Squidbillies is an animated television series about a family of anthropomorphic hillbilly squids, The Cuyler family, who live in poverty in the Appalachian region of North Georgia's mountains. The show is produced by Williams Street Studios for the Adult Swim programming block of Cartoon Network. It is written by Dave Willis, of Aqua Teen Hunger Force fame, and Jim Fortier, previously of The Brak Show, both of whom worked on the Adult Swim series Space Ghost Coast to Coast.[1] The animation is done by Radical Axis, with background design by Ben Prisk. The series has thus far aired fifty episodes in four seasons.[2][3] A fifth season of ten episodes will air in 2010. [edit] Main characters - Early Cuyler (Unknown Hinson) - Grandson of Granny and father of Rusty, Early is a barely-literate, foul-mouthed, alcoholic ex-convict. He's also quick to anger, often expressing it in violent ways via sawed-off shotgun, knife, or whatever implement is lying around. This is likely so due to the abuse he himself suffered through the hands of his nameless grandfather, and his insecurities he developed in prison regarding his masculinity. Early was given the position of CEO—and scapegoat—at Dan Halen Sheetrock, Inc, though he has since been relegated to various lower level positions including product tester. He runs a number of illegal home enterprises including the production of "pine cone" liquor, the cultivation and distribution of marijuana, as well as production and sale of methamphetamine. It has been implied several times that he has an incestuous relationship with his sister, Lil (apparently without her consent, as she appears passed out in each instance). It is implied that Early was raped in prison in the episode,"The Big Gay Throwdown". Early is proud of his "hillbilly" lifestyle and enjoys hunting, fishing, "muddin'", watching mixed martial arts, drinking "Party Liquor" (a myriad of intoxicating and potentially lethal "beverages"), and NASCAR.
- Rusty Cuyler (Daniel McDevitt) - Russell Jesse James Kenny the Gambler Rogers #3 The Intimidator Dale Earnhardt Kenny the Gambler Rogers America is #1 "Rusty" Cuyler - The hybrid son of Early and Krystal, great-grandson of Granny, Rusty is a dimwitted, abused, backwoods young squid. He seeks his father's approval in nearly everything he does, going out of his way to emulate and impress him. He has a better sense of morals than the rest of his family and will occasionally show compassion. Like his father, he exhibits stereotypical redneck interests and behavior. He is not, however, as naturally violent as his father, and often fails in his attempts to mimic Early's overtly prejudiced and myopic view of the world. Rusty exhibits facial similarities to the stereotypical redneck male: bad teeth, acne, and a mullet. He lost his virginity to his Uncle's wife in "Not Without My Cash Cow".
- Ruby Jean "Granny" Cuyler (Dana Snyder) - An elderly squid, revealed in the third season to be actually the grandmother of Early and Lil. She is purple (in opposition to the rest of the family's pale green), hangs from a walker, and has only five tentacles for unexplained reasons. Granny is a devout Christian and regularly sees visions of "Squid Jesus", though like the rest of her family she does not shy away from violence or foul language. She is prone to becoming confused about her current situation and whereabouts due to her extreme senile dementia. Granny is also a nymphomaniac who propositions most of the series' characters for sex at one point or another. It is also implied that she has an incestuous relationship with Lil (also apparently without consent), and has encouraged Rusty to scratch her genitalia. She suffers from various health problems, including a failing gallbladder.
- Lil Cuyler (Patricia French) - Granny's granddaughter and Early's sister, cosmetically-challenged Lil wears caucasian flesh-colored eye-shadow and extremely long fake finger nails on her tentacles. Her last name is confirmed to be Cuyler in the episode "Mephistopheles Traveled Below to a Southern State Whose Motto is 'Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation'". With a raspy voice often punctuated by a nasty smoker's cough, Lil' is a worn-out and rather jaded squid. She runs an on and off crystal meth operation, and is a known user of her own product. It is revealed that cigarette smoke has replaced most of the blood in her veins; and that she also suffers from Hepatitis D. She is frequently seen passed out in her own filth and/or vomit; likely a victim of drug-induced burnout. During the time of her extended unconsciousness, she was married to an ultra-violent (even more than Early), America-hating extraterrestrial character named Lerm who decapitated her seconds after the marriage. She is shown to be having Aqua Blue eyeshadow and a blonde wig with curls similar to Hedwig Schmidt from Hedwig and the Angry Inch, to which the creators admitted they are huge fans of.
- The Sheriff (Charles Napier, episodes 1-9 (uncredited); Bobby Ellerbee, episodes 9-current) - One of only a handful of human recurring characters, the Sheriff is a friendly, even sweet man. He has a close, amicable relationship with the Cuyler family due despite—or perhaps because of—having had to arrest Early repeatedly. Most of his role as Sheriff revolves around protecting the Cuyler family from their own destructive tendencies, as he has a sworn duty to preserve the last specimens of the "Appalachian Land Squid", so that further generations can appreciate "whatever it is they do". He is presented as a chain smoker and is foretold to die from emphysema "3 years from now". However, as the show does not follow any particular timeline, this has not taken place. Aside from his official duties, The Sheriff seems to really care about Early, going so far as to arrange couple's therapy for himself and his troubled squid friend. The Sheriff character is actually one of many clones grown on a farm as part of a "secret shadow government" developed and controlled (like most aspects of Dougal County) by Dan Halen. Most are identical—with a few exceptions—and described as having "marginal strength and hypersensitivity to pain." In the episode The Big Gay Throw Down, it was revealed that the Sheriff may be gay, though not all of his clones are (as not all are exact copies of him). The same episode also revealed that he was "possessed" by a gay "demon" at least since childhood. (This is in direct opposition to the earlier episode "Webnecks," in which he expressed relief that gay-marriage-encouraging robots didn't try to "convert" him.) Though the Reverend appeared to "exorcise" Todd from the Sheriff's body, the Sheriff was shown to still be gay and proceeded to pursue a romantic relationship with the man he had just met, and announced they were going to Connecticut where they would be allowed to drive cars. This particular incident necessitated the choosing of a new Sheriff from the rest of the clones on Dan Halen's farm (where this time they tried to specifically choose one that was straight).
- Krystal (Mary Kraft) - Rusty's human mother is a morbidly obese Caucasian woman who lives her life lying on a filthy junkyard mattress, where she had been deemed a local landmark and given "squatter's rights" to the location. She spends most of her time drinking from a re-usable over-sized "Sip" convenience store cup and scratching lottery tickets. Her extraordinarily promiscuous lifestyle (including having sex with Charlie Sheen and all of the members of .38 Special) caused problems during her brief marriage to Early.
- Dan Halen (Todd Hanson) - A small, pear-shaped, kneeless "badger-like" business tycoon. He is the incarnation of evil who has lived since the beginning of time, and personally controls almost every aspect of Dougal County (as well as most of Northern Georgia). He is in charge of Dan Halen Sheetrock International, a multinational corporation responsible for sheet rock, "dangerous" (rather than simply unsafe) baby furniture, selling arms to third world countries, and various other ventures. His name, hairstyle, and company symbol are direct references to the band Van Halen. He tolerates the presence of the Cuyler family for reasons unknown, frequently involving them in his bizarre moneymaking schemes, and currently employs the grossly incompetent Early as CEO of Dan Halen Int'l for purposes of limiting his own legal liability as a result of his often disastrous and homicidal business ideas.
[edit] Recurring characters - Reverend (Scott Hilley) - A blue preacher shaped like an obese teardrop and clad in a purple stole vestment. He presides over the church the Cuyler family and the Sheriff attend, and also owns the local mattress store where Early was previously employed. He is fearful of the Cuylers, questioning where they fit in "God's plan". He is a figure of religious hypocrisy because of his regular moral crises and occasional submission to temptation.[4].In one episode he didn't get admitted to Heaven (despite the admittance of nearly every other resident of Dougal County) prompting the question of whether he is living up to his religion.
- Boyd (Pete Smith) - The elderly, bearded clerk of the town convenience store. Early has robbed and shot him on numerous occasions. His left hand being shot off is one of the series' running gags.
- Dr. Bug (Todd Barry) - A large squid who works as doctor at the local hospital, Dr. Bug is the abandoned son of Granny Cuyler, but he takes great pains to hide it and to distance himself from the family. Thinking she was on her death bed while hospitalized, Granny tells him that she "never meant to flush him down the toilet" and that he was "always her favorite"[5]. Apparently in grudging recognition of this family connection, he then surreptitiously offers to donate his gallbladder to save Granny's life. A similar character named Bug (an acronym for Big Uncle Grandpa) appeared in original pilot scripts.
- Squid Jesus (Stewart Briehut) - Squid Jesus appears in visions to Granny and, less frequently, Early. He appears as a floating squid with tentacles bearing signs of the stigmata and a human head matching traditional portrayals of Jesus. He appears to be extremely embarrassed by Granny's fervent dedication to him, going so far as to suggest she "consider Satan" as a new savior.
- Devil (Jim Fortier) - A giant squid with a head of fire and talking snakes for tentacles. He has appeared in Granny's visions and taught Rusty and Early to play the guitar in exchange for their immortal souls. Shawn Coleman performs as Satan's singing voice.
- Snakeman (voiceless) - A giant snake like creature with a Mullet. He is often depicted devouring townsfolk. He is also one of Krystal's lovers and the two are often seen together in the outhouse next to her mattress.
- Glenn (Dave Willis) - An employee at Dan Halen Industries. He is often assaulted by Early at work or at home.
- Narrator (Dave Willis) - The narrator, who does not appear in every episode, often makes jokes at the family's expense in a manner similar to the narrator in Dukes of Hazzard.
- Deputy Denny (Dave Willis) - A clone of the Sheriff (albeit a tiny, malformed clone) that briefly served as the sheriff when the Sheriff asked Dan Halen to stop melting the flesh off the residents of the county during the season 3 episode "Sharif." He has poor impulse control, a large dent in his head, and was apparently replaced shortly after by another, more physically-accurate clone. He has since been seen helping the Sheriff with his law enforcement duties.
Animation - Radical Axis (studio) - Animation Director - Craig Hartin
- Lead Compositor - Jamie Galatas
- Animation Coordinator - Harriss Callahan (Season 1 & 2)
- Supervising Animator (Season 1) - Sean Quinn
- Supervising Animator (Season 2) - Sean Quinn
- Supervising Animators (Season 3) - Marji Fortin, Lars Edwards, Brian Ellis, and Sean Quinn
- Supervising Animators (Season 4) - Melissa Wolfert, Brad "Cotton" Schwab, and Sean Quinn
- Original Character Design (Lead Designer) - Todd Redner
- Animation Compositors - Ray Kim, Timothy Farrell, Michael Bernhardt, Nathan Churney, Joshua Mullinax
- Animators (Season One) - Amber Boardman, Eric Cerda, Marji Fortin
- Animators (Season Two) - Brian Ellis, Hanna Bliss, Lars Edwards, Eric Cerda, Marji Fortin, Justin Hamrick, Aaron Hawkins
- Animators (Season Three) - Brian Ellis, Lars Edwards, Eric Cerda, Marji Fortin, Brad Schwab, Dagny Philips-Stumberger, Derrick Canyon, Jason Shwartz, Melissa Wolfert, Missy Feaster, Ralph Sevelius, TJ Buford, Ian Stewart
- Animators (Season Four) - Brad Schwab, Melissa Wolfert, Dagny Phillips-Stumberger, Jason Shwartz, Missy Roode, Ralph Sevelius, Lamont Russ, Eric Cerda, Claire Almon, Aaron Kablack, Joe Apel, Adam Toews, Hannah O'Neil
[edit] Guest appearances - Fred Armisen voiced Miguel in "Take This Job and Love It" (Season 1, Episode 2) and Office Politics Trouble" (Season 1, Episode 6), Jesus in "Giant Foam Dickhat Trouble"(Season 2, Episode 5) and Hippie Killed With Chainsaw in "Worst Earth" (Season 3, Episode 6).[6]
- Todd Barry voiced Glenn in "Office Politics Trouble" (Season 1, Episode 6).[7]
- Butterbean voiced himself and sang the national anthem in "Condition:Demolition" (Season 3, Episode 9)[8]
- Vernon Chatman voiced Shuckey the Corn Mascot in "Mud Days and Confused" (Season 3, Episode 18)[10]
- Jon Wurster voice Hippie Man in "Earth Worst" (Season 3, Episode 6)and also Skyler The Blue Blood Sucking monster in "The Tinest Princess" (Season 2, Episode 12).
- Mick Foley voiced Thunder Clap, a professional wrestler going through a messy divorce in "Anabolic-holic" (Season 4, Episode 4)[12]
- Riley Martin voiced the Horseman of Pestulence in "Armageddon It On!" (Season 3, Episode 13) and a voice inside Dan Halen's head in "Pile M For Murder" (Season 3, Episode 19)[13]
- Larry Munson voiced the Voice of God on "Armageddon It On! (Season 3, Episode 13)[14]
- Patton Oswalt voiced Shecky Chucklestein in "Surivival of The Dumbest" (Season 2, Episode 12)[15]
- Brendon Small voiced the Devil in "Mephistopheles Traveled Below to a Southern State Whose Motto Is 'Wisdom, Justice and Moderation'" (Season 3, Episode 5)[16]
- Soilent Green performed the main title theme on "Lerm" (Season 4, Episode 1)
[edit] DVD releases | DVD name | Release date | Ep # | Features | | Volume 1 | October 16, 2007 | 20 | "How I Make The Damn Show!", The Original Pilots, Deleted Scenes, Behind the Scenes Footage, audio commentaries, and Anime Talk Show. | | Volume 2 | April 21, 2009 | 20 | "Squidbillies Circle Jerk 2: Return Of The Self Congratulation", "Dragonbillies", "Funny Pete Stuff", "Art and Music", "Dragon Con 2008", and audio commentaries. | | Volume 3 | TBA | TBA | Volume 3 will probably come out in 2010, but isn't confirmed. | [edit] References [edit] External links |
