Fillmore!

Disney have built a reputation of making good cartoons, ever since Steamboat Willy, via the Jungle Book and then to the Lion King. But it's the TV cartoon series at which they excel: Recess, Lloyd in Space, Dave the Barbarian, Kim Possible, House of Mouse...all made in recent years. Fillmore deserves to be in the same list.

As a wonderful satire on hard boiled detective series, with the "government" (in this case, the principal) constantly threatening budget cuts if crimes aren't solved, this is great fun. The interesting thing is that Fillmore takes more after Agatha Christie than Law & Order - it's a show of twists and turns, with the least obvious suspect turning out, at the very end, to be the one behind the model train crash or whatever.

Due to time constraints - 20 rather than 45 minutes, for instance - it can't go into the same detail on either the cases or the supporting detectives. But the writers do an admirable job of having an interesting support cast: Officer O'Farrell, Jr Commissioner Vallejo and Principal Folsom are all fun little sketches of characters, though Tahama and Anza are pretty much Kirk's redshirts.

As for the leads, both are perfectly usable and are given some great lines. The voice acting is excellent from everybody, and this truly deserves a long run.

Fillmore is a police procedural set in a middle school. The way it takes itself utterly seriously and perfectly applies all the hard-boiled detective cliches makes it great fun, and sometimes even touching. This one's for adults as much as for children.

I've been watching this show on ABC's Saturday morning line-up, and I must say, I actually like this show. The show is about kid named Cornelius Filmore who is a hall monitor at X Middle School (quite a weird name for a school), whom along with his partner Ingrid Third prevent mischief in the hallowed halls of the school. What I like about this show is how Filmore, and Ingrid have a comissioner like boss in their hall monitor jobs, and I also love it how this show pays homage to old 1970's cop shows. I think that's pretty cool, and a great concept. Overall, I think "Fillmore!" is a great show, though I'm sure it might not be as great to some people. 10/10.

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.

I hate detective shows, I literally can't stand watching them. But strangely, there's something cutting edge about Fillmore that drew me to watch it. It could be a number of things.

The story lines? They were amazing, especially how a case that seems so simple can have so many plot twists and turns, and so many shocking answers. Even as a teenager, I don't work out who is the culprit until they work it out! Maybe the characters? Of course the best characters are Fillmore and Ingrid, but there's other characters I love, too. Namely, of course, O'Farrell. You can't help but love him! Other factors are, of course, the brilliant voice actors, especially Tara Strong. I love the voices she makes! If I could, I'd definitely make more episodes.

Unfortunately, it's down to Disney, and therefore, we will lose yet another great show.