Moonbeam City | |
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Genre | Comedy Adult animation Mystery Science fiction |
Created by | Scott Gairdner |
Directed by | |
Voices of | Rob Lowe Elizabeth Banks Kate Mara Will Forte |
Theme music composer | Night Club |
Opening theme | "Another One" (Instrumental) |
Composer | Night Club |
Country of origin | United States Canada |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 10 |
Production | |
Executive producers |
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Producers |
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Editors |
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Running time | 22 minutes |
Production companies |
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Original release | |
Network | Comedy Central |
Release | September 16 – December 9, 2015 |
Moonbeam City is an adult animated sitcom that was created by Scott Gairdner, and starred the voices of Elizabeth Banks, Rob Lowe, Kate Mara and Will Forte. It premiered on Comedy Central on September 16, 2015. [1] On March 30, 2016, the series was cancelled after one season. [2]
A parody of 1980s cop shows such as Miami Vice [10] and City Hunter [ citation needed ], the show was sponsored by the Canadian government and animated by Toronto-based studio Solis Animation using Adobe After Effects software. Moonbeam City featured a distinctive 80s-influenced futuristic visual style with heavy use of neon lighting, inspired by media such as Tron ; character designs were similar to the style of the artist Patrick Nagel who famously designed the cover to Duran Duran's Rio (Duran Duran album). [11] A synthwave soundtrack was performed by Night Club. [12]
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | US viewers (millions) |
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1 | "Mall Hath No Fury" | Mark Brooks | Scott Gairdner | September 16, 2015 | 101 | 0.61 [13] |
An incompetent police detective named Dazzle Novak promotes a shopping mall singing sensation, while a petty thief Dazzle let slip through his fingers creates a cocaine empire and proceeds to overrun Moonbeam City, a crime-ridden beach city based on Miami in the 1980s. Guest starring Nick Corirossi and Cree Summer. | ||||||
2 | "Lights! Camera! Re-enaction!" | Mark Brooks | Ryan Perez | September 23, 2015 | 104 | 0.52 [14] |
While DJing for a mandatory month underage rave, Dazzle becomes famous for stopping a juvenile bike thief and creates an over-the-top re-enactment segment for Crimezappers, Moonbeam City's premier crime show. Guest starring John O'Hurley and Allison Janney. | ||||||
3 | "The Strike Visualizer Strikes Again" | Juno Lee | Tommy Blacha | September 30, 2015 | 105 | N/A |
Dazzle, Chrysalis, and Rad track down the murderous "Moonbeam Maniac", while Dazzle confronts a childhood hero. Guest voices include Peter Serafinowicz and Cree Summer. | ||||||
4 | "Quest for Aquatica" | Mark Brooks | Scott Gairdner | October 14, 2015 | 102 | 0.53 [15] |
Dazzle is tasked by Chrysalis' father with finding a missing dolphin, but falls in love with one named "Splasha". Guest starring Patrick Warburton. | ||||||
5 | "Glitzotrene: One Town’s Seduction" | Juno Lee | Andrew Weinberg | October 21, 2015 | 107 | N/A |
To prevent Mayor Eo Jaxxon from dismantling Moonbeam City's police department, the police hook the entire city on the synthetic drug "Glitzotrene", creating a drug epidemic. Guest starring Powers Boothe, Trace Adkins, and Carlos Alazraqui. | ||||||
6 | "Lasers and Liars" | Juno Lee | Andrew Weinberg | October 28, 2015 | 103 | N/A |
When the team gears up for the Laser Ball, Dazzle and Pizzaz become entangled with her hyper-wealthy (and despicable) family, while Rad's lies become increasingly ridiculous while trying to join a yacht club. Guest starring Kate McKinnon, Paget Brewster, and Kevin McDonald. | ||||||
7 | "Cop Con" | Mark Brooks | Ryan Perez | November 11, 2015 | 106 | N/A |
At the 3-day "Cop Con" event, Dazzle and Pizzaz enjoy their annual passionate tryst. Meanwhile, Chrysalis avoids an obsessed fan, a frustrated Rad starts "Rad Con", and a cop-free Moonbeam City undergoes a community renaissance. Guest starring John O'Hurley, Allison Janney, Cree Summer, and Nick Corirossi. [16] | ||||||
8 | "Stuntstravaganza" | Mark Brooks | Scott Gairdner | November 18, 2015 | 108 | N/A |
Bitter in defeat from a racing challenge, Dazzle seeks out his estranged father to help him perfect a car stunt. Meanwhile, Rad faces the consequences of misplacing his parking validation card. Guest starring Adam West, Paul F. Tompkins, and Nick Mundy. | ||||||
9 | "The Legend Of Circuit Lake" | Juno Lee | Tommy Blacha & Ryan Perez | December 2, 2015 | 109 | N/A |
To get revenge, Rad attempts to dig up embarrassing footage of Dazzle from the police records room. But things go awry, rendering Rad trapped in its virtual reality computer system. Dazzle ends up being accused and convicted of Rad's presumed murder, gets sent to prison, and ends up having relations with its computerized artificially intelligent security system. Guest starring Tom Kenny, Susan Sarandon, and Molly Shannon. [17] | ||||||
10 | "The Wedding of Rad (Lie)" | Mark Brooks | Scott Gairdner | December 9, 2015 | 110 | N/A |
In the series finale, Dazzle hooks up with the daughter of a crime lord. Meanwhile, Rad's family coerces him into a bizarre arranged marriage to con the entire Moonbeam City police department. Guest starring Kate McKinnon, Catherine O'Hara, and Andy Richter. [18] |
Internationally, the series premiered in Australia on November 15, 2015, on The Comedy Channel. [19]
On December 1, 2015, Moonbeam City was nominated for an Annie Award for Best General Audience Animated TV/Broadcast Production, but lost to The Simpsons . [20]
The first season holds a 29% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 14 reviews. Its consensus states: "Moonbeam City wildly overestimates the effectiveness of its attempts at over-the-top humor, leaving viewers with little more than a derivative disappointment". [21] On Metacritic, the series holds a 52% indicating mixed or average reviews. [22]
Mike Hale of The New York Times stated that "the look of Moonbeam City may catch your eye, but after a while, you may be tempted to say, I will bury you so deep the world's smartest worms couldn't find you". He also stated that the pop-culture references and satire were forced and the dialogue "tries so hard you can see it sweat". [23] Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter claimed that the show would be able to stand "in a world without Archer " and called it thin and with limited potential. [24] Bob Sassone of The A.V. Club gave it a C+, calling it "more clever than funny with Archer vibes". [25] Brian Lowry of Variety claims that the show settles more for being puerile than clever, making it "less than dazzling". [26] Katy Waldman of Slate 's review was scathing, stating that the series "is so willfully dumb that it might make you wonder if it is meta-dumb". [27]
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