On September 21, 1999 the grownup cartoon Mission Hill debuted on the WB, proper after a brand new episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The present targeted on a 24-year-old slacker named Andy French, his uptight 17-year-old brother Kevin, his twenty-something associates Jim and Posey and their beer-slurping canine Stogie, all of whom shared an condominium in Mission Hill, a neighborhood within the fictional metropolis of Cosmopolis. The present featured sharp writing from former Simpsons writers Invoice Oakley and Josh Weinstein, a stellar voice solid and a daring, vibrant artwork fashion.
There was just one downside: Nearly no person watched it, not less than by the a lot larger requirements of 1999.
With an viewers of two.28 million viewers, Mission Hill’s premiere held lower than half of Buffy’s viewers, and when the second episode aired two weeks later, nearly 1,000,000 fewer folks tuned in. That was sufficient for the WB to tug the present, although in the summertime of 2000, the community would find yourself burning off 4 extra of the 13 episodes it had initially ordered.
Mission Hill seemingly by no means would have been heard from once more if not for the launch of Grownup Swim a 12 months later. As a result of when Mission Hill re-debuted on Grownup Swim in 2002, it lastly discovered its viewers — those self same authentic 13 episodes taking part in over and again and again for the subsequent few years. A die-hard cult fandom turned deeply enamored with the present and hasn’t let go since.
This fall, the collection turns 25, and to have a good time the cult basic, we assembled its creators and the solid to take another journey again to the neighborhood that’s Mission Hill.
The Street to ‘Mission Hill’
Invoice Oakley, co-creator of Mission Hill: Whereas we have been engaged on The Simpsons, Josh and I noticed that there have been no characters in any respect between the ages of 12 and 35 aside from Otto, and Otto isn’t that enjoyable to write down for. The identical factor was true of King of the Hill and South Park, the opposite two large grownup cartoons on the time. This appeared like a loopy omission. So, after we left The Simpsons, the very first thing Josh and I wished to do was give attention to characters on this age hole.
Josh Weinstein, co-creator of Mission Hill: It was this complete world that animation wasn’t exploring, going via that age if you’re first going into the world as an grownup. It was one thing actually near us as a result of we have been nonetheless fairly younger once we left The Simpsons.
Oakley: This was within the waning days of the slacker-type factor, and there have been quite a few issues within the ether that amused us that fell into that class. There was Austin Tales on MTV and the movies of Kevin Smith. However the largest inspiration was the choice comedian books of the time like Optic Nerve by Adrian Tomine, Joe Matt’s Peepshow and, most notably, Hate by Peter Bagge.
Weinstein: Plenty of these comics instructed very real looking tales from the cartoonist’s life, and we preferred that.
Oakley: These have been our inspirations, and we have been like, “Let’s do a Simpsons-like present with a composition of individuals of their 20s and in highschool.” We determined that it was going to be about two brothers, one in every of these age teams. Then we populated it with characters primarily based on folks that we actually knew.
We wrote the pilot in a few weeks whereas working at Fortress Rock, they usually allow us to rent our buddy Lauren MacMullan to do some designs. We stated, “We don’t need it to look an excessive amount of like Peter Bagge as a result of that’s slightly too stylized for TV, however someplace in a Harvey Kutzman vein.” That’s why the present has these colours which are mis-registered, as a result of it appears to be like like a cheaply-printed comedian e-book.
Weinstein: For the characters, we gave them three totally different choices for the designs — one was form of a Thirties-looking one and the opposite two have been extra real looking and extra like Lauren’s pure fashion.
Oakley: Then got here the pitches. On the time, all of the networks have been trying to do animated stuff. There had been a primary wave of The Simpsons imitators — like Fish Police and Capital Critters — however they didn’t perceive what made The Simpsons nice. Then got here a second wave the place issues have been slightly extra grown-up, like God, the Satan and Bob, Sammy with David Spade and Careworn Eric. We have been a part of that wave.
We pitched to Fox — however nothing. NBC was contemplating it, however Warren Littlefield felt that Andy was an excessive amount of of a loser to be on “Should See TV.” We pitched to the WB when the WB was nonetheless a brand new factor. This was earlier than they found they have been going to be the teenage lady community. It was form of a hodgepodge of stuff together with The Steve Harvey Present and The Jamie Foxx Present and an entire bunch of different sitcoms and dramas. They didn’t have a model but.
The WB was , and we turned within the script and the designs. There was a interval of ready round for a few months, however then we bought the decision that they have been going to order 13 episodes. We employed an ideal workers of writers whereas Lauren started hiring animators.
When the present was introduced, it was referred to as The Downtowners. We preferred it as a result of it had an early Nineteen Sixties jet-set type of factor to it. However six months into the method, MTV got here out with an animated present referred to as MTV Downtown. The community was tremendous involved folks may confuse the 2, so that they made us change it. We went via plenty of names and eventually settled on Mission Hill, which was already the identify of the neighborhood within the present. We weren’t in love with it, but it surely was okay. We’d give you “Mission Hill” from the Mission District in San Francisco. We didn’t understand till years later that Mission Hill was an actual place in Boston.
The Residents of ‘Mission Hill’
Oakley: Andy was assembled from bits and items of two Kevin Smith characters: Dante in Clerks and the Ben Affleck character in Chasing Amy. Additionally, Buddy Bradley from Hate, and components of each me and Josh.
Wallace Langham, Andy French: I’d by no means performed a cartoon earlier than Mission Hill, however I like cartoons and was so interested in it.
Oakley: The little brother was from folks that we knew from highschool, in addition to the little brother from the film Welcome to the Dollhouse — he was the design inspiration for Kevin.
Scott Menville, Kevin French/C-Canine: I used to be thrilled about being solid on the present. Simply from the edges, earlier than I even noticed the script, I knew it was nice. The edges have been hilarious.
Oakley: The character of Jim was, actually, one hundred pc Josh’s school roommate Jim Suhre.
Weinstein: That’s one hundred pc him. We didn’t even change the identify or the look or what he did.
Posey, although, was a tricky character to tug off. She’s this bizarre, flighty one who additionally has an edge to her. She’s primarily based on somebody we all know as effectively, however we don’t wish to say who.
Vicki Lewis, Posey Tyler/Natalie Leibowitz-Hernandez: After I did the Posey audition, I’d simply had dental work so my mouth was hurting. As a substitute of making an attempt to speak via it, I made a decision to lean into it, and I discovered this distinctive cadence to her the place my tooth didn’t contact once I talked.
Weinstein: All of the writers liked writing Gus and Wally. From the start, we wished to painting them like a practical couple and the truth that they have been homosexual was only a facet factor. That had by no means actually been performed earlier than.
Oakley: We had labored with Lawrence Tierney on The Simpsons, and he was the proper mannequin for one of many guys, Gus. They have been additionally impressed by the “Shut Up Little Man” tapes.
Tom Kenny, Wally Langford/Fechstein/Sasha: The “Shut Up Little Man” tapes have been these underground cassette tapes that circulated again within the Nineteen Eighties of those two guys who would have actually loud arguments via the paper-thin partitions of their condominium. That being stated, they didn’t appear to have any of the tenderness that Oakley and Weinstein gave to Gus and Wally. I used to be very excited in regards to the Gus and Wally factor as a result of, on the time, it was fairly unprecedented to see an previous married couple on TV — type of just like the mother and father on All people Loves Raymond or one thing — however the place they each occur to be male.
Nick Jameson, Gus Duncz/Ron/Stogie: I liked Gus’ angle and the way he was pissed off about the whole lot. I liked the connection between him and Wally, and we weren’t in any method stereotypical. We received a GLAAD award due to that.
Oakley: Lastly, like the remainder of the characters, Stogie was primarily based on an actual canine. Josh and I had a buddy in highschool named Ted, and he had a canine named Stoli after Stolichnaya vodka. Like within the cartoon, Stoli did drink and get drunk sometimes. He would additionally go wakeboarding and different issues like that — he actually lived a Spuds MacKenzie life-style. Within the script, the canine’s identify was Stoli till the attorneys made us change it.
An Unimaginable Hill to Climb: ‘Mission Hill’ on the WB
Oakley: It was fairly clean crusing when the present was being developed. We didn’t get any notes till after the primary desk learn, and even these have been pretty gentle. With the pilot, we wished to do the usual factor all pilots wish to do, which is to point out the characters, present the dynamics between the characters and provides every character not less than a second or two to shine. We additionally wished to ascertain the important dynamic of the present, which is Andy having to be a substitute father for Kevin when Kevin strikes in with him.
The entire present was a reasonably well-oiled machine as a result of we have been utilizing the very same strategies we’d discovered on The Simpsons. After the desk reads, we’d take your complete writing workers out to dinner, and generally among the actors would come too.
Weinstein: We liked it once we first noticed the episodes being accomplished. The animation seemed improbable and delightful. There was nothing else prefer it.
Oakley: When the primary animation got here again, issues have been trying good. They have been trying so good that the WB ordered 5 extra episodes.
The complete episodes have been coming again properly too. My favourite was “Unemployment: Half 2 (Or Concept of the Leisure Ass)” the place Andy finds out Jim works on the promoting company. What I like about it’s the revelation on Andy’s behalf that he’s been making an attempt to carry up this complete slacker factor and he hadn’t realized that everybody else had already moved previous it. That was very germane to that period.
Brian Posehn, Jim Kuback: Again then, this appeared like a kind of reveals that would have been on for 20 years. The characters appeared actual, and it bought even higher because it went on. Our greatest episodes have been those on the finish of the run. Particularly, there was that episode about Gus and Wally — it was so good.
Weinstein: The Gus and Wally episode, “Plan 9 from Mission Hill (Or I Married a Homosexual Man from Outer House)” was the place all people — from the artists to the actors to the animators — hit their stride. It confirmed essentially the most promise for Mission Hill, however mockingly, it was the final episode produced.
Oakley: There are additionally just a few episodes I like from the misplaced episodes, which have been these extra 5 that have been ordered, however not fully completed. Like, “To Grandmother’s Home We Go (Or Freaky Weekend within the Crappy Crudwagon),” which you’ll be able to see one act of on YouTube.
Lewis: I actually preferred the present. I by no means understood why it was canceled. It wasn’t due to me, was it?
Oakley: Early on, we have been on an ideal monitor, however then there was the not-so-great monitor that started in Could 1999 when the WB introduced Mission Hill. That is the unhappy a part of the story. It took us nearly two years from once we wrote the script to when it was time for the present to go on the air. Throughout that point, the WB found that it was the teenage lady community. Buffy had develop into an enormous hit, they usually have been launching reveals like In style, Roswell, Charmed and Angel — all these reveals like that.
Weinstein: Along with the teenage lady factor, with reveals like Smallville, there was a superhero, supernatural, soapy type of factor. Mission Hill had no crossover with any of it.
Oakley: Then got here the upfronts, which is the place networks present the clips of their new reveals to advertisers. We had two minutes from the pilot animated for the upfronts. Josh and I flew to the upfronts, and we bought to remain in fancy motels. The WB was exhibiting off 5 new reveals, 4 of them have been dramas and the fifth was Mission Hill. There’s this large ballroom of advertisers, they usually cheered on all these dramas that have been so hip and of-the-moment. Then they performed the 2 minutes of Mission Hill to finish silence.
It was a whole demographic mismatch, not solely as a result of we have been the one comedy and the one cartoon, however the varieties of people that can be promoting patrons and the varieties of people that would find yourself having fun with Mission Hill weren’t appropriate within the least. It was clear from that time on that we have been going to be the proverbial redheaded stepchild of this community.
Weinstein: That was such a traumatic expertise, and that’s what began the concern with us.
Oakley: We thought there is perhaps some crossover between Buffy’s viewers and ours. So, principally at our urging, the present aired after an episode of Buffy, however all of the Buffy viewers tuned out. They aired the subsequent episode throughout their comedy block. We led off the night time, and our scores have been so dangerous that we have been murdering Jamie Foxx and Steve Harvey.
As for the critiques, Selection referred to as Mission Hill the very best comedy script of the 12 months, and a few others caught up for us, too, however the remainder sucked. Leisure Weekly stated it was “terrible” — I nonetheless wish to strangle the critic who wrote that. Then, one among my associates confirmed me this factor in The Weekly World Information or a kind of grocery store tabloids. It was an article the place death-row inmates ranked the brand new TV season. Mission Hill was essentially the most hated present by death-row inmates. One more demographic mismatch.
Subsequent, there was an article in The Washington Publish about Mission Hill, the place we’d instructed The Washington Publish in regards to the laborious time we’d been having with the WB because the upfronts. The WB bought very mad at us. Not less than two separate executives referred to as us to say, “In case your present doesn’t hit it out of the park, it’s useless!”
Later, two of the folks we labored with day-to-day on the community referred to as up Josh and I. That they had us on speaker cellphone. We exchanged some pleasantries, then we heard a door open and someone stated, “Hey, are we canceling Mission Hill?”
They dangled some hope that they’d re-air the present in the summertime of 2000 in a greater time slot. They did that with among the episodes, and I keep in mind naively considering, “We’re doing very well in New Orleans and Tampa!” and considering it’d make a distinction, but it surely didn’t.
Weinstein: It hit us actually laborious. It was our first outing on our personal, and we’d poured our lives into this present. It was a labor of affection and to have it yanked away felt horrible.
Langham: It felt like we have been all at a start-up the place we have been all enthusiastic about this new factor, then it was like we out of the blue misplaced funding and needed to pack it up.
Posehn: I’ve been part of just a few reveals like that, the place we solely bought to do one season, however this one has at all times stood out essentially the most as a result of it appeared prefer it had essentially the most potential. Mission Hill actually made me chortle, which isn’t at all times the case for stuff I’ve performed.
Kenny: This, like a variety of stuff I like, bought canned instantly. My crystal ball is amongst the worst within the universe. That they had so little religion in us that they didn’t even end up the order. They put up the cash to make it after which removed it instantly. All of present enterprise is just like the working of the bulls, however with Mission Hill, it was like we have been set free of the gate and gored instantly.
Mission Achieved: ‘Mission Hill’ on Grownup Swim
Oakley: The story has a considerably happier ending although, as a result of, about 4 years later, Cartoon Community invented this factor referred to as Grownup Swim. And since Cartoon Community was owned by Time Warner, they purchased an entire bundle of canceled Time Warner animated reveals. Certainly one of them was Mission Hill. They broadcast the identical 13 episodes again and again for like three years or extra. In the meantime, the identical factor was occurring in Canada on Teletoon.
The humorous factor is, we by no means heard a phrase from Grownup Swim. We had no concept it was occurring till someone had instructed us they’d seen it on there. They even had a billboard with Andy on it when Grownup Swim was nonetheless headquartered in Atlanta.
So, over 4 years of relentlessly broadcasting the identical 13 episodes, Mission Hill lastly constructed up an viewers. It’s a narrative typical of the times of broadcast tv, the place a present is perhaps a wonderfully good present, but it surely wasn’t the fitting present for that community and that point slot. Mission Hill was a present that was clearly meant for cable. It was by no means going to get a giant viewers as a result of it handled a really particular sort of particular person.
Weinstein: It was such a pleasant feeling of validation. It was like, “We have been proper, this is present!” It simply wanted to seek out the fitting viewers.
Oakley: Even with Grownup Swim and the DVD launch, we didn’t actually know that Mission Hill had such a devoted fan base till final 12 months. For a few years, the Clinton Avenue Theater — which is close to me in Portland, Oregon — and I had been speaking about doing an occasion collectively. I assumed perhaps it will be one thing with meals, however then the dialog turned to Mission Hill. In November 2022, we held an occasion that was very, very profitable. Each Josh and I posted about it on Twitter and Instagram; then different theaters all around the nation started contacting us about doing the identical factor. Earlier than lengthy, it turned a tour.
To observe it with an viewers has been thrilling — the exact opposite of watching it with all these promoting patrons. Persons are laughing and appreciating it. And at each present, there are not less than a few individuals who come up and inform us the present had some form of particular that means to them. A number of folks have instructed us that, earlier than Mission Hill, they’d by no means seen a homosexual couple on TV represented like that. We’ve additionally had a number of artists and cartoonists who have been impressed by Andy’s wrestle as an aspiring cartoonist.
This 12 months we’re doing a proper tour for the twenty fifth anniversary, which culminates within the fall with a present in Los Angeles the place, hopefully, we’ll have all the unique solid members reunite for an occasion, or perhaps a desk studying of one of many scripts that was by no means produced. It’ll be a very nice bookend to this complete factor.
