Disney's Fillmore! is a wonderfully written cartoon series, spoofing the 70s cop show genre. Set in X Middle School, the show's main character is Cornelius Fillmore - a former juvenile delinquent turned safety patroller. Fillmore is ably assisted by his partner Ingrid Third, a sardonic genius with an eidetic memory. The show slyly pastiches all manner of generic clichés: the duo ultimately report into school principal Folsom, a politician-type obsessed with her own image; Fillmore himself is the maverick detective, who breaks the rules to get what's done, while Third is his rational, Scully-esquire partner. And the movie and cultural references flow thick and fast - in one episode Fillmore and Third rely on help from a Hannibal Lecter-like graffiti artist. In another, they go undercover to infiltrate a scooter-thief gang with a task very similar to Gone In 60 Seconds.
Fillmore! only lasted two seasons before cancellation, and while the quality of the show is apparent, it is also easy to see why it didn't get renewed. This is a kids show, but the best aspects of the writing are probably too obscure to hit their targets, many of who will not even be aware that the show is supposed to be a spoof. As an adult, it is easy to appreciate the subtle humour, but the show isn't mature enough to appeal fully to adults.
