Baby Blues (US TV series)

"Baby Blues (TV series)" redirects here. For the unrelated Singapore production, see Baby Blues (Singapore TV series).

Baby Blues
Title card
Genre	Animated Comedy
Created by	Rick Kirkman Jerry Scott
Developed by	Jeff Martin Pete Ocko
Written by	Neal Boushell Julie Sherman Wolfe
Voices of	Mike O'Malley Julia Sweeney Joel Murray Kath Soucie Arabella Field Diedrich Bader Nicole Sullivan
Opening theme	It's All Been Done by Barenaked Ladies
Country of origin	USA
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	13 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Jeff Martin Pete Ocko Rick Kirkman Jerry Scott
Producer(s)	Claudia Katz Karen K. Miller
Running time	22 minutes
Production company(s)	Split the Difference Productions Warner Bros. Animation
Distributor	Warner Bros. Television
Broadcast
Original channel	The WB (2000) Adult Swim (2002)
Picture format	4:3 SDTV
Original run	July 28, 2000 – August 24, 2000

Baby Blues is an animated television series based on the Baby Blues comic strip. The first eight episodes of Baby Blues originally aired in the United States on The WB from July 28, 2000 until August 24, 2000, before the series cancellation. Five then-unaired episodes were later aired on Adult Swim in 2002. Another season consisting of thirteen episodes has been produced, but were never aired or shown to the public in any format.

Production

In 2000, Baby Blues was adapted into an animated cartoon, which aired on The WB Television Network, produced by Warner Bros. Television and Warner Bros. Animation, with the overseas animation done by Rough Draft Studios for the first 5 episodes, then Sunwoo Entertainment for the rest of the episodes, for a few weeks in the summer, from July 28, 2000 to August 25, 2000. The animated version featured Darryl and Wanda raising the infant Zoe as their first child, as distinct from the comic strip's storyline at the time which showed Zoe as the older sister to Hammie. Mike O'Malley voiced Darryl, while Julia Sweeney played Wanda.

The Baby Blues television series differed from the comic strip by focusing on Darryl and Wanda's relationship with the Bittermans, a neighbor family with three children (Rodney, Megan, and Shelby); Kenny, Darryl's co-worker; and Bizzy, the babysitter for Zoe. Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott had little creative control over the animated version.

The WB typically aired two episodes each week, thus enabling eight different episodes to be shown in the five-week run, but abandoned plans to air additional episodes which had been completed. Previously unaired episodes were later aired on Cartoon Network's late night programming block, Adult Swim, and on TeleToon in Canada. The show was canceled after 13 episodes. A second season's run of 13 episodes was written, and possibly produced, but never aired.

Opening sequence

The opening theme song was "It's All Been Done" by Barenaked Ladies, from Stunt (album).

In the episode "Rodney Has Two Daddies" the song "Alternative Girlfriend" also by Barenaked Ladies was featured during the cooking montage.

Cast

Name	Character(s)
Mike O'Malley	Darryl MacPherson
Julia Sweeney	Wanda MacPherson
Joel Murray	Carl Bitterman
Kath Soucie	Rodney Bitterman
Arabella Field	Melinda Bitterman
Diedrich Bader	Kenny
Nicole Sullivan	Bizzy Carey

Characters

• Darryl MacPherson - Darryl is the uptight and responsible father of Zoe and husband to Wanda. He tends to think Wanda's heart-felt ideas are crazy, but will later agree with them if there is an advantage for himself. He wants the best for his baby daughter, but can overly protect her. Despite intending to do the right thing, he has done unexpected selfish things, such as pretending to grieve over going with Carl and their kids to a fun zone, only to watch an attractive dancer at the place singing every time it was a child's birthday. But in the end, he is faithful to his wife and daughter. Darryl often feels that his wife nags him and will always discuss his issues to his friend, Kenny at work. Most commonly, he will talk about a problem, the next day, talk about how happy he is to have solved the problem an easy way, then the next day, talk about how it did not work out. Darryl is quick to express jealousy—particularly of Carl, his next door neighbor.

• Wanda MacPherson - Wanda is Darryl's wife and Zoe's mother. She is caring, unpredictable, passionate and impulsive by turns. However, just as Darryl does, she loves Zoe and wants only the best for her. Wanda is a stay at home mom. Her closest friends are her neighbor Melinda and a young girl named Bizzy, who serves as Zoe's babysitter from time to time. Wanda generally has a cheerful disposition, but she is quick to let her emotions get the best of her. She will usually go through drastic measures to fix something, against her husband's wishes. Wanda is occasionally melancholy about motherhood, as suggested by the title Baby Blues. She is said to have a "crazy spark" in her that never left. This is seen at one point, when she wants to feel young again and escapes with Bizzy and her friends at night and gets caught by the police. Wanda's unpredictable and impulsive behavior is often a source of extreme stress for Darryl. However, in the end, they always settle their differences and make peace after the arguments and problems are resolved.

• Zoe MacPherson - Zoe is the infant daughter of Darryl and Wanda. As a baby, Zoe's curiosity and emotions are expressed in her eyes, which show almost complete understanding when something happens or if somebody talks to her. Although calm and cheerful in the day time, she is very loud and cries nonstop at night, leaving her parents to stay up all night, taking turns rocking her, and carrying her until day time. Zoe appears to have a really close relationship with Rodney, the trouble kid next door who seems to be the only one who could stop her crying and comfort her. Voiced by E.G. Daily.

• Melinda Bitterman - Melinda is Wanda's friend and neighbor whose family is dysfunctional. Melinda is always seen smoking in her yard as her husband and kids are working on some bizarre, dangerous or disastrous activity. Any time she sees Wanda, she always greets with the same line, "Hi Wanda, how's the baby?" Seemingly careless or tired, Melinda seems to desire the happiness and relationship she once had before she became a mother and somewhat envies Wanda's stable life, but is still content with her family. She always talks in a calm voice, even when discussing an insane thing that her family is doing, as if it were normal.

• Carl Bitterman - Melinda's husky, big-muscled and overweight husband. A seemingly bum like man, Carl claims that he gives his kids strict discipline, even though he has lowered himself to their level many, many times, particularly Rodney, who pesters Carl until he takes aggressive action. Carl is usually envied by Darryl, for his mechanic skills and other things Darryl fails at. Carl can be rude and obnoxious at times, but considers himself the "man of the house". He usually involves his children in several activities, such as practicing to shoot arrows or riding in a hover car without seatbelts. He belittles Darryl's parenting skills, and self-confidence, either bluntly or through his children who have little respect for Darryl. Because of this, Carl and Darryl do not particularly get along, although Darryl has been talked into doing things he would not normally do, because of Carl's forceful insistence.

• Rodney Bitterman - Rodney is the eight-year-old son of Carl and Melinda Bitterman. Rodney is very mischievous and is best known for causing a lot of trouble. However, he's the smartest of his siblings and is street wise. Rodney repeatedly pesters his dad by asking stupid questions, shooting knock-knock jokes to avoid going to bed, and placing his finger an inch from his father's tools immediately after being told not to touch them. Rodney's antics always makes his sister, Megan, laugh. Besides being a menace, he can be very sympathetic, particularly to Darryl and Zoe. The sensitive side of Rodney has shown his somewhat neglected or misunderstood relationship with his dad. At one time, Rodney had tried one of Darryl's cheesy mushrooms and realized how much he cared about good food and wanted to cook. However, his father thought it was silly, so Rodney had relied on Darryl to help him. This preference to Darryl over his own dad led Darryl to pride, despite Rodney's annyoing and teasing Darryl many times previously. Rodney's sensitive side also shows through his a caring and loving relationship with Zoe.

• Megan Bitterman - Megan is Rodney's younger sister and is very close to Rodney. Megan is most commonly known for laughing out loud at anything Rodney does to pester their father. Megan is almost always seen with Rodney and keeps a huge smile on her face all the time. However, when Rodney is not around, she is seen to get very sad and cry.

• Shelby Bitterman - Carl and Melinda's youngest son who is a sociopath and is always seen carrying a fat, green, baseball bat around which he hits things with, without expression. The episode "Hurtin Inside" revealed he is four years old. He never speaks, but often communicates by pointing, and was once seen to whisper to his mum at a game of baseball.

• Bizzy Carey - Darryl and Wanda's teenage friend who babysits Zoe on many occasions. The MacPhersons have known her since she was a girl scout. Bizzy seems to look older than she actually is, since Darryl's boss once bought Darryl's lie about her being his wife. She dislikes Drew Carey, her faux morally responsible stepfather. Wanda and Darryl many times have had to question her about her many dysfunctional boyfriends. Bizzy is blond, very thin and has a fast metabolism, as she once claimed when Wanda discovered Bizzy had been sitting on the couch all day, eating a whole bag of chocolate chip cookies, with no worry, while babysitting.

• Kenny - Kenny is Darryl's smooth-talking friend and co-worker at the office. Kenny is something of a nuisance to Darryl, such as bragging about his life and family, or poking fun at Darryl's personal relationship with Wanda. Darryl normally talks to Kenny about his problems at home, to which Kenny advises with either agreeable or nonagreeble mischievous ideas. Kenny's personality is seen to be laid back and worry-free, however, he grew upset and anxious one time Darryl stopped working for a while. Even though Kenny seems to think his family's normal, it's hinted that his wife was cheating on him with a neighbor, and that he might be a neglectful father, since for one second in an episode he forgot he had a third child.

• Charlie - The MacPhersons' pet dog. Vocal effects by Phil LaMarr.

Episodes

Season 1: 2000

#	Title	Original airdate	Prod. Code
1	"God Forbid"	July 28, 2000	225-047
After worrying about who should be Zoe's godparents, Wanda designates The Bittermans, their dysfunctional next-door neighbors. However, noting that Darryl and Carl don't get along very well, Melinda invites the MacPhersons to go with her family on a camping trip.
2	"Bizzy Moves In"	July 28, 2000	225-048
Wanda is upset when Darryl gives her a minivan for her birthday and starts to hang out with their teenage babysitter Bizzy. Darryl becomes worried about Wanda after she and Bizzy's friends get caught sneaking into the aquarium. Guest starring Drew Carey.
3	"Rodney Has Two Daddies"	August 4, 2000	225-049
After Wanda asks Carl to help with some repairs around the house Darryl began to feels his masculinity is being threatened, so he teaches Carl's son Rodney (who developed an interest for gourmet food after tasting Darryl's stuffed mushrooms) to cook in secret for Rodney's fear of his dad finding out. Meanwhile, Wanda worries Darryl might be cheating on her.
4	"Hurtin' Inside"	August 4, 2000	N/A
Wanda tries to find Bizzy a new boyfriend, since her current boyfriend Ray is a selfish jerk. Meanwhile, Darryl wonders why women seem to prefer jerks to nice guys and Rodney feels alone when Zoe begins to hang around Shelby.
5	"The Bitterman Hillbillies"	August 11, 2000	225-057
Darryl becomes insanely jealous of Carl when Carl gets a job installing sprinklers at baseball stadiums and becomes wealthy. Wanda thinks that Darryl is acting too selfish until the Bittermans start hiring Bizzy, the MacPherson's babysitter.
6	"World's Greatest Dad"	August 11, 2000	225-052
When Melinda invites Wanda to her ceramic painting class, Darryl takes Zoe with Carl and his kids to Gumdrop Station, a Chuck E. Cheese-style arcade/pizzeria where the star attraction is a buxom, scantily-clad blonde known as "The Birthday Lady".
7	"Rodney Moves In"	August 18, 2000	225-051
Feeling unwanted in his family, Rodney moves in with the MacPhersons, who find that he's the only person who keeps Zoe from crying.
8	"Ugly Zoe"	August 24, 2000	225-205
Days before an interview with a prestigious preschool, Wanda freaks out when Zoe gets lesions on her head, a scab above her lip, and pink eye. Meanwhile, Darryl tells his boss that the teenage babysitter Bizzy is his wife to be invited onto his boat.
9	"Wanda Proof"	January 20, 2002 (Adult Swim)	225-053
After accidentally breaking off a thermometer in Zoe's rectum and letting Zoe fall off the diaper-changing table, Darryl hires a baby-proofer to keep the house accident-free (and Wanda away from her baby daughter).
10	"The Bad Family"	January 27, 2002 (Adult Swim)	225-054
After a series of mishaps (Wanda answering the door waving a bottle of her father's liquor around and holding Zoe and Darryl caught in a tree outside the Bittermans' house), the neighbors believe that Wanda and Darryl are irresponsible parents.
11	"Teddy-Cam"	February 3, 2002 (Adult Swim)	225-055
Darryl installs a camera into a teddy bear to spy on Bizzy while she babysits Zoe.
12	"A Baby Blues Christmas Special"	February 24, 2002 (Adult Swim)	475-137
In this flashback episode, viewers see how Wanda gave birth to Zoe and how Wanda and Darryl argued over how to raise her kids.
13	"Wanda Moves Up"	March 10, 2002 (Adult Swim)	225-203
Series finale. Wanda becomes Melinda's business partner when Melinda opens up a shop specializing in clam-shaped knick-knacks (after misinterpreting the Ku Klux Klan engraving on her father's tombstone) while Darryl becomes a stay-at-home dad.

External links

• Baby Blues at TV.com
• Baby Blues at the Internet Movie Database