Squidbillies
Squidbillies is an American adult animated television series created by Jim Fortier and Dave Willis for Cartoon Network's late night programming block, Adult Swim. An unofficial pilot for the series aired on April 1, 2005; the series later made its official debut on October 16, 2005.
The series is about the Cuyler family, an impoverished family of anthropomorphic hillbilly mud squids living in the Georgia region of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The series revolves around the exploits of an alcoholic father, who is often abusive in a comedic way towards his family. His teenage son, Rusty, is desperate for his approval; his mother and grandmother, known in the show as Granny, is often the center of his aggression; and Lil, Early's sister, is mostly unconscious in a pool of her own vomit.
There have been a total of episodes during the show's 12 seasons. The series also airs in syndication in other countries and has been released on various [|DVD sets] and other forms of home media.
The show was renewed for a thirteenth season.
Setting and premise
Squidbillies follows the exploits of the Cuyler family and their interactions with the local populace, which usually results in a fair amount of destruction, mutilation, and death. The Cuylers are essentially given free rein and protected from the consequences of their actions whenever possible by their friend, the Sheriff, as they are said to be the last twisted remnants of a federally protected endangered species, the "Appalachian Mud Squid". They live in the southern Appalachian Mountains located in the North Georgia mountains. At the epicentre of this rural paradise is Dougal County, home to crippling gambling addictions, a murderous corporation, sexual deviants, and the authentic Southern mountain squid. In the words of The New York Times, the show takes "backwoods stereotypes" and turns them into "a cudgel with which to pound maniacally on all manner of topical subjects."Production
Squidbillies is produced by Williams Street Productions; it is written by Dave Willis, co-creator of Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and Jim Fortier, previously of The Brak Show, both of whom worked on the Adult Swim series Space Ghost Coast to Coast. The show is animated by Awesome Incorporated, with background design by Ben Prisk.Characters
Episodes
Guest appearances
- Jackyl performed "Raised By Jackyl" in "America: Why I Love Her"
- .38 Special voiced themselves, and their song "Caught Up in You" is featured during the credits in "Burned and Reburned Again"
- Tim "Action Plan" Andrews voiced the homicidal GPS in "Fatal Distraction"
- Jason "Wee Man" Acuña voiced himself in "The Guzzle Bumpkin"
- Fred Armisen voiced Miguel in "Take This Job and Love It" and Office Politics Trouble", Jesus in "Giant Foam Dickhat Trouble" and Hippie Killed With Chainsaw in "Earth Worst".
- Todd Barry voiced Glenn in "Office Politics Trouble" and Dr. Bug in "Family Trouble".
- Vernon Chatman voiced Shuckey the Corn Mascot in "Mud Days and Cornfused"
- David Allan Coe is uncredited for voicing himself in "Okaleechee Dam Jam"
- Elizabeth Cook performed the theme song and voiced Tammi in "Keeping It In The Family Way".
- Coolio voiced himself in "The Guzzle Bumpkin"
- Bradford Cox voiced himself in "Granite Caverns"
- Lavell Crawford voiced Judge Jammer in "Stop. Jammertime!"
- Rachel Dratch voiced a Hippie Woman in "Earth Worst"
- Drive-By Truckers performed in "America: Why I Love Her"
- Eric "Butterbean" Esch voiced himself and sang the national anthem in "Condition: Demolition"
- Mick Foley is uncredited for voicing Thunder Clap in "Anabolic-holic"
- Kevin Gillespie voiced himself in "Asbestos I Can"
- Tony Guerrero voiced a prisoner in "Dove in an Iron Cage"
- Phil Hendrie guest-starred in "Lean Green Touchdown Makifying Machine"
- Jason Isbell performed the theme song in "The Pharaoh's Wad" and voiced the new reverend Kyle Nubbins in "Greener Pastor", later going on to be his official V.A.
- David Jackson voiced a Japanese war veteran and a documentary narrator in "The Appalachian Mud Squid: Darwin's Dilemma"
- Jonathan Katz is uncredited for voicing The Rapist in "Government Brain Voodoo Trouble".
- George Lowe voiced Space Ghost in "Unofficial Pilot" and a TV wrestling-promo voice in "Anabolic-holic"
- Riley Martin voiced the Horseman of Pestilence in "Armageddon It On!" and a voice inside Dan Halen's head in "Pile M For Murder"
- Ralphie May voiced PNUT in "Thou Shale Not Drill". This was the second 30-minute episode in the series' history.
- JD McPherson voiced a prisoner in "Dove in an Iron Cage"
- The Mighty Ohba provided the Japanese voice dub of Early Cuyler in "Snow Daddy"
- Rhett Miller performed as an al-Qaeda representative with a hook hand in "America: Why I Love Her"
- Dan Mirvish voiced himself in "The Guzzle Bumpkin"
- Andrew Montesi announced the Festival of the Clowny Freak commercial in "Clowny Freaks"
- Casey Motter announced the baseball game in "Debased Ball"
- Larry Munson provided the Voice of God on "Armageddon It On!"
- Tim Andrews Provided the Larry Munson voice after Munson's death.
- Amber Nash voiced Prosperity in "Lipstick on a Squid"
- Chad Ochocinco voiced himself in "Lean Green Touchdown Makifying Machine"
- Tara Ochs guest-starred in "Lipstick on a Squid"
- Patton Oswalt voiced the One-Eyed Giant Squid in "Survival of The Dumbest"
- Paleface voiced a guy at a bar in "Green and Sober"
- Grey Revell voiced a musician in "Green and Sober"
- Stan Robak voiced Pompidov in "Confessions of a Grangrenous Mind"
- George Robinson voiced Snow Daddy in "Snow Daddy"
- Ryuu-chan provided the Japanese voice dub of Rusty Cuyler in "Snow Daddy"
- Mike Schatz voiced the Prosecutor in "Terminous Trouble" and the Scientist in "God's Bro".
- Billy Joe Shaver performed the theme song in several episodes and voiced a customs agent and a TV announcer in "Trucked Up!"
- Brendon Small wrote & played the "Rusty Shreds" metal pieces in "Mephistopheles Traveled Below to a Southern State Whose Motto Is 'Wisdom, Justice and Moderation'". He also voiced Dr. Jerry in "Family Trouble" but was listed in the credits as "Donald Cock".
- Todd Snider performed the main title in "Fatal Distraction" and as a rabbit in "America: Why I Love Her" and voiced a lobster in "Clowny Freaks"
- Soilent Green performed the main title theme on "Lerm"
- Split Lip Rayfield was credited in writing Rusty's bluegrass Hell Jams in "Mephistopheles Traveled Below to a Southern State Whose Motto Is 'Wisdom, Justice and Moderation'"
- Paul Stanley voiced himself in "Fatal Distraction"
- Jared Swilley voiced himself in "Granite Caverns"
- T-Pain voiced himself in "Asbestos I Can" and performed the theme song in "Trucked Up!".
- Larry Wachs voiced a clown in "Clowny Freaks"
- Gillian Welch, David Rawlings, Lucinda Williams, Will Oldham, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and Hayes Carll performed as various singing forest animals in "America: Why I Love Her". This was the first 30-minute episode in the series' history.
- Justin "Fireball" Whitaker is uncredited for voicing "Earth Worst"
- Jesco White voiced Ga-Ga-Pee-Pap Cuyler in "Dead Squid Walking"
- Mamie White voiced Krystal's cousin in "The Many Loves of Early Cuyler"
- Widespread Panic performed the main title theme and voiced themselves in "Need for Weed"
- Jon Wurster voiced Dakota the Hippie in "Earth Worst" and Skyler The Blue Blood Sucking monster in "The Tiniest Princess".
Artists who performed versions of the theme song
- Against Me!
- Alabama Shakes
- The B-52's
- The Baseball Project
- Black Lips
- Blackberry Smoke
- The Both
- Camper Van Beethoven
- Cannibal Corpse
- Clutch
- Hayes Carll
- Neko Case
- Centro-Matic
- Jimmy Cliff
- Elizabeth Cook
- Steve Earle
- Jimmie Dale Gilmore
- Jan Hammer
- Unknown Hinson
- In Search of Sight
- Jackyl
- Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
- The Jayhawks
- George Jones
- King Khan and the Shrines
- Matthew Kaminsky, organist for the Atlanta Braves
- Lambchop
- Chuck Leavell & Francine Reed
- Let's Active
- Lera Lynn featuring Joshua Grange
- Lynyrd Skynyrd
- Max Q
- The Milk Carton Kids
- Father John Misty
- Bob Mould
- Pueblo Cafe
- Todd Rundgren
- Rebecca Schiffman
- Ty Segall
- William Shatner
- Billy Joe Shaver
- Shovels & Rope
- Todd Snider
- Soilent Green
- T-Pain
- Trampled by Turtles
- Sharon Van Etten
- Kurt Vile
- Gillian Welch & David Rawlings
- Western Crooners
- Widespread Panic
- Lucinda Williams
- "Weird Al" Yankovic
- Yelawolf
- Dwight Yoakam
Merchandise
Soundtrack
In January 2012 a free 35 track soundtrack was released on the Adult Swim music site entitled The Squidbillies Present: Music for Americans Only Made by Americans in China for Americans Only God Bless America, U.S.A.Another album, entitled Squidbillies Double Platinum Gold was released on vinyl in July 2019.