Clerks: The Animated Series

Did You Know?

• The series was named the 98th best animated series by IGN, which compared it to Firefly due to its partial, out-of-sequence airing.
• Complex included it on their 2011 list of 'The 25 Most Underrated Animated TV Shows of All Time'.
• The DVD set, Clerks Uncensored, was given an R-rating by the MPAA for 'some sexual humor'.

Production

Clerks: The Animated Series was produced by Miramax, View Askew Productions and Woltz International Pictures Corporation in association with Walt Disney Television. It was Disney's second adult animated series after The PJs and the first (and so far only) adult animated series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation, which went uncredited. Smith and Mosier first conceived the idea for the animated series in 1995. They pitched the series to every network, including HBO, Fox, The WB, and others. UPN offered a thirteen-episode order, but Smith and Mosier turned it down to be on a larger channel like ABC, having been told UPN would be off the air within a year. Initially, Alan Rickman was cast as the voice of Leonardo Leonardo, and the character was designed after Hans Gruber from Die Hard (1988). Rickman disapproved of the design because he did not want to play the character again, and ABC turned him down for budgetary reasons, recasting the role with Alec Baldwin. In 2024, Smith revealed that Rickman's voice for Leonardo Leonardo was an impression of Ross Perot. The series faced many delays until it was broadcast in May 2000. Smith felt ABC reduced risk by promoting Who Wants to Be a Millionaire instead of Clerks. An anonymous Disney staffer sent a letter to the View Askew website under the pseudonym "The Anonymous Loon," copying a memo that detailed claims of inflated egos, late script submissions, and delays in approving character designs. Smith accepted responsibility for delays in scripts and character designs but denied culpability for the late release date, stating Disney held responsibility for burning off the series in May. Paul Dini backed Smith's claims, stating Clerks became a victim of the success of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.

Broadcast history

ABC broadcast only two episodes of the animated series in 2000 before pulling the plug. The show suffered from low ratings, a poor fit with the network’s lineup, negative test-screening results among older viewers, and ABC’s decision to scramble the episode order. The fourth episode aired first instead of the intended pilot, followed by the second episode—a flashback installment that relies heavily on jokes about revisiting the first episode and even its own opening. That second episode also lost a scene from “Flintstone’s List,” a spoof of Schindler’s List set in a video rental store. All six episodes came out on DVD in 2001, an early example of a canceled series finding a second life on home video. Comedy Central later aired the full run, with the previously unseen episodes making their television debut on December 14, 2002. In 2006, UK channel ITV 4 started showing the series late on Monday nights. Adult Swim on Cartoon Network picked it up for Friday nights beginning November 14, 2008, and El Rey Network included it in a “Jay and Silent Bob Takeover Marathon.” Several scenes cut from Smith’s 2001 film Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, but included on the DVD, contain meta references to the series and its quick cancellation. Smith explained on the film’s commentary that he intended this as a running joke.

Aftermath

For several years after cancellation, Smith announced plans for an animated film. He revealed in a commentary on Episode 6 that it would go theatrical, hoping to win the newly launched Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, but later planned direct-to-video release. The plot involved Dante and Randal making a movie about their lives at the Quick Stop. Smith expanded on delays, noting that when the Weinsteins left Miramax, owned by Disney, the split was not completely amicable. The rights to the Clerks television show remained with Disney, who were reluctant to work with The Weinstein Company, throwing the future of Clerks: Sell Out into question. At the 2007 Cornell Q&A, Smith said due to the Miramax/Weinstein argument, a Jay and Silent Bob cartoon would appear before Clerks: Sell Out. The plot of Clerks: Sell Out eventually became the plot of Clerks III, released in September 2022. In October 2019, Smith announced a repurposed version of the Sell Out script would serve as the basis for live-action Clerks III. In 2020, Smith teased bringing the show back on Hulu.