O'Grady
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''O'Grady'' is an American
animated comedy An animated sitcom is a subgenre of a television sitcom that is animation, animated instead of being filmed live-action, and is generally made or created for adult animation, adult audiences in most cases. ''The Simpsons'', ''SpongeBob SquarePan ...
television series created by Tom Snyder, Carl W. Adams, and Holly Schlesinger for Noggin's teen programming block,
The N The N (standing for Noggin) was a prime time and late-night block programming, programming block on the Noggin (brand), Noggin television channel, aimed at preteens and teenagers. It was launched on April 1, 2002, by MTV Networks and Sesame Works ...
. The show features the voices of H. Jon Benjamin, Melissa Bardin Galsky, Patrice O'Neal, and Holly Schlesinger playing a group of four teenagers living in the town of O'Grady. In each episode, the characters experience a different supernatural phenomenon while also facing ordinary high school challenges. The show was animated at Snyder's
Soup2Nuts Soup2Nuts (sometimes referred to as Soup2Nuts Studios, and formerly part of Tom Snyder Productions) was an American animation studio founded by Tom Snyder (animator), Tom Snyder. The studio is known for its animated comedy series, its use of Squ ...
studio.


Plot

The series is set in the fictional town of O'Grady, which is periodically plagued by a force called "The Weirdness." The Weirdness affects its residents in strange ways, and its effects usually last for several days. For example, it causes people to project their private thoughts in bubbles over their heads, or produce clones of themselves every time they get angry. The focal characters of the show are four students of O'Grady High: Kevin, Abby, Harold, and Beth. In the first eight episodes, the former two would appear interviewing at Eets-A-Pizza for a cold opening, explaining that the Weirdness was caused by a "secret government program', but sometimes would get distracted into other things. The interviews expired after "Cop 'Stache".


Characters


Main characters

* Kevin Harnisch (voiced by H. Jon Benjamin) is a 17-year old slacker, aspiring
guitar player ''Guitar Player'' was an American magazine for guitarists, founded in 1967 in San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francis ...
, and self-appointed "idea guy" who enjoys pulling pranks, heists, and schemes. He likes to find ways to use the Weirdness or other school events for his own gain, such as selling sugar in school as contraband during "Sugar Hill," asking road sign figures to spy on Abby during "Sign Language," or continuing his brothers' robot babysitting company during "Robo-Babies." Kevin is the youngest of 8 brothers. Kevin and his best friend
drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. Most contemporary western music ensemble, bands that play Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, or Contemporary R&B, R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeepi ...
Harold started a garage band, titled Brain Fart, but Kevin often gets distracted during rehearsals rather than practising. Brain Fart is occasionally joined by Iris as a bass player, whom Kevin continuously pays to stay in the band during "O'Grady Idol." Different episodes heavily imply that Kevin has a crush on Abby, which he will not admit; nevertheless, his true feelings are sometimes revealed by the Weirdness. * Abby Wilde (voiced by Melissa Bardin Galsky) is a 17-year-old fashion-oriented average teenager. She attempts to improve her life around her by trying to "help" Beth’s employer gain business by selling non-eco or vegan friendly items in a local health food store. Abby and Kevin have feelings for each other, as shown in many episodes. Abby's longtime love interest is Pete Klesko, but she never manages to make him feel the same way. * Harold Oscar Jenkins (voiced by Patrice O'Neal) is Kevin's best friend, A 15-year-old drummer in garage band Brain Fart, a mild-mannered goofball who works at Eets-A-Pizza. He can be a little nerdy and often is uncomfortable with Kevin's various schemes. He is genuinely kindhearted and good-spirited, and he likes hanging around with Kevin because he sees the good in him. Unlike Kevin, Harold does not have a fixed love interest and has expressed interest in multiple characters, including Stacey Monique during "Cop 'Stache" and, to a much lesser extent, Abby and Beth. * Beth Briggs (voiced by Holly Schlesinger) is a 17-year-old blue-haired environmental activist and vegetarian. Her interests include thrifting vintage clothing at
flea market A flea market (or swap meet) is a type of street market that provides space for vendors to sell previously owned (secondhand) goods. This type of market is often seasonal. However, in recent years there has been the development of 'formal' ...
s. She is a cashier and barista at local health cafe The Enchanted Soybean. Beth has been referred to as a "
hippie A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, counterculture of the mid-1960s to early 1970s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States and spread to dif ...
" by Abby. Beth's grand ideals have led to interpersonal conflicts, especially between her and Abby. Despite their differences, Abby is Beth's best friend. Beth can be considered a
foil Foil may refer to: Materials * Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine * Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal * Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food * Tin foil, metal foil ma ...
to Kevin; whereas he is impulsive and anti-authoritarian, Beth is cautious and apprehensive about breaking rules. She has good intentions but can be overly trusting of other characters. In "Robo-Babies," she reveals that her family is
Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
.


Supporting characters

* Phillip Bertrand Demorio (voiced by H. Jon Benjamin) is one of the smartest students at O'Grady High. A 17-year-old member of the school debate team, he is nerdy, wealthy, and is almost always seen wearing a tie. He speaks in an aristocratic British accent. He is often bullied by other students, including Kevin. Phillip professeses an interest in Abby during "Sign Language," but breaks up with her later in the episode, despite her disinterest. Phillip is shown to be arrogant and enjoys ballroom and disco dancing. * Iris (voiced by H. Jon Benjamin) is a 17-year-old neurotic German exchange student and a devoted fan of techno music. She plays bass guitar in Kevin and Harold's band. She speaks with an accent, is obsessed with chocolate, and often misunderstands what others are saying to her. She sometimes speaks entire sentences in German. * Pete Klesko (voiced by Larry Murphy) is the most popular 18-year-old male student in school. He plays on the lacrosse team, and Abby has had a crush on him for a long time, despite him not being able to remember her name. Contrary to stereotypes, he is a very kind, pleasant and fair guy, perfectly aware of his social status and everything that follows from this. At first, he may seem to have a very dull personality, but there are hints throughout the series that he is more complex than he appears. * Donald Alan Lipschitz (voiced by Larry Murphy) is a monotone-speaking substitute teacher. He says "Oh, Lord" frequently whenever something bad happens. He also seems to suffer a reverse effect to every Weirdness. He has to teach classes whenever the staff become victims to the Weirdness and is often teaching every class the main characters attend. * Dr. Myers (voiced by
Bill Braudis Bill Braudis is a writer, voice actor, and script-writing instructor from Boston, Massachusetts who has also done stand-up comedy. Career He started in stand-up in 1981, doing open mics at The Comedy Connection, in Boston and the Ding Ho, in Cam ...
) is the school principal. He has braces and is balding. He is not very intelligent or skilled at running the school. He and Mr. Lipschitz have a somewhat unnatural friendship, with both being a little annoyed of the other.


Additional voices

* Alonzo Bodden * Amy Poehler *
Bill Braudis Bill Braudis is a writer, voice actor, and script-writing instructor from Boston, Massachusetts who has also done stand-up comedy. Career He started in stand-up in 1981, doing open mics at The Comedy Connection, in Boston and the Ding Ho, in Cam ...
*
Conan O'Brien Conan Christopher O'Brien (born April 18, 1963) is an American television host, comedian, writer, actor, and producer. He is best known for having hosted Late-night talk show, late-night talk shows, beginning with ''Late Night with Conan O'B ...
* Dannah Phirman * David Cross * Dina Pearlman * Jon Glaser * Mark Rivers * Matt Walsh * Paula Plum * Rachel Dratch * Rob Corddry * Sam Seder * Sirena Irwin * Todd Barry *
Tom Kenny Thomas James Kenny (born July 13, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He has been voicing SpongeBob SquarePants (character), the titular character in ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' and associated media since its debut in 1999. Kenny has voice ...
*
Will Arnett William Emerson Arnett (; born May 4, 1970) is a Canadian and American actor and comedian. He is widely known for his roles as Gob Bluth in the Fox/Netflix sitcom '' Arrested Development'' (2003–2006, 2013, 2018–2019) and the titular ch ...


Series overview


Episodes


Season 1 (2004–05)


Season 2 (2006)


Critical reception

The series received positive reviews from critics and was nominated for an
Annie Award The Annie Awards are accolades which the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood, has presented each year since 1972 to recognize excellence in animation shown in American cinema and television. Origina ...
for "Best Writing in an Animated Television Production". Brian Zoromski of ''
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
'' claims it as "A wonderful half-hour of absurdity, ''O'Grady'' combines the comedy of the "weirdness" with realistic teenage banter, squabbles, and friendships."


Broadcast

The series originally aired on Noggin in the US as part of the channel's nighttime programming block for teenagers,
The N The N (standing for Noggin) was a prime time and late-night block programming, programming block on the Noggin (brand), Noggin television channel, aimed at preteens and teenagers. It was launched on April 1, 2002, by MTV Networks and Sesame Works ...
. It aired on
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
in Latin America,
Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...
in the United Kingdom, Family Channel in Canada, and 2×2 in Russia.


Home releases

Although ''O'Grady'' has never been released on DVD, some episodes were made available on iTunes. It was available on Amazon Video. In 2014, a compilation called "Best of O'Grady" was released on iTunes.


See also

* '' Home Movies'', an animated sitcom, also by Soup2Nuts * '' Hey Monie!,'' an adult-oriented animated sitcom, also by Soup2Nuts


References


External links

* {{Noggin shows 2000s American animated comedy television series 2000s American high school television series 2000s American teen sitcoms 2004 American animated television series debuts 2006 American television series endings American animated sitcoms American flash animated television series American teen animated television series American English-language television shows The N original programming Squigglevision Television series by Soup2Nuts Television series created by Tom Snyder (animator)