Extreme Ghostbusters
| Extreme Ghostbusters | |
|---|---|
| Format | Animated series, Science-fiction, Mystery |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 40 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 24 min. (approx.) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original run | September 1, 1997 – December 8, 1997 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | The Real Ghostbusters |
| External links | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
Extreme Ghostbusters is an animated television series and a follow-up to the animated series The Real Ghostbusters. It is a part of the film/TV Ghostbusters franchise. The series originally aired in the fall of 1997, and features a team of younger university-level Ghostbusters who are led by veteran Ghostbuster Egon Spengler.
Contents |
Plot
Set years after the end of The Real Ghostbusters, lack of supernatural activity has put the Ghostbusters out of business. Each member has gone their separate way, except for Dr. Egon Spengler, who still lives in the firehouse to monitor the containment unit, further his studies and teach a class on the paranormal at a local university. When ghosts start to reappear, Egon is forced to recruit his lone four students as the new Ghostbusters. These are Kylie Griffin, a girl genius and expert on the occult, Eduardo Rivera, a cynical Latino slacker, Garrett Miller, a young athlete who uses a wheelchair, and Roland Jackson, a studious machinery whiz. Filling the cast are Janine Melnitz, the Ghostbusters' previous secretary who returns to the job, and Slimer, a hungry ghost and general comic relief.
The series follows the adventures of this "Next Generation" of Ghostbusters tracking down and capturing ghosts all over New York and occasionally beyond the city. The series is styled as a supernatural comedy, following the trend set by its predecessor, but given an updated feel. This is reflected by the use of a gritty, rock/funk-inspired variation of Ray Parker Jr.'s song "Ghostbusters" as the opening theme. Recurring themes throughout the series are the new team learning to work together despite their differences, Janine's largely unrequited affection for Egon , the love/hate relationship between Kylie and Eduardo, and the Ghostbusters' frequent clashes with authority figures who disbelieve their work.
Perhaps the most notable episode of the series is the two-part episode "Back in the Saddle", in which the three original Ghostbusters briefly return to team up with their successors. Dave Coulier (the second voice of Peter Venkman), Buster Jones (the second voice of Winston Zeddemore), and Frank Welker (the voice of Ray Stantz and originally Slimer) reprised their roles from The Real Ghostbusters.
The show was also one of the few direct sequels to a 1980s cartoon series and as such, opted for a realistic passage of time. Other franchises, such as Masters of the Universe and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, opted for series relaunches rather than sequels.
Characters and cast
- Egon Spengler (voiced by Maurice LaMarche)
- The only original Ghostbuster to become a regular in this spin-off series, Egon takes on the role of mentor for the new team of Ghostbusters. He still lives in the fire house with Slimer, enabling the building to become the Ghostbusters headquarters when paranormal activity starts again. He usually leaves the field work to the new members, opting to provide audio back-up from the fire house and information on their current adversary, but has joined them in action when he feels the crisis requires his presence.
- Janine Melnitz (voiced by Pat Musick)
- The Ghostbusters' original receptionist returns to the role after she is reunited with Egon by taking his Paranormal 101 class at Columbia University. Like Egon, she watches over the new team, and on occasion contributes an active part in ghostbusting. According to Egon, she also functions as the team's accountant and collector.
- Eduardo Rivera (voiced by Rino Romano)
- Seemingly a lazy, sarcastic and somewhat clueless character, Eduardo nevertheless makes himself an integral part of the team by being determined and (to an extent) reliable. Eduardo resembles original Ghostbuster Peter Venkman in that, like Venkman, Eduardo is sarcastic, has a penchant for pursuing attractive women, is generally unscientific and constantly spouts pop culture references. Eduardo has a long-running subplot dealing with a love/hate relationship between him and Kylie. Eduardo's catchphrases are "Maybe he/she is dead" (spoken whenever someone goes missing or else unaccounted for) and "We're scientists" (which was originally spoken by Venkman in the film). In "Rage", Eduardo reveals to have an older brother, an NYPD officer, who hates Eduardo for being a Ghostbuster.
- Roland Jackson (voiced by Alfonso Ribeiro)
- The mechanic of the group. Roland is the most level-headed and mechanically-gifted of the new Ghostbusters, helping Egon repair and improve the Proton Packs and Ecto-1. Roland approaches the paranormal from a practical point-of-view, and in the episode "Fear Itself" reveals that his only fear is the breakdown of his equipment. In "Grundelesque", it is revealed that Roland has a very mischievous younger brother whom he (at first) refuses to believe is a troublemaker.
- Garrett Miller (voiced by Jason Marsden)
- He is the most headstrong and enthusiastic of the new Ghostbusters, often claiming that he's in it only for the adrenaline rush. In the episode "Grease", it's revealed that Garrett was born with the inability to walk, and throughout the series constantly pokes fun at his "condition". In "Fear Itself", it's revealed that Garrett is claustrophobic. Garrett is the only Ghostbuster in the history of the franchise never to be made as a toy (all other Ghostbusters received at least two toys, including Louis and Janine).
- Kylie Griffin (voiced by Tara Strong)
- The only member of the new team to have any sort of paranormal knowledge before signing up as a Ghostbuster, Kylie in awe of Egon when the series began but this soon shifts to a more equal footing. Kylie's calm exterior often sets her as a foil against Eduardo's brashness, as part of the ongoing love/hate dynamic between the two. She is also the one who most commonly wields the Ghost Traps. She is depicted as something of a "Goth" girl, judging by the black hair and lipstick. In the episode "Grease", it's revealed that her parents divorced and she currently lives alone with her cat. Kylie also serves as the most visible point of contrast between the nihilistic postmodernism of the late 90s, and the much more cheerful and modernist 80s films/cartoon series.
- Slimer (voiced by Billy West)
- Slimer remains the most unchanged of all the characters in terms of personality. However, he is given a less cartoony look to fit in with the series' overall style.
Episodes
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| Episode | Title | Original Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | "Darkness at Noon, Part 1" | September 1, 1997 |
| When Achira, a disease-spreading entity, is released by a group of subway workers, former Ghostbuster Egon Spengler, now a college professor teaching paranormal studies at a New York university, rounds up the only students in his class to be the next team of Ghostbusters. | ||
| 02 | "Darkness at Noon, Part 2" | September 2, 1997 |
| With Achira spreading her disease through a possessed Kylie, Egon, himself infected, helps to train and equip the new recruits for battle. | ||
| 03 | "The True Face of a Monster" | September 3, 1997 |
| A rabbi's son creates a golem to ward off vandals who have been spray painting anti-Semitic symbols and destroying the temple late at night, but the golem proves to be too powerful for the boy to control. | ||
| 04 | "Fear Itself" | September 4, 1997 |
| The XGBs investigate strange ocurances in a recently renovated hotel and face a ghost who brings to life anyone's innermost fears. | ||
| 05 | "Deadliners" | September 5, 1997 |
| The XGBs investigate a string of disappearances and the appearances of ghosts, ghouls, and monsters from a famous horror novelist named J.N. Kline. | ||
| 06 | "Casting the Runes" | September 8, 1997 |
| A petty thief steals a pouch of runes from the Metropolitan Museum, and it soon becomes clear that anyone who touches one of the cursed stones will become a slave to a self-proclaimed god. The EXG must find a way to save the victims when Eduardo becomes on of the demon's chosen slaves. | ||
| 07 | "The Infernal Machine" | September 9, 1997 |
| The XGBs battle Luco, a demon that jumps to various electronic devices and controls them. Also they become worried when Roland exhibits obsessive behavior in constructing his "infernal machine". | ||
| 08 | "Home is Where the Horror Is" | September 10, 1997 |
| The XGBs investigate a house which is more than it appears when two boys go missing. | ||
| 09 | "Killjoys" | September 11, 1997 |
| The XGBs go after vampiric clowns that devour victims that laugh in their presence. Also they must find a cure for Edwardo who has been turned into a clown as revenge for capturing their own. | ||
| 10 | "The Unseen" | September 12, 1997 |
| The XGBs have been split up by an accident on a bust, while Kylie and Eduardo track down her missing proton blaster, the others have to deal with a spate of attacks that have cost the victims their eyes. | ||
| 11 | "The Crawler" | September 22, 1997 |
| Fed up with Egon not showing any attention, Janine resorts to making him jealous by dating a handsome Hispanic man, who turns out to be a bug monster in search of a queen. | ||
| 12 | "The Pied Piper of Manhattan" | September 23, 1997 |
| The XGBs are rendered useless when a man appears to be able to lead ghosts away with his piper music. However, things take a turn for the worse when the mayor won't pay the piper. | ||
| 13 | "Be Careful What You Wish For" | September 24, 1997 |
| A salesman arrives in New York city who can apparently grant your deepest desire. However, it soon becomes apparent that each of the granted wishes cause more harm than good, especially for Eduardo, whose soul is now stored in Kylie's pet cat by the salesman, much to Kylie's shock. | ||
| 14 | "Grease" | September 25, 1997 |
| The XGBs must combat a mischievous gremlin, all the while under the watchful eye of two government agents who see the Ghostbusters as criminals. | ||
| 15 | "The Jersey Devil Made Me Do It" | September 26, 1997 |
| The XGBs must protect a town from the Jersey Devil despite not having any of their equipment. | ||
| 16 | "Dry Spell" | September 29, 1997 |
| The XGBs must combat an entity that can absorb the moisture within the human body and an obsessed oceanographer who wants to capture it. | ||
| 17 | "Sonic Youth" | September 30, 1997 |
| The hunt to track down a Banshee takes on an extra level of difficulty when the Banshee's peace-loving sister, the Siren, enchants Roland with her beautiful voice. | ||
| 18 | "Ghost Apocalyptic Future" | October 1, 1997 |
| A disturbance in the space-time continuum results in Kylie switching places with a rebel fighter from the future, where New York is ruled by a paranormal tyrant called Tempus. | ||
| 19 | "Bird of Prey" | October 2, 1997 |
| A huge, bird-like spirit known as the Hraesvelg causes the weather in New York to change drastically, and the XGBs must stop it before the weather threatens the city. | ||
| 20 | "Seeds of Destruction" | October 3, 1997 |
| A seed inhabited by a vengeful paranormal entity causes havoc when it makes plants become overgrown dangers that can cause whole buildings to collapse. | ||
| 21 | "The Luck of the Irish" | November 3, 1997 |
| A recently released Leprechaun has set out on a vendetta to persecute those it believes stole his pot of gold, with matters becoming even more complicated when he curses Garrett with bad luck. | ||
| 22 | "The Ghostmakers" | November 4, 1997 |
| Reports are coming in of people acting strange after encounters with mirrors. | ||
| 23 | "Slimer's Sacrifice" | November 5, 1997 |
| Slimer becomes trapped in the Containment Unit and the Ghostbusters are being picked off one by one by a huge, dog-like spirit called 'Fenris'. Eduardo decides he must save the green spud by travelling into the Containment Unit, leaving the others to stop the demon god Surt's plot to bring about Ragnarok. | ||
| 24 | "Grundelesque" | November 6, 1997 |
| The Grundel appears to be hunting after children again, but when Egon reveals that the Original Ghostbusters captured the Grundel years ago, Kylie realises that the new Grundel is actually connected to her long-lost childhood best friend. | ||
| 25 | "In Your Dreams" | November 7, 1997 |
| Morpheus, the dream ghost, uses an obnoxious talk radio DJ to turn people's dreams into living nightmares. | ||
| 26 | "Moby Ghost" | November 10, 1997 |
| When an entity that resembles a whale causes electronic chaos across the city, the XGBs must join forces with a spectral hunter in order to stop the ghostly creature before somebody is killed. | ||
| 27 | "Fallout" | November 12, 1997 |
| The XGBs have to devise a new plan when it becomes apparent that an entity that feeds on nuclear isotopes is unaffected by their Proton Packs. | ||
| 28 | "Eyes of a Dragon" | November 13, 1997 |
| After a Chinatown merchant disappears, the XGBs find that people across Chinatown are having their bones stolen. | ||
| 29 | "Till Death Do We Start" | November 14, 1997 |
| A city yuppie asks the XGBs for protection when he is plagued by an undead bride. | ||
| 30 | "Glutton for Punishment" | November 24, 1997 |
| Citizens across New York are going into inexplicable feeding frenzies, and the problem comes too close to home for comfort when it seems the disorder has also affected Slimer. | ||
| 31 | "Ghost in the Machine" | November 25, 1997 |
| When a formerly abandoned oil well is reopened, an old spirit is released and starts possessing vehicles. | ||
| 32 | "Dog Days" | November 26, 1997 |
| The XGBs must combat problems of a canine nature when a demon enslaves all of the dogs in the city. | ||
| 33 | "Mole People" | November 27, 1997 |
| A string of power outages is blamed on a group of people living underground, and it is up to the XGBs to find the true culprits. | ||
| 34 | "A Temporary Insanity" | November 28, 1997 |
| When Janine goes on vacation, the XGB hire a temp to handle her workload, but it becomes obvious that the temp isn't all that she seems. | ||
| 35 | "Rage" | December 1, 1997 |
| With the Firehouse being sprayed for bugs, Egon is forced to move in with Eduardo. The arrangement is complicated with a troll on the loose in the city and Eduardo's brother (who despises him for being a Ghostbuster) responding as part of the NYPD. | ||
| 36 | "Heart of Darkness" | December 2, 1997 |
| A recent spate of thefts of electrical equipment and a set of priceless crystal skulls bring Egon into contact with an old associate. Of note, Dr. Edward Kirilian is played by Star Trek: The Next Generation actor John de Lancie. | ||
| 37 | "The Sphinx" | December 5, 1997 |
| A Sphinx is turning Manhattan's intellectuals into blathering idiots as punishment for not solving the riddle. Meanwhile, Egon is depressed over getting old (originally aired as the third episode of the series, so it can possibly be set before "Back in the Saddle"). | ||
| 38 | "Witchy Woman" | December 8, 1997 |
| Three teenage witches try to recruit Kylie into their coven to bring about a spirit that will grant them more power, but when Kylie refuses, they recruit the oblivious Eduardo. | ||
| 39 | "Back in the Saddle, Part 1" | December 3, 1997 |
| Janine arranges a unique birthday present for Egon's 40th birthday: a reunion with the original Ghostbusters (Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz and Winston Zeddemore). However, the surprise is spoiled by a growing friction between the old and new Ghostbusters (originally part one of the series finale). | ||
| 40 | "Back in the Saddle, Part 2" | December 4, 1997 |
| The two generations of Ghostbusters must join forces when a mysterious entity has been devouring people, boats, and even towns down the length of the Eastern American Seaboard. The problem only grows worse when the Ghostbusters discover it is heading for Manhattan and that it has come from the Bermuda Triangle (originally the conclusion to the two part series finale) | ||
Merchandise
Home video
In 1998, three VHS volumes of the show were released by Columbia TriStar Home Video, all of which are now out of print. There are currently no plans for a DVD release. The episodes included on the VHS volumes were:
- Volume 1: "Darkness at Noon, Part 1", "Darkness at Noon, Part 2"
- Volume 2: "The Infernal Machine", "Grundelesque"
- Volume 3: "Back in the Saddle, Part 1", "Back in the Saddle, Part 2"
Video games
Three video games based on the series were also created, one for the Game Boy Color, one for Game Boy Advance and one for the PlayStation.
References
http://www.tv.com/extreme-ghostbusters/show/4364/episode_guide.html
External links
http://ghost-buster.tripod.com/homepage/homepage.htm - The last Extreme Ghost buster fan / info portal
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Categories: 1990s American animated television series | 1997 television series debuts | 1997 television series endings | Ghostbusters television series | PlayStation games | Game Boy games | Game Boy Advance games | First-run syndicated television programs in the United States | Television spin-offs | Television series by Sony Pictures Television
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