo Leonardo (voiced by Alec Baldwin). In the second episode, Dante and Randal remember their previous adventures while locked in a freezer. In the third episode, Leonardo Leonardo succumbs to a deadly virus, and the Quick Stop is investigated by an FBI agent (voiced by James Woods). For the fourth episode, the clerks find themselves being sued by Jay in a court led by the honorable Judge Reinhold (voiced by Judge Reinhold). For the fifth episode, Dante becomes the coach of Leonardo Leonardo's pathetic Little League team; and, for the final episode - there really isn't a plot."Clerks" the series is 100% film-nerd material. Film nerds (I know - I am one) will enjoy the show much more than the casual movie watcher. There are multiple references to films and TV shows throughout the series.In the end, I really don't know what to say about "Clerks" other than seeing is believing. It completely surpassed my expectations, and is one of - if not the funniest - cartoon I've ever seen. This is the sort of thing slackers sit around and watch all day long. But if you have to be a slacker to watch this series, count me in. I'm proud to have this DVD in my collection.
4 out of 4 people found the following review useful: Hilarious, but disjointed., 8 July 2000 Author: Robert Morgan from Indianapolis
It's really too bad that Clerks was up against the two highest rated events of the summer season- Survivor on CBS and the NBA Finals on NBC. I'm sure that the unfortunate scheduling contributed heavily to the lack of ratings; in some markets, including mine, the second episode wasn't even shown, because of the heavyweight competition. (Luckily, my local station sent me a videocassette of ep. 2.)Both episodes of Clerks were hilarious, but not uniformly so. There are parts of both episodes that dragged, and parts of both that actually kind of shocked me. (Randall explaining to the jury how alike they and Dante are; the Indian convenience store). My friends and I, while enjoying the show immensely, realized there was no way the average viewer would even understand much of the cartoon, let alone appreciate the in-jokes and find the whole affair funny- in fact, there are parts of each that many would find downright offensive. While we wish the show would have continued (and perhaps with more equal competition, the show could have matured into something really good), perhaps it's best that the shows just come out on video for the benefit of the converted.My main problem with the show was the stylistic similarity to "The Critic"- most of the jokes were not only pop-culture based, but they were essentially non-sequiters, contributing nothing to the story. Their use in the original movie fit in with the feel of the film- that of bored coworkers who are just killing time. They felt awkward, though, nestled in the sitcom-like plot of the cartoon.All in all- recommended for the Clerks fans out there; everyone else may want to see the movies before seeing the cartoon.
7 out of 10 people found the following review useful: An excellent show cut way too short!, 30 December 2003 Author: Op_Prime from Ardmore, PA
I greatly enjoyed this entertaining and criminally short lived animated series. Sure it was different from the 1994 movie (which was very good), but I still like it. A definite plus was having Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith reprising their roles. I also particularly liked the animation. And I can't believe ABC just canceled it after two episodes. What were they thinking? Good thing Comedy Central has aired the series from time to time, otherwise I would've missed out on it and not bothered thinking about getting the DVD. I found every episode hilarious, but the last one was my absolute favorite. Had ABC not been so foolish I think this series would still be in production today.
1 out of 1 people found the following review useful: Great Cartoon from an Okay Director, 21 June 2006 Author: michael_the_nermal from United States
I enjoyed the six episodes of "Clerks" and wish they would have made more episodes. I personally think it was foolish of Kevin Smith to reject offers from HBO, as I think his 'toon would have thrived on that channel. ABC mutilated this toon by only showing a third of the episodes, and that's a shame. The wit and humor is impeccable, and Smith understands that cartoon humor is more plastic and unbelievable than the world he portrays in his real-life movies. The actors, for people who don't do voice over work for a living, are fantastic, and really give it their all to bring life to their cartoon counterparts. The parodies of 1980s movies are usually funny, and Smith's sense of nostalgia and bawdy sense of humor greatly work in this cartoons' favor. I like this cartoon much more than "Family Guy," and, had it lived on premium cable, it would have no doubt won Emmys. Do rent or purchase the six-episode, two DVD set. This is one of the cartoons following in the wake of the "Family Guy" boom that was actually good.
1 out of 1 people found the following review useful: A Funny Show Doomed to Fail, 9 March 2001 Author: zedthedestroyer from Chicago
Well, what did you expect when ABC stuck it in a dead time slot? That, and the fact that Sitcom America never heard of the original "Clerks" movie, let alone watched it. It's a shame, because even without the language and the R rated humor, it was still a pretty funny show. I always thought Dante and Randal were Smith's two best creations (even over Jay & Silent Bob) and deserved a sequel of sorts. Sometime the pop references were clever, sometimes they weren't, but there were plenty of 'em. If you're a fan of Kevin Smith's movies, the recent VHS/DVD release is a must have. Naga-nooch!
2 out of 3 people found the following review useful: More colorful, less vulgar, and funny. Cancel it!, 28 July 2006 Author: grendelkhan from Xanadu
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
The Clerks cartoon was little seen, but it is wonderfully funny. Its network time-slot forced it to be sanitized, but this allowed for more visual humor and inspired greater creativity. So, of course, it was canceled after only two episodes (which were barely advertised).The show still has the elements that made the movie great, minus the potty mouths. It also adds some inspired lunacy, in the Clerks nemesis, Leonardo Leondardo, voiced brilliantly by Alec Baldwin. The original actors are back, and they show great talent for voice acting. Jeff Anderson especially comes across well, seemingly more at ease behind the microphone than he was in front of the camera.The stories are fun and inventive, with the second show being a parody of clip shows (the joke being that they've only had one episode to look back on). The episode revolving around Dante's coaching a little league team and Randal being held prisoner in a mine is truly hysterical. It has great comedy and sends up The Bad News Bears, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and Last Starfighter. In fact, movie parodies were a large staple of the show.It's a shame that ABC never gave the show the chance it deserved. It was really better suited to HBO or another cable channel, where it would have been less inhibited; but, the creators used those limitations to spark their creativity. The six episodes are available on DVD and are definitely worth the price. The commentary tracks are entertaining (as Smith's usually are) and are very revealing about how producers interact with television networks and how a great show can be sabotaged.
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