"Sammy" Discussion

[Classic Speedy]

So until recently, this NBC animated series starring David Spade was one of the most obscure short-lived animated series, with only two episodes aired in 2000 and then never again. For two decades, it was considered lost, but recently someone uploaded one of the episodes that made it to air, and three that didn't.

Funnily enough, I actually saw both episodes back then, but didn't tape them, so all I had was my memories. Actually, more accurately I just remember watching the show, I don't remember much about the series because it was so forgettable. And re-watching it twenty years later, yeah, it's not very good. It's just kinda bland and uninteresting, with no energy to the jokes and typically stiff animation that's all too common for adult animation. The entertainment/Hollywood industry was lampooned so much better in Bojack Horseman.

Still, any unearthing of super rare animation is appreciated. Your thoughts on "Sammy"?

 

[powerjake]

To be honest, I never known such an obscure cartoon like this existed.

 

[Rick Jones]

I didn't remember this but after looking at a bit of an episode, it feels vaguely familiar. The only two NBC animated shows that I really remembered from when they aired were God, The Devil and Bob and Father of the Pride.

The style feels very Klasky Csupo or sort of like Duckman.

The main character is much more terrible than he is funny.

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[Zanneck]

Looks snd feels like absolute ghetto trash to me. I'm someday just better off revisiting Bojack Horseman, instead. That show IS how you do this concept right (in one way or another) if done so at all, honestly.

 

[Pooky]

Thanks for bringing this to my attention, have wanted to see this for about three years now. Will give my thoughts after I watch it.

 

[Classic Speedy]

The style feels very Klasky Csupo or sort of like Duckman.

Sammy's character designer was Everett Peck, who also was the original creator and lead designer on Duckman. Now I love his surreal style on Duckman, but here it feels watered down.

 

[Pooky]

Watched the first two episodes (which I assumed were the two to air, but apparently not!). Personally, I like it; it's much the same as many of the other flop animated sitcoms from that era, but the Hollywood setting distinguishes it a bit. I don't know Bojack very well, it reminds me more of Action (live action show with Jay Mohr) and The Critic; some of the animation and sound design is very Critic-y too.

The satire does accurately reflect the sheer inanity of much mainstream Hollywood fare of the early 00s, yet ironically it makes me nostalgic for that tacky, tacky era.

 

[Surreal Kangaroo]

Yeah, I have never heard of this before.

 

[Classic Speedy]

Watched the first two episodes (which I assumed were the two to air, but apparently not!). Personally, I like it; it's much the same as many of the other flop animated sitcoms from that era, but the Hollywood setting distinguishes it a bit. I don't know Bojack very well, it reminds me more of Action (live action show with Jay Mohr) and The Critic; some of the animation and sound design is very Critic-y too.

The satire does accurately reflect the sheer inanity of much mainstream Hollywood fare of the early 00s, yet ironically it makes me nostalgic for that tacky, tacky era.

The only two episodes that made air were "Denver" and "Sammy Makes Amends". The user hasn't uploaded the latter yet. Yes, like Clerks, they aired the series out of order, so we were just dumped into this setting with little explanation of who anybody was. No wonder it bombed. Strangely, "Amends" featured the only line that stuck with me from 20 years ago: "To hell with you!... and to hell with me."

Funny you should mention Action, it is very much in that series' vein, although Action is a bit more biting in its humor. Sammy is very laid back by comparison.

 

[Classic Speedy]

"Fair" has been uploaded.

 

[Pooky]

I quite enjoyed that one. The riffs on banal corporate pro-social messaging were pretty funny ("love is good and hate is bad, oh won't you help us Mongo Man?")

Having read David Spade's memoir since my last post, although he doesn't mention this show, it's clear to me how autobiographical this show was.

I admit this show is no lost classic, and it's a little too dry for an animated show. For my money though it is better than God, the Devil and Bob and (hot take alert!) Mission Hill, both of which were at least granted a second life through Cable Reruns and full DVD releases (GTD&B also got a full run on BBC Prime Time in the UK a year after its Prime Time cancellation).

 

[Classic Speedy]

I liked:

Gary: Todd, we lost the kids!
Todd: Oh Gar, that's not good!
Gary: Really? Ya think?!

^ Not much in text, but Harland Williams's delivery on Todd's line makes it funny.

 

[Classic Speedy]

"Sammy Makes Amends", the only other episode NBC originally aired, has been uploaded.

 

[Pooky]

I thought that was a pretty funny episode, I can see why the Network went with that ahead of earlier episodes.

The 7th episode has also been uploaded.

 

[Classic Speedy]

The storyline is kind of cliched: "Character has a near death experience and becomes mock-pious", though at least it had a somewhat unique ending with the egg face-off.

 

[Classic Speedy]

Okay, the biggest laugh I've had so far was in "Son of Sammy":

Squirrel: Dead man walkin'.
Sammy: What?
Squirrel: Nothin', I'm just a squirrel, I can't talk.

I think it's the voice.

 

[Pooky]

Episodes 9 thru 13 were added yesterday, so all completed episodes (that we know of...) have been uploaded to the channel. So that's one thing that happened in 2021, I guess.

 

[Classic Speedy]

Purely from an archivist standpoint, this was a great find. Glad all of it was finally unearthed, even if it didn't do much for me overall.

 

[Pooky]

I wouldn't say it was great, but I found it very easy viewing. I am kind of mentally frozen in that era admittedly.

 

[Classic Speedy]

Now we just need the second season of Baby Blues. And I don't mean the remaining five episodes that were billed as the "second" season by some episode guides- I mean the next thirteen episodes that were mostly completed but were never seen anywhere.

Apropos of nothing, I actually don't hate that show. But maybe it's because I never followed the comic strip.