Blog Talkback: Looking Back: Chowder
- Thread starter Kunmui
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Rebs(L)Dale.
New member
Well said. I think he summed it up perfectly.
It's beautiful, just beautiful. Truer words have never been spoken like this before. I practically agree with everything ranging from how the quality dipped in season 2, to Greenblatt being bitter about his show getting cancel to the point it felt like he was burning bridges, to how the characters were handled.
trudburgla
New member
Outstanding job, chdr, agree on every point. Although I do think "Chowder Grows Up" was a great series finale. I'll be looking forward to your Flapjack review tomorrow!
Fibermouse
New member
Great article, chdr! Sums up my feelings for Chowder.
When Dan Krall (The one responsible for the Art Direction) left for Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated in 2008-2009, the show became less interesting. Krall was the only person who could do those awesome backgrounds. Then the animation itself became the same like the other CN shows. It just got worse from there, and while I continued to watch Chowder through the end, I was actually glad that the show was cancelled.
The show being canned is for the best, really.
When Dan Krall (The one responsible for the Art Direction) left for Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated in 2008-2009, the show became less interesting. Krall was the only person who could do those awesome backgrounds. Then the animation itself became the same like the other CN shows. It just got worse from there, and while I continued to watch Chowder through the end, I was actually glad that the show was cancelled.
The show being canned is for the best, really.
Anime_Addicted!
New member
Great article this month Chdr and it's a damn shame how "Chowder" was treated toward the middle/end of it's run on Cartoon Network, I honestly never thought that the show was given much of a chance but I find it odd that during the runs of Chowder and Flapjack that CN favored Flapjack as a series yet they heavily promoted the Chowder finale and did almost nothing for Flapjack's final episode.
Anyhow, great stuff dude, keep up the good writing!
Anyhow, great stuff dude, keep up the good writing!
Great article! I agree with pretty much everything in the article. While Chowder has never been one of my top shows, it was one that was good to watch when I was bored. One of the main things that I didn't like about the show as it grew older (no pun intended,) was all of the fourth-wall jokes. They were funny in Season 1 but in the later seasons, they just wouldn't shut up about them. However, the one thing I do disagree with in the article is the opinion on "The Dinner Theater." I thought that episode was one of the better ones from the season. Besides that, I agree with everything, and I am looking forward to your Flapjack article, as that was a show that was in my top cartoons!
Nah, I think although Chowder ended first CN always favored Chowder, do you recall all the reruns? For a few months it had the 5-6 PM slot every weekday and still airs a lot on the weekends. For me, I don't think CN ever treated Flapjack that great, mid season 2-the end it started losing more and more reruns.
Muse-ic Lover
New member
Great article. Kudos to chdr.
I have to say that while I loved Chowder while it was around, I agree with all the points that chdr made about the negatives surrounding the show: as the seasons progressed, Chowder himself became flat and one-dimensional and his constant yelling of all his lines got irritating, the writers really overdid the 4th wall jokes, and Gazpacho (who was originally one of my favorite characters on the show) quickly became a nuisance when the writers began chiseling him into every episode. Also, I agree that the show never really took full advantage of its' 'magical' premise and surroundings; there really could have been more done with the premise of cooking and the exotic dishes and ingredients, and Marzipan City was a world of wonder that really could have been explored more.
And I'm glad I'm not the only one who wasn't wowed by the finale. It just felt rushed to me, and the heart of the show just wasn't there.
It's sad what happened between C.H. Greenblatt and Cartoon Network; it seems that he's effectively burned bridges there, so a revival of the show or any future Greenblatt projects on CN seems very unlikely. But the concept behind Chowder was magnificent, and the first season will always strike a chord with me.
Again, great article. I couldn't have said it better myself.
I have to say that while I loved Chowder while it was around, I agree with all the points that chdr made about the negatives surrounding the show: as the seasons progressed, Chowder himself became flat and one-dimensional and his constant yelling of all his lines got irritating, the writers really overdid the 4th wall jokes, and Gazpacho (who was originally one of my favorite characters on the show) quickly became a nuisance when the writers began chiseling him into every episode. Also, I agree that the show never really took full advantage of its' 'magical' premise and surroundings; there really could have been more done with the premise of cooking and the exotic dishes and ingredients, and Marzipan City was a world of wonder that really could have been explored more.
And I'm glad I'm not the only one who wasn't wowed by the finale. It just felt rushed to me, and the heart of the show just wasn't there.
It's sad what happened between C.H. Greenblatt and Cartoon Network; it seems that he's effectively burned bridges there, so a revival of the show or any future Greenblatt projects on CN seems very unlikely. But the concept behind Chowder was magnificent, and the first season will always strike a chord with me.
Again, great article. I couldn't have said it better myself.
With this and the Regular Show review, chdr is quickly becoming one of my favorite reviewers. Can't wait to see his Flapjack write-up!
I can't say I was amongst the fan following which greeted Chowder as the savior of Cartoon Network. At that point, Foster's was still the only CN original worth watching as far as I was concerned, and most of my initial exposure to Chowder was through it airing premieres alongside FHFIF. It was cute and relatively fresh, but I didn't start watching it more frequently until late 2008 after I got hooked on other new CN shows.
It was embarrassing to see Chowder deteriorate that way. I'd actually go far enough to say it became worse than Gym Partner and Squirrel Boy in terms of writing and plots; at least those two never had any ambition to squander.
I can't say I was amongst the fan following which greeted Chowder as the savior of Cartoon Network. At that point, Foster's was still the only CN original worth watching as far as I was concerned, and most of my initial exposure to Chowder was through it airing premieres alongside FHFIF. It was cute and relatively fresh, but I didn't start watching it more frequently until late 2008 after I got hooked on other new CN shows.
It was embarrassing to see Chowder deteriorate that way. I'd actually go far enough to say it became worse than Gym Partner and Squirrel Boy in terms of writing and plots; at least those two never had any ambition to squander.
That was a nicely done review, chdr. It summed up quite a bit of how I feel about the series. I do remember how Chowder himself was more likable and funny in the first season, but he became much less interesting as the show progressed. I think that he became my least favorite character when I watched "Dinner Theater." He was just so annoying to me. I forgot that this show was actually about cooking considering how long they dropped that theme.
I actually didn't mind how they added in Gazpacho in every segment. While there were quite a bit times where it felt forced, he was still kind of funny at times. As for the finale, I was also disappointed that the passage of time didn't make the settings different and all of the kids from the past just got taller with their same faces, especially with Chowder's design. While it was rushed, and I still don't like the Shnitzel and Endive relationship, I thought the epilogue was kind of nice. Though, I do agree with the statement that the finale symbolized all of the show's problems in the last couple of seasons.
I actually didn't mind how they added in Gazpacho in every segment. While there were quite a bit times where it felt forced, he was still kind of funny at times. As for the finale, I was also disappointed that the passage of time didn't make the settings different and all of the kids from the past just got taller with their same faces, especially with Chowder's design. While it was rushed, and I still don't like the Shnitzel and Endive relationship, I thought the epilogue was kind of nice. Though, I do agree with the statement that the finale symbolized all of the show's problems in the last couple of seasons.
That was a really good read, and everything notable about Chowder was hit on the head. I especially liked the sizable paragraph on the visuals; many articles I read concerning cartoons give about just 3 short sentences on the animation.
I'm really looking forward to that Flapjack one, now.
I'm really looking forward to that Flapjack one, now.
As much as I enjoyed Chowder, I'll admit the later episodes were pretty hit-and-miss. I think some of the best episodes came from late season one, but that's just me.
One thing I disliked about the show was that it had a lot of "dead horse gags", jokes that were repeated over and over each episode until they just stopped being funny. The "break the fourth wall" jokes were funny until they decided to put like three of them into every episode. Same goes for the visual puns. It got to the point that even the characters themselves thought they were stupid. And even THAT got tired after a while.
Gazpacho also started to get on my nerves as well. He's a funny character, but I just got tired of seeing him in every episode. At one point I swear they were just writing him in for no reason.
My favorite characters to come out of Chowder were Gorgonzola and Ceviche. Unfortunately they missed just about every opportunity to develop their characters further. The most character development he got was in "The Apprentice Games" where it's implied that his master emotionally abuses him. It's one of my favorite episodes for that reason, because up until that point I just thought of him as the stereotypical cartoon bully when in reality he was much more than that. This was also elaborated on (somewhat) in the Christmas special, another one of my favorites. Chowder makes him a sweater and Gorgonzola is so happy he breaks down in tears and runs away bawling. Awwwww.
In one episode, Ceviche was shown as the "nice kid" who donated canned goods and walked old ladies across the street. This was never elaborated on and he spent the rest of his time on the series crushing over Panini.
There were plenty of throwaway characters too, like Marmalade, who I was almost certain was going to become a regular cast member. And Stilton, Gorgonzola's mentor, who only had one speaking role during the entire show.
As for Chowder himself, he got pretty annoying as the series went on, but not enough to stop me from watching the show altogether. To me, he was still the same character on the inside. He just liked SCREAMING A LOT now.
I could go on and on about the negative aspects of the show, but I won't because out of all the missed opportunities, horrible puns and fart jokes, the show is still enjoyable.
One thing I disliked about the show was that it had a lot of "dead horse gags", jokes that were repeated over and over each episode until they just stopped being funny. The "break the fourth wall" jokes were funny until they decided to put like three of them into every episode. Same goes for the visual puns. It got to the point that even the characters themselves thought they were stupid. And even THAT got tired after a while.
Gazpacho also started to get on my nerves as well. He's a funny character, but I just got tired of seeing him in every episode. At one point I swear they were just writing him in for no reason.
My favorite characters to come out of Chowder were Gorgonzola and Ceviche. Unfortunately they missed just about every opportunity to develop their characters further. The most character development he got was in "The Apprentice Games" where it's implied that his master emotionally abuses him. It's one of my favorite episodes for that reason, because up until that point I just thought of him as the stereotypical cartoon bully when in reality he was much more than that. This was also elaborated on (somewhat) in the Christmas special, another one of my favorites. Chowder makes him a sweater and Gorgonzola is so happy he breaks down in tears and runs away bawling. Awwwww.
In one episode, Ceviche was shown as the "nice kid" who donated canned goods and walked old ladies across the street. This was never elaborated on and he spent the rest of his time on the series crushing over Panini.
There were plenty of throwaway characters too, like Marmalade, who I was almost certain was going to become a regular cast member. And Stilton, Gorgonzola's mentor, who only had one speaking role during the entire show.
As for Chowder himself, he got pretty annoying as the series went on, but not enough to stop me from watching the show altogether. To me, he was still the same character on the inside. He just liked SCREAMING A LOT now.
I could go on and on about the negative aspects of the show, but I won't because out of all the missed opportunities, horrible puns and fart jokes, the show is still enjoyable.