Clarence (American TV series)

Did You Know?

• In the Steven Universe/Uncle Grandpa episode "Say Uncle", Clarence is the last name on a list of Cartoon Network shows.
• The series was removed from HBO Max on December 6, 2022, brought back on December 20, 2022, and removed again on May 8, 2023.
• Spencer Rothbell confirmed on Twitter on April 4, 2017, that the third season would be the last.

Premise

The series centers on Clarence Wendle, a spirited boy, and his best friends Jeff and Sumo in the fictional town of Aberdale, Arizona. Clarence lives with his divorced mother Mary and her boyfriend Chad. Each episode depicts the daily-life situations and problems the trio encounters, along with their adventures as kids. Supporting characters include students and faculty at Aberdale Elementary and other citizens of Aberdale.

Characters

Clarence Wendle, voiced by Skyler Page in the pilot and early-mid season 1 and by Spencer Rothbell from mid season 1 onward, is the extroverted, optimistic protagonist. He seeks to bring out the best in everyone, often using unorthodox methods, and can let his imagination get the better of him. Nick Pitera provided Clarence's singing voice in "Jeff Wins". Jeffrey "Jeff" Randell, voiced by Sean Giambrone, is Clarence's intelligent, levelheaded best friend with a cube-shaped head representing his "square" personality; he enjoys game shows. Ryan "Sumo" Sumouski, voiced by Tom Kenny (with Jason Marsden voicing him in the pilot), is fearless, unpredictable, and takes drastic measures to solve problems. He is loyal to Clarence and Jeff, though he and Jeff often quarrel. In the third season, Sumo transferred to West Aberdale. Mary Wendle, voiced by Katie Crown, is Clarence's 38-year-old mother who supports her son. She lives with her boyfriend Chad and Clarence; it is revealed she has an overbearing mother and has seen a therapist for 15 years.

Production

Clarence was first revealed during Cartoon Network’s 2013 upfront presentation. The show’s creator, Page, was just 24 when it debuted, making him the youngest series creator at the network and a CalArts graduate. He and creative director Nelson Boles originally came up with the idea while at CalArts. A small team of two or three people worked on the pilot, but after the series was greenlit, the crew expanded to between 30 and 35 staff members, including writers, storyboard artists, revisionists, colorists, and designers. The actual animation was handled by Saerom Animation in South Korea. Writer Spencer Rothbell described the show’s tone as naturalistic, blending the feel of 1990s cartoons with a modern twist, and noted that writers could pull from their own inspirations. Boles explained that the art style deliberately avoided strict model sheets, a choice he called the “Simpsons effect.”

Broadcast and reception

The first episode on April 14, 2014, drew approximately 2.3 million viewers, outperforming shows in its demographic. Reruns aired on Boomerang from September 7 to 30, 2020. In Canada, the series premiered on Cartoon Network on April 14 and on Teletoon on September 4, later moving exclusively to Cartoon Network. It premiered on October 6 in Australia and New Zealand, on November 3 in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and on June 1, 2015 in India. The last 13 episodes aired first in Germany. Critical response was mixed; Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media noted absurdity and crudeness similar to Adventure Time, while Nancy Basile of About.com praised the dialogue and character relationships. Whitney Matheson of USA Today found it blended optimism and surreal humor, and Brian Lowry of Variety called it quirky and idiosyncratic but found character designs unattractive.