The Tick (television)

In 2001, FOX attempted to revive the Animated Series The Tick in a live action format with Patrick "Puddy" Warburton in the title role. American Maid and Die Fliedermaus were absent due to licensing and rights issues, being replaced by near-lookalikes Captain Liberty and Batmanuel. Although some of the animated show's style and wit was retained, along with different humor, it was too expensive to have The Protagonists actually battle evildoers, so the show was often more Seinfeld-in-tights, although did provide some comedic Deconstructions. It was canceled before it could run a whole season. Where's the siege?! (Probably didn't help anything that the last Episode, The Terror was scheduled to run on 9/11/2001.) Watch it legally here.

Not to be confused with the 2016 reboot.


 * Call Back: Batmanuel is referred to as Die Fliedermaus by Destroyo in "The Tick vs The Trial".
 * Captain Ersatz: All over the place. This series even had them for the major characters of the animated series.
 * Captain Geographic: Captain Liberty.
 * Captain Patriotic: Captain Liberty is a spoof of this.
 * The City, called, oddly enough, "The City". It's said to have been poorly Anglicized from the French "Les Citrons" (The Lemons). Apparently early French explorers found a large quantity of some kind of fruit in the area.
 * Cleavage Window: Captain Liberty's outfit has a star-shaped window. Destroyo remarks on it in his Hannibal Lecture.
 * Cloudcuckoolander: Tick, turned to 11.
 * 11? The Tick's dial goes all the way to "Justice"!
 * The Ditz: The Tick.
 * Expy: Since the live action version couldn't get all the rights to characters from the animated version, Die Fledermaus became Bat-Manuel and American Maid became Captain Liberty.
 * Everything's Better with Cows: The off-screen fifty-foot fire-lactating bovine known as Apocalypse Cow.
 * Evil Old Folks: The Terror, a crazy old has-been supervillain who used to be buddies with Stalin. Back in the day he used to be a credible threat; these days, not so much, but he still gives Arthur and The Tick a good go of it.
 * Genius Ditz: The Tick may be very, very ditzy in just about everything, but he has shown a certain level of philosophical thought in some cases. Especially so in the second episode, where he learns that everyone (even potatoes) can die, and after thinking about it for about a minute, gives Arthur a motivating speech that actually makes sense.
 * It's All About Me: Sure Destroyo tried to nuke The City, but Batmanuel had the right of way, and he should not get higher car insurance because of it.
 * Lantern Jaw of Justice: Really, just look at the Tick's profile (preferably against the Tick-signal).
 * Live Action Adaptation
 * Meganekko: Arthur's sister Dot
 * No Export for You: Finally averted when the live-action version got its UK premiere, in January of 2011. At 9PM on a Friday night.
 * No Name Given: The Tick
 * Out with a Bang: Captain Liberty sleeps with The Immortal, which somehow gives him a heart attack and kills him. This was a guy who once fought a man made out of black holes!
 * Screams Like a Little Girl: Arthur, making The Tick think it's a Damsel in Distress.
 * Superhero
 * Too Good to Last
 * Where the Hell Is Springfield?: The Tick fights crime in a city named The City.