Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain

This is a perfect example of a series that long outlived its usefulness. I loved Pinky and the Brain and watched the show almost religiously, but when some dunderhead at the WB decided to pair these mice with Elmyra, I was horrified. There was absolutely no reason to take them away from Acme Labs except that the show had just run out of ideas. This was an example of the expression "jumping the shark"--it was obvious it was all downhill for the show from then until its cancellation--and with crappy episodes without the original formula, it wasn't long before the show breathed its last. Frankly, I just found it embarrassing to watch towards the end. My recommendation is never watch this incarnation of the show and use massive amounts of denial. Convince yourselves and others it never occurred---the ONLY shows that ever existed were Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain. They NEVER paired the mice with Elmyra--no, never!!

So, Pinky, Elmyra, and The Brain is a continuation of Pinky and The Brain, a show that started off as a short in Animaniacs, and yeah, this is as bad as people say.

Basically, the show is the result of executive meddling at Warner Bros. wanting the show to get rid of the world domination plot and become more lighter. This was not received well, with Peter Hastings, one of the writers, writing one last episode about how such changes ruins a show before jumping ship to Disney (helping them create the One Saturday Morning block on ABC). However, those unlucky not to quit had to do what the executives wanted, lest they want to lose their jobs. Thankfully, the fans agreed with the writers so much, this only got thirteen episodes before cancellation.

So, the theme song explains the plot of why Pinky and The Brain are with Elmyra. The two are looking for a new home after ACME Labs burns down (although one episode says it was turned into a Dissy store, done as a stab at Disney since the two are rivals). To make matters worst, they are being chased by Wally Faust, a man who appears in one episode, and is part of an organization who wants the two lab mice because they have come close to taking over the world more times than they have. Soon, they are adopted by Elmyra while hiding in a turtle's shell at a pet store.

Yeah, this is a messed up show. While Elmyra is the same as she was in Tiny Toon Adventures (although she now punishes Brain for saying scientific terms, or as she calls them, naughty potty words), that is all the connection she gets, as this show basically has her in a new neighborhood and new school, with none of her shenanigans or any characters in Tiny Toon Adventures (the show she originated in) appearing or even being mentioned. Also, while some episodes retain Brain's plan for world domination, others either have Brain try to help Elmyra or a filler episode where either Brain or Elmyra tells a story or something random happens to them. While they are fresh ideas, Elmyra's annoyance ruins them, and the humor is not what it used to be. The only reason for the two star rating is the writers were not afraid to show their dissatisfaction to the changes by referencing it in the theme song (it's what the network wants. Why bother to complain?) Thankfully, this show only got six episodes out as its own show, with the remaining seven being put on another show, with all but one episode being split into one segment per episode, with one segment, Elmyra's Music Video, being unaired until the show was released on DVD). This is one series to avoid unless you are a hardcore fan of Tiny Toon Adventures and Pinky and The Brain or just don't care how bad the cartoon is.

This cartoons came on air for the very first time here in Italy in Septmeber 2004 on the Italian satellite kids channel CARTOON NETWORK.

When I was younger I really loved the "Pinky and the Brain" original series and they were very popular here among the children, so for me the broadcasting of this spin-off with the irresistible Elmyra from the Tiny Tonns (they're not well known here in Italy, but I knew theme because of the comics) was a real guilty pleasure.

This series is fantastic, funny, deliberately crazy and purposely insane and made, so kitsch and totally non-sense and extravagant, showy, a real POP toon (the songs are crazy and beautiful).

My favorite episode was the one with the giant robot ROBERTO who was able to transform french cheese in what french people hate more then anything: stupid American visitors!!!really a crazy episode!!!

I know, I borrowed a little from Roger Ebert there, but that's just about the only way I can sum up my feelings about "Pinky, Elmyra, and the Brain" [shudder]. Oh, my gosh! How could they just go on and change such a wonderful show?? I only rarely found Elmyra all that funny myself (in fact, I find her kind of annoying), and it was really a kick in the pants to discover that she would be put together with Pinky and the Brain. That just spelled trouble right there. "Pinky and the Brain" was right up there with "Animaniacs" as my favorite cartoon. After their change of setting, though, Pinky's "narfs" and "poits" were never the same again. Mercifully, the show was soon put out of its misery, but it just signaled the end of Pinky and the Brain, the two funniest megalomaniacal lab mice ever on TV.

Okay, this show only lasted 2 seasons. The first one was pretty funny. The second one was just plain stupid. The WB had done what they had always mocked, the dumbing down of kids shows. Having those annoying songs in the second season, Pinky falling in love with a pig, and Elmyra's role getting increasingly bigger in each episode made the whole thing bomb. However, "The Man From Washington", and "The Ravin" was worth a laugh or two. Still, don't waste your time watching the other shows.