The Chimp Channel
Encyclopedia
The Chimp Channel is an American comedy
television series which aired on TBS Superstation in 1999. Based on the highly popular Monkey-ed Movies
interstitials that TBS aired one year prior. It is the network's first original sitcom. The short-lived series primarily consists of costumed chimpanzee
s and orangutan
s, voiced
by human actors, parody
ing popular television shows, movies, and advertising as well as stars and personalities within the industry. The Chimp Channel marked the first all-simian
series since ABC
's Saturday morning
Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp
, which ended in 1972.
, Treewatch
, Ally McSqeal
, The Murray Price Show
, News at Night, and Movies on Film. The latter has two critics reviewing films from the Monkey-ed Movie library with a non-opposable thumbs up or down. Due to the show's racy humor, it earned a TV-14 rating.
and in odd time slots after sporting events. However, one day when a golf tournament ran short, the station played about half an hour of Monkey'ed Movies to unexpected results. The ratings actually increased, which prompted TBS to order 13 episodes of an expanded half-hour series. Aiming for a young male audience, TBS placed The Chimp Channel on Thursday nights at 10:05 p.m. ET following the network's top-rated professional wrestling
show WCW Thunder
. An April 1999 press release noted the series' original title as Channel of the Apes. The renamed Chimp Channel debuted on June 10, 1999.
Not long into production, Stern found himself at odds with TBS management regarding the direction of the series. This led to an incident on March 8, 1999 in which he improvised a raunchy performance art
piece that involved full nudity and breaking two liquor bottles on the show's set. Stern was promptly fired for the incident despite claiming that he had permission from network officials to do what he called "improv comedy" described as "trying to get stuff off my chest about the wrong-headed direction the show was taking." On June 9, one day before the Chimp Channel series premiere, Stern filed a breach-of-contract suit against TBS, Warner Bros. Domestic Pay TV, Telescopic Pictures, and Palomar Pictures in Los Angeles, seeking damages in excess of $1,675,000. Stern was represented in the suit by Los Angeles attorney David Wall. Production of the series continued for a few more months without its creative founder.
Filming of The Chimp Channel required a reportedly critical sensitivity regarding its animal cast. In attempt to avoid any performance hampering or distraction, studio personnel and visitors were instructed not to mingle with, make gestures toward, or make eye contact with the chimps. Brief scenes required strenuous rehearsal before filming could begin, and all personnel not required for immediate set consulting, including the director, viewed the shooting from monitors 50 feet away. Regarding the apes' behavior on set, Tom Stern quipped "Maggie, [the chimp] who plays Marina, loves the Lycra suit she wears and can't refrain from going to the bathroom in it — she thinks it's just a really cool red diaper. All the chimps wear diapers, though, so it's a lot like Frasier
."
The ape performances were coached by off-screen trainers using signals to communicate with them. This made shooting more than two chimps at once difficult, so high-tech editing was used to multiply the number of apes in the frame. And since they couldn't always follow the script perfectly, the apes' reactions were cataloged and often edited together to create cohesive scenes. Regarding the unpredictability of the apes', co-executive producer Tim Burns noted, "They're a comedy writer's best friend. I think the stuff is funny to begin with, but there's no replacing how much funnier it is when the monkeys add their own peculiar performance style."
The American Humane Association
's Film and Television Unit supervised the filming of both The Chimp Channel and its predecessor, Monkey-ed Movies, and reported:
Caryn James gave a negative review of the show, stating "The Chimp Channel is so scattershot and predictable it becomes tiresome in about five minutes. . . And the brief parodies of television shows and movies offer mere glimpses of wit."
Ray Richmond of Variety
described how the original Monkey-ed Movies "proved to be clever stuff, in large part because it was short and sweet" but that "with Chimp Channel, TBS monkeys with an undeniably thin concept and stretches it past the limit." While he commended the "sharp, well-organized direction from Mitchell Walker and the uncannily effective animal work from head trainer Bob Dunn, coordinator Mike Morris and their team," Richmond added "What seems cute in small doses feels awfully humiliating in this expanded format, sucking out any novelty and leaving in its wake only the uncomfortable entrails."
Tom Jicha of the Sun-Sentinel claimed "The Chimp Channel sounds a lot funnier than it turns out to be on the air. As an occasional brief skit on a show like Saturday Night Live
or MADtv
, The Chimp Channel might be entertaining." However, Jicha also provided additional insight into the series' predicament, pondering "TBS seems to have it's days and nights confused. Cleaned up of its occasional randy references - there's even a snarky shot at Monica Lewinsky
- The Chimp Channel might work for the audience at 10 in the morning on Saturday. At 10 at night on Thursdays its a King Kong
-sized loser."
Fan reception appears to be somewhat more positive; as of 2010, The Chimp Channel holds a 7.2/10 rating on the Internet Movie Database
and 6.2 "Fair" on TV.com
.
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
television series which aired on TBS Superstation in 1999. Based on the highly popular Monkey-ed Movies
Monkey-ed Movies
Monkey-ed Movies is a series of short films broadcast on the Turner Broadcasting System in the 1990s. The films parodied popular films or television programs that were currently being broadcast on TBS with the use of costumed chimpanzees and orangutans voiced by human actors.Ray Richmond of Variety...
interstitials that TBS aired one year prior. It is the network's first original sitcom. The short-lived series primarily consists of costumed chimpanzee
Chimpanzee
Chimpanzee, sometimes colloquially chimp, is the common name for the two extant species of ape in the genus Pan. The Congo River forms the boundary between the native habitat of the two species:...
s and orangutan
Orangutan
Orangutans are the only exclusively Asian genus of extant great ape. The largest living arboreal animals, they have proportionally longer arms than the other, more terrestrial, great apes. They are among the most intelligent primates and use a variety of sophisticated tools, also making sleeping...
s, voiced
Voice acting
Voice acting is the art of providing voices for animated characters and radio and audio dramas and comedy, as well as doing voice-overs in radio and television commercials, audio dramas, dubbed foreign language films, video games, puppet shows, and amusement rides.Performers are called...
by human actors, 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...
ing popular television shows, movies, and advertising as well as stars and personalities within the industry. The Chimp Channel marked the first all-simian
Simian
The simians are the "higher primates" familiar to most people: the Old World monkeys and apes, including humans, , and the New World monkeys or platyrrhines. Simians tend to be larger than the "lower primates" or prosimians.- Classification and evolution :The simians are split into three groups...
series since ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's Saturday morning
Saturday Morning
-Album credits:*All tracks produced by Ralph Sall for Bulletproof Recording Company Inc.*Executive Producer/Concept: Ralph Sall for Bulletproof Recording Company Inc.*Engineered by Peter McCabe and Larry Fergusson....
Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp
Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp
Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp is an American action/adventure comedy series that originally aired on ABC from September 12, 1970, to September 2, 1972...
, which ended in 1972.
Premise
The series revolves around the behind the scenes antics of the fictional, eponymous cable network, The Chimp Channel (abbreviated TCC), and the shows it produces. Television programs filmed at the network include NYPD ZooNYPD Blue
NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...
, Treewatch
Baywatch
Baywatch is an American action drama series about the Los Angeles County Lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, starring David Hasselhoff. The show ran in its original title and format from 1989 to 1999, sans the 1990-1991 season, of which it was not in production...
, Ally McSqeal
Ally McBeal
Ally McBeal is an American legal comedy-drama series which aired on the Fox network from 1997 to 2002. The series was created by David E. Kelley, who also served as the executive producer, along with Bill D'Elia...
, The Murray Price Show
Larry King Live
Larry King Live is an American talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was CNN's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly....
, News at Night, and Movies on Film. The latter has two critics reviewing films from the Monkey-ed Movie library with a non-opposable thumbs up or down. Due to the show's racy humor, it earned a TV-14 rating.
Background and production history
In 1998, TBS aired Tom Stern's Monkey-ed Movies. Forty-eight of the short segments were produced to run during the feature-film program Dinner and a MovieDinner and a Movie
Dinner and a Movie is a cooking and entertainment television program produced in the U.S. by TBS from 1995 to 2011.Each episode included a movie and the preparation of a creative dinner to go with the theme of the movie, generally via a pun...
and in odd time slots after sporting events. However, one day when a golf tournament ran short, the station played about half an hour of Monkey'ed Movies to unexpected results. The ratings actually increased, which prompted TBS to order 13 episodes of an expanded half-hour series. Aiming for a young male audience, TBS placed The Chimp Channel on Thursday nights at 10:05 p.m. ET following the network's top-rated professional wrestling
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
show WCW Thunder
WCW Thunder
WCW Thunder was a professional wrestling show produced by World Championship Wrestling which aired on TBS from January 8, 1998 to March 21, 2001...
. An April 1999 press release noted the series' original title as Channel of the Apes. The renamed Chimp Channel debuted on June 10, 1999.
Not long into production, Stern found himself at odds with TBS management regarding the direction of the series. This led to an incident on March 8, 1999 in which he improvised a raunchy performance art
Performance art
In art, performance art is a performance presented to an audience, traditionally interdisciplinary. Performance may be either scripted or unscripted, random or carefully orchestrated; spontaneous or otherwise carefully planned with or without audience participation. The performance can be live or...
piece that involved full nudity and breaking two liquor bottles on the show's set. Stern was promptly fired for the incident despite claiming that he had permission from network officials to do what he called "improv comedy" described as "trying to get stuff off my chest about the wrong-headed direction the show was taking." On June 9, one day before the Chimp Channel series premiere, Stern filed a breach-of-contract suit against TBS, Warner Bros. Domestic Pay TV, Telescopic Pictures, and Palomar Pictures in Los Angeles, seeking damages in excess of $1,675,000. Stern was represented in the suit by Los Angeles attorney David Wall. Production of the series continued for a few more months without its creative founder.
Filming of The Chimp Channel required a reportedly critical sensitivity regarding its animal cast. In attempt to avoid any performance hampering or distraction, studio personnel and visitors were instructed not to mingle with, make gestures toward, or make eye contact with the chimps. Brief scenes required strenuous rehearsal before filming could begin, and all personnel not required for immediate set consulting, including the director, viewed the shooting from monitors 50 feet away. Regarding the apes' behavior on set, Tom Stern quipped "Maggie, [the chimp] who plays Marina, loves the Lycra suit she wears and can't refrain from going to the bathroom in it — she thinks it's just a really cool red diaper. All the chimps wear diapers, though, so it's a lot like Frasier
Frasier
Frasier is an American sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for eleven seasons, from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee in association with Grammnet and Paramount Network Television.A spin-off of Cheers, Frasier stars...
."
The ape performances were coached by off-screen trainers using signals to communicate with them. This made shooting more than two chimps at once difficult, so high-tech editing was used to multiply the number of apes in the frame. And since they couldn't always follow the script perfectly, the apes' reactions were cataloged and often edited together to create cohesive scenes. Regarding the unpredictability of the apes', co-executive producer Tim Burns noted, "They're a comedy writer's best friend. I think the stuff is funny to begin with, but there's no replacing how much funnier it is when the monkeys add their own peculiar performance style."
The American Humane Association
American Humane Association
The American Humane Association is an organization founded in 1877 dedicated to the welfare of animals and children.The AHA's Film and Television Unit has monitored the welfare of animals during the production of films and television programs since 1940. They are the source of the familiar...
's Film and Television Unit supervised the filming of both The Chimp Channel and its predecessor, Monkey-ed Movies, and reported:
- "The chimps and orangutans are receiving a very high standard of care. The trainers use modern, humane techniques to cue and motivate the animals. . . The TBS production team has been very cooperative, has upheld the Guidelines and insures the wellbeing [sic] of the chimps during filming." AHA field representative Netta Bank rated the crew's treatment of the apes "A-plus" and noted "This is all chimps, all the time, so they're treated like stars. . . They have their own dressing room, their own green room. They have a play area for themselves."
On-camera stars
- Brock Hammond (voiced by Daran NorrisDaran NorrisDaran Morrison Nordland , usually credited as Daran Norris, is an American film and television actor and voice artist. Since 1977 he has participated in more than 400 films, video games, and television projects. He is best known as Gordy from Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, the voice of...
) is a 39 year-old male actor fitting the self-absorbed, masculine archetype, similar to David HasselhoffDavid HasselhoffDavid Michael Hasselhoff is an American actor, singer, producer and businessman. He is best known for his lead roles as Michael Knight in the popular 1980s US series Knight Rider and as L.A. County Lifeguard Mitch Buchannon in the series Baywatch...
. - George W. Heinlein (voiced by Richard DoyleRichard DoyleRichard Doyle may refer to:*Richard Doyle , American actor*Richard Doyle , British thriller writer*Richard Doyle , the first All-American in Michigan Wolverines men's basketball history...
) is The Chimp Channel's veteran news anchor. - Marina (voiced by Jennifer HaleJennifer HaleJennifer Hale is a Canadian-born American actress and singer best known for her voice over work in video games like Grandia II, the Mass Effect trilogy, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Tales of Symphonia, the Metroid Prime trilogy, the Metal Gear Solid games, Brütal Legend, and Disney's...
) is a parody of Pamela AndersonPamela AndersonPamela Denise Anderson is a Canadian-American actress, model, producer, author, activist, and former showgirl, known for her roles on the television series Home Improvement, Baywatch, and V.I.P. She was chosen as a Playmate of the Month for Playboy magazine in February 1990...
, the "super sexy" blond actress from Treewatch. - Murray Price (voiced by Eugene RocheEugene RocheEugene Harrison Roche was an American actor . He was the original "Ajax Man" in 1970s television commercials.-Personal life:...
) is the "undisputed king of all celebrity interviews," a parody of Larry KingLarry KingLawrence Harvey "Larry" King is an American television and radio host whose work has been recognized with awards including two Peabodys and ten Cable ACE Awards....
who hosts his own talk show. He is played by an orangutanOrangutanOrangutans are the only exclusively Asian genus of extant great ape. The largest living arboreal animals, they have proportionally longer arms than the other, more terrestrial, great apes. They are among the most intelligent primates and use a variety of sophisticated tools, also making sleeping...
.
Behind the scenes stars
- Bernard the Sarcastic Parrot (voiced by Maurice LaMarcheMaurice LaMarcheMaurice LaMarche is an Emmy Award winning Canadian-American voice actor and former stand up comedian. He is best known for his voicework in Futurama as Kif Kroker, as Egon Spengler in The Real Ghostbusters, Verminous Skumm and Duke Nukem in Captain Planet and the Planeteers, Big Bob Pataki in Hey...
) is the parrot sidekick of Harry. - Bif & Stan (voiced by Michael DonovanMichael DonovanMichael David Donovan is a voice actor for many TV shows and anime. He is most known for his voice on the series ReBoot for his voices of Phong, Mike the TV, Cecil, and Al. He has also provided the voice of Sabretooth for X-Men: Evolution and Carnage for Spider-Man Unlimited. He played the lead...
and Dwight SchultzDwight SchultzWilliam Dwight Schultz is an American stage, television, film actor, and voice artist. He is best known for his roles as Captain "Howling Mad" Murdock on the 1980s action show The A-Team, and as Reginald Barclay in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager, and the film Star Trek: First...
) are veteran writing team who provide material for a plethora of television genres. - Ford Carter (voiced by Richard Doyle) is a 58 year-old, Australian, self-made "gazillionaire" who owns The Chimp Channel in addition to newspapers, hotel chains, and other properties. He shares traits with Rupert MurdochRupert MurdochKeith Rupert Murdoch, AC, KSG is an Australian-American business magnate. He is the founder and Chairman and CEO of , the world's second-largest media conglomerate....
, a long-standing media rival of Ted TurnerTed TurnerRobert Edward "Ted" Turner III is an American media mogul and philanthropist. As a businessman, he is known as founder of the cable news network CNN, the first dedicated 24-hour cable news channel. In addition, he founded WTBS, which pioneered the superstation concept in cable television...
's. - Timmy Briar (voiced by Richard Steven HorvitzRichard Steven HorvitzRichard Steven Horvitz, sometimes credited as Richard S. Horvitz, Richard Horvitz, or Richard Wood, is an American actor and voice actor best known for his work as the voice of the original Alpha 5 in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Power Rangers Zeo, and Power Rangers Turbo, as Raz in Psychonauts,...
) is a young, bright-eyed intern at The Chimp Channel. - Harry Waller (voiced by Maurice LaMarche) is the 52-year old president of The Chimp Channel and a television veteran.
- Candy Yuponce (voiced by Mindy CohnMindy CohnMindy Heather Cohn is an American actress, comedian known for her role as Natalie Green, the smart, overweight student of Edna Garrett , on the TV show The Facts of Life, and also being the current voice for Velma Dinkley in the Scooby-Doo franchise, which she has held since 2002.She currently...
) is The Chimp Channel's makeup girl.
Episodes
| # | Title | |Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
Reception
While the training and animal work was commended, The Chimp Channel received largely negative critical reception with the notion that it fails its attempt to expand the simple, effective concept of Monkey-ed Movies. The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
Caryn James gave a negative review of the show, stating "The Chimp Channel is so scattershot and predictable it becomes tiresome in about five minutes. . . And the brief parodies of television shows and movies offer mere glimpses of wit."
Ray Richmond of Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
described how the original Monkey-ed Movies "proved to be clever stuff, in large part because it was short and sweet" but that "with Chimp Channel, TBS monkeys with an undeniably thin concept and stretches it past the limit." While he commended the "sharp, well-organized direction from Mitchell Walker and the uncannily effective animal work from head trainer Bob Dunn, coordinator Mike Morris and their team," Richmond added "What seems cute in small doses feels awfully humiliating in this expanded format, sucking out any novelty and leaving in its wake only the uncomfortable entrails."
Tom Jicha of the Sun-Sentinel claimed "The Chimp Channel sounds a lot funnier than it turns out to be on the air. As an occasional brief skit on a show like Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
or MADtv
MADtv
MADtv is an American sketch comedy television series. It licensed the name and logo of Mad, but otherwise had no connection with the humor magazine outside the animated Spy vs. Spy and Don Martin cartoon shorts and images of Alfred E. Neuman that the show featured during the late 1990s. Its first...
, The Chimp Channel might be entertaining." However, Jicha also provided additional insight into the series' predicament, pondering "TBS seems to have it's days and nights confused. Cleaned up of its occasional randy references - there's even a snarky shot at Monica Lewinsky
Monica Lewinsky
Monica Samille Lewinsky is an American woman with whom United States President Bill Clinton admitted to having had an "improper relationship" while she worked at the White House in 1995 and 1996...
- The Chimp Channel might work for the audience at 10 in the morning on Saturday. At 10 at night on Thursdays its a King Kong
King Kong
King Kong is a fictional character, a giant movie monster resembling a gorilla, that has appeared in several movies since 1933. These include the groundbreaking 1933 movie, the film remakes of 1976 and 2005, as well as various sequels of the first two films...
-sized loser."
Fan reception appears to be somewhat more positive; as of 2010, The Chimp Channel holds a 7.2/10 rating on the Internet Movie Database
Internet Movie Database
Internet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
and 6.2 "Fair" on TV.com
TV.com
TV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...
.