History WesternAnimation / Clerks

* ThoseTwoGuys: Jay and Silent Bob.

It was very funny, but it only had six episodes made. Episodes four and two made it to air, [[ScrewedByTheNetwork in that order]]. Fortunately, a DVD is available.

* ActorAllusion: Judge Reinhold appears as a version of himself in episode 4 which leads to a dream sequence referencing his role in BeverlyHillsCop and a scene referencing FastTimesAtRidgemontHigh

* HeyItsThatVoice: The show features the voices of Alec Baldwin, Charles Barkley, Sen. Creator/AlFranken, James Woods, and Gilbert Gottfried playing the parts of both Jerry Seinfeld and Patrick Swayze (though, for legal reasons, the character could neither look nor sound like Swayze himself).
** Frequent Disney VO April Winchell shows up a few times, as either one-offs or the recurring TV news reporter, Tovah Hernandez-Carlson.

* MissingEpisode: ''Four'' of the '''six''' episodes in the series.

* ScrewedByTheNetwork: Was it ever. Only episodes two and four made it to air before it was pulled off by ABC as they felt it didn't gel with their programming; ([[WhatAnIdiot one has to wonder why they even bothered to greenlight the show at all.]])
** But, on the plus side, all six of the episodes have been released on DVD ''and'' Cartoon Network does air all six episodes on occasion. They even aired the second episode with the scene where Randall and Dante watch a ''[[SchindlersList Schindler's List]]'' parody called ''[[TheFlintstones Flintstone]]'s List''. In the ABC version, they only showed Randall and Dante watching the TV with the sounds from the movie playing. On Cartoon Network and the DVD, there's an actual clip from the movie.
** Other networks (most notably Adult Swim and Comedy Central) were interested in picking up the show for new episodes after ABC canceled it, but ABC refused to sell the rights and has simply sat on them. We're lucky we at least got reruns on those networks and a DVD.
** Combine this with the fact that when they were pitching the show ''another'' network (often thought to be {{UPN}}) wanted to basically let them do what they wanted and make them their flagship show (similar to Fox and ''TheSimpsons''). Smith compares it to someone outright asking you to be the big fish in a little pond, but since ABC was a bigger network they signed with them. Smith and Mosier admit in the commentary that this wasn't their finest hour.
** The reason ABC greenlit the show then abruptly canceled it was due to the fact that there was a rush by many networks in the late '90s/early 2000s to have adult-themed animated primetime shows following the success of ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark''. However, between the time episodes began production and when they aired, ''WhoWantsToBeAMillionaire'' became a breakout hit and ABC sought to bury ''Clerks'' so it could give an extra half-hour to the game show. The moral: it doesn't matter how much time and effort you put into a TV show, networks are fickle with desires that change on a whim. Though Kevin Smith has admitted that he loved hearing Regis say, "Up next: Clerks." All of two times.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Episodes they would have made:
** Randal exploits Jay by making "snoogans" a CatchPhrase, leading to Jay becoming a recording artist.
** Randal buys [[KnightRider KITT]] at a used car lot. The car becomes jealous of Randal's relationship with Dante and attempts to kill Dante and impersonate him at the store (a reference to ''Single White Female''). He manages to trick everyone except Dante (and most likely Silent Bob) with his thin disguise.
** Jay joins a boy band. Silent Bob is sad that Jay is gone, so Randal and Dante bring Bob in to work at the Quick Stop. He turns the store around and it becomes a great success. Silent Bob is given a piece of gum and says, "Mmm, Juicy Fruit," which shocks Dante and Randal (a reference to the Chief in ''Film/OneFlewOverTheCuckoosNest'').
** Allegedly in the 7th or 8th episode, Dante and Randal would have added to their cast of friends a boy ward, named Robin, in a direct reference/parody of Franchise/{{Batman}}'s own "Boy Wonder", though like Lando, would probably not have been featured prominently. This plot element was mostly likely not intended to actually be part of the series as it was described by Kevin Smith after mentioning that Paul Dini, best known for his work on ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'', had also worked on the ''Clerks'' cartoon.
** The DVD commentary briefly mentioned an episode idea where Ben Affleck would play the King of Canada. The episode premise was also described as "the Aladdin parody."
** Notice how much Leonardo Leonardo looks like [[Film/DieHard Hans Gruber]]? That's because they originally wanted Creator/AlanRickman to voice him.
** The show was very nearly picked up by HBO. If it had, all swearing, sex, and drug-related references would've been allowed to air without censorship.
** Originally, the series was considered for UPN, with an initial run of thirteen episodes and the promise of heavy promotion. Production instead went with ABC (rather than being "the big fish in a little pool"), which they conceded was a mistake.
** Over the years, there has been talk of a DTV movie ''Sell Out'', which basically would've had the cartoon characters making a movie based on the actual movie. Assorted behind-the-scene developments (such as the Weinstein Brothers leaving the studio) haven't helped move it forward.

* WriteWhatYouKnow: The scene in episode 4 where Dante and Randal are bad-mouthed by the basketball players in the elevator ("Were they talking about us?") is based on a real life event that occurred to the writers while working on this show.

* TookALevelInDumbass: Randall went from a lazy slacker with average intelligence who in the film was the voice gave the big profound TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to Dante, became an immature moron in the cartoon.

** Jay joins a boy band. Silent Bob is sad that Jay is gone, so Randal and Dante bring Bob in to work at the Quick Stop. He turns the store around and it becomes a great success. Silent Bob is given a piece of gum and says, "Mmm, Juicy Fruit," which shocks Dante and Randal (a reference to the Chief in ''OneFlewOverTheCuckoosNest'').

** Originally, the series was considered for UPN. Production instead went with ABC (rather than being "the big fish in a little pool"), which they conceded was a mistake.

* {{Flanderization}}: Randal is portrayed as more of an idiot than he really is. On the commentaries, Kevin Smith acknowledges that Randal was also a lot more willing to "punch holes in Dante's boat" and essentially sell him out at the first opportunity. He and the other writers, though, feel this worked.

** CharlesBarkley in most of the episodes.

-->-- '''Randall'''

* InkSuitActor: Leonardo Leonardo shows some similarities to [[Film/DieHard Hans Gruber]], and at one point AlanRickman was considered for the part (he ended up being voiced by Creator/AlecBladwin instead).

* {{Bowdlerisation}}: Jay and Silent Bob are never shown or mentioned as drug dealers in this series, though in the first episode they ''are'' shown selling illegal fireworks and dynamite to children. Both this, and the fact that the show contains very little (if any) cursing were heavily lampshaded during the series.

* FourthWallMailSlot: parodied in one episode.

* HowDidYouKnowIDidnt: When Dante and Randal realise they forgot to blow up the Quicker Stop, suddenly it blows up and Jay and Silent Bob emerge from the wreckage.

* InkSuitActor: Leonardo Leonardo shows some similarities to [[Film/DieHard Hans Gruber]], and at one point AlanRickman was considered for the part.

* LemonyNarrator: The narrator reading the disclaimer before each episode falls into this trope. During the last episode, after reading the disclaimer, he remarks, "I don't care for this show, either."

* RaceFetish: Randall is only interested in Asian Chicks. Though, when through some wacky circumstance he has several Geishas eager to do his bidding, he sends them out for porn magazines featuring Asian women.

* ScrewedByTheNetwork: Was it ever. Only episodes two and four made it to air before it was pulled off by ABC as they felt it didn't gel with their programming ([[WhatAnIdiot One has to wonder why they even bothered to greenlight the show at all.]])

** Other networks (most notably Adult Swim and Comedy Central) were interested in picking up the show for new episodes after ABC canceled it, but the network refused the sell the rights and has simply sat on them. We're lucky we at least got reruns on those networks and a DVD.
** Combine this with the fact that when they were pitching the show ''another'' network (often thought to be {{UPN}}) wanted to bascially let them do what they wanted and make them their flagship show (similar to Fox and ''TheSimpsons''). Smith compares it to someone outright asking you to be the big fish in a little pond, but since ABC was a bigger network they signed with them. Smith and Mosier admit in the commentary that this wasn't their finest hour.

-->'''Randall''': Look at [that monkey], quivering in fear.\\
'''Dante''': He's not quivering, he's masturbating.\\

-->'''Leonardo Leonardo''': Oh, my...something has frightened that monkey.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Episodes they would have made.

* HeyItsThatVoice: The show features the voices of Alec Baldwin, Charles Barkley, Sen. Creator/AlFranken, James Woods, and Gilbert Gottfried playing the parts of both Jerry Seinfeld and Patrick Swayze (though, for legal reasons, the character could neither look nor sound like Swayze himself)

* RaceFetish: Randall is only interested in Asian Chicks. Though, when through some wacky circumstance he has several Geishas eager to do his bidding, he sends them out for porn featuring Asian women.

Kevin Smith had planned a DVD movie called "Clerks: Sell Out" about Dante and Randal making a film in the Quick Stop, but when Harvey and Bob Weinstein left Miramax in the hands of Disney, Smith refused to work with the Mouse House without the support of the Weinsteins. Though, since Miramax's current non-Disney owners have partnered with the Weinsteins, there is now a greater likelihood for the series to return in some form or another, preferably [[http://www.avclub.com/articles/clerks-the-animated-series-could-return-in-2013,71415/ as early as 2013]]

* ''WesternAnimation/ClerksTheAnimatedSeries'': When the chief of police is holding a press conference about a suspected outbreak while wearing an Officer Big Mac costume, the reporters are more interested in asking him questions related to [=McDonalds=].

** "Why are we walking like this?"

* NoYou: In episode 2:

!This show contains examples of:

--> '''Randall:''' [[OverlyLongGag "Why are we walking like this?"]]

'''''Clerks: The Animated Series''''' is a loose adaptation of the film ''Film/{{Clerks}}'' by Creator/KevinSmith, running from May to June, 2000. Dante Hicks is the much put-upon clerk of a Quick Stop convenience store in Leonardo, New Jersey. He is tormented by his friend, video clerk Randal Graves, as well as stoner hangers-out Jay and Silent Bob.

!!This show contains examples of:

* RunningGag: "Why are we walking like this?"
** Also, Randal's (day)dreams about Dante being "The biggest idiot ever."

* SpoofAesop

** Allegedly in the 7th or 8th episode, Dante and Randal would have added to their cast of friends a boy ward, named Robin, in a direct reference/parody of {{Batman}}'s own "Boy Wonder", though like Lando, would probably not have been featured prominently. This plot element was mostly likely not intended to actually be part of the series as it was described by Kevin Smith after mentioning that Paul Dini, best known for his work on ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'', had also worked on the ''Clerks'' cartoon.

Very funny, only had six episodes made. Episodes four and two made it to air, [[ScrewedByTheNetwork in that order]]. Definitely TooGoodToLast. A DVD is available.