Portal:Television

The Television Portal

Flat-screen television receivers on display for sale at a consumer electronics store in 2008

Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, entertainment, news, and sports. The medium is capable of more than "radio broadcasting", which refers to an audio signal sent to radio receivers.

Television became available in crude experimental forms in the 1920s, but only after several years of further development was the new technology marketed to consumers. After World War II, an improved form of black-and-white television broadcasting became popular in the United Kingdom and the United States, and television sets became commonplace in homes, businesses, and institutions. During the 1950s, television was the primary medium for influencing public opinion. In the mid-1960s, color broadcasting was introduced in the U.S. and most other developed countries.

In 2013, 79% of the world's households owned a television set. The replacement of earlier cathode-ray tube (CRT) screen displays with compact, energy-efficient, flat-panel alternative technologies such as LCDs (both fluorescent-backlit and LED), OLED displays, and plasma displays was a hardware revolution that began with computer monitors in the late 1990s. Most television sets sold in the 2000s were still CRT, it was only in early 2010s that flat-screen TVs decisively overtook CRT. Major manufacturers announced the discontinuation of CRT, Digital Light Processing (DLP), plasma, and even fluorescent-backlit LCDs by the mid-2010s. LEDs are being gradually replaced by OLEDs. Also, major manufacturers have started increasingly producing smart TVs in the mid-2010s. Smart TVs with integrated Internet and Web 2.0 functions became the dominant form of television by the late 2010s.^{[better source needed]} (Full article...)

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Arrested Development is a character-driven American television comedy series about a formerly wealthy, habitually dysfunctional family. The show is presented in a mockumentary format, complete with narration, archival photos, and historical footage. Although set in Newport Beach and Balboa Island, California, it was primarily filmed on location around Culver City and Marina del Rey. The show was created by Mitchell Hurwitz (The Ellen Show, The John Larroquette Show, and The Golden Girls). Television veteran Ron Howard is an executive producer and the uncredited narrator. It has aired on broadcast networks around the world, including Fox in the United States, CBC in Canada and BBC Two in the United Kingdom. Since debuting on November 2, 2003, the series received six Emmy Awards, one Golden Globe, copious critical acclaim, a cult fan base, fan-based websites, and a spot on Time's 100 Greatest Shows of All Time. Despite the thorough approval from critics, Arrested Development never climbed in the ratings. Fox aired the final four episodes of the third season in a block as a two-hour series finale on February 10, 2006, opposite the opening ceremonies of the 2006 Winter Olympics.

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Credit: National Broadcasting Company/public domain

W2XBS, Schenectady, New York. In 1928, Felix the Cat was one of the first images ever broadcast by television when RCA chose a papier-mâché Felix doll for an experimental broadcast on W2XBS. The doll was chosen for its tonal contrast and its ability to withstand the intense lights needed in early television and was placed on a rotating phonograph turntable and televised for about two hours each day. The doll remained on the turntable for nearly a decade as RCA fine-tuned the picture's definition, and converted to electronic television.

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... that Fred Rogers created and hosted a television documentary series titled Old Friends ... New Friends due to his concern that older generations were getting more isolated from younger generations?
... that country music singer Waylon Jennings earned his GED by watching tapes of a Kentucky Educational Television series on his tour bus?
... that Toshiki Seto was cast in the television adaptation of Senpai, This Can't Be Love! because, according to the creator, he could express emotion through his stare?
... that when the French web series Blow Up briefly aired on television in 2014, its allotted airtime was too short to fit some of its episodes?
... that television production companies working in Bhadun, Bangladesh, can hire a local woman as an extra for ৳500 (US$5.30) per day?
... that Angeline Quinto has recorded songs for at least 35 films and television soundtracks in the Philippines?

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Television is basically teaching whether you want it to or not.

— Jim Henson

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...that the book South Park and Philosophy: You Know, I Learned Something Today analyzes the animated television comedy series South Park using philosophical concepts?

...that one of the television advertisements from the Good things come to those who wait Guinness advertising campaign was voted the "Best ad of all time" by the British public?

...that Dyesebel, a popular mermaid character in Filipino comic books, cinema and television, was based on Philippine folklore?

...that the WWF in 1986 introduced a stable of masked wrestlers to keep the injured wrestler Andre the Giant on television, but off the ring?

...that Ralph "Petey" Greene overcame a drug addiction and prison sentence to become an Emmy Award-winning radio and television talk show host and a guest at the White House?

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Howard W. "Kroger" Babb (December 30, 1906 – January 28, 1980) was an American film producer and showman. His marketing techniques were similar to a travelling salesman's, with roots in the medicine show tradition. Self-described as "America's Fearless Young Showman", he is best known for his presentation of the 1945 exploitation film Mom and Dad, which was added to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress in 2005.

Babb was involved in the production and marketing of many films and television shows, promoting each according to his favorite marketing motto: "You gotta tell 'em to sell 'em." His films ranged from sex education-style dramas to "documentaries" on foreign cultures, intended to titillate audiences rather than to educate them, maximizing profits via marketing gimmicks. (Full article...)

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James T. Aubrey Rudolph Cartier Sydney Newman Eric Bana Kylie Minogue Peter Jennings KaDee Strickland Austin Nichols Aaron Sorkin Jake Gyllenhaal Dan Rather Brad Pitt Walter Cronkite Tom Brokaw John Le Mesurier George Formby Dan Castellaneta Perry Como Red Skelton Rose Catherine Pinkney

General images

The following are images from various television-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1The Nipkow disk. This schematic shows the circular paths traced by the holes, which may also be square for greater precision. The area of the disk outlined in black shows the region scanned. (from History of television)
Image 2Hovannes Adamian c. 1900s (from Color television)
Image 3This live image of actress Paddy Naismith was used to demonstrate Telechrome, John Logie Baird's first all-electronic color television system, which used two projection CRTs. The two-color image would be similar to the basic Telechrome system. (from Color television)
Image 4The earliest photograph of a television picture, showing the face of Oliver Hutchinson in June 1926. The television picture was projected using Baird's television camera. (from History of television)
Image 5Ferdinand Braun (from History of television)
Image 6An early Smart TV from 2012 running the discontinued Orsay platform (from History of television)
Image 7A map depicting digital terrestrial television standards (from Digital television)
Image 8Philo Farnsworth in 1924 (from History of television)
Image 9Baird in 1925 with his televisor equipment and dummies "James" and "Stooky Bill" (right) (from History of television)
Image 10The first mass-produced Czechoslovak TV-set Tesla 4001A (1953–57) (from History of television)
Image 11Family watching TV, 1958 (from History of television)
Image 12Comparison of image quality between ISDB-T (1080i broadcast, top) and NTSC (480i transmission, bottom) (from Digital television)
Image 13Manfred von Ardenne in 1933 (from History of television)
Image 14Samsung's discontinued Orsay platform (from Smart TV)
Image 15First television test broadcast transmitted by the NHK Broadcasting Technology Research Institute in May 1939 (from History of television)
Image 16LG Electronics smart TV from 2011 (from Smart TV)
Image 17Ad for the beginning of experimental television broadcasting in New York City by RCA in 1939 (from History of television)
Image 18DBS satellite dishes (from History of television)
Image 19RCA CT-100 at the SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention playing Superman. The RCA CT-100 was the first mass-produced color TV set. (from Color television)
Image 20An RCA Victor Color TV ad featuring milliner Lilly Daché in 1959. (from Color television)
Image 21RCA 630-TS, the first mass-produced television set, which sold in 1946–1947 (from History of television)
Image 22Smart TVs on display (from Smart TV)
Image 23The Philco Predicta, 1958. In the collection of The Children's Museum of Indianapolis (from History of television)
Image 24Color bars used in a test pattern, sometimes used when no program material is available (from History of television)
Image 25Tihanyi' Radioskop patent (1926) was recognized as Document of Universal Significance by the UNESCO (from History of television)
Image 26LG smart TV using the Web browser (from Smart TV)

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Featured lists have been determined by the Wikipedia community to be the best lists on English Wikipedia.

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Beyoncé at the Renaissance World Tour in 2023. Performances from this tour were filmed for the self-directed theatrical release Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé (2023).

American singer-songwriter Beyoncé has appeared in numerous music videos, documentaries and films. She has also directed eight full-length films, including five concert films and two musical films. Her films have grossed over $3.2 billion worldwide at the box office. She first appeared in the 1997 music video for Destiny's Child's "No, No, No", after which she made her film debut as the lead in the direct-to-video musical Carmen: A Hip Hopera (2001). Beyoncé's first solo music video was the soundtrack single "Work It Out" for Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002), which also featured her debut theatrical film role. She released her first music video as a solo artist for "Crazy in Love" from Dangerously in Love (2003).

In 2006, Beyoncé starred in two films: The Pink Panther, which spawned the single "Check on It" and its pink-themed video, and the musical drama Dreamgirls, which earned her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress nomination. Her second solo album B'Day (2006) was her first "visual album" project — music videos for thirteen of the album's songs were released via the B'Day Anthology Video Album. Music videos were also released for singles from I Am... Sasha Fierce (2008); the black-and-white video for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" inspired a dance craze. Beyoncé ended the decade with the lead role in the thriller film Obsessed (2009). (Full article...)
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Smallville is an American superhero television series developed by Miles Millar and Alfred Gough for The WB and The CW. The series follows the life of Clark Kent (Tom Welling), beginning when he is a teenager in the town of Smallville, Kansas, and continuing through high school, college, and his start at the Daily Planet before he adopts the "Superman" persona.

As the series progresses, Clark Kent copes with his emerging superpowers (x-ray vision, super hearing, etc.), exploration of his extraterrestrial origins and discovering his true destiny. The series also deals with the people in Clark Kent's life: his human parents, Jonathan Kent (John Schneider) and Martha Kent (Annette O'Toole); his friends Chloe Sullivan (Allison Mack) and Pete Ross (Sam Jones III); his love interest for seven seasons Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk); Chloe's cousin and Clark's love interest since season eight, Lois Lane (Erica Durance); and his friendship with Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum) and how this gradually decays into their mutual enmity of legend. (Full article...)
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Series title card

The Good Place is an American fantasy-comedy television series created by Michael Schur for NBC. The series focuses on Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell), a recently deceased young woman who wakes up in the afterlife and is sent by Michael (Ted Danson) to "the Good Place", a heaven-like utopia he designed, in reward for her righteous life. However, she quickly realizes that she was sent there by mistake, and she must hide her imperfect behavior, and try to be a better person. William Jackson Harper, Jameela Jamil, and Manny Jacinto co-star as other residents of the Good Place, together with D'Arcy Carden as an artificial being helping the residents. Each episode is listed as "Chapter (xx)" following the opening title sequence.

The series was first announced on August 13, 2015, as a 13-episode untitled comedy based on a pitch by Schur. The first season began airing on September 19, 2016, and concluded on January 19, 2017. On January 30, 2017, NBC renewed the series for a second season of 13 episodes, which premiered on September 20, 2017, with an hour-long premiere. The second season concluded on February 1, 2018. On November 21, 2017, NBC renewed the series for a 13-episode third season, which premiered on September 27, 2018, and concluded on January 24, 2019. On December 4, 2018, the series was renewed for a fourth and final season comprising 14 episodes, which premiered on September 26, 2019. The final episode of the series aired on January 30, 2020. During the course of the series, 53 episodes of The Good Place aired over four seasons. (Full article...)
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Romanek at the 2010 Tokyo International Film Festival

American filmmaker Mark Romanek directed his first music video in 1986, for The The's "Sweet Bird of Truth". He earned his first MTV Video Music Award for Best Direction nomination for "Free Your Mind", performed by En Vogue, in 1993. Romanek later directed "Closer" for the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, which contains imagery involving terror, sexuality, and animal cruelty. In 1995, he directed the video for "Scream", set in space and performed by Michael and Janet Jackson, as well as the New Age surrealistic "Bedtime Story", performed by Madonna. They are two of the most expensive music videos ever made, costing $7 million and $5 million, respectively. "Scream" gained 11 nominations at the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards, including Romanek's second Best Direction nomination, and his first Grammy Award for Best Music Video, Short Form.

In 1996, Romanek directed the Mary Poppins-inspired "Novocaine for the Soul" for the rock band Eels. The following year, he directed Fiona Apple's "Criminal", which explores themes of voyeurism and adolescence; and won his second Grammy Award for Best Music Video, Short Form for "Got 'til It's Gone", performed by Janet Jackson, Q-Tip and Joni Mitchell. For his work in "Hurt" (2003), performed by Johnny Cash, Romanek earned another MTV nomination, and won his third Grammy. In 2004, he directed the auto-biographical music video for Jay-Z's "99 Problems", for which he won his first MTV award. Their subsequent collaborations—the installation-style 10-minute short film for "Picasso Baby" (2013), and the animation video for "The Story of O.J." (2017)—were nominated for Grammy Award for Best Music Video. (Full article...)
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The second season of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons aired on Fox between October 11, 1990 and July 11, 1991. It began with "Bart Gets an "F". Another episode, "Blood Feud", aired during the summer after the official season finale. The executive producers for the second production season were Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, and Sam Simon, who had also been executive producers for the previous season. It was produced by Gracie Films and 20th Century Fox Television. The DVD box set was released on August 6, 2002, in Region 1, July 8, 2002 in Region 2 and in September 2002 in Region 4. The episode "Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment" won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour), and was also nominated in the "Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy Series or a Special" category. (Full article...)
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Bob's Burgers is an American animated sitcom created by Loren Bouchard for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Belcher family—parents Bob and Linda, and their children Tina, Gene, and Louise—who run a hamburger restaurant. A production between Bento Box Entertainment and 20th Television, the show has aired over 200 episodes and has been renewed for a twelfth and thirteenth season.

Throughout its run, the series has received fifteen Annie Award nominations, eleven Writers Guild of America Award nominations under the Television: Animation category, a total of six Critics' Choice Television Award nominations for Best Animated Series, and four Teen Choice Award nominations for Choice TV: Animated Show. (Full article...)
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The 2024 recipient:
Michelle Stafford

The Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series is an award presented annually by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) and Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). It is given to honor an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role while working within the daytime drama industry.

The 1st Daytime Emmy Awards ceremony was held in 1974, with Elizabeth Hubbard receiving the award for her role as Althea Davis on The Doctors. The award has undergone several name changes, originally honoring actresses in leading and supporting roles. Following the introduction of a new category in 1979, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, the award's name was altered to Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series, before changing once again, to its current title, years later. The awards ceremony was not aired on television in 1983 and 1984, having been criticized for voting integrity. In 1985, another category was introduced: Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series; one criterion for this category was altered, requiring all actresses to be aged 26 or above. (Full article...)
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The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) television series are American superhero television shows produced by Marvel Television and Marvel Studios, based on characters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics. The series are set in, or inspired by, the shared universe of the MCU film franchise.

The MCU first expanded to television after Marvel Television was formed in 2010, with that studio producing 12 series with ABC Studios and its production division ABC Signature Studios. These were released from September 2013 to October 2020 across broadcast on ABC, streaming on Netflix and Hulu, and cable on Freeform. The main ABC series were inspired by the films and featured film characters, while a connected group of series for Netflix crossed over with each other. Young adult focused series were produced for Freeform and Hulu. The latter also had a group of series called "Adventure into Fear" planned before Marvel Television was shut down in December 2019. (Full article...)
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The first season of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons aired on Fox between December 17, 1989 and May 13, 1990. It premiered with the Christmas special "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". The executive producers for the first production season were Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, and Sam Simon. It was produced by Gracie Films and 20th Century Fox Television.

The series was originally set to debut in fall 1989 with the episode "Some Enchanted Evening" (which was meant to introduce the main characters), but during the first screening of the episode, the producers discovered that the animation was so poor that 70% of the episode needed to be redone. (Full article...)
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The fourth season of Degrassi: The Next Generation commenced airing in Canada on 7 September 2004, concluded on 14 February 2005 and contains twenty-two episodes. Degrassi: The Next Generation is a Canadian serial teen drama television series. This season depicts the lives of a group of high school sophomores and juniors as they deal with some of the challenges and issues teenagers face such as bullying, dysfunctional families, school shootings, mental disorders, STDs, disabilities, gambling, homosexuality, and inappropriate student-teacher relationships.

Every episode is titled after a song from the 1980s, except for the two-part season finale "Goin' Down the Road", which took its name from the 1970 Canadian film Goin' Down the Road. Filming took place between April and November 2004. (Full article...)
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Bernard Lee (1908–1981) was an English actor who performed in many light entertainment media, including film, television and theatre. His career spanned from 1934 to 1981, although he made his first appearance on the stage at the age of six. He is perhaps best known for playing M in the first eleven Eon-produced James Bond films.

Lee trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, before making his professional stage debut in 1924. He appeared on film for the first time in 1934 in the Leslie Howard Gordon-directed comedy The Double Event, where he played the part of Dennison. Although he was in wartime service with the Royal Sussex Regiment between 1940 and 1946, he had already been in several films, which were released between 1939 and 1943. He returned to acting after the war and was offered a role in the play Stage Door while awaiting his demob. (Full article...)
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Title card for the series

The Good Place is an American fantasy comedy television series created by Michael Schur. The series aired for four seasons consisting of a total of fifty-three episodes on NBC from September 19, 2016, to January 30, 2020. It focuses on Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell), who arrives in the afterlife and is welcomed by Michael (Ted Danson) to "the Good Place", a highly selective Heaven-like utopia he designed. However, she realizes that she was sent there by mistake and must hide her morally imperfect behavior while trying to become a better and more ethical person. William Jackson Harper, Jameela Jamil, and Manny Jacinto co-star as fellow Good Place residents Chidi Anagonye, Tahani Al-Jamil, and Jason Mendoza, respectively, while D'Arcy Carden co-stars as Janet, an artificial being who assists the residents.

During its run, The Good Place received critical acclaim and earned many awards and nominations. The series was nominated for fourteen Primetime Emmy Awards, including two nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series and three nominations for Danson for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. It was also nominated for two Golden Globe Awards, including a nomination for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy and a nomination for Bell for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy. In addition, the show was nominated for six Hugo Awards, winning four times for "The Trolley Problem", "Janet(s)", "The Answer", and "Whenever You're Ready". It was nominated for three Nebula Awards, winning one for "Whenever You're Ready", and for three Saturn Awards. In 2017, The Good Place was named by the American Film Institute as one of its top 10 television programs of the year, and in 2019, the show was honored with a Peabody Award for its contributions to entertainment. (Full article...)
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The first season of Degrassi: The Next Generation, a Canadian serial teen drama television series, commenced airing in Canada on 14 October 2001 and concluded on 3 March 2002, consisting of fifteen episodes. The series introduces a group of seventh and eighth grade school children, and follows their lives as they deal with some of the challenges and issues teenagers face such as online predators, body image, dysfunctional families, sex, puberty, rumours, peer pressure, stress, and drug use.

The first season was broadcast on the Canadian terrestrial television network CTV, on Sundays at 7:00 p.m. It debuted with a one-hour movie of the week special, "Mother and Child Reunion", which form the first two episodes of season one. In the United States, it was broadcast on the Noggin cable channel during its programming block for teenagers, The N. The season was released domestically on DVD as a three disc boxed set on 19 October 2004 by Alliance Atlantis Home Entertainment, although it was released to the US market almost a month earlier, on 28 September 2004. The season is also available on iTunes. (Full article...)
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The first season of the musical comedy-drama television series Glee originally aired on Fox in the United States. The pilot episode was broadcast as an advanced preview of the series on May 19, 2009, with the remainder of the season airing between September 9, 2009, and June 8, 2010. The season consisted of 22 episodes; the first 13 aired on Wednesdays at 9 pm (ET) and the final 9 aired on Tuesdays at 9 pm (ET). The season was executive produced by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Dante Di Loreto; Murphy's production company helped co-produce the series alongside 20th Century Fox.

The season features the fictional high school show choir New Directions competing for the first time on the show choir circuit, while its members and faculty deal with sex, bullying, body image, homosexuality, teenage pregnancy, disabilities, adoption and other social issues. The central characters are glee club director Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison), cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch), Will's former wife Terri (Jessalyn Gilsig), guidance counselor Emma Pillsbury (Jayma Mays), and glee club members Rachel (Lea Michele), Finn (Cory Monteith), Artie (Kevin McHale), Kurt (Chris Colfer), Mercedes (Amber Riley), Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz), Puck (Mark Salling), and Quinn (Dianna Agron). (Full article...)
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Regular Show is an American animated sitcom created by J. G. Quintel for Cartoon Network that aired from September 6, 2010, to January 16, 2017. The series revolves around the daily lives of two 23-year-old friends, Mordecai (a blue jay), and Rigby (a raccoon). They work as groundskeepers at a park, and spend their days trying to slack off and entertain themselves by any means. This is much to the chagrin of their boss Benson (a gumball machine) and their coworker Skips (a yeti), but to the delight of park owner Mr. Maellard's son Pops (a man with a lollipop-shaped head). Their other coworkers, Muscle Man (an overweight green man) and Hi-Five Ghost (a ghost with a hand extending from the top of his head) serve as their rivals.

Quintel initially worked as a writer and staff director for the Cartoon Network series Camp Lazlo and The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack before he was offered to produce a short for the network's showcase project The Cartoonstitute. Quintel developed the Regular Show pilot for the project, utilizing characters from his California Institute of the Arts student films The Naïve Man from Lolliland (2005) and 2 in the AM PM (2006). While The Cartoonstitute was ultimately scrapped, Cartoon Network executives approved the production of Regular Show, starting with its first season. Its first two seasons were rating successes, with Nielsen Media Research ranking the series at number one in its time period amongst its primary demographic. As of May 2013, the program averages approximately 2 to 2.5 million viewers each week. (Full article...)

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