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Our Cartoon President

Our Cartoon President is an American adult animated satirical television series that premiered on February 11, 2018, and ended on November 8, 2020, on Showtime. The series was created by Stephen Colbert, Chris Licht, Matt Lappin, Tim Luecke, and R. J. Fried and is based on a recurring segment from Colbert's late-night talk show The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Our Cartoon President
Genre
Created by
Voices of
Ending theme
  • "Donald Trump is the President" by Gabriel Gundacker (Eps 1-45)
  • "Donald Trump was the President" by Gabriel Gundacker (Ep. 46 only)
ComposerGabriel Gundacker
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes46 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Stephen Colbert
  • Chris Licht
  • R. J. Fried
ProducerTammy Walters
Editors
  • Thomas Berkley
  • Thomas Vogt
  • Will Velasquez
Running time24–43 min.
Production companies
Original release
NetworkShowtime
ReleaseFebruary 11, 2018 (2018-02-11) –
November 8, 2020 (2020-11-08)
Related

In August 2019, it was announced that the series had been renewed for a third and final season, which premiered on January 26, 2020.[1]

Premise

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Our Cartoon President is based on a recurring segment of Stephen Colbert's The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. A workplace comedy taking place in the White House and other Washington, D.C. locations, the show takes a look at the presidency of Donald Trump, his sycophants, his family members, members of Congress, and cable news-based newscasters and political commentators. The second season introduces the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates, as the focus of the show shifts to the 2020 election.

Cast and characters

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Main

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Recurring

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Guest

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Episodes

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Main article: List of Our Cartoon President episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
117February 11, 2018 (2018-02-11)August 26, 2018 (2018-08-26)
SpecialNovember 4, 2018 (2018-11-04)
210May 12, 2019 (2019-05-12)July 14, 2019 (2019-07-14)
318January 26, 2020 (2020-01-26)November 8, 2020 (2020-11-08)

Production

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Background

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See also: List of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert sketches § Donald Trump

The series is a spin-off from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and is produced by an animation studio, Late Night Cartoons, Inc., which, since 2016, had featured a series of sketches featuring an animated caricature of Trump designed by Tim Luecke and Rob Chandler, with Cartoon Trump voiced by Brian Stack. The sketches used Adobe Character Animator to allow Colbert to interact with the character in real-time.[2][3] The character was also featured in an animated short during Colbert's election night special for Showtime.[3][4]

Development

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Following the online success of the sketches, Late Show showrunner Chris Licht suggested to Tim Luecke and Matt Lappin that they develop the concept into its own television series. In their pitch to Showtime, Luecke and Lappin described the potential series as a look "behind the scenes at the White House" and that their goal would be to "produce it as quickly as we possibly could so that we could begin to keep up with the news cycle."[5]

On July 27, 2017, Showtime announced that it had greenlit an animated series based on the sketches, with Colbert, Matt Lappin, and Chris Licht as executive producers.[2][6] On December 18, 2017, it was announced that the series would premiere on February 11, 2018.[7][8] On March 8, 2018, Showtime announced that they were ordering an additional seven episodes of the series that are set to air during the summer of 2018. This order would bring the first season's total of episodes up to seventeen.[9][10] On May 30, 2018, it was announced that the additional seven episodes of season one would premiere on July 15, 2018.[11] On August 22, 2018, it was announced that Showtime had greenlit a midterm elections themed television special from the series titled "Our Cartoon President: Election Special 2018". The episode was scheduled to air on November 4, 2018, and expected to feature appearances from the cartoon versions of Vladimir Putin, Rudy Giuliani, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama.[12][needs update] On January 22, 2019, it was announced that Showtime had renewed the series for a second season consisting of ten episodes.[13] On January 26, 2020, the first part of the third season was aired, consisting of ten more episodes. On July 29, 2020, Showtime announced in a video that the show would be returning on September 20, 2020, with the second half of Season 3, featuring new characters, such as Cartoon Jill Biden, Cartoon Dr. Anthony Fauci, and Cartoon Andrew Cuomo.

Colbert said during the 2020 presidential election that if Trump won a second term, the series would be renewed for a fourth season. However, Trump lost reelection and the series was cancelled after three seasons, with Colbert and the team moving to other projects.[14][15]

Release

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Marketing

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On December 18, 2017, Showtime released the first teaser trailer for the series.[7][8] On May 30, 2018, a trailer for the additional seven episodes of season one was released.[11] On October 31, 2018, a trailer for the "Our Cartoon President: Election Special 2018" television special was released.[16]

2018 White House Correspondents' Dinner

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On April 28, 2018, a special three-minute video created by the cast and crew of the series aired during the 2018 White House Correspondents Dinner.[17]

Home media

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On December 18, 2018, the first season was released on DVD by CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Media Distribution featuring all eighteen episodes and the mid-term election special. The release also includes numerous bonus features such as episode commentary tracks, a featurette looking at the animation process, footage from the table read for episode eleven, and clips from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Stephen Colbert's 2016 Election Special, and The White House Correspondent's Dinner.[18] The second season was released on DVD on October 13, 2020.[19]

Reception

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The first season of Our Cartoon President has been met with a mixed to negative response from critics upon its premiere. On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds a 32% approval rating with an average rating of 5.17 out of 10 based on 25 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Sugar-coated satire, Our Cartoon President wavers between scathing social criticism and softball slings in a way that's as unsatisfying as it is uncomfortable."[20] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the season a score of 42 out of 100 based on 11 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews."[21]

Jack Nevins of The Guardian praised the show, calling it a farce that "nailed the Trump drama," and contrasting the show's surreal workplace comedy approach with the more reality and headline-driven approach of other late night comedy shows.[22] In contrast, USA Today critic Kelly Lawler reviewed Our Cartoon President negatively, describing it as "slight, dated and unsustainable". She also concluded that "Watching one episode is enough to get the point. Watching nine more feels unnecessary."[23] Ben Travers of Indiewire also reviewed the show unfavorably, calling it "a pointless, unfunny drudge" and criticized it for "humanizing" Trump.[24] In a mixed review, Brian Lowry of CNN wrote that "While Our Cartoon President certainly has its moments, the best news for Showtime might be it's only stuck with this experiment in quick-turnaround animation, at least initially, for 10 weeks." He also said that the show suffered from many of the same problems as That's My Bush!, a sitcom produced in 2001 satirizing the presidency of George W. Bush.[25] Matt Wilstein of The Daily Beast was more favorable, writing that "The biggest surprise [of the show] is how hilarious it is" and praising the show for being "remarkably adept at boiling down characters to their core traits, from Trump and his family to members of his Cabinet and Congress to the Fox News personalities he spends most of his day watching."[26]

References

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  1. ^ "OUR CARTOON PRESIDENT Returns for Third Season on January 26". Broadway World. January 7, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Blistein, Jon (July 27, 2017). "Stephen Colbert to Produce Animated Donald Trump Series". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  3. ^ a b Rubin, Ben Fox (July 28, 2017). "How Cartoon Donald Trump comes to life on 'The Late Show'". CNET. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  4. ^ Grove, Lloyd (November 9, 2016). "Stephen Colbert's Mournful Election Night Special". The Daily Beast. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  5. ^ Trumbore, Dave (May 19, 2018). "'Our Cartoon President': Tim Luecke on Animating the Trump Administration in Real-Time". Collider. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  6. ^ Deb, Sopan (July 28, 2017). "Stephen Colbert to Produce an Animated Trump Series". The New York Times. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  7. ^ a b de Moraes, Lisa (December 18, 2017). "Showtime Sets Premiere Date For Animated 'Our Cartoon President' From Stephen Colbert: Watch The Trailer". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  8. ^ a b Mason, Charlie (December 18, 2017). "Trump-Themed Cartoon President Premiere Date Announced by Showtime — Watch Teaser Trailer". TVLine. Archived from the original on August 19, 2018. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  9. ^ Evans, Greg (March 8, 2018). "Showtime Extends 'Our Cartoon President' With Seven Summer Episodes". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  10. ^ Otterson, Joe (March 8, 2018). "'Our Cartoon President' Gets Additional Seven-Episode Order at Showtime". Variety. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  11. ^ a b Pedersen, Erik (May 30, 2018). "'Our Cartoon President' Gets Showtime Return Date & New Trailer". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  12. ^ de Moraes, Lisa (August 22, 2018). "'Our Cartoon President: Election Special 2018' Set For Showtime On Sunday Before Midterm Election". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
  13. ^ Otterson, Joe (January 22, 2019). "'Our Cartoon President' Renewed for Season 2 at Showtime (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
  14. ^ White, Peter (November 3, 2020). "Stephen Colbert Says "Hold On Tight" As He Jokes That 'Our Cartoon President' Might Get Another Season". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  15. ^ O'Rourke, Ryan (September 21, 2021). "Stephen Colbert Has Two New Animated Shows 'Fairview' and 'Washingtonia' Coming to Comedy Central". Collider. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  16. ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (October 31, 2018). "'Our Cartoon President: Election Special 2018' Trailer: Trump And Don Jr. Try To Save America From Democratic Wave". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  17. ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (April 29, 2018). "'Our Cartoon President' Imagines White House Correspondents Dinner With Trump In Attendance". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
  18. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (December 7, 2018). "CBS Releasing 'Our Cartoon President' S1 on December 18". Animation Magazine. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
  19. ^ "Our Cartoon President: Season Two". Amazon. October 13, 2020.
  20. ^ "Our Cartoon President: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  21. ^ "Our Cartoon President: Season 1". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  22. ^ Nevins, Jake (February 9, 2018). "Our Cartoon President review – Stephen Colbert's farce nails Trump drama". The Guardian. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  23. ^ Lawler, Kelly (January 26, 2018). "Review: Stephen Colbert's Trump satire 'Our Cartoon President' lacks bite". USA Today. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  24. ^ Travers, Ben (January 29, 2018). "'Our Cartoon President' Review: Showtime's Lame Trump Cartoon Turns Donald Into a Dumb Sitcom Dad". IndieWire. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  25. ^ Lowry, Brian (January 29, 2018). "Trump gets animated in Showtime satire 'Our Cartoon President'". CNN. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  26. ^ Wilstein, Matt (January 27, 2018). "Stephen Colbert's 'Our Cartoon President' Nails Trump's Alt-Reality". The Daily Beast. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
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