Extreme Ghostbusters
Extreme Ghostbusters is an American animated television series, based on the Ghostbusters franchise, which initially aired from September 1 to December 8, 1997. A sequel to The Real Ghostbusters, which aired from 1986 to 1991 on ABC, Extreme Ghostbusters is set after that series' finale. The 40-episode series initially aired on the syndicated Bohbot Kids Network's "Extreme Block" in 1997, and featured a team of college-aged Ghostbusters led by veteran Ghostbuster Egon Spengler. In some TV listings, the series was called Ghostbusters Dark.
Plot
Several years after the end of The Real Ghostbusters, a lack of supernatural activity has put the Ghostbusters out of business. The members have gone their separate ways except for Egon Spengler, who still lives in the firehouse, monitors the containment unit, takes care of Slimer, furthers his education, and teaches a class on the paranormal at a local college. When ghosts begin to reappear, Egon is forced to recruit four students as the new Ghostbusters: Kylie Griffin, a goth genius and expert on occultism; Eduardo Rivera, a cynical Latino slacker; Garrett Miller, a young wheelchair athlete; and Roland Jackson, a studious African-American machinery whiz. The cast also includes Janine Melnitz and Slimer, a hungry ghost.The series follows the next generation of Ghostbusters, who track down and capture ghosts throughout New York and beyond the city. A supernatural comedy, following the trend set by its predecessor, it has an updated, darker feel exemplified by a gritty, punk-inspired variation of Ray Parker Jr.'s song "Ghostbusters" as its opening theme. The song, written by Jim Latham, is performed by voice actor Jim Cummings. Throughout the series, the new team learns to work together despite their differences: Janine's largely-unrequited affection for Egon, the unresolved love-hate relationship between Kylie and Eduardo, and the Ghostbusters' frequent clashes with authority figures who are skeptical about their work.
Characters
- Slimer – Slimer, the least-changed of all the characters in terms of personality, has a less-cartoonish look. Well-meaning, he is often pushed around by the Ghostbusters because his constant eating gets in their way. Slimer tries to fix his mistakes, often with unintended consequences. He is heroic, wielding a proton pack in "Bird of Prey". Slimer is a rival of Eduardo, who cares for him despite his annoying traits. He has lived with Egon for over a decade, and they are closer than in the original series.
- – Lazy, sarcastic and apparently clueless, Eduardo is also determined and reliable; he and Garrett resemble original Ghostbuster Peter Venkman. Eduardo has a love-hate relationship with Kylie, of whom he loves. He has an older brother, Carlos "Carl" Rivera, an NYPD officer who resents Eduardo's not being a police officer like the rest of their family and thinks the Ghostbusters are a scam. Eduardo has a friendly rivalry with Garrett, and his apparent laziness is due to his fear of failure. In an interview and the book "Ghostbusters: The Ultimate Visual History," Rino Romano said: "Spiritually, and I know this sounds kind of stupid, but I thought I was born to play that role. Eduardo was basically the lovable character. He's in love with the girl but he's too much of a wuss to admit it. He's both the comic relief, the antihero, and the romantic foil. Extreme Ghostbusters was the best-written show, because it wasn't just about the ghostbusting, it was about the characters".
- Kylie Griffin – Kylie is the only member of the new team with prior paranormal knowledge; her friend, Jack, was a victim of the Grundel. In awe of Egon when the series begins, they shift to a more equal footing. Kylie's calm exterior often makes her a foil for Eduardo's brashness. Her parents are divorced, and she lives alone with her cat. She was close to her grandmother Rose, who died a year before the series begins; her interest in the paranormal and her goth appearance may be related to her grandmother's death. Kylie also appears in the IDW Publishing Ghostbusters comic books, where she works at Ray Stantz's occult book shop before becoming a Ghostbuster in 2013.
- Roland Jackson – Roland is the most level-headed and mechanically gifted of the new Ghostbusters, helping Egon repair and improve the proton packs and Ecto-1; he joined Egon's class after seeing the Ecto-1 at an auto show. Wanting to become an Ivy League doctor, he is slow to anger. Roland, the oldest child of a lower-middle-class family, has a mischievous younger brother he refuses to believe is a troublemaker.
- Garrett Miller – Garret has a jock-like attitude and is a fan of extreme sports and mad stunts. Born a paraplegic, he mocks his condition and feigns helplessness to convince two FBI agents to un-cuff him. Garret is studying to be a physical therapist, but secretly dreams of being an NBA star. Bob Higgins said that in a focus group of young children, the creators found that Garrett was the most popular character: "When we asked ... which of these characters would you want to be and they all wanted to be Garrett, they all wanted to be the guy that does the crazy things. They all wanted to be the guy that was the leader, and they all saw him as the leader of this group ."
- Egon Spengler – The series' only original Ghostbuster, Egon mentors the new Ghostbusters team. He still lives in the firehouse with Slimer, enabling the building to become the Ghostbusters headquarters when paranormal activity resumes. Before the first ghost escaped, Egon taught classes on the paranormal at New York City College; four people took his class, double the usual number. He usually leaves field work to the new members, but joins them when he feels that a crisis requires his presence. Egon is also interested in mold, and grows cultures in Eduardo's bathtub when they room together. His romantic tension with Janine continues.
- Janine Melnitz – The Ghostbusters' original receptionist is reunited with Egon in his Paranormal 101 class at New York City College. Like Egon, she supervises the new team and occasionally contributes to ghostbusting. Egon calls her the team's accountant and collector, and her attraction to him remains unrequited: "She's spent the last decade flitting from job to job ... trying not to pine for Prof. Spengler".
Production
The show's creators decided "to put together a team of misfits in a way, people that you would not necessarily associate with being superheroes on television"; Eduardo is a slacker, Roland is a "square," and Kylie is moody and sarcastic. Garrett provides balance, "an adrenaline junkie, who could kind of kick start the team." Designer Fil Barlow was given rough outlines and originally designed all the characters except Eduardo as girls, with Egon originally bearded and robed. Barlow imagined Egon as "an ambassador to the ghost realm trying to stop an impending war on the other side."
During production, Lucy/Garrett was bland until producer Jeff Kline suggested putting the character in a wheelchair; Higgins said that this made Garrett more interesting to write, as he was now "one of these guys that takes what he is given and makes the best of it and lives up to any potential that he has." When the character was Lucy, she was given proton-blasting calipers and crutches. Producer Richard Raynis requested a wheelchair instead; although Barlow attempted to show that a female character could "be fearless and gung ho," Raynis requested the gender change. The series received an award from the Los Angeles Commission on Disabilities for its depiction of Garrett.
Other elements were changed during production: Egon replaced Janine as the teacher, Slimer lost a goblin sidekick called Gnat, and Garrett was originally Lucas. Roland was originally a clumsy "gentle giant," and Eduardo dreamed of running in the Olympics. "Lucas" had a hair-trigger temper. The team which helmed Extreme Ghostbusters consisted of a number of producers and writers who had worked on The Real Ghostbusters, and the series was a sequel of the earlier show. It was one of the few sequels of a 1980s cartoon series; Masters of the Universe and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles opted for series relaunches, but Extreme Ghostbusters opted for a more realistic passage of time. Maurice LaMarche was brought back to voice Egon Spengler, but Frank Welker and Laura Summer did not return as Slimer and Janine. The series had more explicit tie-ins to The Real Ghostbusters as it continued. "Slimer's Sacrifice" referenced Egon entering the containment unit in the Real Ghostbusters episode "Xmas Marks the Spot"; "Grundelesque" is a sequel of the Real Ghostbusters episode "The Grundel," bringing back the villain and revealing that Kylie lost a friend during its first attack. "Back in the Saddle," the two-part finale, featured the remaining original Ghostbusters joining their successors; Dave Coulier, Buster Jones, and Frank Welker reprised their roles.