Calvin and Hobbes (2019 Animated Series)

Calvin and Hobbes is a 2019 animated television series created by Bill Watterson and Steven Spielberg. Based off Watterson's popular comic strip of the same name, revolving around the titular duo and their various adventures.

Premise
The show is based on the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip, as well as the 2018 movie, though does not take place in the same continuity as the film. Set in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, most episodes revolve around the everyday adventures of Calvin and Hobbes as they go through their everyday life. Examples include Calvin and Hobbes pulling pranks on their neighbor Susie Derkins, Calvin wreaking havoc at school, Calvin and Hobbes holding G.R.O.S.S. meetings that descend into chaos, Calvin making a get-rich-quick scheme that ultimately fails, going on quests to various places, or fighting off the latest scheme of their new enemy Dr. Scientist, who is also Moe's father.

While the show is set in the modern era, events from the comic strip are frequently mentioned. Despite the show being released after the first film, with Dr. Scientist appearing as the main antagonist of the film, no references to the film are made, and in an interview, Bill Watterson confirmed that the show does not take place within the continuity of the film.

The show also introduces new characters not previously featured in the comic strip or movie, with the exception being Dr. Scientist, who appeared in the movie. As in the film, he appears as a mad scientist bent on world domination. Completely new characters include Horace and Winston, Dr. Scientist's loyal, but dim-witted henchmen. As well as Superintendent Ramses, the superintendent of the school district Calvin attends, who Principal Spittle fears.

Voice Cast

 * Tom Kenny as Calvin
 * Owen Wilson as Hobbes
 * Susanne Blakeslee as Mom
 * Tom Everet Scott as Dad
 * Tara Strong as Susie Derkins
 * Frank Welker as Moe
 * Lily Tomlin as Miss Wormwood
 * Matthew Broderick as Principal Spittle
 * Grey DeLisle as Rosalyn
 * Hank Azaria as Superintendent Ramses
 * Gilbert Gottfried as Horace (Seasons 1-4)
 * Mike Pollock as Horace (Season 5)
 * Dee Bradley Baker as Winston
 * Christopher Lloyd as Dr. Scientist

Production
Following the success of Calvin and Hobbes: The Movie, Bill Watterson was approached by Nickelodeon executives on producing an animated Calvin and Hobbes series. While Watterson was reluctant to have his medium expanded further after making an animated film, he agreed to do so as long as he had full creative control and was able to hand-pick who worked on the show with him, to which the executives agreed. It was announced in December 2018 that the show would be made along with help from film director Steven Spielberg and that Tom Kenny and Owen Wilson would continue to voice the titular duo in the series.

On February 3rd, 2019, it was announced that Lily Tomlin had signed on to voice Miss Wormwood in the new series, as well as Hank Azira, who had signed on to voice Superintendent Ramses, a new character that did not appear in the original strip. On that same day, Christopher Lloyd announced he would be reprising his role as Dr. Scientist in the series. On March 11th, Gilbert Gottfried and Dee Bradley Baker signed on to play Horace and Winston, two new characters that would sereve as assistants to Dr. Scientist. Grey DeLisle also joined the cast on the same day, signing on to voice Rosalyn, Calvin's babysitter. In an June 6th interview, Watterson confirmed that the rest of the cast from the movie had signed on to reprise their roles in the series. Matthew Broderick joined the cast the next day, signing on to play Principal Spittle, completing out the cast for the new show. Following the death of Gilbert Gottfried on April 12th, 2022, episodes with Gottfried voicing Horace continued until his appearance in Evil World. Horace would be voiced for the remainder of Season 4 by Frank Welker. On October 6th, 2022, Mike Pollock was announced as the new voice of Horace for Season 5 and onward.

After the pitch was green-lit, Nickelodeon ordered 15 episodes for the first season, but after Treasure Hunting and The Ultimate Revenge of the Babysat received high praise from test audiences, the episode count was increased to 25. On October 21st, 2019, Nickelodeon renewed the show for a second season with 30 episodes. On July 17th, 2020, Nickelodeon renewed the show for a third and fourth season, with each season carrying 35 episodes. The show was renewed for a fifth season by Nickelodeon on March 15th, 2022 with 30 episodes to be aired.

The show abruptly was announced as going on hiatus following the airing of "The Return of Dr. Scientist" on April 14th, 2023 with no explanation given. It was revealed on May 3rd, 2023 that Nickelodeon had forced production to stop in March due to executives and Watterson disagreeing on what direction to take the series, with the executives reportedly wanting to force the show to go in direction which Watterson heavily disagreed with. Despite attempts to negotiate agreements and compromise, Nickelodeon announced that the series had been cancelled on June 20th, 2023, leading to public outcry about the show's treatment and executives refusing to abide to Watterson's wishes as the original creator. Three days later though it was announced that 7 episodes that had been in production (including a four-parter that was originally intended as the finale and next season's premiere) would soon air as intended, in order to bring the show to a proper conclusion. The remaining episodes began airing in October 2023, and the finale appropriately coincided with the strip's original premiere date on November 18th, 2023. In an interview following the conclusion of the series, Watterson expressed his discontent with how things was ended, but believed that most of the episodes aired in the series represented how he wanted to treat the show, and ending it how it was was better than letting executives drastically change the perspective of the series.

Reception
Upon its premiere, the show became an instant success for Nickelodeon, with the premiere having the largest viewership for the premiere of a Nickelodeon show with over 10 million watching. Critics praised the show for its fluid animation and creative storylines which many believed kept the spirit of the comic strip alive.

At the 2020 Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards, Calvin and Hobbes won for Best Cartoon, becoming only the second TV show to dethrone SpongeBob SquarePants' dominance in that category (with the other show being Avatar: The Last Airbender).

At the 2021 Daytime Emmy Awards, Calvin and Hobbes won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Animated Program.

The show has also earned several rewards and accolades for the outstanding quality of the series, as well as individual episodes as well.