# My Gym Partner's a Monkey
**My Gym Partner's a Monkey** is an American animated television series produced by [Cartoon Network Studios](https://www.edgepedia.org/cartoon-network-studios) that follows Adam Lyon, a 12-year-old human boy accidentally transferred to Charles Darwin Middle School, an all-animal middle school, after a clerical error changed his surname from "Lyon" to "Lion".[1](https://cartoonnetwork.fandom.com/wiki/My_Gym_Partner%27s_a_Monkey) Created by Julie McNally Cahill and Timothy Cahill, it aired on [Cartoon Network](https://www.edgepedia.org/cartoon-network) from December 26, 2005 to November 27, 2008.[1](https://cartoonnetwork.fandom.com/wiki/My_Gym_Partner%27s_a_Monkey)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Creators | Julie McNally Cahill and Timothy Cahill, who also served as executive producers and head writer/story editor respectively[2](https://www.awn.com/news/my-gym-partners-monkey-full-swing-cartoon-network) |
| Network and run | Cartoon Network, December 26, 2005 to November 27, 2008, in four seasons[1](https://cartoonnetwork.fandom.com/wiki/My_Gym_Partner%27s_a_Monkey) |
| Premise | Human Adam Lyon sent to an animal middle school by a "Lyon"/"Lion" misspelling; paired in gym with Jake Spidermonkey, who becomes his best friend[3](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/my-gym-partners-a-monkey) |
| Lead voices | Tom Kenny as Jake Spidermonkey, Nika Futterman as Adam Lyon[4](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/my-gym-partners-a-monkey/1000118983/) |
| Awards | 2007 Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation; Annie Award nominations in 2007 and 2008[4](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/my-gym-partners-a-monkey/1000118983/) |
| Rating | TV-Y7[4](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/my-gym-partners-a-monkey/1000118983/) |
## Premise and setting
The series begins when an administrative mix-up transfers Adam Lyon from his human middle school to Charles Darwin Middle School (CDMS), the school attended by the children of the local zoo and aquarium animals.[2](https://www.awn.com/news/my-gym-partners-monkey-full-swing-cartoon-network) The school building itself is built for animal bodies: birds fly freely through its halls, monkeys and chimps swing from vines and tires between classes, and aquatic creatures travel along underwater hallways.[2](https://www.awn.com/news/my-gym-partners-monkey-full-swing-cartoon-network)
Adam is the only human student, and the premise generates its comedy from that mismatch. Signs warn "Do Not Eat the Other Students"; he is always the last picked in gym class because his speed cannot match a cheetah's; and the school bully, a bull shark named Virgil "Bull" Sharkowski, waits for him in the toilet every day.[2](https://www.awn.com/news/my-gym-partners-monkey-full-swing-cartoon-network) His gym partner is Jake Spidermonkey, a trouble-loving spider monkey who becomes his best friend and stays by him as he adjusts.[3](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/my-gym-partners-a-monkey) • [4](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/my-gym-partners-a-monkey/1000118983/)
Typical episodes play the fish-out-of-water setup in different directions: Adam is accidentally injected with a "Monkey Booster" and regresses into a crazed monkey; a complaint about cafeteria food leads Principal Pixiefrog to replace the school's grubs and slop with human food, leaving the animals overfed and immobile; and Adam and Jake compete in a "Tarzan-off" for the lead in the school play.[5](https://tv.apple.com/us/show/my-gym-partners-a-monkey/umc.cmc.1aet2g12w828mwtc7rjrvuysa)
## Production
The show was created, written, and executive produced by the married couple [Tim Cahill](https://www.edgepedia.org/tim-cahill) and Julie McNally Cahill, with original character designs by Timothy Cahill.[2](https://www.awn.com/news/my-gym-partners-monkey-full-swing-cartoon-network) Tom Sheppard served as head writer, with Roger Eschbacher and Adam Pava among the writers, and Gary Hartle as supervising director.[2](https://www.awn.com/news/my-gym-partners-monkey-full-swing-cartoon-network)
Cartoon Network Studios in [Burbank, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/burbank-california) produced the first 13 episodes, with overseas animation handled by Saerom Animation Inc. in Korea.[2](https://www.awn.com/news/my-gym-partners-monkey-full-swing-cartoon-network) The network promoted the series heavily, including billboards around the Hollywood area timed to the Oscar ceremony.[2](https://www.awn.com/news/my-gym-partners-monkey-full-swing-cartoon-network) Each 22-minute episode consists of two 11-minute segments.[1](https://cartoonnetwork.fandom.com/wiki/My_Gym_Partner%27s_a_Monkey)
The theme song, whose lyrics begin "I used to go to a human school where everyone was the same / But now I go to an animal school cuz Lyon's my last name," is performed by [Nika Futterman](https://www.edgepedia.org/nika-futterman) (Adam) and [Tom Kenny](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-kenny) (Jake).[6](https://themesong.info/my-gym-partners-a-monkey-theme-song-and-lyrics/)
## Broadcast history
The series debuted with a sneak peek on Cartoon Network. The Cartoon Network Wiki dates that preview to December 26, 2005, with the official series airing on February 24, 2006;[1](https://cartoonnetwork.fandom.com/wiki/My_Gym_Partner%27s_a_Monkey) Animation World Network's 2006 report instead gives the sneak peek as February 20, 2006, with regular airings Fridays at 9:00 pm.[2](https://www.awn.com/news/my-gym-partners-monkey-full-swing-cartoon-network)
Seasons aired as follows: season 1 from December 26, 2005 to May 2006, season 2 from June 8, 2006 to January 5, 2007, season 3 from January 12, 2007 to August 31, 2007, and season 4 from September 2007 to November 27, 2008.[1](https://cartoonnetwork.fandom.com/wiki/My_Gym_Partner%27s_a_Monkey) • [7](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/my-gym-partners-a-monkey/episodes-season-4/1000118983/) A Thanksgiving special, "A Thanksgiving Carol," served as the series finale on November 27, 2008.[7](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/my-gym-partners-a-monkey/episodes-season-4/1000118983/)
After the original run, the show returned in reruns on Cartoon Network (2010; 2012–2013), aired on Boomerang's digital service from 2017 to 2024, and began airing on [Discovery Family](https://www.edgepedia.org/discovery-family) in 2025, with the first-run Discovery Family season starting October 11, 2025.[1](https://cartoonnetwork.fandom.com/wiki/My_Gym_Partner%27s_a_Monkey) • [8](https://discoveryfamilysa.fandom.com/wiki/My_Gym_Partner%27s_a_Monkey) As of recent listings it streams on Philo and can be bought on the Apple TV Store.[3](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/my-gym-partners-a-monkey)
## Reception and legacy
The series earned a 2007 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in [Animation](https://www.edgepedia.org/animation) and received Annie Award nominations for Best Production Design (2007) and for Best Animation Production Artist and Best Writing in an Animated Television Production (2008).[4](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/my-gym-partners-a-monkey/1000118983/) A retrospective account in a series encyclopedia of 2000s animation describes the plots as satirical stories that used the school's antics as a springboard for potshots at the wider world, in the classic television animation tradition, and notes the show received limited DVD and rerun exposure relative to that reputation.[9](https://www.authorsden.com/SampleWorksPDF/78609.pdf) A complete first-season DVD, *My Gym Partner's a Monkey: Season 1, Vol. 1*, was released, and DC published related stories in its *Cartoon Network Block Party* comic anthology in 2007 and 2008.[1](https://cartoonnetwork.fandom.com/wiki/My_Gym_Partner%27s_a_Monkey) • [10](https://www.comics.org/feature/33664/sequences/)
## References
1. [My Gym Partner's a Monkey, The Cartoon Network Wiki (Fandom)](https://cartoonnetwork.fandom.com/wiki/My_Gym_Partner%27s_a_Monkey)
2. [My Gym Partner's a Monkey in Full Swing on Cartoon Network, Animation World Network (March 7, 2006)](https://www.awn.com/news/my-gym-partners-monkey-full-swing-cartoon-network)
3. [My Gym Partner's a Monkey - streaming online, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/my-gym-partners-a-monkey)
4. [My Gym Partner's a Monkey, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/my-gym-partners-a-monkey/1000118983/)
5. [My Gym Partner's a Monkey, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/show/my-gym-partners-a-monkey/umc.cmc.1aet2g12w828mwtc7rjrvuysa)
6. [My Gym Partner's A Monkey Theme Song And Lyrics, themesong.info](https://themesong.info/my-gym-partners-a-monkey-theme-song-and-lyrics/)
7. [My Gym Partner's a Monkey Season 4 Episodes, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/my-gym-partners-a-monkey/episodes-season-4/1000118983/)
8. [My Gym Partner's a Monkey, Discovery Family Schedule Archives Wiki](https://discoveryfamilysa.fandom.com/wiki/My_Gym_Partner%27s_a_Monkey)
9. [My Gym Partner's a Monkey (2005–2008), AuthorsDen series encyclopedia PDF](https://www.authorsden.com/SampleWorksPDF/78609.pdf)
10. [GCD :: for feature My Gym Partner's a Monkey (English), Grand Comics Database](https://www.comics.org/feature/33664/sequences/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Animated television series (individual series) › Children's animated adventure and fantasy series › Comedy and slice-of-life series*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license