Before they were Spider verse producers, the Lego Movie boys, the 21 Jump Street guys or even the Cloudy with a chance of meatballs guys Phil Lord and Christopher Miller along with Scrubs boy Bill Lawrence – were the creators of the wonder of an MTV season Clone High. And now, the trio returns to the network to revive the favorite cult of 2002.
“We were excited to meet with Phil Lord, Chris Miller and Bill Lawrence to reimagine this cult classic as we rapidly grow our portfolio of beloved and iconic adult animation series,” said Chris McCarthy, president of ViacomCBS Entertainment and Youth Group, at a press release. Writer and producer Erica Rivinoja (The last man on earth, Clone High) will be the showrunner for the revival, which is currently under development, with Lord, Miller and Lawrence producing.
If you missed Clone High the first time, don’t worry. The low-budget animated series ran for a season of 13 episodes from 2002 to 2003, before being canceled due in part to a backlash against its portrayal of a Mahatma Gandhi clone. A full-season DVD release was produced, but was only available in Canada.
The show itself was about teenage clones of historical figures going to high school together, struggling to live up to the legacy of their genetic origins while also experiencing typical teen drama plots. The show’s leader, Abe Lincoln, for example, was placed in a love triangle with his best friend, Joan of Arc, and the sexiest girl in school, Cleopatra. For her part, Cleopatra often struggled between her feelings for Abe and dating the most socially advantageous idiot, JFK.
From a less granular perspective, the series was a loud parody of the teen soap opera trend that dominated the 1990s. Specific references to shows like Dawson’s torrent abounded, and each installment in the series opened with a narrator who said sinisterly, “Tonight, in a very special episode of Clone High … ”
Many episodes of Clone High they were submissions of the forced attempts that teen dramas made to address “real-life problems,” with episodes that “explored” underage drinking, smoking marijuana, and living with ADHD. For example, there’s an entire episode where, thanks to Jack Black’s guest appearance, all the kids get hooked on smoking raisins and trying to topple the school leadership in a rock opera parody, and Gandhi goes on a drug trip from three days.
In the age of Riverdale, pretty Little Liarsand 13 reasons whyIt will be interesting to see what aspect of teen media Lord, Miller and Lawrence choose as their new target. And it will be interesting to see if they finally solve the end of the first season cliffhanger.
I mean … Joan of Arc slept with JFK at the winter dance!
