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''Total Drama'' (often shortened as ''TD'') is a Canadian
animated television series created by
Jennifer Pertsch Jennifer Pertsch is a Canadian writer, producer, story editor, and one of the founding partners of Fresh TV, a Toronto-based production studio specializing in teen and family oriented television projects. She began her career as a writer for Nelvan ...
and
Tom McGillis
Tom McGillis is a Canadian writer, producer, and the president of Fresh TV Inc.
Early life
McGillis is the son of Donald and Marguerite McGillis.
Career
Along with partner Jennifer Pertsch, he was the creator and executive producer of the animat ...
that premiered on
Teletoon
Teletoon (stylized as TELETOON) is a Canadian English-language specialty channel owned by Teletoon Canada, Inc., a subsidiary of Corus Entertainment. Its name is a portmanteau of "television" and "cartoon". The channel primarily broadcasts an ...
in Canada on July 8, 2007, and on
Cartoon Network in the U.S. on June 5, 2008.
The series is both a homage and
satire
Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming ...
of common conventions from
reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
competition shows like ''
Survivor''.
Each season revolves around a group of teenagers competing in an elimination-style competition, in that the contestants compete in challenges both as teams and individually for rewards and
immunity
Immunity may refer to:
Medicine
* Immunity (medical), resistance of an organism to infection or disease
* ''Immunity'' (journal), a scientific journal published by Cell Press
Biology
* Immune system
Engineering
* Radiofrequence immunity desc ...
from elimination. The teams merge roughly halfway through the competition. As the contestants develop relationships with each other, they are progressively eliminated from the game. When there are only two contestants left, they compete in a final challenge where the winner is awarded a cash prize (
C$100,000 (
US$
The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
73,129.00) in the first season, C$1,000,000 (
US$
The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
731,485.00) from the second season and onward). The series currently consists of five seasons (''
Island
An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...
'', ''
Action
Action may refer to:
* Action (narrative), a literary mode
* Action fiction, a type of genre fiction
* Action game, a genre of video game
Film
* Action film, a genre of film
* ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford
* ''Action'' (1980 fil ...
'', ''
World Tour'', ''
Revenge of the Island'', and the two-part ''
All-Stars and Pahkitew Island'').
''Total Drama'' has developed a
cult following and spawned a franchise. A spin-off series, ''
Total Drama Presents: The Ridonculous Race'' premiered on September 7, 2015. A second spin-off series, ''
Total DramaRama
''Total DramaRama'' (originally titled ''Total Drama Daycare'') is an animated comedy children's television series created by Tom McGillis and Jennifer Pertsch that premiered on Cartoon Network in the United States on September 1, 2018, and on ...
'', premiered on September 1, 2018 in the U.S., and on October 7, 2018, in Canada.
On February 17, 2021, it was announced that a revival of ''Total Drama'' had been greenlit, with two new seasons being produced for
Cartoon Network and
HBO Max
HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Netw ...
in the United States, and
CBBC
CBBC (initialised as Children's BBC and also known as the CBBC Channel) is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the bran ...
in the United Kingdom.
Production
''Total Drama'' was developed and produced by
Fresh TV
Fresh TV Inc. (formerly Fresh Animation) is a Canadian production company specializing in family entertainment aimed at preteens and teenagers, headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Shows that have been broadcast internationally include '' Stoked'' ...
, in participation with
Teletoon
Teletoon (stylized as TELETOON) is a Canadian English-language specialty channel owned by Teletoon Canada, Inc., a subsidiary of Corus Entertainment. Its name is a portmanteau of "television" and "cartoon". The channel primarily broadcasts an ...
,
Cartoon Network, and the
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
, and distributed by
Cake Entertainment
Cake Entertainment Ltd (CAKE) is an independent company specialising in the production, distribution, financing and development of kids’ and family entertainment brands.
About
CAKE works with producers of animation and live-action content, inc ...
. The series was funded in part by the
Canada Media Fund
The Canada Media Fund (CMF, french: Fonds des médias du Canada - FMC) is a public-private partnership founded on April 1, 2010 by the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Canadian cable industry. It is used to fund the creation of original ...
(formerly the
Canadian Television Fund
The Canadian Television Fund (CTF, french: Fonds canadien de télévision - FCT) supported the production and broadcast of Canadian television programs. A non-profit corporation operating as a public-private partnership, the CTF was financed by c ...
), and the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit.
The first season was funded by Xenophile Media, Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund. The series, primarily targeted at
tweens and
teenagers
Adolescence () is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated with the t ...
, was animated at Elliott Animation and directed by Todd Kauffman and Mark Thornton of Neptoon Studios.
The creators,
Tom McGillis
Tom McGillis is a Canadian writer, producer, and the president of Fresh TV Inc.
Early life
McGillis is the son of Donald and Marguerite McGillis.
Career
Along with partner Jennifer Pertsch, he was the creator and executive producer of the animat ...
and
Jennifer Pertsch Jennifer Pertsch is a Canadian writer, producer, story editor, and one of the founding partners of Fresh TV, a Toronto-based production studio specializing in teen and family oriented television projects. She began her career as a writer for Nelvan ...
, studied what teenagers liked and disliked about
reality television shows in the writing process.
McGillis says they used a "countrywide online research project" to determine this demographic's likes.
Fresh TV partners McGillis, Pertsch, Elliott and
Irving produced the series.
The budget for the first season was
US$
The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
8,000,000.
It was animated in
Flash
Flash, flashes, or FLASH may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Fictional aliases
* Flash (DC Comics character), several DC Comics superheroes with super speed:
** Flash (Barry Allen)
** Flash (Jay Garrick)
** Wally West, the first Kid F ...
,
at Elliott Animation's studio in Toronto.
Every cast and crew member on ''Total Drama'' had to sign a
confidentiality agreement
A non-disclosure agreement (NDA) is a legal contract or part of a contract between at least two parties that outlines confidential material, knowledge, or information that the parties wish to share with one another for certain purposes, but wish ...
not to disclose who the winner was.
All the characters were designed by Kauffman.
[Total Drama Island: Final 4](_blank)
An early name for the series was ''Camp TV'' when the series first started production in 2006.
The fifth season was divided into two different segments. The first segment, ''
Total Drama All-Stars
''Total Drama All-Stars'' (often shortened as ''TDAS'') and ''Total Drama: Pahkitew Island'' (often shortened as ''TDPI''; ) are the two parts with 13-episode segments that both make up the fifth season of ''Total Drama''. The season was commi ...
'', takes place on the original island from the
first season, Camp Wawanakwa, while the second segment, ''
Total Drama: Pahkitew Island'', features a new setting and cast.
McGillis had stated in 2013 that his personal goal was for ''Total Drama'' to go up to ten seasons. Alex Ganetakos, the executive story editor and the senior writer for the series, also mentioned in 2014 that the production team planned to make more seasons in the future.
In a Q&A on September 25, 2018, when asked if there would be additional seasons, McGillis responded with "Nope. Sorry to be a dreamkiller, but there's no market for this experience in the wider entertainment marketplace right now".
On February 17, 2021, it was announced that two new seasons were being produced for
Cartoon Network and
HBO Max
HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Netw ...
,
On June 22, 2022, it was announced by Cake Entertainment that the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
had joined Warner Bros. Discovery as a co-commissioner for the new seasons and would air them on the
CBBC Channel
CBBC (initialised as Children's BBC and also known as the CBBC Channel) is a British free-to-air public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 7– ...
in the United Kingdom. In addition, the previous five seasons of the show and its spin-offs would be added to
BBC iPlayer.
On October 6, 2022, Regular Capital posted a tweet revealing a new poster for ''Total Drama'' that showed the new cast and Chef in a new design.
On October 27, 2022, it was confirmed in an interview with Terry McGurrin on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
that Deven Mack would replace
Clé Bennett
Clé Bennett is a Canadian actor. He is best known for voicing DJ, Beardo, Leonard, and Chef Hatchet (Seasons 1 - 6) from ''Total Drama'', and his portrayal of Lemar Hoskins / Battlestar in the Marvel Cinematic Universe miniseries ''The Falcon an ...
as the voice of Chef Hatchet, and reprising his role from the spin-off series ''
Total DramaRama
''Total DramaRama'' (originally titled ''Total Drama Daycare'') is an animated comedy children's television series created by Tom McGillis and Jennifer Pertsch that premiered on Cartoon Network in the United States on September 1, 2018, and on ...
''.
Episodes
This is a list of all the seasons that have aired with the original Canadian air dates shown below along with basic elements for each season. The 100th episode aired on February 27, 2014.
Broadcast
''Total Drama'' first premiered in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
on July 8, 2007, on
Teletoon
Teletoon (stylized as TELETOON) is a Canadian English-language specialty channel owned by Teletoon Canada, Inc., a subsidiary of Corus Entertainment. Its name is a portmanteau of "television" and "cartoon". The channel primarily broadcasts an ...
, while the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
aired the series almost a year later on
Cartoon Network on June 5, 2008. Since then, ''Total Drama'' has become an international franchise and one of the biggest successes for
Fresh TV
Fresh TV Inc. (formerly Fresh Animation) is a Canadian production company specializing in family entertainment aimed at preteens and teenagers, headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Shows that have been broadcast internationally include '' Stoked'' ...
. As of September 2011, the entire series has been shown in over 100 countries around the world, with the first season airing in 188 countries worldwide.
The fourth season first aired on
Télétoon+
Télétoon+ (formerly Télétoon, stylized téléTOON+) is a French pay television channel operated by Canal+, focusing its programming on animation (and live-action in evening since the Canal+ acquisition) for children ages 7 to 14. It was lau ...
and
Canal+ Family in France, while the fifth season first aired on
K2 in Italy. Australia was also the first country to air the third season. ''Total Drama'' also aired on
Pop Max
Pop Max (formerly Kix! and then Kix) is a British free-to-air children's television channel in the United Kingdom, owned by Narrative Entertainment UK Limited. As of June 2014, it broadcasts cartoons, sci-fi, action and adventure series and ani ...
(formerly known as Kix) in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
, before its upcoming move to
CBBC
CBBC (initialised as Children's BBC and also known as the CBBC Channel) is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the bran ...
.
Characters
''Total Drama'' has had a total of 52 characters in the series who were introduced as contestants through five seasons. The first three seasons consist of an original cast, with a total of 25 characters (22 are introduced in the first season, while the other three are introduced in the second season's special before becoming main characters in the third season), while the fourth season consists of a new cast with 13 new characters. However, the fifth season brings back 7 contestants from both casts each to compete together for the first part, while also introducing a third cast with 14 new characters for the second part. For the revival, 16 new characters were introduced as the fourth cast.
By season, 22 characters competed in the first season, 15 competed in the second season, 18 competed in the third season, 13 competed in the fourth season, and 14 characters competed in both parts of the fifth season (28 characters in total for the season).
Voice actors
There are various voice actors who have recorded the voices for all the characters in the ''Total Drama'' series. Both
Christian Potenza
Christian Potenza (born December 23, 1972) is a Canadian actor and comedian. He is best known for voicing Jude Lizowski on '' 6teen'' and Chris McLean in the ''Total Drama'' franchise.
Career
He has been on television since 1997, when he first ...
and
Clé Bennett
Clé Bennett is a Canadian actor. He is best known for voicing DJ, Beardo, Leonard, and Chef Hatchet (Seasons 1 - 6) from ''Total Drama'', and his portrayal of Lemar Hoskins / Battlestar in the Marvel Cinematic Universe miniseries ''The Falcon an ...
voice the two main characters in the series, who appear in almost every episode. Christian Potenza plays the role of egotistical and unempathetic host Chris McLean, saying that the best part of the job was that his character could not be voted off the show.
Clé Bennett voices Chef Hatchet, who serves as McLean's assistant. Other voice actors include
Brian Froud
Brian Froud (born 1947) is an English fantasy illustrator and conceptual designer. He is most widely known for his 1978 book ''Faeries'' with Alan Lee, and as the conceptual designer of the Jim Henson films '' The Dark Crystal'' (1982) and ' ...
, who voices contestants Harold and Sam and is the only other voice actor who has the main role in every season.
Emilie-Claire Barlow
Emilie-Claire Barlow (born 6 June 1976) is a Canadian singer, arranger, record producer, and voice actress. She has released several albums on her label, Empress Music Group, and has voiced characters for animated television series. She performs ...
plays the contestant Courtney on ''Total Drama'' and stated that Courtney was her favorite character that she had ever played.
A list of all the voice actors for the original cast:
Emilie-Claire Barlow
Emilie-Claire Barlow (born 6 June 1976) is a Canadian singer, arranger, record producer, and voice actress. She has released several albums on her label, Empress Music Group, and has voiced characters for animated television series. She performs ...
as Courtney, Clé Bennett as DJ,
Julia Chantrey as Eva,
Carla Collins
Carla Collins (born April 30, 1965) is a Canadian comedian, actress, television host, and writer.
Collins performs across North America. She has been a regular at the Laugh Factory in Los Angeles and toured with the renowned "Hot Tamales". In J ...
as Blaineley,
Katie Crown
Katherine Crown (born November 23, 1985) is a Canadian voice actress and writer. She is known for voicing Izzy in ''Total Drama'', Fin in '' Stoked'', Mary Wendle and Melanie Baker in '' Clarence'', Tulip in ''Storks'' and Ivy in ''Amphibia''.
In ...
as Izzy,
Novie Edwards as Leshawna,
Megan Fahlenbock
Megan Smith Fahlenbock (born June 30, 1971) is a Canadian actress. She has worked in animation and also had a few film roles. She is best known for her voice roles as Gwen on ''Total Drama'', Jen Masterson on ''6teen'', and Eva Kant in ''Diaboli ...
as Gwen,
Kristin Fairlie
Kristin Louise Fairlie (born April 22, 1985) is a Canadian actress. In 1998, she won a Young Artist Award for Best Ensemble for her lead role in the Showtime original movie ''The Sweetest Gift''. As a voice actress, Fairlie has voiced the roles ...
as Bridgette,
Brian Froud
Brian Froud (born 1947) is an English fantasy illustrator and conceptual designer. He is most widely known for his 1978 book ''Faeries'' with Alan Lee, and as the conceptual designer of the Jim Henson films '' The Dark Crystal'' (1982) and ' ...
as Harold,
Sarah Gadon
Sarah Lynn Gadon (born April 4, 1987) is a Canadian actress. She began her acting career guest-starring in a number of television series, such as '' Are You Afraid of the Dark?'' (1999), '' Mutant X'' (2002), and ''Dark Oracle'' (2004). She also ...
as Beth,
Marco Grazzini
Marco Grazzini is a Canadian film and television actor.
Background
He is a University of Toronto alumnus, having majored in Italian and Spanish with a minor in Sociology. as Alejandro (for ''Total Drama World Tour''),
Carter Hayden
Carter Hayden (born February 12, 1982) is a Canadian voice, film and television actor. He is most well-known for his role as Noah in the animated franchise ''Total Drama''.
Early life
Hayden was born in British Columbia on February 12, 1982.
Ca ...
as Noah,
Alex House
Alexander Charles Albert House (born December 11, 1986) is a Canadian actor best known for his Gemini Award winning role in the television series ''Todd and the Book of Pure Evil''.
Early life
House was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Canad ...
as Alejandro (for ''Total Drama All-Stars''), Lauren Lipson as Sadie,
Scott McCord
William Scott McCord is a Canadian actor. He is known for his versatility and character work in film, television, animation and on stage. He is a Lifetime Member of ''The Actors Studio''. On television he has appeared in series regular, recurri ...
as both Owen and Trent,
Stephanie Anne Mills
Stephanie Anne Mills (born March 7, 1979) is a Canadian actress.
Biography
Born in Edmonton, Mills aspired to be a singer, dancer and actress as a young girl. In 2003, she had starred in '' Eloise at the Plaza'' with Julie Andrews. She does vo ...
as both Katie and Lindsay,
Drew Nelson as Duncan,
Annick Obonsawin
Annick Obonsawin (born October 12, 1983) is a First Nations Abenaki Canadian actress.
Biography
Obonsawin has played roles in many children's shows such as Inez in ''Cyberchase'' and Skunk in '' Franklin''. She also played Slappy the Dummy in ...
as Sierra,
Peter Oldring
Peter James Edward Oldring (born August 25, 1971) is a Canadian actor and comedian.
Early life
Oldring was born on August 25, 1971, in Drayton Valley, Alberta. He graduated from Sir Winston Churchill High School in 1989 in Calgary, Alberta, ...
as Cody, Ezekiel, and Tyler,
Dan Petronijevic
Daniel Petronijevic (born March 28, 1981 in Scarborough, Ontario), known professionally as Dan Petronijevic, is a Canadian actor who has appeared in various feature films, including the '' American Pie'' franchise, and in TV shows such as '' 19- ...
as Geoff,
Adam Reid
Adam Greydon Reid is a Canadian actor, writer, producer and director.
Biography
Reid attended Ryerson University's film program and won the 'Norman Jewison Filmmaker's Award' for his graduating short, ''Token for your Thoughts'', which also won ...
as Justin, and
Rachel Wilson as Heather.
For the second-generation cast, the voice actors are:
Carleigh Beverly as Dakota,
Jon Cor
Jon Cor (born November 17, 1984) is a Canadian actor and author, best known for playing Hodge Starkweather in '' Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments,'' and Brick in '' Total Drama: Revenge of the Island''.
Early life
Cor studied theatre arts ...
as Brick,
Cory Doran
Cory Doran (born February 7, 1982) is a Canadian voice actor and director who is known as the voice of Dabio & Rex in the PBS Kids animated series '' Wild Kratts'', and Jimmy, the star of the Breakthrough Entertainment animated show '' Jimmy Two ...
as Mike, Kevin Duhaney as Cameron,
Laurie Elliot as Jo, Brian Froud as Sam,
Athena Karkanis as Anne Maria,
Barbara Mamabolo
Barbara Mamabolo (born November 30, 1985) is a Canadian actress and singer.
Career
Mamabolo has made guest-star appearances on the critically acclaimed series '' The Eleventh Hour'', '' Sue Thomas: F.B. Eye'', and '' Relic Hunter''. Her stage c ...
as Zoey,
Caitlynne Medrek
Caitlynne Medrek (born November 19, 1989) is an international, award winning Canadian actress. She spent the first half of her career living and working in professional theatre around Canada, but has since set her sights on creating a cinematic ...
as Dawn, Ashley Peters as Staci,
Tyrone Savage
Tyrone Savage is a Canadian theatre, film and television actor and theater director. He is the son of actor Booth Savage and Janet-Laine Green. He is currently living in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He provided the voices of Matthias in ''Redwall'' ...
as Lightning, and James Wallis as Scott.
For the third-generation cast, the voice actors are:
Clé Bennett as Beardo and Leonard,
Zachary Bennett
Zachary Bennett is a Canadian actor and musician, who is known for playing Felix King in '' Road to Avonlea''. He also co-starred in the 2006 TV film ''Jekyll + Hyde'' and for voicing Coach Clydesdale on '' Corn & Peg''. He also currently voices ...
as Shawn, Katie Bergin as Jasmine,
Daniel DeSanto
Daniel DeSanto is a Canadian actor.
Early life
Raised in the Toronto suburb of Etobicoke, DeSanto made his acting debut at the age of 8 as the lead protagonist in ''Brown Bread Sandwiches'' (a.k.a. ''La famiglia Buonanotte''), a film about Ita ...
as Dave,
Bruce Dow as Max, Kristi Friday as Scarlett,
Christopher Jacot
Christopher Jacot (born June 30, 1979) is a Canadian film, television and voice actor. He has appeared in 3 seasons of ''Slasher''.
Early life
Jacot was born in Toronto. He attended Earl Haig Secondary School in the Claude Watson programme for d ...
as Topher,
Bryn McAuley
Bryn McAuley (born June 7, 1989) is a Canadian actress. She is best known for playing Caillou on the television series of the same name, Anne Shirley on '' Anne of Green Gables: The Animated Series'', Gina Lash in ''Angela Anaconda'', Skye Blue ...
as Amy and Samey,
Sunday Muse
Sunday Muse is a Canadian actress.
Biography
Sunday Muse is a voice actress. She launched "GreatBigVoices.com", as a way to share everything she gained as a voice actress.
Filmography
* ''Rolie Polie Olie'' (1999–2004) as Binky/Bogey Bot
* '' ...
as Ella, Sarah Podemski as Sky, Ian Ronningen as Rodney, and Rochelle Wilson as Sugar.
Most voice actors have only voiced one character, while some actors have voiced two characters. Peter Oldring and Clé Bennett are the only two voice actors who have voiced more than two characters, Oldring voicing three and Bennett voicing four (five if counting DJ's mother). However, if the spin-offs are to be included, then multiple voice actors would have voiced multiple characters throughout the series. Brian Froud, Rochelle Wilson, and Bennett are the only voice actors to voice contestants from more than one generation. Claire-Barlow revealed that Courtney was originally voiced by an unnamed voice actress, later revealed to be Rochelle Wilson as the first voice of Courtney in the first two episodes of ''Total Drama Island'' before the role was later given to her. Alejandro is the only character to have three voice actors; he was voiced by Marco Grazinni in ''Total Drama World Tour'', Keith Oliver while he was in his robot suit, and Alex House in ''Total Drama All-Stars''. Josh is the only minor character to have a voice actor of his own,
Dwayne Hill
Dwayne Hill (born June 5, 1966) is a Canadian voice actor. In 2009, he was nominated for two Gemini awards, one in the solo category for '' Grossology'', the other, which he won, was for best ensemble in '' Atomic Betty''. Overall, he has voiced ...
, as these roles are usually given to one of the main cast members.
Roles outside series
''Total Drama'' characters are seen in an entirely different series called ''
Skatoony
''Skatoony'' (stylized as ''SkatoonY'') is a children's live action/animated game show, pitting live-action kids against cartoons. The series was co-produced with Talent TV and FremantleMedia Animation (for the British version), Blink Studios (fo ...
'' where the characters are interviewed to play in quiz trivia games against real people and other Canadian series characters. Geoff, Leonard, Noah, and Owen also appear in ''
Total Drama Presents: The Ridonculous Race'' as contestants.
Beth, Bridgette, Cody, Courtney, DJ, Duncan, Ella, Geoff, Gwen, Harold, Izzy, Katie, Leshawna, Lightning, Max, Noah, Owen, Sadie, Sugar and Trent appear in the alternate-universe spin-off ''
Total DramaRama
''Total DramaRama'' (originally titled ''Total Drama Daycare'') is an animated comedy children's television series created by Tom McGillis and Jennifer Pertsch that premiered on Cartoon Network in the United States on September 1, 2018, and on ...
'' as young children, along with Alejandro, Carrie, Chef Hatchet, Chet, Chris McLean, Don, Heather, Jasmine, Jen, Laurie, MacArthur and Tom appearing as adults.
Reception
Broadcast
The series has received high ratings on
Teletoon
Teletoon (stylized as TELETOON) is a Canadian English-language specialty channel owned by Teletoon Canada, Inc., a subsidiary of Corus Entertainment. Its name is a portmanteau of "television" and "cartoon". The channel primarily broadcasts an ...
and
Cartoon Network, ranking #1 in the under-14 age group throughout its run. As of 2011, the first season has been shown in over 188 countries,
while the rest of the series has been seen in at least 100.
[Read the last sentence. (TD airs in 100 countries and is "phenomenally popular")](_blank)
Critical reception
The first season,
''Island'', received generally positive reviews.
Common Sense Media
Common Sense Media (CSM) is an organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children. gave the show 4 out of 5 stars, calling it a "clever cartoon reality show spoof".
The second season,
''Action'', received mostly mixed reviews from critics, who criticized the overt similarity to the previous season, but praised the development of characters who had less time in ''Island'' and the challenges.
The third season,
''World Tour'', received critical acclaim for the antagonist of the season in Alejandro, the musical numbers and humor, with minor criticism directed at Ezekiel's development and the Gwen-Courtney-Duncan love triangle.
The fourth season,
''Revenge of the Island'', was criticized for a shorter length and a weaker cast than previous seasons and received mixed to positive reviews.
The first part of the fifth season,
''All-Stars'', was heavily criticized for its character derailment, challenges, main antagonist, and lack of payoff. The second part,
''Pahkitew Island'', was criticized for its more stereotyped cast, but was deemed an improvement over ''All-Stars''.
Legacy
''Total Drama'' has garnered a
cult following. Various online communities see fans discuss about the series, and it has inspired
fanfiction
Fan fiction or fanfiction (also abbreviated to fan fic, fanfic, fic or FF) is fictional writing written in an amateur capacity by fans, unauthorized by, but based on an existing work of fiction. The author uses copyrighted characters, setti ...
.
Series creator Tom McGillis commented on the series popularity, saying that "For tweens around the world, ''Total Drama'' is more than just a parody of a reality show. It's THEIR reality show".
Awards
Media
DVD releases
Up until November 2, 2011, only ''
Total Drama Island
''Total Drama Island'' (sometimes shortened to ''TDI'') is the first season of ''Total Drama'', a Canadian animated comedy television series created by Tom McGillis and Jennifer Pertsch. The series premiered in Canada on Teletoon on July 8, 200 ...
'' had been released on DVD.
Cartoon Network released their ''Total Drama Island'' DVD in the U.S. on August 18, 2009 (Region 1), while
Madman Entertainment
Madman Entertainment Pty. Ltd., also known as Madman Films, is an Australian distribution and rights management company headquartered in East Melbourne, Victoria, specialising in feature films, documentaries and television series across theatr ...
(Region 4) also released ''Total Drama Island'' on DVD in Australia, but this time in two parts (Collection 1 on May 5, 2010,
and Collection 2 on September 29, 2010
). However, almost two years after ''
Total Drama Action
''Total Drama Action'' (abbreviated ''TDA'') is a Canadian animated television series. It is the second season of ''Total Drama''. The show premiered on Teletoon at 6:30pm ET/ PT on January 11, 2009. This season was also created by the makers of ...
'' was first aired, Madman released their Collection 1 DVD of the second season on November 2, 2011
(with Collection 2 being released on July 4, 2012
), making Australia the only country that has released the entirety of ''Total Drama Action'' for private home viewing. Australia also released ''
Total Drama World Tour
''Total Drama World Tour'' (often shortened as ''TDWT'') is the third season of ''Total Drama''. The series' extension was commissioned by Teletoon from the producers, Fresh TV. The season's elements and plot structure is largely based on ''The A ...
'' on DVD with Collection 1 being released on April 3, 2013,
and Collection 2 being released on August 7, 2013.
On October 8, 2014, ''
Total Drama: Revenge of the Island'' was released into one part due to it being a shorter season. The first part of the fifth season, ''
Total Drama All-Stars
''Total Drama All-Stars'' (often shortened as ''TDAS'') and ''Total Drama: Pahkitew Island'' (often shortened as ''TDPI''; ) are the two parts with 13-episode segments that both make up the fifth season of ''Total Drama''. The season was commi ...
'' was released on March 4, 2015, with the second part, ''
Total Drama: Pahkitew Island'' being released on July 7, 2015.
Online promotion
Teletoon
Teletoon (stylized as TELETOON) is a Canadian English-language specialty channel owned by Teletoon Canada, Inc., a subsidiary of Corus Entertainment. Its name is a portmanteau of "television" and "cartoon". The channel primarily broadcasts an ...
hosted a ''Total Drama''-based website called "Total Drama Online" from 2009 to 2013 where players could play games and earn badges to win prizes. Even though most features (like user accounts, original avatar designer and badge counter) from this website were only exclusive to Canadian viewers, all of the games and basic elements were available to the rest of the world.
Cartoon Network also had their own ''Total Drama'' website from 2009 to 2015, which was very similar to the Canadian website, but was only exclusive to American viewers. Various alternate websites based on the series also exist throughout most of the other countries the show airs in, which are all in their respective languages.
Spin-off series
''The Ridonculous Race''
A spin-off series titled ''Total Drama Presents: The Ridonculous Race'' takes place in the same universe as the original show. The series is modeled on the format of ''
The Amazing Race
''The Amazing Race'' is an adventure reality game show franchise in which teams of two people race around the world in competition with other teams. The ''Race'' is split into legs, with teams tasked to deduce clues, navigate themselves in forei ...
'' where the cast is split into multiple teams of two (referred to as duos) which race around the world throughout the series. There is a new host named Don, who replaced the original host Chris. Even though a few of the characters from the main series make appearances, the spin-off series is primarily dominated by a new cast.
The spin-off series is a "buddy comedy" and includes 18 pairs of teams (36 characters). It first premiered on September 7, 2015, on
Cartoon Network and later premiered on January 4, 2016, on the Canadian version of
Cartoon Network.
''Total DramaRama''
A second spin-off series was announced on December 19, 2017, as ''Total Drama Daycare''. The series was later renamed ''
Total DramaRama
''Total DramaRama'' (originally titled ''Total Drama Daycare'') is an animated comedy children's television series created by Tom McGillis and Jennifer Pertsch that premiered on Cartoon Network in the United States on September 1, 2018, and on ...
'' so that viewers would not mistake it for a daycare season of Total Drama. It first premiered on September 1, 2018 on
Cartoon Network in the U.S. and on October 7, 2018 on
Teletoon
Teletoon (stylized as TELETOON) is a Canadian English-language specialty channel owned by Teletoon Canada, Inc., a subsidiary of Corus Entertainment. Its name is a portmanteau of "television" and "cartoon". The channel primarily broadcasts an ...
in Canada.
The series has a runtime length of eleven minutes, and is a slice of life comedy. It features some of the original characters from ''
Total Drama Island
''Total Drama Island'' (sometimes shortened to ''TDI'') is the first season of ''Total Drama'', a Canadian animated comedy television series created by Tom McGillis and Jennifer Pertsch. The series premiered in Canada on Teletoon on July 8, 200 ...
'' as toddlers such as Beth, Bridgette, Cody, Courtney, Duncan, Gwen, Harold, Izzy, Leshawna, Noah and Owen, as well as Jude from ''
6teen
''6teen'' (originally titled ''The Mall'') is a Canadian animated comedy television series originally produced by Nelvana, with the final two seasons being produced by Fresh TV. It began airing on November 7, 2004 until its final episode aired ...
''. Chef Hatchet also returns as a younger adult.
The series began production in early 2017.
On February 13, 2019, the series was greenlit for a second season.
On June 23, 2020, Corus Entertainment announced that the series was renewed for a third season, which was set to premiere in mid-2021. ''
Revenge of the Island'' contestant, Lightning, and ''
Pahkitew Island'' contestant, Sugar, were aged down to join the cast.
See also
* ''
6teen
''6teen'' (originally titled ''The Mall'') is a Canadian animated comedy television series originally produced by Nelvana, with the final two seasons being produced by Fresh TV. It began airing on November 7, 2004 until its final episode aired ...
''
* ''
Grojband
''Grojband'' is a Canadian animated television series created by Todd Kauffman and Mark Thornton for Teletoon in Canada and Cartoon Network in the United States. Produced by Fresh TV and Neptoon Studios, with animation by Elliott Animation, and p ...
''
* ''
Stoked''
* ''
Detentionaire
''Detentionaire'' is a Canadian mystery thriller animated series produced by Nelvana and aired on Teletoon from September 12, 2011, to January 29, 2015, for total of 53 episodes, spanning 4 seasons. It was created by Daniel Bryan Franklin and Ch ...
''
* ''
Drawn Together
''Drawn Together'' is an American adult animated sitcom created by Dave Jeser and Matt Silverstein and premiered on Comedy Central on October 27, 2004. The series is a parody of '' The Surreal Life'' and follows the misadventures of the housemat ...
''
References
External links
Canadian Official ''Total Drama'' SiteTeletoon
Total Drama Producers BlogBlogspot
Season 1 PageCake Entertainment
Season 2 PageCake Entertainment
Season 3 PageCake Entertainment
Season 4 PageCake Entertainment
Season 5 Page(Part 1) Cake Entertainment
Season 5 Page(Part 2) Cake Entertainment
{{HBO Max
2000s Canadian animated television series
2000s Canadian comedy-drama television series
2000s Canadian reality television series
2000s Canadian satirical television series
2010s Canadian animated television series
2010s Canadian comedy-drama television series
2010s Canadian reality television series
2010s Canadian satirical television series
2007 Canadian television series debuts
Animated television series about teenagers
Canadian children's animated comedy television series
Canadian adult animated drama television series
Canadian children's animated drama television series
Canadian children's reality television series
Canadian flash animated television series
Canadian television series revived after cancellation
English-language television shows
Television series by Fresh TV
Reality television series parodies
Reality television series franchises
Self-reflexive television
Teen animated television series
Teletoon original programming
Cartoon Network original programming
Television shows filmed in Toronto