Earthworm Jim (TV series)

Earthworm Jim is an American animated television series based on the video game series of the same name that aired on The WB (now The CW)'s Kids' WB strand for two seasons from September 9, 1995, to December 13, 1996. A co-production between Universal Cartoon Studios and Flextech Plc and based on the video game series of the same name from Playmates and Shiny Entertainment with characters created by Doug TenNapel, the series follows the adventures of the titular character who battles the forces of evil using a robotic suit.

Premise
Most episodes involve the series' numerous villains attempting to reclaim the super suit or conquer the universe. However, some episodes have Jim facing more mundane issues, which include returning his neighbor's eggbeater and finding a new power source after his suit's battery runs out. Also, the show breaks the fourth wall with characters often talking to the audience and the narrator.

Episodes begin with a cold opening of Earthworm Jim and Peter Puppy in some peril that has nothing to do with the main plot or the past episodes, with little statement of how they got into the mess. In between parts (generally before or after the commercial break), there is a short side-story, generally featuring one of the villains doing a more natural part of life, usually without any involvement from Jim. Both of these are changed in the second season, with the cold opens being more relevant to the plot and the side stories being dropped entirely. Most episodes end with a character being crushed by a cow, a homage to the original game's ending.

Characters
Most of the main characters from the show originated from characters introduced in the video game series. Peter Puppy becomes Jim's sidekick and friend and Princess What's-Her-Name is featured as his love interest. Several antagonists from the games such as Evil the Cat, Psy-Crow, Bob the Killer Goldfish, Queen Slug-for-a-Butt, and Professor Monkey-for-a-Head also appear in the series.

Additionally, some original characters were also created for the series before being integrated into future games in the series. These include Evil Jim and Evil the Cat's servant Henchrat, the former being the main antagonist in Earthworm Jim: Menace 2 the Galaxy.

Voice cast
The voice director for the series was Ginny McSwain.

Main

 * Dan Castellaneta as Earthworm Jim, Evil Jim, Jim's Four Brains, Turns-His-Eyelids-Inside-Out Boy, Grim Reaper, Jaepius (in "Assault and Battery"), Abraham Lincoln (in "Sword of Righteousness")
 * Jeff Bennett as Peter Puppy, Narrator, The Hamsternator, President of the United States, Puce Dynamo, The Great Worm Spirit (in "The Anti-Fish"), Evil Peter (in "Opposites Attack!")
 * Charlie Adler as Professor Monkey-for-a-Head, Doorman of the Gods (in "Assault and Battery"), Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (in "For Whom the Jingle Bell Tolls")
 * Jim Cummings as Psy-Crow, Bob the Killer Goldfish, Whooping Cough Boy, Zantor, Walter, The Sword of Righteousness, Maggot, Cuban Band Leader, Lower Back Pain Man, Johnny Dactyl and Phlegmaphus (in "Assault and Battery"), Giant Fur-Bearing Trout (in "The Anti-Fish"), Santa Claus (in "For Whom the Jingle Bell Tolls")
 * Edward Hibbert as Evil the Cat
 * John Kassir as Snott, Henchrat, Grayson (in "Upholstered Peril")
 * Andrea Martin as Queen Slug-for-a-Butt, Torch Singer
 * Kath Soucie as Princess What's-Her-Name, Evil Princess (in "Opposites Attack!"), Johnny Dactyl's Mom (in "The Exile of Lucy"), Perpsichore (in "Assault and Battery"), Cody (in "Peanut of the Apes")

Additional

 * Gregg Berger as various (Season 1)
 * S. Scott Bullock as various (Season 1)
 * Miriam Flynn as Malice the Dog (in "Evil in Love")
 * Brad Garrett as The Lord of Nightmares (in "Evil in Love")
 * Lisa Kaplan as various (Season 2)
 * Danny Mann as Archbug (in "Queen What's-Her-Name", "For Whom the Jingle Bell Tolls")
 * Edie McClurg as various (Season 1)
 * Dee Dee Rescher as Galamour the Destroyer (in "The Great Secret of the Universe")
 * Kevin Michael Richardson as the Anti-Fish (in "The Anti-Fish")
 * Roger Rose as various (Season 1)
 * Ben Stein as Rosebud the Nameless Beast (in "The Great Secret of the Universe"), Dr. Houston (in "The Origin of Peter Puppy")
 * Billy West as Morty, Surgeon (in "Lounge Day's Journey into Night")
 * April Winchell as Mrs. Bleverage, Ilene (in "Lounge Day's Journey into Night")

Production
In 1995, Doug TenNapel and Will Meugniot created a pitch animation video for WB, in which TenNapel voiced Jim. On August 23, 2022, YouTube user gooberloll uploaded the pitch video. However, Meugniot was not a producer for the final series, having left to work on X-Men: The Animated Series.

Episodes
Two seasons of the series were produced, for a total of 23 episodes.

Merchandising
MCA/Universal Merchandising held consumer product rights for the series.

Playmates Toys also released a line of action figures based on the show, which included several variants of Earthworm Jim, as well as Peter Puppy, Princess What's-Her-Name, Bob the Killer Goldfish, #4, Evil the Cat, Henchrat, Major Mucus, and Psy-Crow. A mountable "pocket rocket" was also available as well as a rare mail-in repainted figure of Earthworm Jim in a green suit. Premium DNA Toys also made a line of action figures.

Original broadcast countries
In the United States, the show was aired on Kids' WB on The WB Television Network (now The CW Network) from 1995 to 1996.

The show premiered in the United Kingdom on co-production partner Flextech's TCC network around the same time. The show was promoted with a country-wide roadshow campaign held at shopping centres. Following this, the show later made its free TV debut on Channel 4. In the 2000s, the show reran on Nickelodeon and Nicktoons TV.

Internationally
In Ireland, the show was aired on RTÉ Two from 12 September 1996 to 1997. In Canada, the show was aired on YTV. In Mexico, the show was aired on TV Azteca. In Germany, the show was aired on RTL. In the Netherlands, the show was aired on Kindernet. In Poland, the show was aired on RTL 7. In Spain, the series was dubbed in different languages apart from Castilian Spanish, like the Basque language.

United States
Four VHS volumes were released by MCA/Universal Home Video in September 1996, each containing two episodes.

The complete series was intended to receive a U.S. DVD release from Visual Entertainment (under license from NBCUniversal) on July 10, 2012, but was delayed right before release to late October. The set includes all 23 episodes on 3 discs, and is currently available on Amazon.com.

The complete series was formerly available on Tubi, but has since been removed.

Internationally
CIC Video released three VHS volumes of the series in the 1990s in the United Kingdom, each containing two episodes. These are now out of print and considered rare.

On June 1, 2011, Via Vision Entertainment, under license from Universal, released the complete series as a 5-disc set in Australia and New Zealand.

Legacy
Aspects of the show, such as newly created characters, or art style, were later implemented in future video games Earthworm Jim 3D and Earthworm Jim: Menace 2 the Galaxy. Two Earthworm Jim comic book series, in the US and UK, were also created to tie into the animated series.

On November 18, 2021, it was reported that a new animated television series titled Earthworm Jim: Beyond the Groovy was in development. A year later, it was announced that Paris animation studio Circus Studios joined Passion Pictures as a partner on the show. In November 2023, series writer Brent Friedman stated that production had been put on hold.