Drawn Together exploded onto televisions in 2004, immediately cementing itself as one of the most outrageous adult cartoons to ever air. The show, created by Dave Jeser and Matt Silverstein, centered around eight cartoon archetypes from various genres forced to live together in a Big Brother-style reality show.
What ensued was a no-holds-barred commentary on the animation genre itself, mocking revered franchises like Disney and taking satire to deliberately provocative heights. It racked up numerous awards nominations, but also heavy criticism for vulgarity and insensitivity. After three seasons, Comedy Central cancelled Drawn Together in a display of hypocrisy that left creators and fans incensed.
Over ten years later, the impact of Drawn Together is still felt in animation. Both a pioneer of TV-MA comedy and a lightning rod for moral outrage. Would such a shocking spectacle even get made today? To understand Drawn Together‘s rebellious legacy, we must examine its origins, greatest controversies, clashes with censors and place in modern cancel culture.
Pushing The Envelope – Drawn Together‘s Groundbreaking Humor
When it debuted, Drawn Together represented a new frontier for adult-oriented animation. Unlike satirical predecessors like The Simpsons and South Park, Jeser and Silverstein crafted the show specifically for Comedy Central‘s new late night animation block: TV-MA.
Freed from traditional standards, they mercilessly mocked the family-friendly tropes recognizable in characters like Princess Clara (a parody of Disney princesses) and Captain Hero (ripping on the superhero genre). Plots brazenly touched on taboo topics other shows wouldn‘t dare mention like incest, bestiality and all manner of twisted sex acts.
Speaking to AV Club, Jeser explained their no-limits approach: "We wanted to do a show that was so outrageous, so crazy, that before they could tell us not to do it, we would have already done it."
And outrage they did provoke. Parenting groups like the Parents Television Council regularly condemned episodes as being "explicitly vulgar and offensive". Even viewers accustomed to South Park‘s vulgarity felt Drawn Together took things too far.
Yet plenty found the sheer audacity hilarious. For better or worse, Drawn Together became the benchmark of "anything goes" comedy at the time. Critics praised its rendering quality and manic pacing, with dynamic movements rarely seen in cruder shows. Ultimately the writing proved too chaotic and mean-spirited for many, though the musical numbers stand out as brilliant.
By amplifying adult cartoon shock value to extremes, Drawn Together clearly influenced later envelope-pushing animations like Mr Pickles and Brickleberry. Though future titles tended to emphasize gross-out humor over sharp satire.
Breaking Down The Housemates
A key to Drawn Together‘s foundation involved establishing a cast of contrasting stereotypes across animation genres. Let‘s examine the disparate personalities forced to interact in this madhouse:
Captain Hero – A sex-crazed, homicidal parody of superheroes like Superman. Most gags involve his constant shifts between friendliness, boredom-induced violence and deviant arousal. He symbolizes chaotic alignments in classic hero/villain dynamics.
Princess Clara – Drawn Together‘s twisted take on archetypal Disney princesses. Clara embodies classic good girl tropes: musical whimsy, woodland friends and moral crusades. Except she‘s also racist, homophobic, promotes conversion therapy and sparks controversy nearly every episode. Her prejudice highlights marginalization in children‘s media.
Foxxy Love – A mystery-solving musician loosely inspired by Valerie Brown from Josie and the PussyCats. Foxxy fills both the "sassy black woman" and "sexy singer" stereotypes often lazily written. She‘s the most down-to-earth housemate, often questioning others‘ unhinged behavior.
Ling-Ling – A sociopathic parody of cutesy Asian cartoon characters (especially battle anime protagonists). Despite looking like Pikachu, Ling-Ling is actually a bloodthirsty Asian battle monster prone to extreme violence when provoked. His backstory includes over-the-top "honor killing" traditions explained in broken English for comic effect.
Spanky Ham – Basically a crass internet troll in pig form before that term formally existed. Constantly makes disgusting jokes and earns reactions by shocking others with vulgar behavior. He‘s an embodiment of irreverent 1990‘s mascot platformers like Conker and Crash Bandicoot.
Wooldoor Sockbat – Designed as Drawn Together’s answer to Spongebob Squarepants – an irritating, hyperactive goofball. As the kiddiest seeming housemate, his unhinged behavior seems more jarring. Subversively showcases how children‘s media humor can come off unsettling when aimed at adults.
Xandir P. Wifflebottom – Drawn Together‘s take on effeminate elf warriors from tabletop RPGs/fantasy games. Starts off closeted until coming out as gay early on. Prior to that he conformed to worn homosexual tropes for comic effect despite offensive connotations. His story arc about struggling with sexuality stood out as progressive commentary…once the show stopped mocking him.
Toot Braunstein – An overweight alcoholic sex symbol from 1920s cartoons getting violently wasted and spurting all manner of bodily fluids. Basically Betty Boop after discovering booze, pills, bulimia and irreparable addiction issues. A bizarrely extreme parody of historic animation.
This core cast allowed Drawn Together‘s plots to ping-pong rapidly between a wide range of tastes, interests and maturity levels. Their disparate characteristics parody how animation appeals to all ages despite solely aiming content at children or adults. Of course extremism prevailed – putting viewers through constant tonal whiplash.
Courting Controversy – Memorable Offensive Moments
Drawn Together continually sparked outrage over various insensitive gags throughout its run. While mostly amounting to immature shock value, some moments offered astute commentary on taboo issues other shows feared addressing.
Creator Jeser singled out the first season episode Gay Bash as "the most offensive thing ever put on television". This infamous segment centers around housemates ridiculing Xandir for coming out as gay, even questioning if they can "catch the gay". The behavior reflects real prejudices faced by LGBTQ people.
Xandir ultimately retaliates by deceitfully converting everyone at a church summer camp to homosexuality – putting the offenders in victims‘ shoes. While extreme, the absurd resolution highlights desperate measures marginalized groups feel forced into.
Other particularly controversial scenes play more as gratuitous button-pushing. In The Lemon-AIDS Walk, housemates opt to support efforts curing less threatening ailments like torn knee ligaments rather than HIV/AIDS – because AIDS only affects groups they dislike anyway. The entire gag mocks apathy surrounding the AIDS crisis.
Meanwhile in Clum Babies, raunchy doll parodies (like Soiled Darbie) depict vomiting, masturbation and suicide. Little Clum Babies merchandise got banned from multiple real-life stores. Yet again, Drawn Together made national news purely through vulgar shock stunts.
Overall the strategy proved a double-edged sword – earning Drawn Together notoriety but not necessarily respect.
Clashing With Censors – Network Hypocrisy
The same network granting Drawn Together so much creative freedom eventually turned against it. Halfway through the third season, with little warning, Comedy Central cancelled the show.
They shifted priorities toward cheaper productions to cut costs. After banking heavily on outlandish programming, Comedy Central deemed such riskier ventures no longer fiscally viable.
For years Comedy Central touted Drawn Together as their prized "sick and twisted" jewel. Suddenly they deemed it expendable despite strong DVD sales and ratings that beat other network shows.
Many viewed the move as punitive censorship after one gag proved too much for them.
Spoiling South Park
This incident involved the third season finale Drawn Together Babies, skewering cartoon spin-offs like Muppet Babies. It takes jabs at parent company Viacom too.
However the main offense came when Princess Clara viscerally spoils the ending to a certain other adult cartoon phenomenon:
"Then at the end, it turns out the sweet handicapable little boy was imagination Stan‘s all along!"
The episode explicitly shows Clara gruesomely gunning down South Park characters Stan, Kyle and Cartman – then defecating on their corpses – effectively sabotaging that series. Comedy Central conveniently announced the cancellation days later.
South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone didn‘t actually take offense. But Comedy Central seemingly punished Drawn Together for its gall mocking their most profitable show. A self-serving move veiled as trying to appear more "responsible".
Understandably Drawn Together supporters felt outraged and betrayed. The network sacrificed their pioneering darling over edgy content they‘d encouraged throughout its run. Fans rallied against this hypocrisy to no avail.
Could Drawn Together Exist Today?
Would something as deliberately incendiary as Drawn Together make it on air in today‘s social climate? Likely no major network would dare greenlight such a series now. Outrage and cancellations occur over far milder offenses lately.
Content standards tightened considerably since the mid-2000s. What passed for satire back then easily comes across as gratuitous cruelty now.
Mainstream culture moved toward greater empathy on diversity/representation – meaning Drawn Together‘s racist/homophobic gags would spark immense backlash today. What passed as envelope-pushing whimsy in 2004 faces much harsher scrutiny regarding insensitivity.
However current streaming models with less restrictions offer potential creative havens similar to mid-2000s cable TV. Platforms like HBO Max and Adult Swim may support spiritual successors to Drawn Together. Animation retains more freedom than live action.
We‘ve seen South Park sustain its notoriety through evolving cultural standards thanks to sharp satire. Under an edgier provider like Netflix a show like Drawn Together may thrive as well. For less restricted programming along the same outrageous wavelength – check out Big Mouth on Netflix.
Animation Provocateurs Before/After Drawn Together
To appreciate Drawn Together‘s impact, it helps comparing the show against other animation milestones over the decades in areas like:
Mainstream Success
- The Flintstones (1960s) – Paved way for primetime animated sitcoms
- The Simpsons (1990s) – Set bar for adult comedy on major networks
- South Park (1990s) – Made crude animation mainstream
- Family Guy (1990s/2000s) – Secured audience for rapid-fire offense humor
- Drawn Together (2000s) – First TV-MA network animated series
- Rick and Morty (2010s) – Elevated adult sci-fi animation scope
Controversy Levels
- Ren & Stimpy (1990s) – Pushing gross-out humor and innuendo limits in kids animation
- South Park (1990s) – Sparking outrage through profane/blasphemous satire
- Family Guy (1990s/2000s) – Condemned for gags mocking marginalized groups
- Drawn Together (2000s) – Deliberate offensiveness for shock value
- Mr Pickles (2010s) – Leveling up violence, Satanism and cruelty
Censor Backlash
- Beavis & Butthead (1990s) – Blamed for dumb teen stunts/violence
- The PJs (1990s) – Accused of perpetuating negative stereotypes
- Clone High (2000s) – Cancelled over Gandhi portrayal after hunger strikes
- Drawn Together (2000s) – Scapegoated by network over South Park diss
- Tuca & Bertie (2010s) – Controversial vulgarity cut season count short
LGBTQ Portrayals
- Queer Duck (2000s) – Breakthrough gay lead character
- Drawn Together (2000s) – Among first shows depicting gay conversion therapy
- Legend of Korra (2010s) – Implied bisexual lead in family show
- Big Mouth (2010s) – frank explorations of sexuality
By these metrics and more, Drawn Together emerges as one of animation‘s most daring disruptors. Pushing creative boundaries through abrasive humor – for better and worse.
The numbers provide context too…
| Show | Seasons | Viewers (Millions) | Controversy Index | Censor Clashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Park | 25 | 3M/episode | 8.5/10 | Moderate clashes |
| Family Guy | 20 | 2.5M/episode | 7/10 | Occasional backlash |
| Drawn Together | 3 | 2M/episode | 9.5/10 | Cancelled over offense |
| The Simpsons | 33 | 2M/episode | 5/10 | Mild uproars |
Legacy Assessment – Drawn Together‘s Place In Animation
While never reaching mainstream embrace, Drawn Together retains a cult following who consider it a cornerstone of TV-MA animation history. As a long-time animation fan I appreciate what Jeser and Silverstein attempted through such a bold, rule-breaking spectacle – even when individual jokes misfired.
In many ways Drawn Together captured chaotic 2000-era comedy while parodying reality TV obsessions. No holds barred offensiveness reigned. We viewed crass escapism very differently before social media put content under constant scrutiny.
Drawn Together thrived on reactions…the more horrified the better. The show couldn‘t resist provoking just because they could in that environment. And honestly many viewers needed their sensibilities rattled regarding sexuality, prejudice and privilege.
Of course lazily mocking disenfranchised groups for humor proves counterproductive, especially with hindsight. But the show still put necessary topics on blast when mass media blithely ignored them.
Personally I‘ll defend Drawn Together‘s merits the same way I would groundbreaking underground animation like Ralph Bakshi. Standout musical numbers like "La-La-Labia", scathing genre subversions ("Nipple Ring-Ring Goes to Foster Care") and deranged formal experimentation. No show would ever attempt such lunacy today for over thirty episodes, warts and all.
Yet we see tamer evolutions of Drawn Together‘s madcap anything-goes sensibilities across adult animation through…
- Disenchantment‘s fantasy genre collisions
- Tuca & Bertie‘s surreal feminist romps
- Big Mouth‘s provocative coming-of-age humor
In that sense the show‘s DNA carries on – albeit with considerably better behavior. We can appreciate Drawn Together itself as very much a "product of its time" – extreme predecessor to more polished spiritual successors. Not every boundary-pushing risk ages gracefully. But the impact reshapes animation‘s limits.
For its boldness alone… this reviewer ranks Drawn Together as one of TV‘s most underrated satirical pioneers. Future generations discovering it on streaming may not comprehend just how brazenly against the grain it played originally.
Love it or hate it… we won‘t see the likes of Drawn Together‘s provocative anarchy on television ever again. And animation is all the more intriguing for having once showcased such a peculiar, piss-taking rebellion right on the mainstream stage.