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The Secret Saturdays The Secret Saturdays logo Genre Animated Action/Adventure Created by Jay Stephens Starring Phil Morris Nicole Sullivan Sam Lerner Diedrich Bader Fred Tatasciore Corey Burton Country of origin  United States Language(s) English No. of seasons 1 No. of episodes 8 (List of episodes) Production Producer(s) Fred Schaefer Scott Jeralds Story editor(s) Brandon Sawyer Running time 22 minutes approx. Production company(s) Porchlight Entertainment Broadcast Original channel Cartoon Network Original run October 3, 2008 – present External links Official website IMDb profile TV.com summary

Common rating Canada G United States TV-Y7-FV

The Secret Saturdays is an American animated television series created by Canadian cartoonist Jay Stephens (creator of the Emmy-winning cartoon, Tutenstein) for Cartoon Network. It debuted on October 3, 2008 in the United States. The series follows the adventures of the Saturdays, a family of cryptozoologists that work to keep the truth about cryptids from getting out, in order to protect both the human race and the creatures themselves. The Saturdays travel the world searching for cryptids to study and battling twisted villains like the megalomaniac V.V. Argost.¹ The series is influenced by the style of 60s-era Hanna-Barbara action series (such as Johnny Quest), and is combined with Jay Stephens' own personal interest in cryptozoology.

History

When Stephens first pitched the show, it was called cryptids, after the monsters undiscovered by science. It involved a crack team of globe-trotting cryptozoologists that were uniquely qualified for the job because they were once cryptids themselves. Okapi, Komodo, and Megamouth, along with their nine-year-old human mascot, Francis, served as a sort of anti-detective team. They scooted across land, sea, and air in what Stephens called a Campercopter, and their goal was to preserve the mystery of the world’s strangest creatures before they were exposed by humans or destroyed by the cryptids' nemesis, Monsieur Dodo. When this version got him nowhere with many networks — though they all did show interest for some time — he went "back to the drawing board".²

Months later, the show was picked up by Cartoon Network, due to the network (at the time) wanting more action shows due to the success of Ben 10.³ Nine-year-old Francis became 11-year-old Zak Saturday, and many of the original characters were canned. For a time, the network wanted the show's name to be The Secret Adventures Of Zak Saturday, but it was later changed.⁴⁵ Unlike most mystery shows, the goal of the heroes of The Secret Saturdays is not to reveal the existence of cryptids, but to hide it.⁶ The art style of the show was influenced by the artwork of Alex Toth and 1960s Hanna-Barbara action cartoons, such as Jonny Quest and The Herculoids.⁷⁸

In July 2008, Cartoon Network started a viral campaign for the show. Several commercials for a website called 'CryptidsAreReal.com' aired on Cartoon Network.⁹ Each commercial featured a pet of the Saturday family: one showed Fiskerton, another Komodo, and a final one showed Zon. One area of the program's website also held a "secret" document;¹⁰ while most of the words on it were blacked-out, the names of Drew and Doc (two of the main characters) were revealed. The document also talked about a creature discovered outside of Nottinghamshire, England. Though the first word was blacked-out, the paper said a "phantom" had been the newly-discovered creature. It was implied that the creature was the Fiskerton Phantom, a cryptid reported to have lived outside of Nottinghamshire, and commonly done by this website, would be Fiskerton, a main character in the show. To back this conclusion up, Zak stated in one episode that Fiskerton was lucky because he was saved by Doc and Drew, also stated in the document. Typed at the bottom of the document was the name "Agent Espilion". This is a character in the show. The website also showed a blueprint of the Saturdays family's airship. Another site was linked to CryptidsAreReal.com: the page for an orgnaization called Ten Hero Tusk, which states that its explorers are "D. Blackwell, B. Finster, and L. Van Rook", the latter two being characters in in the show.¹¹ During San Diego Comic-Con 2008, booklets about a show called Weirdworld (the show-within-a-show) were given out, with the website for it on the back of them.¹² Unlike CryptidsAreReal.com, this one couldn't be traced back to Cartoon Network. Later, commercials for Weirdworld aired on Cartoon Network for a few weeks before a commercial for The Secret Saturdays itself was aired on August 14, 2008.

In July 2008, it was speculated that the "Montauk Monster" that washed ashore in Long Island could have been a viral campaign for The Secret Saturdays.¹³

Plot

Main article: List of The Secret Saturdays episodes

Zak Saturday and his parents, Doc and Drew, are a family of world-saving scientists called "The Secret Saturdays." Living in a hidden base, they are part of a secret organization of scientists known as The Secret Scientists who protect mankind against the hidden and terrifying things of the world. In the series, folktales aren't just legends, but actual mysteries that the Saturday family must solve. Traveling all over the world, the Saturdays explore ancient temples and bottomless caves, and battle with villains which includes the evil V.V. Argost (who hides his evil plans under his TV show Weird World) and rival cryptozoologist Van Rook. Scouring the globe in search of cryptids, the Saturdays attempt to keep the existence of these unusual beasts secret, to protect both mankind and the creatures themselves. The Saturdays and their exotic cryptid pets are a loving bunch, trying to work through everyday family matters and squabbles in-between their adventures.¹⁴ Creator Jay Stephens has stated that the first 26 episodes will have a story arc, most likely based on the Kur Stone first mentioned in the pilot.¹⁵

Characters

Saturday family

Promotional image released for the series when it was first announced at the CN Upfront 2007. From left to right, top to bottom: Doyle, Zon, Fiskerton, Zak, Doc, Drew, and Komodo. Doyle and Doc look slightly different in the actual series.

• Doc Saturday (Phil Morris) - Solomon Saturday, or "Doc" for short, is the patriarch and the "Indiana Jones"-like character who has spent his whole life studying cryptids. His appearance is reminiscent of Doc Savage. His right eye is blue with a scar over it and he has a white streak in the middle of his hair, though he didn't have these before Zak was born. He is a genius, having built many of the gadgets the family uses. A man who takes science very seriously, Doc is one of the world's leading experts in the field of cryptozoology. A loving father, he often tries to teach his son Zak responsibility. Doc is is trained in fourteen different forms of martial arts. He fights with the Battle Glove, which is able to channel power into his right fist. The four crystals on the knuckles also have individual powers, such as freezing or heating the things Doc touches.

• Drew Saturday (Nicole Sullivan) - Drew Saturday is the matriach and the one who "believes in the magic," being more prone to accepting things on faith rather than empirical evidence. Drew was born to a family of gypsies and raised by monks after her family was scattered during a severe blizzard in the Himalayas. Drew is always encouraging Zak to try new things like tribal dancing or sand painting, but when there's a risk of danger, Drew gets a little over-protective of her only son. She's a mystic who is well-versed in the world's cultures and can blend in anywhere her travels may take her. Like Doc, she is a skilled fighter. Her preferred weapon is the Tibetan Fire Sword, a sword which absorbs light and channels it into potent bursts of flame.

• Zak Saturday (Sam Lerner) - Zak Saturday is the 11-year-old son of Doc and Drew Saturday who jumps right away into every adventure. Zak has an unorthodox upbringing that has taken him around the world and placed him in the face of danger since the day he was born. Since Zak was born the same year the Kur Stone was found, he has a special bond with cryptids, which allows him to calm weaker ones. He may hold the power to stop the cryptid Kur, if it is ever unleashed. Tamer cryptids seem to trust him instinctively, and even fiercer ones can tell that Zak is different from other humans. Despite the fact that madman V.V. Argost is his enemy, he seems to be a fan of his show Weird World. Ancient artifacts seem to respond to Zak and allow him to amplify his ability. Zak's primary weapon is the Claw, a combination staff/grappling hook. The hook is a three-fingered claw called the Hand of Sukulu, which acts as a focusing device for Zak's powers.

• Fiskerton (Diedrich Bader) - Fiskerton is a seven-foot-tall "gorilla-cat" with glowing red eyes. He is one of the last of a legendary race of cryptids called "Fiskerton Phantoms" that was adopted by the Saturday family when he lost his home in Nottinghamshire, England. Although he is the oldest and largest member of the family, Fiskerton is like an innocent brother to Zak. He may be a coward at times, but he is proven to be a great and strong ally to have, willing to risk his life for his new family. He mostly talks in grunts and mumbling which occasionally mimic human speech.

• Komodo (Fred Tatasciore) - Komodo is a 250-pound, genetically-altered komodo dragon with a voracious appetite. Komodo has a chameleon-like ability to blend in with his surroundings, something that comes in handy for stealth mission. Despite being as loyal as man's best friend, Komodo is quite willful and disobedient, often ignoring Zak and the rest of the family when it suits him. Like a rivalry between a cat and dog, Komodo often fights with Fiskerton.

• Zon (Fred Tatasciore) - Zon is a surviving member of a thought-to-be-extinct Pterosaur species (Ornithocheirus) that lives in a nest near the Saturday Headquarters, but isn't truly owned by them. The Saturdays anger her by crashing into her nest during the second episode, but she comes to appreciate them after Zak saves her life. She now uses the cliffs where the Saturdays live as her new hunting grounds. Unafraid of humans, she allows Zak to comb her mane and ride her, but she absolutely resists the family's domestication efforts and refuses to give up the great outdoors.

• Doyle (Will Friedle) - Drew's long-lost younger brother, Doyle first appears as Van Rook's apprentice in "The Ice Caverns of Ellef Ringnes". He helps Zak put a tribe of Amaroks back into hibernation, starting a stable relationship with him. In "Van Rook's Apprentice", he changes sides and joins the Saturdays after learning about V.V. Argost's true motives. He now lives with the Saturdays, but apparently wants to be paid at a "hourly rate," since he just gave up his previous profession. Though Doyle is admired by Zak, he and Drew have a small sibling rivalry, and Doc is annoyed by Doyle's tendency to show off. Doyle is something of a jack of all trades, fighting using a combination of grenades, lasers, and hand-to-hand combat. He is strong enough to lift a grown man one-handed, and is able to wrestle with cryptids much larger than himself.

Allies

• Dr. Miranda Grey (Susan Blakeslee) - Miranda is a Secret Scientist who held a piece of the Kur Stone, until Munya stole it. She's an expert at quantum physics and works on particle acceleration in Antarctica with her robot sidekick Deadbolt.

• Dr. Henry Cheveyo (Diedrich Bader) - Henry is another Secret Scientist who held a piece of the Kur Stone. Argost stole it, then used a cryptid parasite to extract the location of the third piece from him. He works at the Mesa Observatory in Arizona.

• Dr. Odele (Phil Morris) - Odele is a friend of the Saturdays who lives near Manaus, Brazil.

• Dr. Paul Cheechoo (Danny Cooksey) - A Secret Scientist that specializes in cold-climate research, he and a team of experts travel the world studying strange geological anomalies. He's currently stationed at Ellef Ringnes.

• Dr. Arthur Beeman (Jeff Bennett) - A Secret Scientist who studies aliens and UFOs. He used the expression "Sweet Galvan Prime!" in "Guess Who's Going To Be Dinner?", a reference to the animated series Ben 10. He is said to have saved the world from invasion at one point in his career.

Villains

• V.V. Argost (Corey Burton) - The series' main villain, main archenemy of the Saturdays, and host of the popular show V.V. Argost's Weirdworld. His show has made him "the modern master of the bizarre" of the world. His museum of cryptid relics and trinkets is really an arsenal of magical objects he plans to use to get his hands on the most powerful cryptid of all, Kur, whom he believes is a source of unlimited power and everlasting life for whoever can find and capture it. Argost peppers his speech with French words and phrases, and his most common greeting to others is "Greetings and bienvenue." Besides having control over the cryptids he owns, he is always seen wearing a Megatooth shark skin cape that shields him from any attack. He can also fly for short distances. He's also skilled in hand-to-hand combat and in the use of weaponry.

• Munya (Fred Tatasciore) - V.V. Argost's silent yet mysterious manservant. He has been injected with the DNA of a Papuan Giant Spider, enabling him to transform into a half-human/half-cryptid monster in battles.

• Leonidas Van Rook (Corey Burton) - A ruthless cryptozoologist who is the ally of V.V. Argost and rival of Doc Saturday. Leondias Van Rook is solely interested in proving the existence of cryptids for money. Similar to Doc, he is an inventor and has many high-tech gadgets. It's implied that he and Drew had a relationship in the past.

References

External links

• Jay Stephens' Blog
• Advanced Review of "The Secret Saturdays" Review of the series at AnimationInsider.net
• The Secret Saturdays Wiki
• "The Secret Saturdays": An Uncertain Finding Review of the series at ToonZone.net
• The Secret Saturdays Coming To Cartoon Network Review of the series at ComicVine.com
• CN Upfront (Go to "New Shows", then click show's logo)
• Cryptids Are Real!, viral marketing website
• Weirdworld Show, fake website for the show within a show: Weirdworld

Wikipedia content modification information:

• This page was last modified on 2 December 2008, at 06:16.

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