Software:SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron

SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron
SWAT Kats season 2 title card, featuring T-Bone, Razor, and the Turbokat.
Created by	Christian Tremblay Yvon Tremblay
Developed by	Glenn Leopold Davis Doi
Directed by	Robert Alvarez
Voices of	Charlie Adler Lori Alan Jim Cummings Barry Gordon Mark Hamill Tress MacNeille Candi Milo Gary Owens
Composer(s)	Randall Crissman
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	23 (regular) 1 (special) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Buzz Potamkin
Producer(s)	Davis Doi (1993–1994)
Running time	22–26 minutes
Production company(s)	Hanna-Barbera Productions
Distributor	Turner Program Services (former) Warner Bros. Television Distribution (through Warner Bros. Family Entertainment and Turner Entertainment) (currently)
Release
Original network	TBS (1993−1995)
Picture format	480i 480p SDTV 720p 1080i 1080p HDTV
Audio format	Dolby SR
Original release	September 11, 1993 (1993-09-11) – January 6, 1995 (1995-01-06)

SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron is an American animated television series created by Christian and Yvon Tremblay and produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The series takes place in the fictional metropolis of Megakat City, which is populated by anthropomorphic felines, known as "kats". The titular SWAT Kats are two vigilante pilots who possess a state-of-the-art fighter jet with an array of weaponry. Throughout the series, they face various villains as well as competition from Megakat City's militarized police force called the Enforcers.

The show originally premiered and ran on the syndication block The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera, as well as TBS Superstation (as a part of the Sunday Morning In Front Of The TV block) from 1993 to 1995. Every episode of the series was directed by Robert Alvarez. The bulk of the series was written by Glenn Leopold (13 episodes) or Lance Falk (6 episodes). Jim Stenstrum contributed two episodes, while David Ehrman, Von Williams, Eric Clark (with Lance Falk), Mark Saraceni and Jim Katz all contributed one episode each. A total of twenty-three finished episodes (two were cut into two segments, making twenty-five when counted individually) and a special episode, that features a report on the SWAT Kats and of all their missions and gadgets as well as three unfinished episodes and two episodes still in the concept stage.

The show re-aired on Cartoon Network and Boomerang. A revival of the series was funded via Kickstarter, which ended with over $140,000 in funds, guaranteeing new SWAT Kats animation for the first time in over two decades.

Overview

Chance "T-Bone" Furlong and Jake "Razor" Clawson were members of Megakat City's paramilitary law enforcement agency, known as the Enforcers. They were discharged from the Enforcers after disobeying the orders of Commander Feral, which resulted in the destruction of the newly built Enforcer Headquarters. While in pursuit of Dark Kat, one of the main arch-villains of the series, the two rebelled against Enforcer Commander Feral's orders to fall back and leave Dark Kat to him. When they objected, citing their already-acquired target lock, Commander Feral crowded out their jet, clipping their wing and sending Chance and Jake's jet crashing into Enforcer headquarters. The resultant explosion distracted Commander Feral, allowing Dark Kat's escape. The Commander took no responsibility for the incident, and discharged Chance and Jake from the Enforcers and reassigned them to work at the city's military salvage yard to pay for the damage to the Enforcer Headquarters which Feral caused.

Using discarded military parts and weapons from the salvage yard, Chance and Jake built themselves a three-engine jet fighter called the Turbokat, which resembled several different jet fighters, most notably the Grumman F-14 and the Saab Draken, along with a handful of other vehicles such as the Cyclotron (a motorcycle built into the jet's seating, deployed from the bomb bay of the Turbokat like a missile), the TurboMole (a subterranean vehicle used to drill underground), the HoverKat (a militarized hovercraft), and the Thunder Truck (a militarized Jeep modified from their tow truck). All these vehicles were stored, along with a training area and other equipment, in a secret hangar below the yard. T-Bone and Razor now patrol Megakat City as the SWAT Kats, defending it against any kind of menace that threatens the city. Their enemies include the criminal mastermind Dark Kat, the undead sorcerer Pastmaster, the mutant evil genius Doctor Viper, and the robotic gangsters the Metallikats. The SWAT Kats also face many villains-of-the-week, such as Madkat and Volcanus.

The SWAT Kats keep their identities secret from everyone, including their closest ally Deputy Mayor Callie Briggs, who assumes the responsibilities of both her post and of her boss, Mayor Manx, who mainly neglects his political duties in favor of pastimes like golf. Their methods do not endear them to Commander Feral, and the three of them often clash throughout the series. In the second season, Feral's niece Felina (who holds a lieutenant rank in the Enforcers) becomes another ally of the SWAT Kats.

Characters

• Chance Furlong (alias: T-Bone) (voiced by Charlie Adler)
• Jake Clawson (alias: Razor) (voiced by Barry Gordon)

International broadcasters

Other countries have aired this series around the world.

Country / Region	Network(s)	Broadcast run	Title	Language (original or dubbed)	Notes
Arab League	Several Arab Television stations		سوات كاتس: الأسطول الرائع	Arabic	Dubbed by Venus Centre in Syria.
Australia	Cartoon Network	October 31, 1995	SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron	English (original)	Re-runs of the cartoon has aired around 2001.
Brazil	Cartoon Network Boomerang Rede Globo SBT Central Nacional de Televisão	April 11, 1994	SWAT Kats	Brazilian Portuguese
Canada	Teletoon	1997	SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron	English (original)
China	Dragon Club		霹雳特警猫	Mandarin Chinese (China)
France	Cartoon Network		SWAT Kats	European French
Hong Kong	TVB Jade		霹靂特警貓	Cantonese Chinese
Hungary	Cartoon Network		Kandúr kommandó	Hungarian
India	Cartoon Network	1996 (English version) January 4, 1999 – 2000 (Hindi version)	SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron (English) स्वैट कैट्स: द रैडिकल स्क्वाड्रन (Hindi)	English (original) Hindi	Hindi Dub made by Sound & Vision India for Cartoon Network.
Italy	Rai 2	1996	Swat Kats (original title) Gatti Volanti (broadcasting name)	Italian
Japan	TBS	October 7, 1994 – March 17, 1995	スワットカッツ	Japanese
Netherlands	Cartoon Network	July 12, 1997	SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron	Dutch English (original)	Aired on launch day with both the original English audio and with a Dutch dub.
New Zealand	Cartoon Network	October 31, 1995	SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron	English (original)	Re-runs of the cartoon has aired around 2001.
Poland	TVP2	?	SWAT Kats: Radykalny szwadron	?
Portugal	SIC	1995	SWAT Kats	Brazilian Portuguese (imported)	No European Portuguese dub was actually produced locally. SIC decided to import and broadcast the Brazilian Portuguese dub instead.
Romania	Cartoon Network		SWAT Kats	Romanian
Russia	Unknown channel		Коты быстрого реагирования	Russian
Serbia	Unknown channel		СВОТ мачке	Serbian
South Korea	KBS	1996-1997	스와트 캣츠	Korean
Spain	La 1		SWAT Kats: El Escuadrón Radical	European Spanish
Sweden	Cartoon Network		SWAT Kats	Swedish
Taiwan	Cartoon Network	1996	霹靂特警貓	Mandarin Chinese (Taiwan)
United Kingdom	Cartoon Network Children's BBC	1993-1995	SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron	English (original)	Aired as part of the European feed, before the UK and Ireland had their own separate feed.
United States	TBS Cartoon Network Boomerang	September 11, 1993 – January 6, 1995	SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron	English (original) Latin Spanish	This country is where the series originated from. A Latin Spanish dub has also been produced in the Los Angeles state.
Vietnam	Not aired yet	Not aired yet	SWAT Kats: Các cấp tiến hải đội	Vietnamese
Mexico	Cartoon Network, Televisa Canal 5	1995 – 1998	SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron (Spanish) Swat Kats:Escuadron Radical (Hindi)	Spanish Spanish	Latin American Dubbing made in Los Angeles Was used for Cartoon Network Latin America and Local television broadcasters.

Home media releases

In July 1995, Hanna-Barbera (through Turner Home Entertainment) released three VHS collections with two select episodes on each. These releases also included some of the "Secret Files of SWAT Kats" clips that ended each episode in original airings. The VHS releases were titled:

"Deadly Dr. Viper" - featuring "Destructive Nature" and "Katastrophe".

"Strike of Dark Kat" - featuring "The Wrath of Dark Kat" and "Night of Dark Kat".

"Metallikats Attack" - featuring "The Metallikats" and "Metal Urgency".

On December 14, 2010, Warner Archive released SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron- The Complete Series Collection on DVD in region 1, as part of their Hanna–Barbera Classics Collection. This is a Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) release, available exclusively through Warner's online store and Amazon.com.

The episodes themselves aren't remastered, and the DVDs contain no extras or bonus features, although three scenes that were originally cut from the show were restored for the DVD. However, Warner Bros. put the end credits for the episodes in the wrong order, meaning voice actors either weren't credited for episodes they were in, or were credited for ones they weren’t. Only a few episodes had their proper end credits intact. On March 3, 2011, Warner Bros. removed SWAT Kats from its DVD page. On January 19, 2012, Warner Archive re-released the SWAT Kats set with the end credits corrected.

Reception and cancellation

SWAT Kats became the number one syndicated animated show of 1994, according to Nielsen Television Index (NTI) and Nielsen Syndication Service (NSS). Toon Magazine documented the success of SWAT Kats in its Fall 1994 issue. Due to the program's success, Hanna Barbera Productions planned to release new episodes, posters, and other works in 1995. However, the show was ultimately canceled with three unfinished episodes.

Ted Turner, owner of Turner Entertainment which produced and aired the show, was reportedly displeased with the level of violence in the cartoon, leading to the delay of its merchandising and its eventual cancellation. Turner went on record in front of Congress and in an early 1995 interview after the show's cancellation, stated that "We have more cartoons than anybody: The Flintstones, The Jetsons, the Smurfs, Scooby-Doo. They're nonviolent. We don't have to worry that we're encouraging kids to kill each other - like SOME of the other cartoon programs do."

Revival

On July 23, 2015, Christian and Yvon Tremblay announced a Kickstarter campaign to revive SWAT Kats, seeking to produce a new series, and if possible, a 70-minute film. On July 24, one day after the campaign began, the Kickstarter successfully reached its first funding goal of $50,000, needed for production of concept art and promotional material, which the pair had aimed to use to help them find an investor who would be interested in helping with the revival.

A more major goal of $200,000 would allow the pair to produce a 22-minute episode, while a pledge total of $1,000,000 would allow them to do a mini-series of five episodes. Their highest pledge, $1.5 million or more, would help them to make a film of the SWAT Kats. The campaign ended on August 22, 2015, with $141,500 pledged, and already passing another goal of $100,000 will help to create a 2-minute-long trailer of how the series should look.

On February 17, 2016, the Tremblay Brothers confirmed they had started development on the trailer, which they will show to a TV company in order to have the green light for production on SWAT Kats Revolution.

Christian Tremblay, along with Warner Animation, convinced Warner Bros. into bringing back SWAT Kats on Boomerang Channel / Cartoon Network, but were unable to convince the parent network to commit for a new series, and thus passed on the project. However, Tremblay is currently working with investors to create independent episodes of SWAT Kats that will be available online for streaming.

In other media

Toys

Remco produced a line of action figures in 1994 which included T-Bone, Razor, Dr. Viper and Dark Kat. Both White Castle and Carl's Jr. have offered SWAT Kats toys in their kids' meals in the 1990s.

Video game

The game SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron, developed by AIM, was released by Hudson Soft on June 9, 1995, for Japan and August 21, 1995, in North America for the Super NES.

See also

• List of anthropomorphic animal superheroes

External links

• SWAT Kats - Cartoon Network Department of Cartoons (Archive)
• SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron on IMDb