Downtown



Downtown, or MTV's Downtown, was an animated series on MTV on urban life, based on interviews with real people. The show followed a diverse and ethnically diverse cast who live in New York City, and presents their everyday lives through quirky, humorous, and imaginative perspectives from the characters. It was created by Chris Prynoski, a former animator on Beavis and Butthead, and produced by David McGrath. In 2000, Downtown was nominated for an Emmy in the category of Outstanding Animated Program.

Like many of MTV's other cartoons, it lasted only one season of 13 episodes. There has been an outcry for a DVD release of the series. The use of an original score rather than licensed music would make such a DVD release easier. Prynoski sublimated the lack of an official Paramount DVD release by way of offering a promotional DVD via his blog, which includes all episodes of the series in DVD quality.

Downtown features examples of:
"Mecca: Oh, I love yards sales. You can get clothes so cheap. Chaka: Mecca, They have other people's sweat in them. Jen: Chaka, where do you think this stuff comes from, a time capsule? No, I buy it off people who think it's worthless, dry clean it and mark it up 1000%."
 * Alpha Bitch: Chaka, though more to Alex than her classmates.
 * Anything That Moves: Leah does this, to the point where she interupts sex with one guy to hook up with another one right in the middle.
 * As Himself: The Undertaker of the WWE once "appeared" as himself when the gang went to a comic book convention.
 * Beneath the Earth: Fruity, Matt and Chaka venture into the subway tunnels in New York so Matt can tag the trains. While they wander around, they talk about all the crazy inhabitants of whom they've heard tell. Suggestions include survivalists, mole people, giant electric eels and transit cops who stage fights. And then there's the abandoned yet functional station they really DO stumble across...
 * Bifauxnen: Jen disguises herself with just a hat and coat to follow Serena. Even the cops who stop and frisk Jen think she's a guy.
 * A dumpy guy in a knit hat.
 * Big Applesauce
 * Brilliant but Lazy: Alex is a National Merit Scholar and went to engineering school for two years, but doesn't like engineering. He seems content to work at a copy shop until he knows what he wants to do.
 * Casanova Wannabe: Fruity. Oh dear lord, Fruity. He's not completely unsuccessfull with the ladies, but the few people he manages to attract are either Axe Crazy or not quite as pretty as the Halloween makeup and nighttime lighting made it seem.
 * Deadpan Snarker: Jen.
 * Catholic School Girls Rule: Why Fruity first dated Patty, the meanest Catholic school-girl in town.
 * Cold Opening
 * Coolest Club Ever: Episode 103 featured the local dive under Alex's apartment being turned into a massively trendy, popular club. Chaka is thrilled, especially since she can sneak in through the back from within the apartment building. Alex, who has to sleep above the pounding techno music, is less thrilled.
 * Conspiracy Theorist: Goat. His theory involves Pigmen and turning New York City into Toronto.
 * Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette: Serena, being a goth and all.
 * When she changes from goth to "normal" look in the final episode, her skin isn't pale anymore, so it was probably just makeup.
 * Fake-Out Make-Out: Alex and Jen do this to fool their limo driver in "The Limo."
 * Friends with Benefits: Alex and Jen discuss this in "The Limo."
 * Furry Fandom: A furry art/comics/cosplay group appears on a comic book convention, right next to the booth that Fruity and Matt are manning for Starbase 51. Noteable since this episode came out long before furries ever appeared in other mainstream media.
 * Garage Sale:

"(Fruity, Matt and Chaka search the subway tunnels for the right spot for Matt to "tag" with graffiti.) Fruity: Get it over with already! Matt: Gotta find the right spot, B. Chaka: If only all guys were like you."
 * Known Only By Their Nickname: Goat and Fruity never revealed their actual names. Goat's first or last name *might* be Scott.
 * He does respond with, "How do you know my real name?" However, Desmond may also be one of his names.
 * Mushroom Samba: Chaka eats some "funny" candy and starts tripping... in the middle of a Halloween parade in Greenwich Village.
 * Nerds Are Virgins: Alex's friends. Whether Alex himself is a virgin is nebulous.
 * The Not Love Interest: Jen and Alex.
 * Once More, with Clarity: When Jen follows Serena, she goes to various places: to a shady back alley, an upscale apartment building, and a strip club. Jen assumes the worst. When Serena goes to Alex's copy store, Serena explains what she was doing at each place. She went to pick up some herbal medicines (the shady back alley), watered her aunt's plants (the apartment building), and retrieved some concert tickets (the strip club).
 * Or So I Heard: "And not an upscale stripclub like Scores, but one where the girls have nasty implant scars... not that I've been there or anything."
 * Perky Goth: Serena. To some, her exotic goth style can seem off-putting, but she's a very likable, positive person.
 * Right Through the Wall: Jen's roommate Leah often does this, to Jen's annoyance.
 * She Is Not My Girlfriend: Alex has to explain this about Jen fairly often. Not to mention the Gender reversed version that Jen has to point out as well.
 * Stealth Pun:


 * Subways Suck: In Episode 102, a battle-of-the-sexes train race of Chaka and Mecca vs. Matt and Fruity to get to Coney Island. Chaka acts impulsively and takes random trains while Mecca is too spineless to stop her. Matt looks at the maps, makes a plan and firmly sticks to it despite Fruity's complaints, but all for nothing when their train line ends abruptly due to construction.
 * Ted Baxter: Again, Fruity, and to a lesser extent, Chaka.
 * Unlucky Childhood Friend: Inverted with the relationship between Jen and Alex. Various characters assume that the two of them are or should be sleeping together, despite their vehement protests to the contrary. Although after a conversation about.
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair: Mecca.
 * Chaka wears a blue wig in one episode.
 * You Need to Get Laid: Mentioned by Jen to one of Alex's friends. He thinks "Laid" is a Star Wars Expanded Universe action figure he hasn't heard of.