The Cult Cartoon Thaws Out and Is Fresher Than Ever
‘Clone High’ : The Cult Cartoon Thaws Out and Is Fresher Than Ever
BYROSS BONAIME PUBLISHED 20 of May 2023
Way, way back in the early 2000s , MTV aired Clone High, an animated series about a high school comprised of genetic copies of famous guys and ladies. The show was both a brilliant parody of the high school dramas of the time like The O.C. and Dawson’s Creek, yet managed to also function as an intriguing high school story of its own, complete with romantic entanglements, while also becoming one of the funniest animated shows in recent Clone High is one of the most underrated animated comedy shows of all time. Wonderful characters, inventive artwork, cheeky writing. A rare adult show who’s graphics live up to the verbal wit.
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Meet The Clones
Abraham “Abe” Lincoln
He is the 16-year-old clone of the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. Like his original counterpart, Abe is known for his honesty and great leadership. Ironically, Abe himself, is sadly mislead.
Fitzgerald Kennedy (JFK)
Is a side character and a minor antagonist of Clone High. He is a clone of 35th President of the United States John F. Kennedy. JFK is shown to be one of the most popular students at Clone High.
Joan of Arc (Jeanne D’arc)
Is the deuteragonist of Clone High. She is the 15-year-old clone of 15th Century French heroine
Jeanne D’arc. Unlike her original counterpart, Joan is a dispassionate, nihilistic Atheist, who dresses like a goth.
John
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Cleopatra “Cleo” VII Philopator
Is the clone of Cleopatra. She is the secondary supporting antagonist after JFK. Cleopatra Smith is the self-proclaimed “queen bee” of Clone High and the object of Abe’s affection. Popular, beautiful social, smart but is cruel and cold at times. She is captain of the cheerleading team and former student body president.
Is a student at Clone High High School and 16-yearold genetic clone of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. She’s the Class president, and the most popular student that’s hosting the Clone high unity week.
Is a student at Clone High High School and the genetic clone of the African-American abolitionist Harriet Tubman. In the reboot, she is retconned as a member of the second generation of clones from 2007, but now with a completely alternated design, she and Frida Kahlo, are the best of friends and celebrate inclusivity together in a very non-inclusive way.
Frida Kahlo
Harriet Tubman
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Now, two decades after
The series unceremoniously ended on MTV, Clone High has finally returned, and its second season is well worth the wait. Almost immediately, it’s easy to feel the absolute joy of Lawrence, Lord, and Miller getting to revisit this world again, and after twenty years, Clone High is just as pointed, ingenious, and enthralling as it was back in 2002.
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Lord and Miller first developed the series’ concept, originally titled Clone High School, USA!, while at Dartmouth College in the 1990s.
The season (and previously series) finale of Clone High ended at the prom, in which all the clones were frozen. Abe was getting ready to proclaim his love for either Cleopatra or Joan, but moments before being frozen, he saw Joan and JFK in bed together. Now, 20 years later, the clones from the prom have been thawed out, but it turns out Principal Scudworth and his robot butler/sidekick, Mr. Butlertron have kept the clone program going with a new class for the old one to interact with.
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Let’s Try This Again
The world around the frozen clones has changed without them knowing. In the premiere episode, “Let’s Try This Again,” Abe finds himself using terms and phrases that no longer are acceptable in 2023, and with his friend Gandhi nowhere to be seen, he’s even more of an outcast in school than he was before. Meanwhile, Abe admits he’s in love with Joan, but she has now moved on and started a relationship with JFK. The new power couple is immediately embraced by the new clones, while JFK’s constant innuendos are now seen as sex-positive.
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Clone High also introduces us to a new class of clone students, such as the school’s class president, Frida Kahlo; Harriet Tubman who worries about the shadow of her namesake; Confucius, who is more interested in the video app FlipFlop and getting likes than philosophy; and Topher Bus, who is trying to hide the fact that he’s the clone of Christopher Columbus. The higher administration of Scudworth and Mr. Butlertron are also joined by Candide Simpson (voiced by Miller, as Mitra Jouhari is now playing Cleopatra) who is working on the secretive Clone High Colon Operation Spread Eagle.
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It might have taken over twenty years for Clone High to return, but the goal of Lord & Miller’s career was well worth the wait. After all these years, Clone High remains a brilliant concept and an ingenious comedy that both loves and parodies high school films and TV shows, historical figures, and the incredible possibilities within animation. Clone High has remained great after all this time, and it was never the show that needed to change—it was the world that needed to grow to this show’s brilliance.
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Last year, Abe said he was 15 years old. Now he claims to be 16. Which is it, Abe? Better keep your story straight. He’d also like you to believe he’s not a baby eater. But he’s never gone on record saying he isn’t. Maybe he’s too busy eating babies!
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