Clarence is Ending

(sources: its Wikipedia page, and a tweet from one of the VAs.)

Final record for #Clarence was this past week. Thank you @cartoonnetwork 💖 Voicing Chelsea has been great fun & an honor these past years! pic.twitter.com/9onGpUyWRV

— Grace Kaufman (@ImGraceKaufman) April 1, 2017

If there was a cartoon series today that was pretty well-documented behind the scenes, while barely known on-screen, it would be Clarence. And that's too bad; as it was a very good, very well-written and very sweet, humbling, heartwarming and hilarious (at times) little cartoon that could.

I mentioned this series twice during its original run; once after news of its creator Skyler Page was fired after sexually assaulting female members of the show's staff (please check that out...if you dare)

and second back on Halloween 2014 when the scene of the first gay couple in a cartoon series made nationwide news--please check that out...seriously, it's still one of my highest-read posts ever.) but sadly, this series isn't as well-known as other Cartoon Network shows. I guess because the titular main character is weird and annoying, the plots are recycled and stale, the episodes are boring and tedious, and overall unwatchable. If that's the case, then why are Steven Universe and Teen Titans Go! still one of the most-watched series on the network?

The characters had different backgrounds doing different things. Sure, that's the plot for every series ever, but Clarence is a simple slice-of-life show that's both super humbling, not-at-all high concept and still openly hilarious. And compared to other CN shows, it's very sobering (at least until We Bare Bears came along, and that's not on the same level).

When I first watched, I didn't have many expectations, even if it was one of the most normal and realistic (to a high extant) show on CN. When watching, it had a very-low key, humbling feeling with touches of nostalgia to the times we all were kids. It was nice to see kids being kids, without being too excitable or at all a high-concept. I thought the series was pretty good and the characters were really likable and would be a show I would watch regularly. Unfortunately I didn't, but did have a few chances to and really enjoyed it. Even with the controversy surrounding Page being a major perv (and his character of Clarence being voiced by writer Spencer Rothbell afterward [to great performance IMO]), it was hard to ignore this series for how good it was most of the time. And now that it's ending production after three seasons (at first, I honestly thought there were two; I am so far behind), it's sad to hear and see. I'll miss it for now, I regret not watching it more (mostly to not having cable) and I'll do my best to binge it before and after it ends.

For now, all I can do is say thank you to the crew for working so hard to put it all together so wonderfully, the cast for their amazing performances to such amazing characters and yes, even Skyler Page for creating this show and putting it all together.

Clarence was a simple little show, but a great simple little show.