# The Tick (1994 TV series)
**The Tick** is an American animated superhero parody series adapted from [Ben Edlund](https://www.edgepedia.org/ben-edlund)'s New England Comics character, broadcast on the [Fox Kids](https://www.edgepedia.org/fox-kids) block from 1994 to 1996 in three seasons totaling 36 episodes.[1](https://foxworld.fandom.com/wiki/The_Tick_%281994%29) • [2](https://www.epguides.com/Tick_1994/) It follows the Tick, a gigantic, dim-witted, nigh-invulnerable blue hero, and his moth-costumed accountant sidekick Arthur as they protect a generic metropolis called The City from absurd villains such as Chairface Chippendale, a man with a chair for a head.[3](https://www.avclub.com/the-tick-vs-season-one-1798202006) Edlund, who created the comic, produced the series and contributed scripts, character designs, and storyboarding.[4](https://the-tick-animated.fandom.com/wiki/The_Tick_%28animated_series%29) • [5](https://www.saturdaymorningsforever.com/2016/05/the-tick.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original run | Premiered September 10, 1994 on Fox Kids; three seasons, 1994 to 1996[5](https://www.saturdaymorningsforever.com/2016/05/the-tick.html) • [1](https://foxworld.fandom.com/wiki/The_Tick_%281994%29) |
| Episodes | 36 episodes: 13 in season 1, 13 in season 2, 10 in season 3[2](https://www.epguides.com/Tick_1994/) • [6](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/the-tick) |
| Source | Adaptation of the independent comic book published by New England Comics, created by Ben Edlund[4](https://the-tick-animated.fandom.com/wiki/The_Tick_%28animated_series%29) |
| Main voices | Townsend Coleman as the Tick; Micky Dolenz as Arthur in season 1, Rob Paulsen from season 2[2](https://www.epguides.com/Tick_1994/) • [7](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/the-tick-great-fox-superhero-cartoon-the-90s/) |
| Production | Sunbow Productions, Graz Entertainment, and Fox Children's Productions; 20-minute episodes[8](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/tick_the) |
| Recognition | 100% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes (8 reviews); 7 Daytime Emmy nominations and 2 Annie Award wins from 5 nominations[9](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_tick_1994/s01) • [10](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-tick-1994/) |
| Later adaptations | Live-action series in 2001 to 2002 with Patrick Warburton (nine episodes) and 2016 to 2019 with Peter Serafinowicz (22 episodes)[8](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/tick_the) |
## Origin and production
Edlund created the Tick as a comic in 1986 for a New England comic shop's newsletter, and the character grew into an independent comic series before television.[11](https://manyangles.news/screen/the-tick) Fox approached Edlund hoping to replicate the success of *Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles*, and the resulting cartoon ran for 36 episodes from 1994 to 1996.[7](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/the-tick-great-fox-superhero-cartoon-the-90s/) When the series premiered in autumn 1994, Edlund considered himself primarily a TV industry veteran rather than a comics writer.[12](https://www.awn.com/mag/issue2.4/AWNMag2.4.pdf)
The series was produced by Sunbow Productions, Graz Entertainment, and Fox Children's Productions.[8](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/tick_the) Edlund wrote scripts alongside Liebmann-Smith and former Tick comic writer Christopher McCulloch, and also worked on character designs and storyboards.[5](https://www.saturdaymorningsforever.com/2016/05/the-tick.html)
## Adaptation choices
The cartoon softened the comic considerably for its Saturday-morning audience. The title character's origin as an escaped mental patient was removed, along with some of the more risqué subject matter and dialogue; the comic itself would have rated no more than PG or PG-13, but the show was sanitized for children. The look of the show stayed very close to the comic, and many comic stories were adapted directly into episodes.[13](https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/7685/tick-the-entire-series-the/) [The A.V. Club](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-a-v-club)'s Tasha Robinson, a television critic, wrote that the cartoon never got as surreal and random as the original comic but was still the oddest thing in animation in 1994.[3](https://www.avclub.com/the-tick-vs-season-one-1798202006)
## Premise and style
Episodes are set in The City, a metropolis teeming with low-rent superheroes and limited-ambition villains.[3](https://www.avclub.com/the-tick-vs-season-one-1798202006) A typical plot has the Tick battling a villain until Arthur devises the solution that saves the day, though many episodes deviate from this formula; the Tick then declares an absurd moral vaguely related to the conflict before the story closes.[4](https://the-tick-animated.fandom.com/wiki/The_Tick_%28animated_series%29) The show frequently devolves into riffs mocking superhero and comics tropes, along with deranged speeches and sight gags; season 1 villains include an anthropomorphic sunflower, the chair-headed Chairface Chippendale, and a crazed villain-wannabe called The Evil Midnight Bomber What Bombs At Midnight.[3](https://www.avclub.com/the-tick-vs-season-one-1798202006)
The supporting cast carries much of the comedy: Arthur, the nervous accountant sidekick; the smarmy Batman parody [Die Fledermaus](https://www.edgepedia.org/die-fledermaus); grandstanding villains; and hero-wannabes such as Bipolar Bear and the Caped Chameleon.[3](https://www.avclub.com/the-tick-vs-season-one-1798202006) The City was also populated by heroes and villains parodying various Marvel and [DC Comics](https://www.edgepedia.org/dc-comics) characters.[5](https://www.saturdaymorningsforever.com/2016/05/the-tick.html)
## Voice cast
Townsend Coleman voiced the Tick. [Micky Dolenz](https://www.edgepedia.org/micky-dolenz) voiced Arthur in the first season, with [Rob Paulsen](https://www.edgepedia.org/rob-paulsen) taking over the role from the second season onward.[2](https://www.epguides.com/Tick_1994/) • [7](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/the-tick-great-fox-superhero-cartoon-the-90s/) The regular cast also included [Cam Clarke](https://www.edgepedia.org/cam-clarke) as Die Fledermaus, Jess Harnell as Sewer Urchin, and Kay Lenz as American Maid.[2](https://www.epguides.com/Tick_1994/) Other credited voice performers include Micky Dolenz, Ron Feinberg, Tony Jay, and John Mariano.[8](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/tick_the)
## Reception and afterlife
Season 1 holds a 100% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes from 8 critic reviews, with an 88% audience score.[9](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_tick_1994/s01) Critics described it as a gloriously silly parody of superhero conventions that pushed the boundaries of what a superhero cartoon could be; Screen Rant's Fred Blunden called its irreverent comedy and pinpoint writing, ironically, one of the best examples of superhero animation.[9](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_tick_1994/s01) The series received 7 Daytime Emmy Award nominations and 2 Annie Award wins out of 5 nominations.[10](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-tick-1994/) People magazine called it hysterical entertainment for grown-ups.[10](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-tick-1994/)
After the Fox run, [Comedy Central](https://www.edgepedia.org/comedy-central) featured new episodes of *The Tick* in 1996 alongside *Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist*.[14](https://www.awn.com/mag/issue1.6/AWNMag1.6.pdf) The character returned in two live-action series: *The Tick* (2001 to 2002) with [Patrick Warburton](https://www.edgepedia.org/patrick-warburton), canceled after nine episodes, and *The Tick* (2016 to 2019) on Amazon with [Peter Serafinowicz](https://www.edgepedia.org/peter-serafinowicz), totaling 22 episodes.[8](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/tick_the) As of recent listings, the animated series is not available on streaming services in the United States, though it can be bought on DVD.[6](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/the-tick)
## References
1. [The Tick (1994), FoxWorld Wiki](https://foxworld.fandom.com/wiki/The_Tick_%281994%29)
2. [The Tick (1994), a Titles & Air Dates Guide, epguides.com](https://www.epguides.com/Tick_1994/)
3. [The Tick Vs. Season One, The A.V. Club (Tasha Robinson, 2006)](https://www.avclub.com/the-tick-vs-season-one-1798202006)
4. [The Tick (animated series), The Tick Animated Wiki](https://the-tick-animated.fandom.com/wiki/The_Tick_%28animated_series%29)
5. [Saturday Mornings Forever: The Tick](https://www.saturdaymorningsforever.com/2016/05/the-tick.html)
6. [The Tick, watch tv show streaming online, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/the-tick)
7. [The Tick Is The Other Great Fox Superhero Cartoon From the '90s, Den of Geek](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/the-tick-great-fox-superhero-cartoon-the-90s/)
8. [Tick, The, The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/tick_the)
9. [The Tick: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_tick_1994/s01)
10. [The Tick (1994) Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-tick-1994/)
11. [The Tick (1994–1996) Explained, Many Angles](https://manyangles.news/screen/the-tick)
12. [Animation World Magazine, Issue 2.4](https://www.awn.com/mag/issue2.4/AWNMag2.4.pdf)
13. [The Tick: The Entire Series, DVD Talk (Randy Miller III, 2003)](https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/7685/tick-the-entire-series-the/)
14. [Animation World Magazine, Issue 1.6](https://www.awn.com/mag/issue1.6/AWNMag1.6.pdf)
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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 › Sitcom and comedy series › Animated sitcoms and animated comedy series › Family animated comedy 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