The Savage Dragon (TV series)

The Savage Dragon is a half-hour animated television series aired as part of the Cartoon Express on the USA Network.[1] Co-produced by Universal Cartoon Studios, P3 Entertainment, Lacewood Productions for season 1 and Studio B Productions for season 2, it ran for 26 episodes from 1995 to 1996 and featured numerous supporting characters from the comic book series, including She-Dragon, Horde, Barbaric, Mako and Overlord.

The Savage Dragon
GenreSuperhero
Based onSavage Dragon
by Erik Larsen
Developed byDean Stefan (seasons 1–2)
Bob Forward (season 2)
Directed byCraig Wilson
Chris Bartleman (season 2)
Voices ofJim Cummings
Danny Mann
Jennifer Hale
Dorian Harewood
René Auberjonois
Frank Welker
Kath Soucie
Rob Paulsen
Jeff Glen Bennett
Tony Jay
ComposersSean Murray
Shawn K. Clement (season 2)
Country of originUnited States
Canada
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes26
Production
Executive producersSheldon S. Wiseman
Scott De Las Casas
Erik Larsen (season 1)
Brian Ray (season 2)
ProducersWeldon Poapst
Chris Bartleman (season 2)
Blair Peters (season 2)
Running time22 minutes
Production companiesLacewood Productions
(season 1)
Studio B Productions
(season 2)
Universal Cartoon Studios
P3 Entertainment
USA Studios
Original release
NetworkUSA Network
ReleaseSeptember 21, 1995 (1995-09-21) –
December 21, 1996 (1996-12-21)

The Dragon was voiced by Jim Cummings.[2] Additional voices were provided by Mark Hamill, Michael Dorn, Jennifer Hale, René Auberjonois, Frank Welker, Paul Eiding, Rob Paulsen and Tony Jay.

The series is currently available to stream on Peacock.

Cast

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Main cast

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Additional voices

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Episodes

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Season 1 (1995–1996)

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No.TitleWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code
1"R.S.V.P."Steve Roberts
Duane Capizzi
October 21, 1995 (1995-10-21)101
Overlord and Arachnis abduct Alex and Frank to kidnap Dragon.
2"Possession"Henry GilroyOctober 26, 1995 (1995-10-26)102
Lab workers mysteriously develop criminal behavior, and Barbaric is the latest victim. Dragon soon discovers it is the work of a leech-covered creature named Horde.
3"Undercover"Steve RobertsNovember 2, 1995 (1995-11-02)103
Alex goes undercover as a freak to infiltrate the Vicious Circle.
4"Dragonsmasher"Ernie JonNovember 9, 1995 (1995-11-09)104
Dragon discovers a plot between Overlord and an unscrupulous congressional candidate, and must battle a cyborg called "the Dragonsmasher".
5"Locomotion"Steve CudenNovember 15, 1995 (1995-11-15)105
Overlord's henchmen take over a train Alex is on, so they can destroy an unfinished tunnel.
6"She-Dragon"Henry GilroyDecember 20, 1995 (1995-12-20)106
Wannabe crime fighter She-Dragon screws up Dragon's work, but they must team up when Alex is kidnapped.
7"Hurt"Richard StanleyDecember 13, 1995 (1995-12-13)107
Superfreak Bludgeon wants revenge on Dragon for arresting his partner. Meanwhile, Alex falls for a paramedic prejudiced against freaks, putting a wedge in her and Dragon's relationship.
8"Web"Steve RobertsNovember 22, 1995 (1995-11-22)108
Dragon is sent to a southern town to bring prisoners back to Chicago, but must team up with the town's sheriff to stop a rash of disappearances.
9"Hit-Man"Steve CudenDecember 7, 1995 (1995-12-07)109
Overlord clones Dragon to gain access to a freak mayoral candidate and assassinate him.
10"Red-Handed"Richard StanleyJanuary 3, 1996 (1996-01-03)110
Dragon finally sends Overlord to prison, but is shocked when Barbaric breaks him free.
11"Loathing"Richard StanleyJanuary 10, 1996 (1996-01-10)111
Dragon tries to stop the Fiend, who feeds off hate and uses humans as hosts.
12"Rampage"Shari GoodhartzDecember 28, 1995 (1995-12-28)112
A trio of freak bikers demand She-Dragon is handed over to them after she damages one of their bikes.
13"Armageddon"Henry GilroyJanuary 17, 1996 (1996-01-17)113
Alex, Dragon, and She-Dragon must stop a resurrected Horde from destroying the ozone layer.

Season 2 (1996)

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No.TitleWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code
14"Bull"Wendy ReardonSeptember 18, 1996 (1996-09-18)201
Mysterious robberies are being committed in high rises, and Deagon must stop them. Meanwhile, Alex falls for freak actor Raging Bull, whose series mimics Dragon's life.
15"She-Fiend"Bob ForwardSeptember 25, 1996 (1996-09-25)202
The Fiend takes over She-Dragon's body.
16"Homecoming"Bruce Shelly
Reed Shelly
October 2, 1996 (1996-10-02)203
After discovering a picture of Dragon as a child, Alex and Dragon try to follow the lead.
17"Loose Cannons"Reed ShellyOctober 9, 1996 (1996-10-09)204
Three freak bikers try to kill Dragon to join the Vicious Circle. Meanwhile, She-Dragon becomes a police officer after saving the mayor.
18"Star"Jess WinfieldOctober 16, 1996 (1996-10-16)205
Dragon tries to discover the identity of the mysterious Spider-Man-esque vigilante Star, who he suspects to be an egotistical rock star. Meanwhile, Alex's anti-freak Gun is stolen by Skullface.
19"Barbarism"Bob ForwardOctober 23, 1996 (1996-10-23)206
Barbaric's home is destroyed when Dragon battles the freak group Body Function, so Barbaric stays with Dragon.
20"Ceasefire"Henry GilroyOctober 30, 1996 (1996-10-30)207
Former members of the Vicious Circle have formed a peaceful group, and are meeting with foreign diplomats to discuss the good freaks can do, but this could be a plot made by Overlord.
21"Endgame"Richard StanleyNovember 13, 1996 (1996-11-13)208

The Fiend uses a glowing orb to become even more powerful. With the help of an inter-dimensional traveler named the Warrior King, Alex and Dragon try to stop Fiend.

Note: This episode is the second part of a crossover storyline that spanned the other shows in the USA Action Extreme Team lineup. The crossover began in an episode of Street Fighter ("The Warrior King"), and continued in Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm ("Resurrection") and Wing Commander Academy ("Recreation").[3]
22"Negate"Steve CudenNovember 20, 1996 (1996-11-20)209
A Freak named Negate, who has the ability to remove the powers of other Freaks, surfaces, and is targeted by Overlord, who wants him to join the Vicious Circle.
23"Ball of Fire"Richard StanleyNovember 27, 1996 (1996-11-27)210
When a rash of bombings strikes the city, Dragon and Alex try to stop the bombers before they hit their next target: the annual police ball.
24"Femme Fatale"Henry GilroyDecember 4, 1996 (1996-12-04)211
Barbaric falls for a Freak woman who may be connected to the Vicious Circle.
25"Bride"Steve CudenDecember 11, 1996 (1996-12-11)212
Wedding bells ring for Arachnid when Openface and Octopus engineer a bride for the gluttonous monster. But she may be an even worse menace than her groom.
26"Dragonlord"Reed ShellyDecember 18, 1996 (1996-12-18)213
Series finale. In a bizarre twist, Overlord claims that Dragon was the Overlord before him. The heroes must discover whethever he was telling the truth or there is more than his claim.

Toyline

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To coincide with the animated series, Playmates Toys produced a toyline of five action figures featuring the Dragon, She-Dragon, and Barbaric.

References

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  1. ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 713–714. ISBN 978-1476665993.
  2. ^ "10 Worst Comic Book Animated Series of All Time". Newsarama. Retrieved 2012-12-18.
  3. ^ "Warrior King: The Forgotten Street Fighter / Mortal Kombat Crossover". Den of Geek. 2017-05-13. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
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