Men in Black: The Series

Men in Black: The Series
Official series title card
Genre	Action Adventure Science fiction comedy
Based on	The Men in Black by Lowell Cunningham
Developed by	Duane Capizzi Jeff Kline Richard Raynis
Voices of	Ed O'Ross Gregg Berger Keith Diamond Jennifer Lien Jennifer Martin Charles Napier Vincent D'Onofrio David Warner
Theme music composer	Jim Latham
Composer(s)	Jim Latham
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	4
No. of episodes	53 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Laurie MacDonald Walter F. Parkes Richard Raynis Rafael Rosado Jeff Kline
Producer(s)	Kim Bass Duane Capizzi Frank Paur
Running time	22–24 minutes
Production company(s)	Amblin Television Adelaide Productions Columbia TriStar Television Koko Enterprises Ltd. Mook Animation
Distributor	Columbia TriStar Television Distribution
Release
Original network	Kids' WB
Picture format	480i (SDTV)
Original release	October 11, 1997 (1997-10-11) – June 30, 2001 (2001-06-30)
Chronology
Preceded by	Men in Black

Men in Black: The Series, also known as MIB: The Series, MIB: The Animated Series, and Men in Black: The Animated Series, is an American animated television series that originally aired on Kids' WB from October 11, 1997 to June 30, 2001.

The show features characters from the 1997 science fiction film Men in Black, which was based on the comic book series The Men in Black by Lowell Cunningham, originally published by Marvel / Malibu Comics. The series was produced by Adelaide Productions Inc., a division of Columbia TriStar Television, and Amblin Television as a half-hour series originally airing on Saturday mornings, and later moving to weekdays during its final run.

Plot

The show is set in an alternate timeline to the Men in Black film universe. The most significant differences in the series are that Agent K did not retire, and Agent J is still regarded as a rookie. Agent L is, however, a part of the organization, as she was following the events of the first film. Some episodes do incorporate aspects of the film franchise. While the series offers some internal continuity and extended plot arcs, it is primarily presented in standalone episodes. Some recurring themes include exploration of K's origins, as well as J encountering individuals from his life prior to joining MIB.

Characters design

The esthetics of the character was designed by comic book artist Miguelanxo Prado.

Characters

Character	Voice Actor	Notes
Agent J	Keith Diamond	Agent J (originally James Darrel Edwards III) is one of the main agents of the organization. He is energetic, and tries to bring emotion back to the bland organization. At one point, J arrests the alien Jarra for attempting to steal the Earth's ozone layer and sell it on the Black Market. He remains somewhat of a sidekick to Agent K. He is referred as "Slick" by Agent K.
Agent K	Ed O'Ross in Season 1, Gregg Berger in Seasons 2-4	Agent K (originally Kevin Brown) is a top agent and a founder of the organization; and after working at the organisation for nearly 40 years, he shows nearly no emotion. He and J must constantly fight off his old partner Alpha.
Agent L	Jennifer Lien in Seasons 1-3, Jennifer Martin in Season 4	Agent L (originally Dr. Laurel Weaver) is a morgue worker who joins the MiB after she helps Agent K and J stop Edgar the Bug from stealing The Galaxy. She stays in the medical section of the organization until Season 4, wherein she becomes a field agent with Agent X as her partner.
Chief Zed	Charles Napier	The head of the organization and K and J's boss. He is usually shown in his office, high above the main floor of the headquarters. It is known that he took the job of director at some point prior to the incident with Serlena and the Light of Zartha in 1978.
Agent D	John Mariano	Agent D (originally Derrick Cunningham) is Agent K's former partner who is now retired after getting too old in the fight against the evil aliens. He was a founding member of the organization. Derrick is seen enjoying his retirement with his wife, before he is wiped out of existence by a time traveling alien-hating bigot, and restored by Agent K and a Cerebro-Enhanced Agent J.
Jack Jeebs	Tony Shalhoub in Season 1, Billy West in Seasons 2-4	Jack Jeebs is a humanoid alien who runs a pawn shop, carrying both alien and human merchandise. Jeebs' head is frequently blasted off, but grows back.
Edgar Bug	N/A; originally portrayed by Vincent D'Onofrio in the film	The main antagonist of the feature film who was killed by Agent L. His only appearance in the series was in a flashback to his death. Edgar is revealed to have a twin brother named Edwin as well as being the Queen Bug's favorite. His death causes The Queen to put a bounty on Elle's head.
Edwin Bug	Vincent D'Onofrio	The twin brother of Edgar the Bug who sent by the Bug Queen to get revenge on Agent L for killing Edgar, and killed by the Worm Guys.
Geen	Vincent D'Onofrio	A Bug with a perpetually voracious appetite which landed him M.I.B intergalactic prison. Geen and several other inmates were temporarily released by Doctor Lupo and proceeded to wreak havoc upon the MIB HQ until they were rounded up by K and J.
Queen Bug	Mary Kay Bergman	The queen of Edwin and Edgar's planet and mother of all bugs. The Queen Bug put a bounty on Agent L's head, offering royal jelly to the Bug that Faber her Elle. She later attempted to colonize Manhattan with a new generation of offspring but was foiled by the MIB. The Queen Bug subsequently attempted to conquer Earth once more but was foiled by Agent K and Agent J who flooded the tunnel which the Bugs were using as a base. She was ultimately vanquished by the combined efforts of K and a temporarily amnesiac J.
Frank the Pug	Eddie Barth	Frank the Pug is an extraterrestrial living in New York City, in the guise of a pug. It is later revealed that the "human" at Frank's newspaper stand is a robot, and that Frank's true form still resembles a pug, albeit with a dark green color, antennas, and a 3-pointed tail.
The Worm Guys	Patrick Pinney and Pat Fraley	Four aliens that love to drink coffee and relax in the organization's break room. They are renowned for knowing many figures of speech and the organization rulebook. They occasionally help K or J. In the alternate future, the worms are shown as the dominant race after they got slimed and multiplied.
Arquillians	N/A	The Arquillians are a race of tiny humanoid aliens. Arquillians have large heads and eyes, but a small body, and hide in human-like robots. The Arquillians are the possessors of the Arquillian Galaxy (a miniaturized 'source of sub-atomic power') and will not stand for it being lost or stolen. They are ruled by a complex monarchy.
Baltians	N/A	The first race of aliens encountered by the original agents of the organization: a tall, slender species that vaguely resemble Grey aliens. The Baltians return to Earth every ten years to provide new alien technologies to help fund the organisation.
Idikiukup and Bob	Patrick Pinney and Pat Fraley	A pair of alien twins (earning them the nickname of the Twins) that serve as the MIB's head scientists along with Agent L. They mostly stay at headquarters though Bob pilots a helicopter in "It's a Fmall Fmall World".
Alpha	David Warner	Alpha is Agent K's former mentor, and now the sworn enemy of the M.I.B. and Agent K. Allying himself with Vangus after escape, Alpha turned himself into a cyborg. Alpha is killed in "Endgame Part 2". J often mockingly calls him "Alfalfa". He is the main antagonist of the series.
Buzzard	Sherman Howard	A Zombarian bounty hunter who is an occasional adversary of Agents J and K. Howard and D'Onofrio both previously were guests on Miami Vice and were enemies of Crockett and Tubbs like they were Agent J and K.
Dak Jeebs	Billy West	Jack Jeebs' twin brother.
Drekk	Ron Perlman	Drekk is alien who has a long criminal record: "longer than Van Allen's belt", according to Chief Zed. He is a former cell-mate of Frank the Pug, and an antagonist of the lead characters.
The Emperor Worm	Vincent D'Onofrio	The Emperor Worm is the leader of the Worms. Unlike the other Worms, the Emperor is hugely fat, and almost double the height of the others. He usually shows up un-announced at the organisation. The Emperor is careless and defenseless, so the other Worms must watch him.
Agent H	Kurtwood Smith	One of the founding members of the Men-In Black. He was responsible for most of the MIB's medical equipment.
Agent Q	N/A	One of the founding members of the organization; responsible for the weapons and vehicles that the organization use. When Q was erased from history, all the weapons and vehicles he developed were erased (and restored) with him.
Aileen	Beth Broderick	A female alien and agent of the Men in Black: a blue-skinned humanoid, with malleable hands. She lost her former partner to an alien shapeshifter called an Inanimate. She is later assigned another partner named Eidi, whom she treats similarly to K's treatment of J. Like K, she is a legendary agent on her home planet.
Eidi	N/A	Aileen's rookie partner, assigned to her after the capture of the Inanimate. She is the same species as Aileen, but taller and slightly bulkier. Eidi and J bond while working the case due to their shared status as novices partnered with the planet's best agents.
Agent U	N/A	An average agent. His name before joining the organization was Upton, which J easily deduces. There is a running gag where U's agent codename and the word "you" are often confused. Agent U is shown to be a major suck up and simply teaches alien children how to disguise themselves as humans though in "The Buzzard Syndrome" Agent U is seen catching a Micrelian criminal.
Agent E	N/A	An average agent who also worked in Hollywood, getting work for aliens in movies and television shows. Most of her clients resemble aliens like the Xenomorph and Alf.
Agent X	Adam Baldwin	A big-eared, green-skinned alien originating from the G-Dan galaxy; recruited into the organization as Elle's partner, to smooth over human-alien relations. Though he has an impeccable record, X was suspended six times in his home galaxy.
Dr. Zan'dozz Zeeltor	Steve Kehela	A blue-skinned humanoid alien who replaces Elle as chief scientific officer of the organization. He is very eccentric about the simple items around Earth. Most of his inventions usually cause more harm around J, such as a sticky note pad that started to constrict him. Zeeltor has a pet named Lucy: a Futavian colony bacterium that makes a roaring sound.
Troy The Symbiote	Rino Romano	A young adventurous symbiote who has a playful relationship with J. His dream is to work for the organization, much to his mother's distress. Troy becomes an MIB intern in "The Heads You Lose Syndrome".
Klah'Mikk	N/A	A paperwork filing alien who works for the organisation.
The Fmeks	N/A	The warmongering counterparts of the Arquillians. The Fmeks are the Arquillian's sworn enemy because the Arquillian's planet is bigger than their home world Fmoo.
The Ixions	N/A	A race of oil-loving creatures, who with the help of their leader, Vangus, attempt to plunder the Earth's oil to sell it on the intergalactic market. They were ultimately defeated by MIB, along with Alpha.
Vangus	Billy West	The leader of the Ixions.

Episodes

Main article: List of Men in Black: The Series episodes

Home video releases

In the United States, six episodes from the first half of the first season were issued on three two-episode VHS volumes, all made available on March 16, 1999. The United Kingdom received a similar release on August 19, 2002, however, all six episodes were released on one bumper VHS instead of three two-episode volumes. The release also included a bonus seventh episode, which was actually episode one, billed as the "pilot episode". It was then announced that the remainder of the show's first season, episodes 8-13, would be exclusively released in the region, being made available on VHS on January 24, 2003. On July 12, 2004, the first three episodes of the first season were issued on DVD for the first time by UCA Pictures. Further releases were planned, but sales were not strong enough to warrant any other DVD releases from UCA. The entire first season was issued on DVD for the first time on July 4, 2007 in Australia, via Sony Pictures Entertainment. The set contained two discs, one containing seven episodes and the other containing the remaining six. On July 16, 2007, the set was made available in the United Kingdom, however, was this time split up into two separate volumes instead of a whole box set. On May 11, 2012, the entire first season was released on DVD for the first time in the United States, being made available as an exclusive product for Target stores in the country. Thus far, no plans have been announced to issue any further seasons of the show on DVD as of 2019. The series is available on the streaming service Sony Crackle, alternating between the first two seasons and the last two.

Awards

Daytime Emmy Awards

• 2002 – Outstanding Sound Editing - Special Class - Roshaun Hawley, Paca Thomas, Dan Cubert and Marc S. Perlman (won)

Video games

A video game based on the series, titled Men in Black: The Series, was released for the Game Boy Color in 1999. A sequel, titled Men in Black 2: The Series and also based on the show, was released for the Game Boy Color in 2000. A different version of Men in Black: The Series was released for the Game Boy Advance in 2001. Another game based on the series, titled Men in Black: The Series – Crashdown, was released for the PlayStation later in 2001.

External links

• Official Website (via Internet Archive)
• Men in Black: The Series on IMDb
• Men in Black: The Series at TV.com