Godzilla: The Series (1998-2000)

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Godzilla: The Series
Godzilla: The Series
Air date September 12, 1998 - April 22, 2000
Production companies Adelaide Productions,
Centropolis Television,
Columbia TriStar Television,
Dong Woo Animation
Channel(s) Fox KidsU.S., Network TenAU, Direct TVJP
Genre(s) Animated series
Episodes 38 (aired), 40 (total)
Rate this series!
4.73
(26 votes)

Godzilla: The Series (ゴジラ ザ・シリーズ,   Gojira: Za Shirīzu) was an animated series co-produced by Adelaide Productions, Centropolis Television, and Columbia TriStar Television as a sequel to the 1998 film GODZILLA. The series follows the film's protagonist Dr. Niko "Nick" Tatopoulos, who discovers the sole surviving offspring of Godzilla in the ruins of Madison Square Garden. The new Godzilla imprints on Nick and quickly grows to adulthood, becoming a loyal ally to both his adopted father and all of mankind when he accompanies Nick and his humanitarian scientific team H.E.A.T. as they travel the world to protect innocent civilians from a host of malevolent mutated creatures. Godzilla: The Series ran for two seasons from September 12, 1998 to April 22, 2000; the first season consisting of 21 episodes and the second of 19, the last two of which were not originally aired on television in North America. Compared to the controversial film on which it was based, Godzilla: The Series was relatively well-received by viewers and fans of the franchise, and maintains a cult following to this day.

Plot

Immediately following the destruction of Godzilla's nest in Madison Square Garden and the military's extermination of the creature himself at the conclusion of the 1998 film, Dr. Niko "Nick" Tatopoulos receives permission from Colonel Anthony Hicks to survey the ruins of MSG and ensure none of the monster's eggs survived. During his search, Nick comes upon a single surviving egg which hatches into a Baby Godzilla, who imprints on Nick as his parent due to his being covered with amniotic fluid from the other eggs. The infant quickly grows to adulthood, but demonstrates an entirely different personality from his late biological father as well as greater physical strength and resilience and the ability to spit a powerful atomic heat ray. Nick joins forces with colleagues Dr. Elsie Chapman, Dr. Mendel Craven, and Randy Hernandez to form his own research outfit known as H.E.A.T., an acronym for Humanitarian Environmental Analysis Team, with the goal of researching and protecting mankind from the various mutated monsters appearing around the world. French secret service agent Monique Dupre joins H.E.A.T. in order to keep an eye on the new Godzilla, whose loyalty to Nick renders him an important ally to the team on its mission.

Throughout the series, H.E.A.T. travels the globe in order to research and contain the dangerous mutations spawned by nuclear testing and other human activity. Whenever the team is in danger, Nick is able to summon Godzilla to their aid in order to combat their monstrous foes. H.E.A.T. and Godzilla battle a host of original monsters created specifically for the show, such as Crustaceous Rex, the Giant Bat, and King Cobra. While most of the episodes' plots are unconnected, there is a loose sense of continuity throughout the show, with some characters and monsters reappearing following their debut episodes, though some episodes were aired out of chronological order. A recurring human antagonist is Cameron Winter, an eccentric corrupt billionaire and former academic rival of Nick's who is dedicated to ruining Nick and destroying Godzilla. Season 1 includes a trilogy of episodes paying tribute to the film Destroy All Monsters, in which the Leviathan Aliens take control of the mutations of Earth and unleash them across the globe in an effort to destroy human civilization. Godzilla's biological father is revived by the aliens as Cyber Godzilla and used to bring Godzilla himself under their control before he eventually regains his senses and fights back. In one episode, members of H.E.A.T. are cast into an apocalyptic future in which Godzilla and the mutations of Earth have been exterminated by genetically engineered monsters called D.R.A.G.M.A.s, and must travel back to the present in order to prevent this. In another, Godzilla mates with a female mutant Komodo dragon named Komodithrax and becomes the surrogate father to her unborn offspring while clashing with a Giant Turtle.

Episodes

The following table lists all episodes of Godzilla: The Series. By default, these are sorted by the order they were originally broadcast on American television, but can also be sorted in their chronological order.

No. Title Directed by Written by Air date
Broadcast Chronology
Season 1
1 1 "New Family: Part 1" Audu Paden Robert N. Skir,
Marty Isenberg
09/12/1998
2 2 "New Family: Part 2" 09/19/1998
3 4 "D.O.A." Frank Squillace Richard Mueller 09/26/1998
4 3 "Talkin' Trash" Tim Eldred Steve Perry 10/03/1998
5 5 "The Winter of Our Discontent" Sam Liu Robert N. Skir,
Marty Isenberg
10/10/1998
6 6 "Cat and Mouse" Frank Squillace Steven Melching 10/31/1998
7 8 "What Dreams May Come" Len Wein 11/07/1998
8 7 "Leviathan" Tim Eldred Michael Reaves 11/14/1998
9 9 "Hive" Sam Liu Marv Wolfman 11/21/1998
10 10 "Bird of Paradise" Alan Caldwell Neil Ruttenberg 12/05/1998
11 12 "DeadLoch" Sam Liu Steve Hayes 02/06/1999
12 15 "Monster Wars: Part 1" Christopher Berkeley Robert N. Skir,
Marty Isenberg
02/13/1999
13 16 "Monster Wars: Part 2" Sam Liu Steven Melching 02/20/1999
14 17 "Monster Wars: Part 3" Alan Caldwell Michael Reaves 02/27/1999
15 13 "Competition" Frank Squillace Harry "Doc" Kloor 03/06/1999
16 11 "Freeze" Christopher Berkeley Barry Hawkins 03/13/1999
17 14 "Bug Out" Frank Squillace Brooks Watchel 03/20/1999
18 20 "Web Site" Christopher Berkeley Marsha F. Griffin 05/01/1999
19 18 "An Early Frost" Sam Liu Craig Miller 05/08/1999
20 24 "Trust No One" Nathan Chew Greg Pincus 07/31/1999
21 22 "Juggernaut" Frank Squillace Tom Pugsley,
Greg Klein
08/14/1999
Season 2
22 36 "Future Shock" Alan Caldwell Tom Pugsley,
Greg Klein
09/18/1999
23 40 "Cash of the Titans" Sean Song Andrew Deutsch 09/25/1999
24 35 "S.C.A.L.E." Christopher Berkeley Scott Lobdell 10/02/1999
25 28 "Protector" Christopher Berkeley Mark Hoffmeier 10/09/1999
26 30 "Freak Show" Nathan Chew Steve L. Hayes 12/11/1999
27 37 "End of the Line" David Hartman Steve Melching 12/18/1999
28 19 "What a Long, Strange Trip It's Been" Brad Rader Janna King Kalichman 01/15/2000
29 21 "Wedding Bells Blew" Alan Caldwell Steve Cuden 01/22/2000
30 31 "Metamorphosis" George Melrod 01/29/2000
31 38 "Area 51" Jeff Wynne 02/05/2000
32 34 "The Twister" Andy Tohm Laura Runnels,
Patti Carr
02/12/2000
33 23 "Shafted" Sean Song Robin Russin 02/19/2000
34 32 "Where is Thy Sting?" Frank Squillace William Stout 02/26/2000
35 25 "Lizard Season" Alan Caldwell Robert N. Skir 03/11/2000
36 29 "Vision" Sam Liu Carl Ellsworth 03/18/2000
37 33 "Underground Movement" Marsha F. Griffin 04/01/2000
38 27 "Ring of Fire" Sean Song,
Brad Rader
Rodney Gibbs 04/22/2000
Unaired episodes
39 26 "The Ballad of Gens du Marais" Sam Liu Angel Dean Lopez N/A
40 39 "Tourist Trap" Nathan Chew Marty Isenberg N/A

Staff

Staff role on the left, staff member's name on the right.

  • Directed by   Audu Paden, Frank Squillace, Tim Elderd, Sam Liu, Alan Caldwell, Christopher Berkeley, Nathan Chew, Sean Song, David Hartman, Brad Rader, Andy Tohm
  • Written by   Robert N.Skir, Marty Isenberg, Richard Mueller, Steve Perry, Steven Melching, Len Wein, Michael Reaves, Marv Wolfman, Neil Ruttenberg, Steve Hayes, Harry Kloor, Barry Hawkins, Brooks Watchel, Marsha Griffin, Craig Miller, Greg Pincus, Tom Pugsley, Greg Klein, Andrew Deutsch, Scott Lobdell, Mark Hoffmeier, Janna Kang Kalichman, Steve Cuden, George Melrod, Jeff Wynne, Lara Runnels, Patti Carr, Robin Russin, William Stout, Carl Ellsworth, Rodney Gibbs, Angel Dean Lopez
  • Developed by   Jeff Kline, Richard Raynis
  • Executive producers   Richard Raynis, Dean Devlin, Roland Emmerich
  • Produced by   Audu Paden
  • Music by   Jim Latham

Cast

Actor's name on the left, character played on the right.

  • Ian Ziering   as   Dr. Nick Tatopoulos [40 episodes]
  • Malcolm Danare   as   Dr. Mendel Craven [40 episodes]
  • Rino Romano   as   Randy Hernandez [40 episodes]
  • Charity James   as   Dr. Elsie Chapman [40 episodes]
  • Brigitte Bako   as   Monique Dupre [39 episodes]
  • Tom Kenny   as   N.I.G.E.L. [28 episodes], Bill [2 episodes]
  • Kevin Dunn   as   Major Anthony Hicks [20 episodes]
  • Paget Brewster   as   Audrey Timmonds [11 episodes]
  • Joe Pantoliano   as   Victor "Animal" Palotti [8 episodes]
  • David Newsom   as   Cameron Winter [3 episodes]
  • Bob Joles   as   Hank [2 episodes]
  • Michael Lerner   as   Mayor Ebert [3 episodes]
  • Nicholas Guest   as   Chad Gordon [2 episodes]
  • Keith Szarabajka   as   Philippe Roaché [2 episodes]
  • Ronny Cox   as   Dale [2 episodes]
  • Linda Blair   as   Alexandra Springer [1 episode]
  • Steve Susskind   as   Sidney Walker [1 episode]
  • Tate Donovan   as   Lawrence Cohen
  • Kenneth Mars   as   Alexander Preloran
  • Clancy Brown   as   Maximillian Speil [1 episode]
  • Roddy McDowall   as   Dr. Hugh Trevor [1 episode]
  • Jesse Corti   as   Paul Dimanche
  • Michael Chiklis   as   Colonel Charles Tarrington
  • Dorian Harewood   as   Tobias Wilson
  • Nick Jameson   as   Dr. Jonathan Insley [1 episode]
  • Stuart Pankin   as   Milo Sanders
  • Maggie Macmillan   as   Susan Sanders
  • Susan Eisenberg   as   Dr. Candace Kirk
  • Page Leong   as   Dr. Yukiko Ifukube / Tomoko
  • James Horan   as   Professor Kasam
  • Dennis Haysbert   as   General Ekwensi
  • Ron Perlman   as   Leviathan Aliens [4 episodes]
  • Frank Welker   as   Godzilla, Chameleon, Nanotech Creature, Armillaria

Japanese dub

Actor's name on the left, character played on the right.


Appearances

Monsters


Weapons, vehicles, races and organizations

Discovery Zone attraction

In late 1998, the American children's entertainment chain Discovery Zone introduced new laser tag arenas to their stores based on Godzilla: The Series, called Godzilla Laser Adventure.[1] The arenas included prints of monsters from the series, such as Godzilla and a Mutant Rat, along with a cityscape decorating the various walls and barricades. There were also points on the wall you could shoot, presumably for more points, such as one that glowed with a green star on the back of the Mutant Rat. It is unknown how many of the arenas were still available, if any, when Discovery Zone went out of business in December 2001.

Reception

Despite the negative reaction to the film on which it was based, Godzilla: The Series garnered surprisingly positive reactions from fans and it did well in the TV ratings. The series received praise for its portrayal of Godzilla who, unlike his parent from the film, was given many of the character's traditional characteristics from the Toho films such as his fearless attitude and personality, his heightened physical strength and durability, and his trademark atomic breath. The series was also recognized for retaining the tone and storytelling style of the Showa Godzilla films, featuring a heroic Godzilla battling a host of enemy monsters and even alien invaders. The series' human characters and their dynamics were also well-regarded, especially in comparison to their counterparts from the film.

Gallery

Video releases

Mill Creek DVD (2014) [Godzilla: The Series - The Complete Animated Series]

  • Region: 1
  • Discs: 4
  • Audio: English
  • Subtitles: None
  • Special features: None
  • Notes: The series' 40 episodes are presented in chronological order rather than broadcast order, with 10 episodes on each disc.

Videos

Godzilla: The Series opening
Godzilla: The Series
Cartoon Network bumper
Godzilla: The Series
Cartoon Network bumper
Godzilla: The Series FOX Kids TV spot
Godzilla: The Series VHS trailer
Godzilla: The Series -
Monster Wars
DVD trailer
Godzilla: The Series Mill Creek DVD trailer
Ad for the unreleased Trendmasters toy line

Trivia

  • Due to FOX's Standards and Practices policies at the time, Godzilla: The Series was unable to show or even mention death aloud. As such, there are no human fatalities directly shown in the entire series, while characters refer to slain monsters as "destroyed", rather than "killed." Even monsters could only be destroyed if they were not depicted as sentient.[2]
    • While this is mostly the case, in the episode "Shafted," there are some petrified and presumably dead miners, and in the episode "Future Shock", it is implied that a large portion of the human population was wiped out by the D.R.A.G.M.A.s in an alternate future.
  • A short webcomic based on Godzilla: The Series was hosted on the show's website.
  • Malcolm Danare (Mendel Craven), Kevin Dunn (Anthony Hicks), and Michael Lerner (Ebert) all reprise their roles from GODZILLA. Nobuaki Fukuda, who provided the voice for Craven in Toho's Japanese dub for GODZILLA, reprises the role in the Japanese dub for Godzilla: The Series. Rica Matsumoto, who voiced Lucy Palotti in the Toho GODZILLA dub, voices the character Alexandra Springer in the Japanese dub for "S.C.A.L.E.," one of the episodes of Godzilla: The Series. In the show's Japanese dub, Nick was voiced by Kenyu Horiuchi, who voiced Victor "Animal" Palotti in both Japanese dubs for GODZILLA and would go on to voice Unberto Mori in the GODZILLA anime trilogy.
  • Trendmasters created prototypes for a planned toy line based on Godzilla: The Series, but it was cancelled, along with the company's other planned Godzilla figures, when the company went bankrupt.
  • Plushes of Godzilla, the Giant Turtle, and Komodithrax and her egg from Godzilla: The Series cameo in an episode of the 2021 anime series Godzilla Singular Point, alongside a plush of Godzooky from the Hanna-Barbera Godzilla cartoon.
  • This series shares some similarities with Tab Murphy's script treatment for GODZILLA 2, an unmade film sequel to the 1998 film. Both stories feature the hatchling from the first Godzilla's only surviving egg imprinting on Nick and going on to help defend humanity from other, more malevolent mutations. This second Godzilla possesses atomic breath in both stories as well. Monster Island, a location from the Showa Godzilla films, also appears in both stories. However, H.E.A.T. is absent from the GODZILLA 2 story, which also features the second Godzilla bearing a host of offspring, whereas the Godzilla from the series is stated to be sterile.
  • Numerous monsters were conceptualized for Godzilla: The Series, but did not end up appearing in an episode. Most of them were named after existing monsters from Toho's Godzilla films, such as Gigan, Manda, Megalon, and Moguera. These names were likely placeholders, as it was unfeasible to license monsters from Toho and receive approval for their portrayals, given the show's tight production schedule. Four of these unused monsters only appeared near the end of the series' opening.

See also

References

This is a list of references for Godzilla: The Series. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]

  1. Niko Tatopoulos (31 July 2013). "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEUqiCzpGx0". YouTube. Retrieved 12 September 2021. External link in |title= (help)
  2. The Ultimate Guide to GODZILLA: The Series

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Godzilla: The Series
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Baby Godzilla (TriStar)