Road Rovers

Much like Freakazoid!, Road Rovers comes from the creators of Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain and has the same sharp wit and clever writing the team is known for. While not as fondly remembered as shows Like Freakazoid!, Road Rovers is still a very good example of 90s Saturday morning cartoons at their best.

Road Rovers is an affectionate parody of crime fighting animal shows of the 80s and 90s including but not limited to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Biker Mice from Mars, and Swat Kats: The Radical Squadron just to name a few. The show takes the same approach as its inspirations with a group of anthropomorphized animals(in this case pet dogs who live with various world leaders in their off time but undergo a process that turns them into superheroes) fighting crime and going on adventures that involve saving the world from a villain of the week. While on the surface that might not appear to be anything special, the show is clever enough that it can be viewed as either a parody or action adventure show thanks to its usage of pop culture and current events to effective use. One notable episode involves a trio of countries whose leaders all bear resemblance to former Walt Disney Company executives but used in a clever Maltese Falcon esque adventure.

The show was a respectable success upon release, but it was expensive to produce and had the misfortune to be released around the same time as the 4kids dub of Pokemon which was not only cheaper to produce but became a ratings juggernaut leading to a decline in traditional saturday morning cartoons and an increase in imported shonen and childrens anime. As it stands Road Rovers is a good, but short lived show that deserves its place in TV history.

This was along with Freakazoid one of the funniest cartoons I have ever witnessed. Pity it didn't run longer.

Hunter- is an all American hound. a little dim sometimes but still a good leader.

Blitz- Doberman. Sounds like a cross between Arnold Schwarzenegger and both Hanz and Franz from the old SNL skits. Has an obssesion with biting the enemies 'tushies'.

Exile- Siberian husky from Russia. Got slang mixed up constaintly.

Colleen- The female of the group. A Collie naturally. Expert in judo and totally ignors Blitz.

Shag- Sheepdog. Big hairy and has a coat with with items.

Muzzle- Deranged rotweiler. Just plain nuts.

Master- the human who created the rovers and and is their 'boss' er.. master.

The show is hilarious. For example here is a quick scene from one episode:

(They are surrounding a building) Blitz: I'll bite anything that comes out of the rear. Exile: Frued would have field day with nut boy like you.

The Road Rovers was a great show about canine superheroes chosen by the Master to fight crime around the world. The show was hilarious to say the least. Simple and complex jokes that could appeal to all ages. Running jokes throughout the series that could spawn a drinking game. The action was mesmerizing, and cleverly set up. The characters were very original, each with a very different personality. But what made me enjoy the show the most was the depth of the characters. Each of them have struggles and emotional difficulties that are never expressed, but implied in subtext. Hopefully, one day, there'll be some way to watch the Rovers in action again.

This cartoon series was excellent while it lasted. The premise is relatively simple: dogs who live with heads of state transform into partial humans, fight crime, and go back to their pampered existences. The comedy was amusing for almost all age levels, giving adults as many laughs as children. Given its ratings for the time, it is a surprise that the show was cancelled, but then again, there's the WB for you. If you can only see one episode, watch "A Day in the Life", the last of the cartoons, for an idea of the Road Rovers at their best. Good luck finding a videotape, though...

For a while, I was so mad at Warner Brothers for cancelling this show after only one season. This was one terrific show! It had side-splitting comedy and action, and yet there were one or two moments that actually made you STOP laughing, too. All of the voices were excellent and the music added a lot to the fun. If you like action/comedies that don't take themselves too seriously, try to check this one out on Cartoon Network.