''The X's'' is an American
animated television series
An animated series, or a cartoon series, is a set of Animation, animated films with a common title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same main heroes, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series ...
created by Carlos Ramos for
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 ...
. The series centers on a
nuclear family
A nuclear family (also known as an elementary family, atomic family, or conjugal family) is a term for a family group consisting of parents and their children (one or more), typically living in one home residence. It is in contrast to a single ...
of four highly trained spies who must conceal their identity from the outside world but normally having trouble in doing so. The show consists of a single 20-episode (38 segments) season, running from November 25, 2005, to November 25, 2006. Although it was compared to ''
The Incredibles
''The Incredibles'' is a 2004 American animated superhero film written and directed by Brad Bird. Produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures, the film stars the voices of Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell, Spencer ...
'' and ''
Alias'', Ramos has stated that the show takes inspiration from the
James Bond
The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...
film series, the 1960s TV series ''
Get Smart
''Get Smart'' is an American comedy television series parodying the Spy fiction, secret agent genre that had become widely popular in the first half of the 1960s with the release of the ''James Bond'' films. It was created by Mel Brooks and Bu ...
,'' and the 1960s TV series ''
The Avengers''.
Premise
The X's work for SUPERIOR, a covert agency sworn to defend Earth from evil. Mr. and Mrs. X have their daughter named Tuesday, their son named Truman, and many gadgets at their disposal. An organization called S.N.A.F.U. (short for Society of Nefarious and Felonious Undertakings) led by the evil Glowface is continually trying to cause trouble for the X's and other SUPERIOR agents through their plans to take over the world.
The series takes place in 2006, according to the episode: "X Takes a Holiday". The location of the show is in a coastal city, likely somewhere in the United States, as Mr. and Mrs. X have used the country's currency in the episodes "Secret Agent Manual", "Wealth vs. Stealth", and "Train Rex".
Development and production
The series was pitched in 2002, with development from 2002 to 2003. Production ran from May 2004 to September 2006. The end credits of each episode reveal that in production order, the first ten episodes were completed by 2005, while the last ten were completed by 2006.
Jim Smith, alumni of ''
The Ren & Stimpy Show
''The Ren & Stimpy Show'', commonly referred to as simply ''Ren & Stimpy'', is an American animated Comedy film, comedy television series created by John Kricfalusi for Nickelodeon. The series follows the misadventures of Ren Höek, an emotion ...
'', was a prominent storyboard artist on the series; he alongside
Vincent Waller were instrumental in the formation of Nickelodeon Animation Studio, having refused to join the studio after
Spümcø was terminated from the series. His longtime work partner
John Kricfalusi makes a cameo appearance in an episode, despite defaming the production company at its earliest years.
After production wrapped in late 2006, Carlos Ramos and director Dave Marshall moved on to work on ''
Ni Hao, Kai-Lan''s pilot and series. Ramos left Nickelodeon in June 2007 after working as a character designer. CG supervisor Ernest Chan, along with voice director and writer
Doug Langdale, moved to providing 3D special effects and writing episodes of ''
El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera'' respectively.
Broadcast
The series aired on Nickelodeon and premiered in the United States on November 25, 2005, with three back-to-back episodes. The final episode aired on November 25, 2006. As of 2007, "Theater of War" / "Breaking Camp" remain unaired in the United States.
Foreign broadcast
''The X's'' premiered in multiple countries throughout Latin America in 2006, along with Germany on February 10, 2007, and in South Korea from 2008 to 2009.
Streaming and home media
Streaming
In 2018, series director, Dave Marshall released nearly the entire series on his Vimeo account (with the exception of 2 episodes).
''The X's'' is available on Pluto TV and Apple TV in Mexico (however, a few episodes are missing).
Home Media
While the series never saw any official complete series releases, there were two Nick Picks volumes that each included an episode in 2006 and 2007. The episode "To Err is Truman" was to be featured on the Nick Picks Vol. 6 DVD, with a release date for August 7, 2007. The DVD and the Nick Picks series overall were cancelled for unknown reasons.
Characters
SUPERIOR
* Mr. X (voiced by
Patrick Warburton
Patrick Warburton (born November 14, 1964) is an American actor. His live action TV roles include David Puddy on ''Seinfeld'', the Tick (character), title character on ''The Tick (2001 TV series), The Tick'', Jeb Denton on ''Less than Perfect'' ...
) is the family patriarch and leader of the X's. Although a competent spy, he struggles with everyday issues, such as remembering his civilian name, which is Tucker. He is also an excellent cook and very strict and stern.
* Mrs. X (voiced by
Wendie Malick) is the
second-in-command
Second-in-command (2i/c or 2IC) is a title denoting that the holder of the title is the second-highest authority within a certain organisation.
Usage
In the British Army or Royal Marines, the second-in-command is the deputy commander of a unit, f ...
and combat specialist of the X's. Mrs. X is fully trained in hand-to-hand combat and martial arts but is a horrible cook. She's a very caring and protective mother to Tuesday and Truman. Her first name is Trudy.
* Tuesday X (voiced by
Lynsey Bartilson) is Mr. and Mrs. X's 16-year-old teenage daughter and missions investigator. Tuesday is the most normal of the team, despite her rather extreme punk-rock garb and frequently changing hair-color. She is also the most knowledgeable of "real-world" behavior, which the other family members either misunderstand or ignore outright.
* Truman X (voiced by
Jansen Panettiere) is Mr. and Mrs. X's 10-year-old son and technology expert. The enfant terrible of the "X"s, Truman can sometimes be a nuisance and make trouble.
* Rex X (vocal effects provided by
Dee Bradley Baker
Dee Bradley Baker (born August 31, 1962) is an American voice actor. Much of his work has consisted of vocalizations of animals and monsters. Baker's roles include animated series such as '' Adventure Time'', ''American Dad!'', '' Avatar: The Las ...
) is Truman's dog, who he received from Sasquatch on his 10th birthday. Rex was meant to kill Truman, but was freed from Sasquatch's mind control and became an honorary member of SUPERIOR.
* Home Base (voiced by
Stephen Root) is a computerized brain that runs the X family's house. Seen from above, Home Base is shaped like an X.
Villains
* S.N.A.F.U. (Society of Nefarious and Felonious Undertakings) is an evil organization that the X's fight.
** Glowface (voiced by
Chris Hardwick
Christopher Ryan Hardwick (born November 23, 1971) is an American comedian, actor, television and podcast host, writer, and producer. He hosted '' Talking Dead'', an hourlong aftershow on AMC affiliated with the network's zombie drama series '' ...
) is the X's'
archenemy
In literature, an archenemy, (sometimes spelled as arch-enemy) or nemesis is the main enemy of the protagonist — or sometimes, one of the other main characters — appearing as the most prominent and most-known enemy of the hero.
Etymolog ...
, the leader of S.N.A.F.U., and the main villain of the series. Glowface's head is encased in a glass globe with electrical discharges. He is
megalomaniacal, arrogant, psychotic, loudmouthed, and
delusional, and believes himself to be much more of a threat than he actually is.
** Lorenzo Suave (voiced by
Tom Kane
Tom Kane (born 1962) is an American former voice actor. He is known for his work in animation and video games, most notably the ''Star Wars'' franchise.
Career
Kane began his voice acting career in 1977 when he was just 14 years old. Some of his ...
) is Glowface's right-hand man and
butler. Lorenzo is stylishly and impeccably dressed with a mustache, goatee, a scar along one cheek, and both an eyepatch and a monocle. Lorenzo is much more intelligent than Glowface and sometimes has to maneuver him into completing his plans.
** Sasquatch (voiced by
Randy Savage
Randy Mario Poffo (November 15, 1952 – May 20, 2011), better known by his ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage, was an American professional wrestler and professional baseball player, best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation ( ...
) is a member of S.N.A.F.U. who resembles his
namesake and seeks to return the animals to their rightful place as masters of the planet.
** Brandon (voiced by
Jason Schwartzman in "The Spy Who Liked Me",
David Hornsby in later appearances) is Glowface's nephew, who works at an intern for S.N.A.F.U. He and Tuesday are dating.
** The Scream Queens are a duo of
banshee
A banshee ( ; Irish language, Modern Irish , from , "woman of the Tumulus#Ireland, fairy mound" or "fairy woman") is a female spirit in Irish folklore who heralds the death of a family member, usually by screaming, wailing, shrieking, or kee ...
-esque cheerleaders who possess sonic screams.
** The McVampires are a family of hillbilly
vampire
A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...
s. The family consists of a father, a mother, a son, and a grandmother.
** Bio Harold (voiced by
Chris Hardwick
Christopher Ryan Hardwick (born November 23, 1971) is an American comedian, actor, television and podcast host, writer, and producer. He hosted '' Talking Dead'', an hourlong aftershow on AMC affiliated with the network's zombie drama series '' ...
) is a buff guy in a
hazmat suit
A hazmat suit is a piece of personal protective equipment that consists of an permeation, impermeable whole-body or one piece garment worn as protection against hazardous materials.
Such suits are often combined with self-contained breathing ap ...
. His name seems to be a pun on the term "
Bio Hazard".
** Missing Link is a dirty guy who looks like a
chimpanzee
The chimpanzee (; ''Pan troglodytes''), also simply known as the chimp, is a species of Hominidae, great ape native to the forests and savannahs of tropical Africa. It has four confirmed subspecies and a fifth proposed one. When its close rel ...
/human hybrid. He seems to have an unhinged and primal demeanor.
**The Rubber Colossus (voiced by Carlos Ramos) is a rubber monster created by Glowface.
** Some Old Guy (voiced by
Tom Kane
Tom Kane (born 1962) is an American former voice actor. He is known for his work in animation and video games, most notably the ''Star Wars'' franchise.
Career
Kane began his voice acting career in 1977 when he was just 14 years old. Some of his ...
) is an old man. He is not an actual member of S.N.A.F.U. and became involved with the group after believing that the photo shop where Glowface tricked the X's was a
nickel
Nickel is a chemical element; it has symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel is a hard and ductile transition metal. Pure nickel is chemically reactive, but large pieces are slo ...
store.
** The S.N.A.F.U. Minions (voiced by Carlos Ramos) are Glowface's minions and foot-soldiers of S.N.A.F.U. They wear uniforms with their heads encased in globes.
**Jody (voiced by Carlos Ramos) is Brandon's S.N.A.F.U. minion and cook.
* Copperhead (voiced by
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 ...
) is a cyborg who can manipulate magnetism.
Minor
* Kimla Meeks (voiced by
Ashley Johnson) is Tuesday's friend. She is a huge fan of science fiction and is also very knowledgeable about sci-fi movies, comics, etc.
* Skipper Swenson (voiced by
Lindsay Sloane) is Tuesday's friend. Skipper is generally stuck-up and is rude to Tuesday. She doesn't like Tuesday very much and only came to her slumber party because Mrs. X apparently promised to pay her fifty dollars. Skipper is very popular and is also shown to have an interest in beauty and boys.
* Annasthesia Montiho (voiced by
Soleil Moon Frye) is Tuesday's friend. She is a goth girl and notices the strange occurrences at Tuesday's slumber party. She also likes to talk about boys.
* Wally (voiced by
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 ...
) is a friendly neighbor of the X's. He is a devoted father with a wife and child. Wally is very nice to the X's when ever he sees them. While he's suspicious of the X's at times, he never catches on that they are spies.
*Mrs. Wally (voiced by April Kaplan) is the wife of Wally. She is a devoted mother and wife, and she has a friendly demeanor.
*Wally Jr. (voiced by
Dee Bradley Baker
Dee Bradley Baker (born August 31, 1962) is an American voice actor. Much of his work has consisted of vocalizations of animals and monsters. Baker's roles include animated series such as '' Adventure Time'', ''American Dad!'', '' Avatar: The Las ...
) is the baby of Wally and "Mrs. Wally." Truman refers to him as simply "Junior."
*Andrea (voiced by
Laura Marano) is a violent girl who picks on and beats up Truman due to having a crush on him.
*Pork E. Bacon (voiced by
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 ...
) is the mascot of the Pork E. Bacon restaurant that Truman and Andrea go on a date to.
*Mayor (voiced by
April Winchell) is an unnamed mayor of the city that the X's live in, and she seems very proper and civilized.
* Reaper Kid (voiced by
Paul Butcher) is a disguise used by Glowface in "The Haunting of Homebase".
* Miguel (voiced by Paco Jimenez, later by Flaco Jiminez) is a character from a Spanish soap opera that the X's watch.
* Nita (voiced by Andrea Zafra) is Miguel's girlfriend in the Spanish soap opera that the X's watch.
*Stanley and Louise (voiced by
M. Emmet Walsh and
Jessica Walter) are Mrs. X's parents. The two work as police officers and do not know that the X's are spies.
*Tranquilizer (voiced by
George Takei
George Takei ( ; born April20, 1937), born , is an American actor, author and activist known for his role as Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the USS ''Enterprise'' in the ''Star Trek'' franchise.
Takei was born to Japanese-American parents, with w ...
) is a man that runs a tranquility retreat that Mrs. X attends in "No More Mrs. Nice X".
*Ed (voiced by Carlos Ramos) is one of the Tranquilizer's clients at his tranquility retreat.
*Viper (voiced by
Keone Young) is the host of a Japanese television program called Tokyo Video.
*Soda Jerk/Counter Guy (voiced by Carlos Ramos) is a young man with acne that has worked as a food server for a couple of different restaurants/food stands.
*Paul (voiced by Axel Alba) is a boy and Truman's friend.
*Grocerama Company Spokesmodel (voiced by
Erica Luttrell) appears in "Wealth vs. Stealth." She is a spokesmodel for the Grocerama Company, a large retail chain.
*The Ambassador of Pandravea (voiced by
Stephen Root) is an ambassador who the X's are assigned to protect him while he visits the Museum of Art in "AAIIEE, Robot".
*Robo-Mom (voiced by Carlos Ramos) is a robot hastily built by Truman to replace Mrs. X after she breaks her leg in "AAIIEE, Robot".
*Extreme Homebase (voiced by
Shadoe Stevens) is the artificial intelligence program that runs the miniature replica of the house the X's live in.
* The Y's are an Indian family of spies and rivals of the X's.
** Mr. Y (voiced by Ronobir Lahiri) – He is similar to Mr. X, as he is the leader of the Y's. He appears polite on the surface, but he has malicious intentions. Mr. Y likes to mock the X's in subtle ways.
** Mrs. Y (voiced by Susan Pari) – She is similar to Mrs. X. Mrs. Y supports her family's malicious intentions. She enjoys outdoing the X's in anyway she can. In "Y's Up", she hands the X's an expensive
cappuccino
Cappuccino (, ; from German ) is an espresso-based coffee drink traditionally prepared with steamed milk, including a layer of milk foam.
Variations of the drink involve the use of cream instead of milk, using non-dairy milk substitutes ...
maker as a gift, with the intention of giving a better gift than they could ever give!
** Seven Y (voiced by
Soleil Moon Frye) – She is similar to Tuesday. She received the most development in the series of all the Y's. Seven appears to be a laid-back teenage girl, but she is actually quite nasty. She specifically has an intense sibling rivalry with Tuesday. In "Theater of War", Seven tries to steal Brandon from Tuesday by auditioning for a play to act with him. They both fight over Brandon and the part in the play.
** Scout Y (voiced by
Laura Marano) – She is similar to Truman, but is a girl instead of a boy. She is deceptively sweet, but she is actually quite destructive like Truman.
**Fortress (voiced by
Marlene Sanders) - It is the artificial intelligence program that runs the house the Y's live in. Fortress is similar to Homebase. Fortress is more advanced than Homebase, as it is one of the new "9000 models" like Homebase says. Its personality is different than Homebase's, as Fortress is much more serious, hostile, and violent.
* The Z's are of Australian descent. The Z's are destroyed by the Y's. Truman stated that SUPERIOR said that their death was an accident, but the Y's hinted that their death was no mere accident, but was caused by the Y's.
Episodes
Series overview
Season 1 (2005–2006)
Dave Marshall directed every episode of the series.
The final episode, "Theater of War" / "Breaking Camp", remains unaired in the United States, but was aired in Europe and Asia.
Scrapped episode
As confirmed by Carlos Ramos on Tumblr, he had written an episode in December 2005 titled "Bro Face", which would have been about Glowface's brother coming to visit him. This story would have been a part of episode 18 or 19, given that episode 17 at that time was in production since summer 2005. Nickelodeon scrapped the episode in favor of "a more kid-centric story".
Comics
During the mid-2000s, Nickelodeon featured comics for ''The X's'' in ''
Nickelodeon Magazine''. It is currently unknown how many comics were produced. However, the last known comic, "In Like Fish" (written and illustrated by Kyle Baker), was featured in the October 2006 issue.
Awards and nominations
See also
* ''
Spy × Family
''Spy × Family'' (stylized as ''SPY×FAMILY'' and pronounced "spy family") is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tatsuya Endo. The story follows Loid Forger, an enigmatic spy who has to "build a family" to execute a missio ...
'' – Japanese animated series also about a family of spies
*The X's Pitch Bible (modified version) - 2004 (https://archive.org/details/xs-seriesbible/mode/1up)
References
External links
*
''The X's'' at NickAnimationStudio.com(archive)
{{DEFAULTSORT:X's
2000s American animated comedy television series
2000s American children's comedy television series
2000s American comic science fiction television series
2000s Nickelodeon original programming
2005 American animated television series debuts
2006 American television series endings
American anime-influenced animated television series
American children's animated action television series
American children's animated adventure television series
American children's animated comic science fiction television series
American children's animated science fantasy television series
American English-language television shows
American spy comedy television series
Animated television series about families
Nicktoons
Television series set in 2006