TV audiences are likely in a golden age for adult-skewed animation, both on the action-oriented and hyper-violent side and on the hilariously obscene and foul-mouthed side. From BoJack Horseman to Castlevania to The Shivering Truth to Robert Kirkman's upcoming Invincible adaptation, the choices are plentiful, and there are hardly any bad apples in the bunch. HBO Max has already carved out a spot for itself with winners such as J.Q. Quintel's Close Enough and Kaley Cuoco's Harley Quinn, and the streaming service has now announced it's moving forward with a reboot of the short-lived MTV series Clone High from LEGO Movie creators Phil Lord and Chris Miller.
Though Clone High didn't win a lot of people over when it first aired on MTV for a single season from 2002-2003, it has since gone on to become something of a cult hit, but one that tends to get far less attention than other cult MTV and cable comedies of the '90s and '00s. It definitely speaks to the power of such slow-building fandoms that HBO Max has already guaranteed Clone High's reboot will outlast the original, with the streaming service officially ordering up two seasons from the jump. It's like someone at HBO Max has been reading my dream journal.
HBO Max's announcement also confirmed that Clone High is welcoming back its trio of creators in Phil Lord, Chris Miller, and Bill Lawrence, with the latter of Scrubs and Ted Lasso fame. Those three were a large part of why the original series was so damned silly and weird and lovable, so it rocks that they'll all be back, with Lord and Miller taking on writing duties as well as executive producing. Another returning talent is OG Clone High writer Erica Rivinoja, who will serve as the showrunner for the reboot.
Clone High is one of those shows that you either know and love with all your Gandhi-sized heart, or you barely have any recognition of what it is, and it's criminal that the second option even exists. The show, which parodied the rise of teen melodramas inspired by Beverly Hills 90210 and others, centered on a high school populated by the clones of historical figures. Will Forte starred as Abe Lincoln, love interest to Nicole Sullivan's Joan of Arc, with an ensemble cast that also included Michael McDonald, Christa Miller, Donald Faison, Neil Flynn, Zack Braff, Joe Flaherty, and more. (Did you catch all those Scrubs vets there?)
At this point, it's unclear who will be joining the Clone High reboot's cast, and which historical figures will be on display. Considering Gandhi in particular received such a big backlash in India upon the original's airing, it'll be interesting to see who makes the cut. JFK accents never get old, right?
Thankfully, HBO Max also announced that Close Enough is getting at least two more seasons, with the second batch of episodes airing on February 25. That'll surely tide viewers over until we hear a little more about Clone High at some point. Maybe Paul Revere could yell the news from house to house.
