Dave Cunningham
Nowadays, attending classes can be done in the comfort of your own room. For better or for worse, schools and universities alike are struggling to find their rhythm in this pandemic-driven world. However, in some other dimension, there exists a school with some of the most iconic figures in history––and we’re not talking about NCAA schools. The Clone High revival is finally happening with HBO Max ordering a whopping two seasons!
THE CLONE HIGH REBOOT HAS BEEN PICKED UP FOR TWO SEASONS BY HBO MAX LETS GOOOOOOOpic.twitter.com/mp11yAw9XD
— NICKtendo (@itsnicktendo) February 10, 2021
Created by Bill Lawrence, Phil Lord, and Chris Miller way back in 2002, Clone High existed during the peak of MTV’s early gigs in adult animation––possibly one of the biggest head-turners during our childhoods. The reboot was announced that it was already in development last July and marks almost two decades before it was prematurely canceled.
As mentioned before, Clone High is a high school composed of literally the most well-known cultural figures in the world. From Cleopatra, Abraham Lincoln, and even Gandhi, trying to explain these things further feels wrong but so right at the same time. The animated series served as a parody to melodramatic high school dramas played on a ton of networks and channels before––most especially during the wake of the 2000s.
With that as a foundation of your series, you’re bound to get flack. I mean, you are depicting the biggest cultural models in a kind of bad light. Backfiring, the series swarmed controversies after depicting Gandhi’s close as a burnt-out student who gave used partying as an escape because of all the surrounding pressure. As expected, many Indian viewers were obviously upset and prompted a hunger strike that all led to the cancellation of the series after just one season. At this point, it looked as if Clone High was a risk Lord and Miller were willing to take––a risk they’re willing to revive. Ever since 21 Jump Street and The Lego Movie were considered classics, they were already trying to resurrect the show.
As reported by Comingsoon, the series was given a two-season order for a revival alongside other adult animated sitcoms. Expectedly, Miller will be writing the pilot for the revival and Erica Rivinoja will be serving as the showrunner. Anything beyond these details is still undisclosed to the public.
After strikes and hundreds and thousands of flack, expect that Clone High won’t be featuring the same set of characters. This is to avoid any sort of backlash towards production after their stint with the depiction of Gandhi––which was technically a biological clone of the Indian icon. Despite the sudden backing out of what made the series unique in its own way, this is still one of the better moves from HBO Max. As you may well be aware by now, animations nowadays are starting to be noticed––and a different genre of adult animation is one of the best genres to release. At this point, it looks as if HBO Max’s lineup challenges that of Netflix’s––but we’ll see how far HBO Max is willing to go.
Obviously, Clone High was met with low ratings and inevitable controversy when it first aired for MTV––something HBO Max should be aware of. However, its cult classic reputation proves undeniable even with its short run. Miller, Lord, and Lawrence created something so risky that it became something so refreshing compared to highschool dramas and adult animations––two genres that boomed in the 2000s. The trio are geniuses when it comes to parodies and animations that can stand tall no matter what generation watches it. The revival will serve more as a passion project for them, and will surely be one of the most anticipated revivals of this year.
