Zeroman
Encyclopedia
Zeroman was a Canadian animated
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...

 television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...

 series that aired on the Canadian cartoon network Teletoon (in English) and on Télétoon
Télétoon (Canadian TV channel)
Télétoon is a Canadian French language Category A specialty channel that specializes in animation programming. Télétoon is owned by Teletoon Canada Inc; a 50/50 partnership between Astral Media and Corus Entertainment...

 (in French). It tells the adventures of incompetent sixty-six-year-old postman Les Mutton (voiced by Leslie Nielsen
Leslie Nielsen
Leslie William Nielsen, OC was a Canadian and naturalized American actor and comedian. Nielsen appeared in more than one hundred films and 1,500 television programs over the span of his career, portraying more than 220 characters...

) who also happens to be the superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...

 known as Zeroman. As Zeroman, Les fights the crime that plagues Fair City in a similar fashion to Nielsen's Lieutenant Frank Drebin character in the Naked Gun series. Although a second season was once announced as in production, the death of Leslie Nielsen guaranteed that another season will not happen.

Characters

Les Mutton/Zeroman: Played by Leslie Nielsen
Leslie Nielsen
Leslie William Nielsen, OC was a Canadian and naturalized American actor and comedian. Nielsen appeared in more than one hundred films and 1,500 television programs over the span of his career, portraying more than 220 characters...

, Les comes into the possession of an alien supersuit that grants the wearer superpowers
Superpower (ability)
Superpower is a popular culture term for a fictional superhuman ability. When a character possesses multiple such abilities, the terms super powers or simply powers are used...

, turning him into Fair City's hero, Zeroman. When not fighting crime as the Man of Zeal, Les Mutton is an absent-minded and mild-mannered postman who still lives with his mother at the age of sixty-three (he'll be sixty-four in three weeks). Zeroman maintains his secret identity similar to Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...

 but in reverse, whereas Les doesn't wear glasses and Zeroman does (the Zero-Specs are also a highly advanced communication system that allows him to keep in constant contact with Ty). Even though it's quite obvious that the two are the same person, the people of Fair City (with the exception of Ty and Gary) cannot seem to tell the difference and would even go as far as telling Les otherwise whenever his cover would be blown. This is obviously a fun jab at how Superman hides his secret identity of Clark Kent
Clark Kent
Clark Kent is a fictional character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Appearing regularly in stories published by DC Comics, he debuted in Action Comics #1 and serves as the civilian and secret identity of the superhero Superman....

. Zeroman's secret hideout is located under his mother's shabby suburban house. The main secret entrance is via the toilet in his washroom, and when activated by jiggling the handle and allowing the seat to scan his bum
Buttocks
The buttocks are two rounded portions of the anatomy, located on the posterior of the pelvic region of apes and humans, and many other bipeds or quadrupeds, and comprise a layer of fat superimposed on the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles. Physiologically, the buttocks enable weight to...

 print, it sends Les down the Poop-Chute through a network of tunnels to the underground caverns of his base. While not explained in detail, Les' father was a secret agent complete with Sean Connery
Sean Connery
Sir Thomas Sean Connery , better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards and three Golden Globes Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930), better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy...

 accent (the Zero-Specs were originally one of his spy
SPY
SPY is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* SPY , ticker symbol for Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts* SPY , a satirical monthly, trademarked all-caps* SPY , airport code for San Pédro, Côte d'Ivoire...

 gadgets). Les has romantic feelings for his co-worker, Sally, but can never really express them to her and seems unaware that she actually reciprocates them. Les is quite neurotic and not very bright with a tendency to misunderstand just about everything that is said to him, and his natural clumsiness, augmented by his cheerful obliviousness, is magnified to incredible proportions by the suit, but he is brave and good-hearted and is dedicated to fighting the forces of evil. He also has a strong love of his mother and goes into fetal position muttering "Mommy, mommy, mommy" when she gets kidnapped (Referred as "Mommy go bye-bye syndrome" by Ty).

Jaundice Mutton (Les Mutton's Mother): Jaundice Mutton simply wants her son to finally move out of the house and get married. She is a cruel and bitter old woman who is constantly annoyed at her inept son. Jaundice is also Zeroman's #1 fan, where the irony comes in as she simply loathes her son but is head over heels for his alter-ego, in the episode "Smotherly Love" taking the hero hostage like in the Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...

 novel/movie Misery
Misery (film)
Misery is a 1990 American Psychological Horror Film based on Stephen King's 1987 novel of the same name. Directed by Rob Reiner, the film received critical acclaim for Kathy Bates' performance as the psychopathic Annie Wilkes...

. Although publicity material states that Les' mother is played by Doris Roberts
Doris Roberts
Doris Roberts is an American character actress of film, stage and television. She has received five Emmy Awards. She began her career in 1952, and may be best-known as Marie Barone on Everybody Loves Raymond from 1996–2005....

, the character does not sound like her nor is her name listed in the voice credits.

Ty Cheese: Ty Cheese is a former secret agent who aids Zeroman in his fight against the evil-doers of Fair City. Ty provides Zeroman with technological and intelligence support as well as giving the inept hero the constant guidance and advice he so desperately needs because, as he says, "Ty is always right". He is implicitly homosexual, something which has been shown many times during the series as in Sally's cat fight with the super-sexy robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...

 assassin
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...

 Ann Droid in the episode "Artificial Intolerance" which simply resulted in the response of "It doesn't do anything for me" from Ty, and in the episode "Supersuit and Ty Required" where Zeroman decides to find a successor and rejects the notion of Ty being his heir, with Ty initially thinking that it is because of his sexuality, but at the end Les reveals it was because Zeroman wouldn't be Zeroman without Ty there to always help him). Ty was briefly the feline superhero Hellcat with Gary as his bovine sidekick Holy Cow when Zeroman was out of town at a hero convention in the episode "Peace Off". Ty is played by Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Rodney Reynolds is a Canadian film and television actor, best known for his roles in such films as National Lampoon's Van Wilder, Waiting..., The Amityville Horror, Just Friends, Definitely, Maybe, The Proposal, Buried, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and Green Lantern.One of his best known...

.

Sally Uberchick: Sally is Les' much younger co-worker and love interest. She has strong feelings for Les and is always waiting for him to make a move, but he never does because he is always called to action during their moments together. Sally is also known to be Zeroman's "main squeeze" by the people of Fair City, even though she constantly denies it as there is truly nothing going on between them. This gossip
Gossip
Gossip is idle talk or rumour, especially about the personal or private affairs of others, It is one of the oldest and most common means of sharing facts and views, but also has a reputation for the introduction of errors and variations into the information transmitted...

, of course, puts her in danger many times.

Gary Glengarry/O-Boy: Gary as O-Boy is Zeroman's obnoxious but loyal when the chips are down ten year old sidekick
Sidekick
A sidekick is a close companion who is generally regarded as subordinate to the one he accompanies. Some well-known fictional sidekicks are Don Quixote's Sancho Panza, Sherlock Holmes' Doctor Watson, The Lone Ranger's Tonto, The Green Hornet's Kato and Batman's Robin.-Origins:The origin of the...

-in-training, constantly getting into arguments with Ty over the matter and other general things relating to their mission and willing to use any means necessary, including sabotage
Sabotage
Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening another entity through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. In a workplace setting, sabotage is the conscious withdrawal of efficiency generally directed at causing some change in workplace conditions. One who engages in sabotage is...

, to get his chance to be an actual full-fledged superhero. An orphan
Orphan
An orphan is a child permanently bereaved of or abandoned by his or her parents. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents is called an orphan...

 who, despite his ambition, looks upon Zeroman as the father figure
Father Figure
"Father Figure" is the U.S. number-one song written and performed by George Michael and released on Columbia Records in 1988 as the third single from the album Faith.-History:...

 he never had, Gary is a boy millionaire
Millionaire
A millionaire is an individual whose net worth or wealth is equal to or exceeds one million units of currency. It can also be a person who owns one million units of currency in a bank account or savings account...

 who provides the financial backing for the team as well as a host of gadgets and other advanced technology that never seems to work properly.

Rusty Woodenwater: Rusty Woodenwater is a former child star
Child actor
The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began his or her acting career as a child; to avoid confusion, the latter is also called a former child actor...

 turned criminal mastermind. Rusty was once the most loved television personality of Fair City until he entered puberty
Puberty
Puberty is the process of physical changes by which a child's body matures into an adult body capable of reproduction, as initiated by hormonal signals from the brain to the gonads; the ovaries in a girl, the testes in a boy...

. During that life and career changing moment, he had his first acne
Acne
Acne is a general term used for acneiform eruptions. It is usually used as a synonym for acne vulgaris, but may also refer to:*Acne aestivalis*Acne conglobata*Acne cosmetica*Acne fulminans*Acne keloidalis nuchae*Acne mechanica...

 outbreak on-air during his show, which resulted in the eventual cancellation
Cancellation
A cancellation is a postal marking applied on a postage stamp or postal stationery to deface the stamp and prevent its re-use. Cancellations come in a huge variety of designs, shapes, sizes and colors...

 of his show and the decline of his career, ending when he was booed off his show. After falling from grace, Rusty went from being famous to becoming infamous as Fair City's most dangerous supervillain. The Zerosuit was also originally made for Rusty, this of course resulted in many attempts at trying to retrieve it from Zeroman which always ended up in failure. Even though he is an evil genius and criminal mastermind, Rusty on occasion throws fits and tantrums, and he has his henchmen Don and Ron do his dirty work due to basically being ineffectual as a villain. And like his arch-nemesis Zeroman, he also has a poor relationship with his mother, albeit Rusty's is far worse as his mother actually renounces Rusty as her son. Rusty's most distinguishing characteristics are his mullet
Mullet (haircut)
The mullet is a hairstyle that is short at the front and sides, and long in the back. . The mullet began to appear in popular media in the 1960s and 1970s but did not become generally well-known until the early 1980s...

-cut red hair and his annoyingly shrill voice. Kevin McDonald provides the voice of Rusty.

Don: Don is Rusty's former manager turned henchman, he is dressed up as a 40s
1940s
File:1940s decade montage.png|Above title bar: events which happened during World War II : From left to right: Troops in an LCVP landing craft approaching "Omaha" Beach on "D-Day"; Adolf Hitler visits Paris, soon after the Battle of France; The Holocaust occurred during the war as Nazi Germany...

 style gangster, with a tough, no-nonsense attitude and the catchphrase "Ba-wango!". He is modeled after former NHL coach and hockey personality Don Cherry who also provides the voice for him.

Ron: Ron is Rusty's former publicist
Publicist
A publicist is a person whose job is to generate and manage publicity for a public figure, especially a celebrity, a business, or for a work such as a book, film or album...

 turned henchman, in dress and deportment quite the opposite of his curmudgeonly counterpart Don, often serving as a whipping boy
Whipping boy
A whipping boy was a young boy who was assigned to a young prince and was punished when the prince misbehaved or fell behind in his schooling. Whipping boys were established in the English court during the monarchies of the 15th century and 16th centuries...

 for his ill-tempered companions. Like Don, Ron is modeled after and voiced by hockey personality Ron MacLean
Ron MacLean
Ronald Harold "Ron" MacLean is a Canadian sportscaster for the CBC who is best known as the host of Hockey Night in Canada.-Early life and career:...

. Don and Ron have similar interactions to their real-life counterparts on the Coach's Corner
Hockey Night in Canada
Hockey Night in Canada is the branding used for CBC Sports' presentations of the National Hockey League...

 segment of Hockey Night in Canada
Hockey Night in Canada
Hockey Night in Canada is the branding used for CBC Sports' presentations of the National Hockey League...

.

Mayor Todd MacWadd: He is the friendly and naive mayor of Fair City who issues the order to summon Zeroman when needed via a catapult
Catapult
A catapult is a device used to throw or hurl a projectile a great distance without the aid of explosive devices—particularly various types of ancient and medieval siege engines. Although the catapult has been used since ancient times, it has proven to be one of the most effective mechanisms during...

 on top of City Hall
City hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall or a municipal building or civic centre, is the chief administrative building of a city...

 which launches the "Great Flaming Holes!" (huge truck
Truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...

 tires which have been set on fire) off into the sky in random directions, usually causing damage to property throughout the surrounding city when they crash to the ground. He resembles the character Jay Sherman from The Critic
The Critic
The Critic is an American prime time animated series revolving around the life of film critic Jay Sherman, voiced by actor Jon Lovitz. It was created by Al Jean and Mike Reiss, both of whom had worked as writers on The Simpsons. The Critic had 23 episodes produced, first broadcast on ABC in 1994,...

as well as the actor who plays Jay Sherman, Jon Lovitz
Jon Lovitz
Jonathan "Jon" Lovitz is an American comedian, actor, and singer. He is best known as a cast member of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live from 1985 to 1990.-Early life:...

.

Helga: Helga is the corrupt police chief of Fair City who is in love with Rusty, giving him aid and comfort with his criminal schemes. She is a large woman with a Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...

 accent.

Zerosuit

The Zerosuit grants its wearer invulnerability (although not completely, especially in areas like the solar plexus where the weave is thinner), flight (taking to the air with a cry of "Out, Out and Away!" apparently through a form of super-flatulence
Flatulence
Flatulence is the expulsion through the rectum of a mixture of gases that are byproducts of the digestion process of mammals and other animals. The medical term for the mixture of gases is flatus, informally known as a fart, or simply gas...

), superhuman strength and various other abilities, including shooting sticky glue
Glue
This is a list of various types of glue. Historically, the term "glue" only referred to protein colloids prepared from animal flesh. The meaning has been extended to refer to any fluid adhesive....

-like super-mucus
Mucus
In vertebrates, mucus is a slippery secretion produced by, and covering, mucous membranes. Mucous fluid is typically produced from mucous cells found in mucous glands. Mucous cells secrete products that are rich in glycoproteins and water. Mucous fluid may also originate from mixed glands, which...

 out of his nose when his allergies get particularly bad as in the episode "The Humidifier". But, even though the suit grants its user incredible power, the suit is susceptible to anti-static sheets. When affected by them, the suit wearer is incapacitated, handicapped and put through immense pain as the suit begins to bulge uncontrollably.

Cast

  • Leslie Nielsen
    Leslie Nielsen
    Leslie William Nielsen, OC was a Canadian and naturalized American actor and comedian. Nielsen appeared in more than one hundred films and 1,500 television programs over the span of his career, portraying more than 220 characters...

    ... Les Mutton/Zeroman
  • Norman Mikeal Berketa... Mayor MacWadd, Bucky Dentyne, Various
  • Don Cherry... Don
  • Ron MacLean
    Ron MacLean
    Ronald Harold "Ron" MacLean is a Canadian sportscaster for the CBC who is best known as the host of Hockey Night in Canada.-Early life and career:...

    ... Ron
  • David L. McCallum... Reverend Loveglove, Dirk Dinkle, Various
  • Kevin McDonald
    Kevin McDonald
    Kevin Hamilton McDonald is a Canadian comedian and actor, known as a member of the Canadian sketch comedy group The Kids in the Hall.-Early life:...

    ... Rusty Woodenwater
  • Chantal Quesnel
    Chantal Quesnel
    Chantal Quesnel is a Canadian actress. She currently is a voice actor for the TV animated series Zeroman, shown in Canada on Teletoon.-Career:...

    ... Sally Uberchick, Ann Droid (2004)
  • Ryan Reynolds
    Ryan Reynolds
    Ryan Rodney Reynolds is a Canadian film and television actor, best known for his roles in such films as National Lampoon's Van Wilder, Waiting..., The Amityville Horror, Just Friends, Definitely, Maybe, The Proposal, Buried, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and Green Lantern.One of his best known...

    ... Ty Cheese
  • Doris Roberts
    Doris Roberts
    Doris Roberts is an American character actress of film, stage and television. She has received five Emmy Awards. She began her career in 1952, and may be best-known as Marie Barone on Everybody Loves Raymond from 1996–2005....

    ?
    ... Jaundice Mutton (Les Mutton's mother)
  • James Watts... Gary Glengarry/O Boy
  • J.D. Wilson... Various

Trivia

Most of the characters are actually modeled after their voice actors. Les/Zeroman, Ty, Rusty, Don and Ron all share many resemblances to their real-life counterparts (Reynolds, who voiced Ty, used to have a moustache
Moustache
A moustache is facial hair grown on the outer surface of the upper lip. It may or may not be accompanied by a type of beard, a facial hair style grown and cropped to cover most of the lower half of the face.-Etymology:...

).

External links

  • CBC (August 11, 2004) - Article on Leslie Nielsen in Zeroman.
  • Amberwood Entertainment - The animation studio that produces Zeroman.
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