Puppets Who Kill
Puppets Who Kill | |
---|---|
Dark comedy | |
Created by | John Pattison Steven Westren |
Written by | John Pattison Dan Redican |
Starring | Dan Redican Bruce Hunter Bob Martin James Rankin Gord Robertson |
Country of origin | Canada |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 4 |
No. of episodes | 53 aired (as of June 22, 2006) |
Production | |
Producers | John Pattison Shawn Alex Thompson |
Running time | 30 mins |
Original release | |
Network | The Comedy Network |
Release | October 4, 2002 June 22, 2006 | –
Puppets Who Kill is a Canadian television comedy series produced by PWK Productions and originally broadcast on The Comedy Network. It premiered in Canada in 2002, and Australia on The Comedy Channel in 2004. It has also been broadcast in India, South Korea and Germany. The series was on the digital network Hulu and is currently on CONtv and Tubi in the United States.
PWK began as a
In Puppets Who Kill, Rocko the Dog, Cuddles the Comfort Doll, Buttons the Bear, and Bill the Ventriloquist Dummy are four
Characters
Rocko the Dog
Rocko (puppeteer
Cuddles the Comfort Doll
Cuddles (puppeteer
Buttons the Bear
Buttons (puppeteer James Rankin) is a teddy bear with eyes consisting of two buttons. Unlike the others, Buttons is not so much a killer as a lover. In fact, he is a womanizer with no sense of sexual propriety who is remarkably successful in attracting eager human females. Buttons lives by the hedonistic motto "If it feels good, do it". He once had a lucrative corporate sponsorship deal with the Happy Elf Peanut Butter Company, but the sponsor exercised the "moral turpitude" clause in his contract once details of his promiscuous behavior leaked to the press.
Bill the ventriloquist Dummy
Bill (puppeteer Gord Robertson) is a
Dan Barlow
Dan Barlow is a
Production
The series was shot both in the studio and on location in and around
Most of the Puppets Who Kill episodes were written by founding creator/producer John Pattison, with Dan Redican also writing several episodes and providing story editing advice. More than half of the episodes were directed by producer Shawn Alex Thompson. The series employed experienced people recruited from the film industry in some of the technical positions. The contributions of sound designer Daniel Pellerin, editor Caroline Christie, and composer Carlos Lopes, among others, enhanced the look and sound of the series.
On June 22, 2006, the show completed its fourth and final season. The first and second seasons have been released on DVD in full. Seasons 3 and 4 appeared in a 'Best of' collection in 2010 with audio commentaries by key cast and crew, and contains some of the show's greatest hits including such popular episodes as "The Joyride" and "The Rival House".
Awards
Puppets Who Kill won many awards in its four-year run. In Canada, it won 3 Gemini Awards, including Best Writing in a Comedy for founding creator/writer/producer John Pattison and Best Directing in a Comedy for producer/director Shawn Alex Thompson. PWK went on to receive a total of 15 Gemini nominations in various categories, from writing, directing, and acting to sound design and photography. The series also won the prestigious Bronze Rose for Comedy at the Montreux Television Festival in Switzerland in 2003, coming in second to The Office.
Legacy
As confirmed by the PWK website, a Puppets Who Kill movie was in the works.
Dan Redican (known as Dan Barlow on the show) has toured Canada with the comedy troupe The Frantics.
John Pattison has occasionally performed his live puppet show Beyond Puppets Who Kill in various cities in Canada.
List of Episodes
Season one
- "Pilot" (first broadcast January 30, 2000) Dan meets with four puppet clients and finds that each of them has deeply rooted psychological problems. Rocko decides to help a children's show host get a kidney for a large amount of money but is frustrated at how difficult it is to achieve his goal. Buttons, at Dan's behest, seduces a woman who could make or break the halfway house.
- "Buttons, The City Councillor And The City Councillor's Wife" (October 11, 2002)
- "Cuddles Goes To Jail" (October 18, 2002)
- "Buttons Goes To Court" (October 25, 2002)
- "Bill's Brain" (October 31, 2002)
- "The Island Of Skip-Along Pete" (November 8, 2002)
- "Rocko's Telethon" (November 15, 2002)
- "Cuddles The Safety Mascot" (November 22, 2002)
- "Dan's Crush" (November 29, 2002)
- "Dash The Greeter" (December 6, 2002)
- "Cuddles Gets Laid" (December 13, 2002)
- "Dan's Umbrella" (December 20, 2002)
- "Mr. Quigley, The Asshole Next Door" (December 27, 2002)
- "The Payback" (January 3, 2003)
Season two
- "Bill Sues" (January 30, 2004)
- "Portrait Of Buttons" (February 6, 2004)
- "Prostitutes For Jesus" (February 13, 2004)
- "Cuddles The Demon" (February 20, 2004)
- "Buttons And The Geriatric" (February 27, 2004)
- "Dead Ted" (March 5, 2004)
- "Cuddles The Religious Icon" (March 12, 2004)
- "Bill's Got The Blues" (March 19, 2004)
- "Pizza Boys Are Missing" (March 26, 2004)
- "Rocko Gets A Lung" (April 2, 2004)
- "Dan And The Necrophiliac" (April 9, 2004)
- "Rocko And The Twins" (April 16, 2004)
- "The Twilight Place" (April 23, 2004)
Season three
- "Buttons On A Hot Tin Roof" (February 11, 2005)
- "Cuddles The Manchurian Candidate" (February 18, 2005)
- "Buttons The Dresser" (February 25, 2005)
- "Gus The Arsonist" (March 4, 2005)
- "Rocko's Politician" (March 11, 2005)
- "Buttons And The Paternity Suit" (March 18, 2005)
- "Dan And The Bird Flu" (March 25, 2005)
- "The CBC Is Killing Again" (April 1, 2005)
- "The Lovely Fred" (April 8, 2005)
- "The Amazing Bill" (April 15, 2005)
- "Button's Big Fat Greek Wedding" (April 22, 2005)
- "Cuddles The Artist" (April 29, 2005)
- "Dan And The New Neighbour" (May 6, 2005)
Season four
- "The Joyride" (March 2, 2006)
- "Dan And The Garden Shears" (March 9, 2006)
- "Mr. Big" (March 16, 2006)
- "Dan Is Dead" (March 23, 2006)
- "Bill And The Berkowitz's" (March 30, 2006)
- "Oedipus Dan" (April 6, 2006)
- "Buttons And The Dying Wish Foundation" (April 13, 2006)
- "Bill's Wedding" (April 20, 2006)
- "The Rival House" (April 27, 2006)
- "The Hostage" (May 4, 2006)
- "A Few Feuds" (May 11, 2006)
- "Dan's Ideal Woman" (May 18, 2006)
- "Buttons The Ghost" (June 22, 2006)
DVD
DVD releases include Puppets Who Kill: The Complete First Season, Puppets Who Kill: The Complete Second Season, and Puppets Who Kill: Best of Season 3 & 4.
See also
External links
- puppetswhokill.com, former official website
- pwkproductions.com, former website of the production company
- Puppets Who Kill at IMDb
- Puppets Who Kill on Rotten Tomatoes
- pwk.wetpaint.com, a Puppets Who Kill fansite