My favourite TV show no one talks about anymore: Drawn Together
Original run
October 27 2004–
November 14 2007
No. of seasons
3 (36 episodes)
+ 1 film (2010)
Network
Comedy Central
In a nutshell:
Adult animated series parodying the stock reality TV format of The Real World/Big Brother, featuring eight archetypal cartoon characters as the “housemates” doing and saying unspeakably offensive things.
Who’s in it?
You may not recognise their faces but the wealth of voice talent includes veterans Cree Summer (Rugrats’ Susie Carmichael, Tiny Toon Adventures’ Elmyra) and Tara Strong (The Fairly Odd Parents’ Timmy Turner) to name a few.
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The first time I watched Drawn Together was also the first time I even became aware of its existence. During my final year of university I’d gone back home for a visit – which is crucial to mention only because my parents had Sky, while in my student house we could barely sustain Channel 5 reception on a good day – and hopping through the 100s of channels I was immediately intrigued by coming across a cartoon on MTV at night with nary a Beavis, Butthead or Daria in sight.
Its premise may not have been immediately apparent (not that it’s especially important anyway) but its purpose was. The dead giveaway being the spot-on Disneyesque depiction of Princess Clara in a patently non-Disney setting, more than just ‘cartoon for grownups’ this was obviously also in parody territory i.e. extremely my shit.
Though episode storylines only inconsistently make reference to the reality TV inspiration at the core of the show, the other very obvious but seemingly mis-matched knockoff cartoon quintessences provide just enough pieces of the puzzle to help you quickly figure out what you’re getting into.
We’ve really gotten away from the reality TV aspect of the show, just ’cause we didn’t want it to be a constant parody of reality shows. So it was a good device to get them all into the house together, and it’s a good device to do confessionals and voiceovers and occasional competitions to get the story going. But really at this point, it’s about eight different characters that live together.
Based off that half of one episode I got to see, I was convinced enough to buy (which back in 2005 meant, import) the complete first season on DVD so I could get my fill, and I was hooked ever since.
Whether you’re watching it for the first time or have only just heard of it, the kneejerk temptation is to make comparisons to its peers like South Park and Family Guy, and of course the similarities aren’t hard to find. They all share intensely childish – and often gross – humour tailored for adults with enough underlying satire to whet the intellect, thick and fast with pop culture references, impromptu musical numbers, topped off with liberal use of swearing. Drawn Together sets itself apart by taking those qualities and dialling them up to 11; no taboo is off limits, and no surface-level stereotype is too cheap to perpetuate and exploit. The real treat is, just when you think a joke has reached its punchline it manages to one-up itself with something even more disgusting/immature/offensive, but in a way that’s still worth it for the laugh instead of just gratuitous shock value (at least most of the time).
With the series finishing in 2007, it narrowly missed the window of the social media explosion that contributed so heavily to the meme-ification of popular culture, but unfortunately lacked the mainstream ubiquity that might propel it into a lasting part of modern discourse past its original run. The show is insanely quotable, packed with one-liners delivered so memorably by its superb voice cast that they echo around my brain to this day. That to me is the biggest shame as its combination of extreme silliness and sharp satire make it excellent fodder for meme exploitation, and I’ve often thought that if it had come out even five years later it might have managed to just about catch that wave.
Looking back at the show through a relatively more contemporary lens it’s hard not to consider how it would be received today given its heavy dependence on blue humour and the brazen perpetuation of so many stereotypes, in a modern climate that many allege to be more harshly critical of any type of comedy that could be perceived as contraversial. Just one such example, in the episode Super Nanny Ling Ling attempts to get his driver’s license but immediately fails the practical portion (playing to the stereotype that Asians are bad drivers) and the reason behind this is that Asians see the world completely differently due to their eye shape.
Ultimately, I think the writers have a healthy level of self-awareness – in this instance as Foxxy points out the patent racism of the ridiculous claim (though, notably using a slur in the same breath) – and generally have a point to make as well as making you laugh. That combined with leaning into the extreme absurdity of it all is how they get away with it, because it’s too ludicrous to ever be taken seriously and pretty much every type of person gets sent up, a sentiment echoed by its cast members.
I’m not offended at all, I mean y’know racism is such a painful, real, hardcore thing that we have to deal with in life all the time, I think it’s so nice that we get this opportunity to laugh – we make fun of everyone, no one is safe.
The producers of the show are Jewish, everyone around me was Jewish, I’m Jewish. The Jewish jokes were funny, but there were a few that I found too offensive and I wouldn’t say them. The beauty of Drawn Together is that it’s funny and it attacks every single culture and nobody’s safe. They don’t insult a race just for the sake of insulting them.
Following the show’s cancellation, it was resurrected for one last hurrah as a feature length film, The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie!, released straight to DVD. I’ve only seen it the one time, which frankly was more than enough. My lasting impression was that it lacked the quick wit and satirical edge of the series while at the same time taking levels of vulgarity even further without much point, making for the worst possible combination. Ironically enough, this is exact sort of criticism the film itself spoofs.
Nevertheless, the TV series remains endlessly rewatchable, and while it may not have lasted as long as its contemporaries we are still lucky to have three seasons worth of pretty solid (and very silly) comedy.
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Characters
Captain Hero, voiced by Jess Harnell
Based primarily on Superman, though acts as a broader parody of superheroes in general. Made of equal parts toxic masculinity and childish cowardice, Hero is often driven exclusively by lust and is perhaps the most sexually perverse housemate.
Princess Clara, voiced by Tara Strong
Like a typical Disney princess mostly reminiscent of Ariel in appearance but the similarities end there. Clara usually maintains a sweet and naively innocent disposition despite her openly racist, anti-semitic, and homophobic views.
Foxxy Love, voiced by Cree Summer
Mystery-solving musician, Foxxy, is based on Valerie Brown from Josie and the Pussycats though in design and occupation only. She loves to speak her mind and have a good time, the most socially intelligent – and often moral compass – of the group.
Ling-Ling, voiced by Abbey DiGregorio
Ling-Ling is a trading card battle monster who, while just as cute as his real-life inspiration, Pikachu, has a tendency of aggressive violence. He is treated much like a house pet (to his disdain) and is the manifestation of every offensive Asian stereotype you can think of.
Spanky Ham, voiced by Adam Carolla
Spanky is a parody of crass internet Flash cartoon characters; immature and sex-obsessesed with a penchant for toilet humour. His greed often leads him to taking advantage of other housemates for personal gain.
Toot Braunstein, voiced by Tara Strong
Toot is what would happen if Betty Boop became an alcoholic and eradicated every semblence of her feminine charm. Desperate for attention and emotionally unstable, not helped by the fact she is treated as a walking fat joke.
Wooldor Sockbat, voiced by James Arnold Taylor
A hyperactive and sensitive “wacky whatchamacallit”, Wooldor spoofs children’s TV show characters like SpongeBob SquarePants and Stimpy. The most innocent and naive of the group, Wooldor often takes a submissive role to the other housemates and is gullible enough to be taken advantage of.
Xandir P. Wifflebottom, voiced by Jack Plotnick
Xandir is a highly effeminate video game character on a “never ending quest to save his girlfriend” though realises he is actually gay early in the series. He is kind and sometimes overemotional, and perhaps the most caring towards his fellow housemates.
Best episodes
- Gay Bash (Season 1, Episode 3)
Xandir is questioning his sexual orientation, and with the encouragement/mockery of his housemates comes to realise that he is in fact (spoiler alert) gay. They throw him a party so he can embrace his newfound LGBTQ+ community, while dodging Clara’s homophobic microaggressions.
- The One Wherein There is a Big Twist (Season 1, Episode 7)
Frustrated with their living situation and the realisation that they’re not actually playing for a cash prize, the housemates rebel against the Jew Producer who controls them. Giving in to their demands, they are asked to take part in an actual competition à la The Apprentice with explosive results.
- Foxxy vs. The Board of Education (Season 2, Episode 2)
Foxxy needs to go to college so she can get an official mystery-solving license, but struggles with standardised testing. She begins to suspect that this isn’t mere coincidence, and uncovers an insidious reality. Meanwhile, Spanky fake gay marries Xandir for health insurance.
- A Very Special Drawn Together Afterschool Special (Season 2, Episode 13)
Xandir is nervous about coming out to his parents, so the housemates engage in a hypothetical role play of events, becoming a little too committed to their roles which quickly gets out of hand.
- Spelling Applebee’s (Season 3, Episode 3)
The housemates are asked to take part in a spelling bee to win a gift certificate for Applebee’s, forcing Foxxy to overcome a traumatic childhood incident where she was asked to spell the word “knickers”. While helping Captain Hero with a bully, Clara discovers she has a fetish for violent car crashes.
Where to watch
- Seasons 1-3 of Drawn Together, and The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie! are all available to buy on DVD
- Find out where you can stream or purchase digitally on JustWatch UK | USA
(you can also check availability in other countries using the filter)
Further reading
- Drawn Together Wiki
Database of pretty much everything you wanted to know (and didn’t even know you didn’t know) about Drawn Together - The Subversively PC Drawn Together
Opinion piece by Jeremi Jones - Interview: creators Matt Silverstein and Dave Jesser on ‘The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie!’
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