The Extreme Ghostbusters, looking back...

[DrSpengler]

Wrote a restrospect on the Extreme Ghostbusters, here:

http://forevergeek.com/cartoons/cartoon_archive_the_extreme_ghostbusters.php

Looking back, I don't hate the show as much as I did when it was on. I kinda wish I had appreciated it more at the time and wasn't so shallow when it came to the characters. Maybe then it would've continued and we'd have gotten that Samhaine episode. :ohwell:

Anyway, what're your thoughts on the Extreme Ghostbusters?

[GK Punk]

I actually liked it. It took me awhile to get used to it but once I Did I started watching it every day. I kinda miss it.

[ZariusTwo]

Extreme Ghostbusters would probably have earned higher points if it was'nt almost a complete clone of the original's characters, and to have made the female a stereotypical goth was nauccisating, but then they were coming into the mainstream at the time and it had to be done to "justify" a female interest in ghosts. Watch RG's handling of Janine people...

Perhaps the material I miss the most was JMS's writing, had he been in charge I think Janine may have had more attention and developed as more of a character, she was made to be just as important to the core cast of TRG as Egon was to EG, and in that sense they nailed Egon's mentor role, but really ignored Janine. They did demonstrate Egon and Janine's old romanctic teasing here and there, but at this point in their lives, it felt like they should have been married by now.

I loved some of the epsiodes, particulary the very well animated and very well written pilot story, as well as "Back In The Saddle". But MIB was a far superior series at the time, and then the even better Roswell Conspracies showed EG how they should have been handled.

Definatly a flawed, but noticable footnote in the Ghostbusters franchise

[DrSpengler]

The Egon/Janine thing was rather inexcusable, I always thought.

JMS, in one of the last episodes he ever wrote towards the end of the Real Ghostbusters, made sure to tie-up the Egon/Janine romance. They both finally hooked up in "Janine, You've Changed" and showed one of the few points of actual character developement in the series.

Extreme Ghostbusters ignored that development and set the characters backward. Even worse, Egon stated his age was 39 during the series. The romance just isn't as cute when they're nearing their 40's and STILL haven't gotten their s*** together.

I think the new-comer cast would've worked better had they been the Junior Ghostbusters all grown up rather than 4 new guys. The Junior Ghostbusters, while a terrible idea back during the original series, would've lost that annoying "kiddy" angle by having all grown up by the time of the Extreme Ghostbusters.

Additionally, they were rather obscure characters (appearing only in two episodes of the Real Ghostbusters and appearing more prominantly in the rarely seen Slimer & the Real Ghostbusters), so most people would've have recognized them. Plus, they would've had a precendence in the continuity, possibly attracting the older crowd rather than alienating them.

But it's too late for that, now.

[Jester]

Can I try to relate this back to TMNT:FF? Could FF be the TMNT equivilant of Extreme GB?

[ZariusTwo]

Can I try to relate this back to TMNT:FF? Could FF be the TMNT equivilant of Extreme GB?

Fast Forward is more like the final season of "The Smurfs"

[Jester]

School me, Zarius, because I forget how bad that season was, is that the one with the human firends or the kid Smurfs?

[DrSpengler]

The last season of the Smurfs had that little kid, Junior or something, voiced by Frank welker, right? And Gargamel's assistant? And Big Mouth? And the Prince?

Lots and lots of humans, as I recall. Ugh.

[Anarchistguy]

Big mouth? You mean the ogre? If you do, him and the prince don't count since they appeared in the comics the series was based on.

[DrSpengler]

Yeah, my memories of the Smurfs are vague at best. I can't remember if he was there from the beginning or not, but if he originated in the comics, then I suppose he was.

[gobo]

I actually wanted to see Extreme Ghostbusters back when it came out, but its network (UPN, right?) wasn't available in my area until well after the show was a distant memory. My first experiences with the show were from the pathetically-made VHS 3-pack from the mid/late '90s. The tracking was horrid. The colors bled all over the screen. It was atrocious! I thought what they did with Onion-head-- er, Slimer was quite irritating (as if he wasn't irritating enough before). I thought the Egon/Janine thing was sad. But, the issues I had with the show were all forgivable. In as much as this is a kid's show and always was, we couldn't reasonably expect it to be very focused on the already-established fanbase who may very well have outgrown the franchise. Being that its prequel series was controlled by ABC (Disney's apprentice), even I would have made decisions to market it to an entirely new audience because it obviously wouldn't appeal as much to the fans of The Real Ghostbusters (which it didn't until it was dead). I personally thought that they missed a golden opportunity to make a joke about Slimer's voice when Frank Welker reprised his role as Ray. Peter (R.I.P. Victor Music; Dave Coulier could never fill his shoes) could have surprised him somehow, and his voice would have been Fred-- er, ah... Frank for a second. But, were this show to be released on DVD anytime while I'm still alive, I would buy it. You better believe I would want gobo jr. watching an excellent show like this! ;)

[DrSpengler]

What it lacked in strong characters it made up for in excellent voice work (Susan Blu, once again, saves the day) and some VERY dark and edgey stories.

There was one episode where a bunch of anti-semetic teenagers kept vandalizing a sinagog (please excuse my spelling), so the son of the rabbi brings a golem to life to protect the sinagog, and it ends up going crazy.

I would also buy the series on DVD if it ever got released. Not just because I'm a Ghostbusters fan, but because there were many episodes I never got to see (including the Grundel episode, dammit).

[GK Punk]

Susan Blu

Yeah, Stormer's awesome :lol:
Didn't Tara Strong voice Kylie?

[ZariusTwo]

The last season of the Smurfs had that little kid, Junior or something, voiced by Frank welker, right? And Gargamel's assistant? And Big Mouth? And the Prince?

Lots and lots of humans, as I recall. Ugh.

The final season involved them trapped in different time periods.

[Brodie]

I loved this cartoon, but I hate referencing it, and no one understanding.

The best joke they ever had was when Ray and all the guys came back, and they ride with the new busters, and Ray says "Man, I cant feel my legs" and the kid in the wheel chair says "Yeah, me either"

[DrSpengler]

The final season involved them trapped in different time periods.

Man, I somehow missed that arc entirely. Good for me!


And yeah, they made lots of jokes at the expense of Garrett's handicapped.

I remember one, it was after Eduardo said something stupid:

Garrett: "Open mouth, insert foot."

Eduardo: "Yeah, well at least I HAVE a foot...that works..."


LOL at handicapped people.

[ZariusTwo]

Man, I somehow missed that arc entirely. Good for me!

Yeah, this was the final attempt to keep the show alive and it backfired...they never even wrapped the story up. Most Smurfs fans have since disregarded it in continuity and you never see it repeated anywhere

...And the Smurfs presumbly did'nt get paid when they got back either...

Speaking of the humans...they were actually the first characters written by The Smurfs creator, the Smurfs spun out of their daily strip

[gobo]

Ray says "Man, I cant feel my legs" and the kid in the wheel chair says "Yeah, me either"Handicapped people can be clowns too! Actually, we often do it as a way to make up for what we lack. Everybody's got to be good at something, right?I remember one, it was after Eduardo said something stupid:

Garrett: "Open mouth, insert foot."

Eduardo: "Yeah, well at least I HAVE a foot...that works..."


LOL at handicapped people. :-? I believe that was only a joke about Eduardo's slow wit. Handicapped people have every right to be funny. So there... :P

[DrSpengler]

Well, I was more pointing out how kinda tasteless that joke was.

But yeah, Garrett had a good sense of humor about his handicap, which made the character more bearable. Due in no small part to some great voice acting on Jason Marsden's behalf.

[Brodie]

I did buy the toys, they were pretty cool, but there was never a Garrett toy, which I didn't like. I'm pretty sure the ecto 1 had the wheel chair ramp, but they never made it. I think the voice acting on Carlton's (from Fresh Prince) behalf was sub par, and I loved Eduardo. He just seemed really cool. Basically Peter, but I assume, more dumb.

[Drtooth]

I have to admit, I enjoyed it, though clearly not as much as the original... I think that Ghostbusters: the Next generation would have been a better title. I can't abide the word "extreme"... like Extreme Dinosaurs or Extreme chocolate flavored kiddy drink. Plus I really wish they used Frank Welker as Slimer... But it gave the guy who played Carlton from Fresh Prince a job....

[gobo]

:o Extreme Slimer was Classic 'Toon Shredder's son from Bel-Aire?? Awesome!!!

[Andrew NDB]

I have to admit, I enjoyed it, though clearly not as much as the original... I think that Ghostbusters: the Next generation would have been a better title. I can't abide the word "extreme"... like Extreme Dinosaurs or Extreme chocolate flavored kiddy drink. Plus I really wish they used Frank Welker as Slimer... But it gave the guy who played Carlton from Fresh Prince a job....

The title always makes me think of the "EXTREME!" commercials of the 90s. Like this one:

3uiPjgS0DWU

[AquaParade]

I didn't love this version but I liked that there were two versions and this one had a little more "edge". I just like seeing things reinterpreted I guess.