Fat Guy Stuck in Internet
Encyclopedia
Fat Guy Stuck in Internet is an American live-action science fiction comedy
television series on Cartoon Network's
late night programming block, Adult Swim
. The series was created by John Gemberling and Curtis Gwinn; and ended with a total of ten episodes over the course of one season.
An adaptation/remake
of Gemberling and Gwinn's 2005 Channel 102 web series
Gemberling, Fat Guy Stuck in Internet follows computer programmer Ken Gemberling (the titular "Fat Guy"), who is accidentally sucked into his computer and learns he is destined to save cyberspace from a variety of evils. After a pilot
aired in May 2007, Adult Swim commissioned a full season of Fat Guy Stuck in Internet which lasted ten episodes, airing from June 2008 to August 2008. Following the run of its first season, the channel chose not to renew the show for a second, effectively cancelling
the series.
created by Upright Citizens Brigade
alumni John Gemberling and Curtis Gwinn, known as the comedy duo
of The Cowboy & John. Originally titled Gemberling, the series followed the same storyline and major plot points of its television adaptation, featuring much of the same cast (with the notable exception of Katie Dippold in the role of Byte) though with a considerably lower budget and more profanity
. Aired in five-minute episodes as part of Channel 102, Gemberling became Channel 102's longest-running original series, lasting a total of eight episodes including a 17-minute finale. The shorts also aired as part of Fuse TV
s Munchies.
In January 2007, Cartoon Network
announced that they had commissioned Gemberling and Gwinn to create a series based on Gemberling as part of the Adult Swim
programming block. Adult Swim made the decision to rename the series as Fat Guy Stuck in Internet, a title which both creators disliked. The entirety of the series was filmed and produced inside of a warehouse in Bushwick, Brooklyn
. On May 30, 2008, Gemberling and Gwinn premiered Fat Guy Stuck in Internet before a live audience at the Upright Citizens Brigade theatre in New York City
.
Ken Gemberling is the top programmer at his company Ynapmoclive Interactive, but is also remarkably rude, selfish and arrogant. After dumping beer on his computer keyboard, Gemberling is inexplicably sucked into his computer, landing in the farthest reaches of the internet
where he soon discovers that he is in fact "The Chosen One", prophesied to save cyberspace
from a devastating virus known as the nanoplague. Joined by a pair of humanoid "programs" named Bit and Byte, Gemberling embarks on an epic adventure to save the internet, return home and unleash the hero within, all the while hunted through cyberspace by ruthless white trash
bounty hunter
Chains.
Fat Guy Stuck in Internet uses a mix of greenscreen
effects, hard sets, miniatures
, matte painting
s and computer animation
to create the show's cyberspace environment, though carries over many of the intentionally low-budget props and special effects from the web series (e.g. broom handles being used as laser-shooting weapons, etc.).
The basic premise of Fat Guy Stuck in Internet is a parody
of the film Tron
, from which the series also borrows several visual elements. Gemberling and Gwinn have noted further parody and stylistic influence taken from The Matrix
, Star Wars
, Lord of the Rings and Stephen King
, in particular his Dark Tower
series.
, having reviewed every episode as part of their "Adult Swim Sunday" column, was one of the series' harsher critics, primarily criticizing the show's "cheap" writing, poor movie parodies and John Gemberling's "smirking, mediocre" performance. As the series progressed, however, the reception became a bit warmer, with later episodes being called "not completely terrible" and "not entirely unpleasant" to the final episode being described as "going out with a bang", the reviewer admitting "for a couple minutes, I actually found myself engaged". Time
also looked positively on the series, noting the show "delivers", being "striking-looking and even good-hearted in its own bizarre way".
Comic science fiction
Comic science fiction is a sub-genre of science fiction that exploits the genre's conventions for comic effect. Comic science fiction often mocks or satirizes standard SF conventions like alien invasion of Earth, interstellar travel, or futuristic technology....
television series on Cartoon Network's
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
late night programming block, Adult Swim
Adult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
. The series was created by John Gemberling and Curtis Gwinn; and ended with a total of ten episodes over the course of one season.
An adaptation/remake
Remake
A remake is a piece of media based primarily on an earlier work of the same medium.-Film:The term "remake" is generally used in reference to a movie which uses an earlier movie as the main source material, rather than in reference to a second, later movie based on the same source...
of Gemberling and Gwinn's 2005 Channel 102 web series
Web series
A web series is a series of episodes released on the Internet or also by mobile or cellular phone, and part of the newly emerging medium called web television. A single instance of a web series program is called an episode .While the popularity of web series is continuing to rise, the concept...
Gemberling, Fat Guy Stuck in Internet follows computer programmer Ken Gemberling (the titular "Fat Guy"), who is accidentally sucked into his computer and learns he is destined to save cyberspace from a variety of evils. After a pilot
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
aired in May 2007, Adult Swim commissioned a full season of Fat Guy Stuck in Internet which lasted ten episodes, airing from June 2008 to August 2008. Following the run of its first season, the channel chose not to renew the show for a second, effectively cancelling
Cancellation (television)
In television, cancellation refers to the termination of a program by a network, typically because of low viewership and/or unfavourable critical reviews. Another reason why television programs can be cancelled is to make room for new television programs...
the series.
Production
Fat Guy Stuck in Internet first appeared as a 2005 web seriesWeb series
A web series is a series of episodes released on the Internet or also by mobile or cellular phone, and part of the newly emerging medium called web television. A single instance of a web series program is called an episode .While the popularity of web series is continuing to rise, the concept...
created by Upright Citizens Brigade
Upright Citizens Brigade
The Upright Citizens Brigade is an improvisational comedy and sketch comedy group that emerged from Chicago's ImprovOlympic in 1990. The most recent incarnation consists of Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts, and Matt Walsh...
alumni John Gemberling and Curtis Gwinn, known as the comedy duo
Double act
A double act, also known as a comedy duo, is a comic pairing in which humor is derived from the uneven relationship between two partners, usually of the same gender, age, ethnic origin and profession, but drastically different personalities or behavior...
of The Cowboy & John. Originally titled Gemberling, the series followed the same storyline and major plot points of its television adaptation, featuring much of the same cast (with the notable exception of Katie Dippold in the role of Byte) though with a considerably lower budget and more profanity
Profanity
Profanity is a show of disrespect, or a desecration or debasement of someone or something. Profanity can take the form of words, expressions, gestures, or other social behaviors that are socially constructed or interpreted as insulting, rude, vulgar, obscene, desecrating, or other forms.The...
. Aired in five-minute episodes as part of Channel 102, Gemberling became Channel 102's longest-running original series, lasting a total of eight episodes including a 17-minute finale. The shorts also aired as part of Fuse TV
Fuse TV
Fuse is an American national television network dedicated exclusively to music. It features original series and specials, exclusive interviews, live concerts and video blocks....
s Munchies.
In January 2007, Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
announced that they had commissioned Gemberling and Gwinn to create a series based on Gemberling as part of the Adult Swim
Adult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
programming block. Adult Swim made the decision to rename the series as Fat Guy Stuck in Internet, a title which both creators disliked. The entirety of the series was filmed and produced inside of a warehouse in Bushwick, Brooklyn
Bushwick, Brooklyn
Bushwick is a neighborhood in the northern part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood, formerly Brooklyn's 18th Ward, is now part of Brooklyn Community Board 4...
. On May 30, 2008, Gemberling and Gwinn premiered Fat Guy Stuck in Internet before a live audience at the Upright Citizens Brigade theatre in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Series overview
Hotshot computer programmerProgrammer
A programmer, computer programmer or coder is someone who writes computer software. The term computer programmer can refer to a specialist in one area of computer programming or to a generalist who writes code for many kinds of software. One who practices or professes a formal approach to...
Ken Gemberling is the top programmer at his company Ynapmoclive Interactive, but is also remarkably rude, selfish and arrogant. After dumping beer on his computer keyboard, Gemberling is inexplicably sucked into his computer, landing in the farthest reaches of the internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
where he soon discovers that he is in fact "The Chosen One", prophesied to save cyberspace
Cyberspace
Cyberspace is the electronic medium of computer networks, in which online communication takes place.The term "cyberspace" was first used by the cyberpunk science fiction author William Gibson, though the concept was described somewhat earlier, for example in the Vernor Vinge short story "True...
from a devastating virus known as the nanoplague. Joined by a pair of humanoid "programs" named Bit and Byte, Gemberling embarks on an epic adventure to save the internet, return home and unleash the hero within, all the while hunted through cyberspace by ruthless white trash
White trash
White trash is an American English pejorative term referring to poor white people in the United States, suggesting lower social class and degraded living standards...
bounty hunter
Bounty hunter
A bounty hunter captures fugitives for a monetary reward . Other names, mainly used in the United States, include bail enforcement agent and fugitive recovery agent.-Laws in the U.S.:...
Chains.
Fat Guy Stuck in Internet uses a mix of greenscreen
Chroma key
Chroma key compositing is a technique for compositing two images together. A color range in the top layer is made transparent, revealing another image behind. The chroma keying technique is commonly used in video production and post-production...
effects, hard sets, miniatures
Miniature effect
A miniature effect is a special effect created for motion pictures and television programs using scale models. Scale models are often combined with high speed photography or matte shots to make gravitational and other effects appear convicing to the viewer...
, matte painting
Matte painting
A matte painting is a painted representation of a landscape, set, or distant location that allows filmmakers to create the illusion of an environment that would otherwise be too expensive or impossible to build or visit. Historically, matte painters and film technicians have used various techniques...
s and computer animation
Computer animation
Computer animation is the process used for generating animated images by using computer graphics. The more general term computer generated imagery encompasses both static scenes and dynamic images, while computer animation only refers to moving images....
to create the show's cyberspace environment, though carries over many of the intentionally low-budget props and special effects from the web series (e.g. broom handles being used as laser-shooting weapons, etc.).
The basic premise of Fat Guy Stuck in Internet is a parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of the film Tron
Tron (film)
Tron is a 1982 American science fiction film written and directed by Steven Lisberger, and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It stars Jeff Bridges as the protagonist Kevin Flynn; Bruce Boxleitner in a dual role as security program Tron and Tron's "User", computer programmer Alan Bradley; Cindy...
, from which the series also borrows several visual elements. Gemberling and Gwinn have noted further parody and stylistic influence taken from The Matrix
The Matrix
The Matrix is a 1999 science fiction-action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Hugo Weaving...
, Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
, Lord of the Rings and Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
, in particular his Dark Tower
The Dark Tower (series)
The Dark Tower is a series of books written by American author Stephen King, which incorporates themes from multiple genres, including fantasy, science fantasy, horror and western. It describes a "Gunslinger" and his quest toward a tower, the nature of which is both physical and metaphorical. King...
series.
Characters
- Gemberling (John Gemberling) - The show's main protagonistProtagonistA protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
, otherwise recognized by his given internet handle of "Fat Guy Stuck in Internet". A skilled but slovenly programmer in real life, Gemberling is actually the prophesied savior of the internet, destined to save cyberspace from evil. At first a selfish jerk, Gemberling's quest brings out his inner goodness and strength as he learns the value of heroism and friendship. - Chains (Curtis Gwinn) - A dim-witted redneckRedneckRedneck is a historically derogatory slang term used in reference to poor, uneducated white farmers, especially from the southern United States...
bounty hunter hired by the C.E.O. to track Gemberling through cyberspace, Chains is more interested in smoking potCannabisCannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...
and eating cyberchicken than doing his job. Although first presented as the series' secondary antagonistAntagonistAn antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
, Chains eventually becomes Gemberling's troublesome sidekickSidekickA sidekick is a close companion who is generally regarded as subordinate to the one he accompanies. Some well-known fictional sidekicks are Don Quixote's Sancho Panza, Sherlock Holmes' Doctor Watson, The Lone Ranger's Tonto, The Green Hornet's Kato and Batman's Robin.-Origins:The origin of the...
. - Byte (Liz CackowskiLiz CackowskiLiz Cackowski is an American comedy writer and actress.-Career:Cackowski began her comedy career at The Second City in Chicago where she was discovered and hired by Saturday Night Live, where she worked as a writer from 2003-2006. Since leaving SNL she appeared in feature films such as Forgetting...
) - The sister of Bit, Byte is a humanoid computer program who aides Gemberling early in his quest, placing great confidence and belief in his abilities. She is later kidnapped by Chains and converted to evilEvilEvil is the violation of, or intent to violate, some moral code. Evil is usually seen as the dualistic opposite of good. Definitions of evil vary along with analysis of its root motive causes, however general actions commonly considered evil include: conscious and deliberate wrongdoing,...
by the C.E.O. - Bit (Neil Casey) - Brother of Byte, Bit is another humanoid program who assists Gemberling in his adventure. Along with Byte, he is kidnapped by Chains and ultimately suffers his fate at the hands of his newly evil sister.
- The C.E.O. (John Gemberling) - The series' primary antagonist. The villainous (albeit inept) C.E.O. of Ynapmoclive Interactive, he controls the nanoplague which will destroy the internet.
Season 1: 2007-2008
| # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Reception
Fat Guy Stuck in Internet received mixed reviews from viewers and critics. The A.V. ClubThe A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
, having reviewed every episode as part of their "Adult Swim Sunday" column, was one of the series' harsher critics, primarily criticizing the show's "cheap" writing, poor movie parodies and John Gemberling's "smirking, mediocre" performance. As the series progressed, however, the reception became a bit warmer, with later episodes being called "not completely terrible" and "not entirely unpleasant" to the final episode being described as "going out with a bang", the reviewer admitting "for a couple minutes, I actually found myself engaged". Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
also looked positively on the series, noting the show "delivers", being "striking-looking and even good-hearted in its own bizarre way".