![]() It’s hard to say whether the production of “The Cleveland Show” was indeed an earnest effort by its creators to branch out with representation in mind or a veiled attempt at franchising with the hope of capitalizing on the character’s race to appeal to a demographic. Cleveland and his family reverted back to “Family Guy” proper after this. It managed to etch out 4 seasons, from 2009 to 2013 before its cancellation. This would be reflected in its lukewarm reception by viewers and critics when it aired. Unlike the sister show “America Dad” which had its own identity, “The Cleveland Show” adhered too closely to the format and formula executed in “Family Guy”. This show’s biggest detriment was its lack of originality. ![]() (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson) would move to Stoolbend, Virginia with an old flame there, Donna Tubbs (voiced by Sanaa Lathan) and her two kids, teenage daughter Roberta and 5-year old Montclair “Rallo” Tubbs (voiced by Reagan Gomez-Preston & Mike Henry respectively). ![]() Cleveland (voiced by Mike Henry) and his son Jr. Created and produced by the same trio as “Family Guy” (Seth MacFarlane, Richard Appel, and Mike Henry), it wasn’t hard to see that the show essentially boiled down to a “Black” version of its predecessor down to the fact, each main cast member was an analog of those in the original show. Hoping to capitalize on the success of the derisive and low-brow animated family sit-com “Family Guy”, “The Cleveland Show” was a spin-off starring one of its many secondary characters, that of the sedated, slightly chubby best friend Cleveland Brown. I would also be remised if I didn’t mention the spirit of the earth herself, Gaia (voice by Whoopi Goldberg, and later Margot Kidder), who acted as a motherly, guiding figure for our teenage heroes who gave them their missions in each episode. Aided in no small part by its animation, strong environmentally conscious messaging, and a catchy ending theme song, “Captain Planet and the Planeteers” ran for 6 seasons, comprising of an original run from 1990 to 1992 and from 1993 to 1996 under the name “The New Adventures of Captain Planet”. It was quite uncommon at the time to see a (young) Black man in a leadership position, which was very endearing to me growing up. Watching the show, I would always look forward to his signature phrase, “Let our powers combine.” right before his comrades chimed in to summon the show’s headlining superhero “Captain Planet” in the climactic third act of each episode. The de facto team leader of a quintet of international eco-evangelists dubbed “The Planeteers”, the group traveled the world thwarting the maniacal machinations of a number of colorful, recurring eco-villains. Hailing from Africa, teenager Kwame (voiced by LeVar Burton) was bestowed a magic ring that gave him control over the element of earth.
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