J.R. MacReady

SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron is a Hanna-Barbera animated series for for television created by Christian Tremblay and Yvon Tremblay and produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and Turner Program Services. Story Editor Glenn Leopold and Producer Davis Doi developed the show for television. Every episode of the series was directed by Robert Alvarez. The bulk of the series was written by either 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.

The show ran in syndication as part of The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera from 1993 to 1995, when it was cancelled. There were a total of twenty-five finished episodes 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 was based in the fictional metropolis of Megakat City, which is populated entirely by anthropomorphic felines, known as "kats".

Background
Chance "T-Bone" Furlong and Jake "Razor" Clawson were members of Megakat City's (their version of New York City, NY) paramilitary law enforcement agency, known as the Enforcers. 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 used his jet to slap their wing, sending Chance and Jake's jet crashing into Enforcer headquarters and allowing Dark Kat to get away. In his anger, Feral discharged Chance and Jake from the Enforcers and reassigned them to work at a city salvage yard to pay for the damage to the Enforcer Headquarters.

Using discarded military parts and weapons from the salvage yard, Chance and Jake built themselves a three-engine jet fighter called the Turbokat (resembling several different aircraft, most notably the Grumman F-14 and the Saab Draken), along with a handful of other vehicles (including the Cyclotron, a motorcycle built into the jet; the Turbo Mole, a subterranean vehicle used to drill underground; the Hoverkat, a militarized hovercraft, the Thunder Truck, a militarized Jeep modified from their tow truck) and they also have two jet skis which they use in Mutation City. All this is stored in a secret hangar below the yard.

They 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 the Pastmaster; the mutant evil genius Doctor Viper; and the robotic gangsters the Metallikats. The SWAT Kats also faced many villains-of-the-week, such as Madkat and Volcanus (see Characters below).

T-Bone and Razor keep their identities secret from everyone, and their closest ally is deputy Mayor Callie Briggs (who is, ironically, a character more important than the mayor himself). Their methods do not endear them to Commander Feral, and the series often has the three clash. Later on, Lieutenant Felina Feral, who disagrees with her uncle's view about the SWAT Kats' activities, becomes another ally.

The show has not yet been released on DVD from Warner Bros., although select episodes of the show were released on VHS in NTSC format. Since the early days of eBay, VHS copies of the entire series (recorded from television) have sold for considerable amounts. Remco produced a line of action figures in 1994 which included T-Bone, Razor, Dr. Viper and Dark Kat (who looks nothing like the Dark Kat from the show). They can be seen here. Other products were produced including a Super Nintendo game, a handheld game, posters and fast food tie-ins at Carls Jr. and White Castle.


Characters

Heroes
Chance Furlong (alias: T-Bone) (Charlie Adler) - The larger member of the SWAT Kats and pilot of the Turbokat jet. T-Bone is one of the best pilots in the SWAT Kat universe, as seen in Cry Turmoil. He loves aerial warfare history, as seen in The Ghost Pilot, and Scaredy Kat cartoons. It was revealed in The Ci-Kat-A that he has a strong dislike of bugs that he eventually overcomes. In Mutation City, it was revealed that he is unable to swim though later in the episode he learns and rescues an unconscious Razor from drowning. He is very protective of his partner and the Turbokat and gets extremely upset if anything happens to either. He had a huge crush on Callie Briggs, but never got any attention from her, and soon starts liking Lieutenant Felina Feral, Commander Feral's niece.

Jake Clawson (alias: Razor) (Barry Gordon) - The smaller member of the SWAT Kats who is a mechanical genius. He designs the various gadgets and advanced weaponry used in the Turbokat and he serves as the radar interceptor and weapons control officer in the Turbokat. He is a martial arts master. He is the more sensible one out of the two kats. He loves the late night show with David Litterbin (a pun on David Letterman).

Commander Ulysses[3] Feral (Gary Owens) - Head of the Enforcers and has a strong and obvious dislike for the SWAT Kats, who he considers "reckless vigilantes". He has worked with the SWAT Kats when the situation calls for it, such as in Katastrophe and A Bright and Shiny Future, but often calls on his men, saying "The Enforcers will handle this" & "Get me chopper back-up!" The SWAT Kats themselves hold him in contempt since, while they themselves were Enforcers, he fired them for their reckless flying, but it was really his fault for interfering in the first place. He may be jealous of the Swat Kats, because they made him and the Enforcers look incompetent. Callie herself thinks more of the SWAT Kats than Feral, but it could be said that he is a lot bolder and more efficient than they give him credit for. Most of the time his ego gets the best of him. His biggest flaws are his personal pride, his anger, doing everything by the book, not asking for help when needed, lack of better judgment, his temper, and never expect the unexpected. The only reason he will probably never know the SWAT Kats' real identity is because the only time he met Chance and Jake was during the pursuit of Dark Kat and he fired the both of them, not knowing their skills matches the SWAT Kats.

Lieutenant Felina Feral (Lori Alan) - Commander Ulysses Feral's niece (she is Feral's brother's daughter) first appeared in season 2's Mutation City as a new female heroine.[4] Being something of a reckless hothead herself, she appreciates the help of the SWAT Kats, unlike her uncle, and will work openly with them. Out of the two of them, she seems to like T-Bone the best. Feral himself faces something of a dilemma over her: trying to keep her out of danger but not show any favorable treatment. She is also a very skilled pilot, as seen in When Strikes Mutilor and Cry Turmoil. She won't take "No" for an answer, a fact to which T-Bone once remarked, "You are one stubborn she-kat!"

Supporters
Calico "Callie" Briggs (Tress MacNeille) - Deputy Mayor of Megakat City and the one who does the real work of City Hall. The SWAT Kats' biggest supporter, she has a radio communicator which enables her to call them directly when danger threatens the city. Although she does not know who they are, Callie usually trusts her life to the SWAT Kats if required. In The Dark Side of the SWAT Kats, in a parallel universe she is an evil ally of Dark Kat; in Bride of the Pastmaster her ancestor was Queen of the medieval kingdom of "Megalith City". Though T-Bone has a crush on her, she has a crush on Razor (more evident in the fact that even her ancestor seemed to favor Razor over T-Bone), likewise, she also seems to favor Jake. Her name is a pun on Calico cat breed.

Mayor Manx (Jim Cummings) - Mayor of Megakat City for 10 terms. He spends nearly all of his time working on his golf game, as Callie has stated "he hasn't done an ounce of paperwork in years!" He also tries to rent out Megakat Towers to investors (a first season running gag had the building constantly being ruined in Destructive Nature and The Ci-Kat-A). He has descended from a famous and brave fighter pilot named the Blue Manx who is the sworn enemy of the Red Lynx, as revealed in The Ghost Pilot. In contrast to his ancestor, Mayor Manx is a coward who usually runs and hides whenever danger arises, but he did act bravely and shoot down the ghost of the Red Lynx in the same episode – only after Razor goaded him into action on the grounds that he would not be re-elected if he did not fight back. His name is derived from the Manx cat breed.

Enforcer Sgt. (Jim Cummings) - Feral's unofficial second-in-command who is actually competent, but is largely unseen in season 2. He normally says nothing more than "Yes, sir!" in response to Feral's commands and has won the award for Most Patriotic Enforcer.

Ann Gora (Candi Milo) - The star reporter for Kats Eye News. She is usually on the scene whenever the SWAT Kats are in action, and has been rescued by the SWAT Kats in The Ci-Kat-A and Caverns of Horror. Besides the Deputy Mayor Briggs, Ann has also warned the SWAT Kats a few times of dangerous situations. Her name is a pun on the cat breed angora, or Turkish Angora.

Lt. Commander Steele (Hal Rayle) - Feral's official second-in-command. He wants to be in charge of the Enforcers but is utterly incompetent and only wants the power that comes with the job, not the responsibility. In both The Wrath of Dark Kat and Enter the Madkat he is shown to be a coward who will let Feral stay in danger just to get his job. Steele is more ungrateful to the SWAT Kats than Feral is. One time Feral showed Steele to have gratitude than being selfish. He sees the Swat Kats and Feral as a competition than allies. In The Wrath of Dark Kat Feral punish him by going though danger in order for him to earn Feral position, but he showing to be a coward in front of Feral, which Feral sees Steele as a disappointment and said "and you wanted my job". Swat Kat humiliate Steele and Feral during the pursuit of Dark Kat by shooting smoke at them and they can forces on flying. He disappears after season 1, implying that he was replaced by Lieutenant Felina Feral. He may have been fired for his incompetent being the first time Feral's decision was the smart thing he ever does.

Jonny K. (Mark Hamill) - Ann Gora's cameraman, who often cares about Ann's safety, whenever she gets herself in danger. He doesn't talk very much and is seen always wearing sunglasses and a red baseball cap. His largest role was in The Ci-Kat-A and Caverns of Horror, where he helped the Swat Kats, along with his partner, Ann Gora.

Dr. Abby Sinian (Linda Gary) - Curator of the Megakat City Museum of History. She helped the SWAT Kats defeat a number of villains by giving them detailed information about their weaknesses, most notably the Pastmaster and the ghost of Red Lynx. Her name is a pun on the Abyssinian cat breed.

Dr. Lieter Greenbox (Robert Patrick in 1993/Nick Chinlund in 1994) - Dr. Greenbox is the scientist and creator of the diamond mining "Gemkat 6000" in Chaos in Crystal that turns Rex Shard into a crystal colossus, and also of the "micro-brain repair unit" (aka "Zed") in Unlikely Alloys, where he temporarily becomes insane when he fused himself with his creation.

Professor Hackle (George Hearn) - Professor Hackle is the one who built the robot bodies of Mac and Molly Mange, and transplanted their brains into them. He spent his life as a military weapons researcher for Pumadyne (creating the Metallikats' hovercraft, as well as two giant "Macrobots", the centerpieces of Metal Urgency), but renounced his profession and turned to the civilian sector. In The Deadly Pyramid, he created Cybertron, a friendly and very brave little robot to help the SWAT Kats. In Bright & Shiny Future, he restores the damaged Turbokat to its flying condition & subsequently reprograms the Machines who have taken over the city after T-Bone & Razor destroys the Robotics HQ.

David Litterbin (John Byner) - Litterbin is the undisputed "King of Late Night" and host of The David Litterbin Show. Razor is his biggest fan and he is seen on television numerous times. He actually appears in Enter the Madkat, where he is believed to have descended from the jester responsible for making Madkat insane, as years later, he won the title for "King of Late Night," making Lenny Ringtail insane. His character is a parody of the real life late night talk show host David Letterman.

Captain Grimalken (Michael Bell) - Featured only in When Strikes Mutilor, he is a blue-furred, elderly cat alien who leads the Aquian tribe seeking peace with Earth. His ship is stolen by Mutilor and later recovered by the SWAT Kats and Lt. Felina Feral. As a thank you, he uses some of his "high-speed space technology" to rebuild and upgrade the Turbokat that was damaged by Mutilor in his escape attempt.

Fango (Charlie Adler) - A catnip smuggler injured by the fire caused by the exploding cigar Mac Mange tossed after he and Molly killed mob boss Katscratch for his betrayal. Fango later reports to Commander Feral everything that happened, and is rewarded for his deed.

Villains

Dark Kat (Brock Peters) - Dark Kat is the main arch-enemy of the SWAT Kats. He is very large, intelligent and evil; Dark Kat wants to destroy Megakat City to create a new lawless town called "Dark Kat City". Being highly intelligent and calculating, Dark Kat often anticipates his foes' actions with great accuracy, and it is a recurring theme throughout the series that all of his hideouts are rigged with explosives. He is served by small pink bat-like creatures called Creeplings, extremely vicious creatures who appear to be protected from radiation. He first appeared in The Wrath of Dark Kat. His attempt to bomb the Enforcer headquarters indirectly lead to Chance and Jake's fallout with the Enforcers and the birth of the SWAT Kats, a fact Commander Feral has taken to heart.

Dr. Viper (Frank Welker) - Dr. Elrod Purvis, who worked at Megakat Biochemical Labs, tried to steal an experimental regenerative formula he and Dr. N. Zyme were developing. He became covered in the formula and the shock ultimately killed him, but the chemicals revived him from death, mutating Purvis into a snake-like creature. With knowledge in the fields of biology, genetics and robotics, he seeks to turn Megakat City into Mutation City, where he will reign as its absolute ruler. He is able to turn people like Morbulus into monsters. He is by far the most deadliest enemy of the Swat Kats and he and his creatures also murder a lot of innocent people (including his former college Dr. N. Zyme) in the series. He is similar to the Spider-Man villain Lizard. He first appeared in The Giant Bacteria.

Mac Mange (Neil Ross) - One-half of the husband-and-wife criminal team, the Metallikats. He and his wife drowned when the boat they were in was hit by a larger boat while attempting to escape from Alkatraz prison. Their bodies were found by Professor Hackle's robot servants and his mind was placed in that of a robot. He was supposed to be a robot-chauffeur (though ironically, he is a terrible driver), but instead remained a criminal. He often bickers with his wife but will come to her aid when she is in trouble. He is the "muscle" of the team, as he is not very smart. He first appeared in The Metallikats.

Molly Mange (April Winchell) - The other half of the husband-and-wife criminal team, the Metallikats. She went through the same process as her husband, but her fate was to be a robot-maid. She usually insults her husband about his driving skills but will help him when he needs it. She is considered to be the "brains" of the team. She first appeared in The Metallikats.

Pastmaster (Keene Curtis) - A very short sorcerer from the Dark Ages who tried to conquer his home city. He travels through time using his magical mechanical pocket watch, and with his magical book The Tome of Time, he's able to bring back extinct or mythical creatures (such as dinosaurs and dragons). Although the tome was destroyed in his first appearance. Seeks to transport Megakat City back to the Middle Ages. He was supposedly killed in The Deadly Pyramid. He first appeared in The Pastmaster Always Rings Twice. In A Bright and Shiny Future the SWAT Kats were drawn into a future where the Metallikats together with the Pastmaster had created a Terminator-inspired future where machines ruled over katkind and The Swat Kats are aware of what lies for them in the future. All the Pastmaster really wants is to go back home to his own time. He is occasionally shown to lust after Callie Briggs (the spit image of her ancestor Queen Callista, the Pastmaster's ancient crush). He repeatedly captures her and 'asks' her to marry him, but Callie will have none of it.

Dr. Harley Street (Robert Ridgely) - A brilliant astronomer who was bitten by an alien creature, and later mutated into one himself. Dr. Street tried to help the alien queen to achieve its full power by letting her eat the radioactive material from Megakat Nuclear Power Plant. He was supposedly killed when he was thrown out of the Megakat Tower. He only appeared in The Ci-Kat-A, but was supposed to appear in the unfinished episode Doctors of Doom.

Madkat (Roddy McDowall) - Ages ago, Madkat was an insane and powerful court jester who was replaced. He sought revenge on the jester who replaced him and the knight, queen and king who imprisoned him in a jack-in-a-box. Centuries later, once brilliant comedian turned asylum patient Lenny Ringtail escapes and fuses with the jester's spirit after finding the jack-in-a-box. Together they take revenge upon those who symbolized the ones' who imprisoned Madkat. He captured David Litterbin, Mayor Manx, Callie Briggs, and Commander Feral. After T-Bone destroys Madkat by hitting his weak spot, Ringtail's sanity and career were restored as he is knocked out by Commander Feral and Razor. Lenny was guest starred on the David Litterbin show to promote his bestselling book "Madkat and Me." He only appeared in Enter the Madkat. This character is loosely based on television comedian Jay Leno and comedian Lenny Bruce, as a rival to David Litterbin (Letterman), and even has a catchphrase ("Here's Ringtail") spoken just like "Jay Leno" on the Tonight Show. In several ideas of G-52 creator Nathan Stanley, Ringtail later leaves his life of comedy to do police work for Commander Feral as head detective.

Hard Drive (Rob Paulsen) - Hard Drive is a technological thief who generally dons his “Surge Coat” when working. This coat gives him a number of abilities focused around electricity and electronics, as the name suggests. Primarily seen is his ability to transform himself into electrical energy, thus allowing him to travel through power, telephone, and computer lines. Besides this, he appears to be able to manipulate electronic devices with a simple jolt of electricity from his fingertip and download and delete data quickly with a “plug” on his coat. He works for whoever pays him the most. His first appearance was in Night of the Dark Kat. In several ideas of G-52 creator Nathan Stanley illustrating the act of villains repenting of their sins, Hard Drive was finally arrested for good by Commander Feral but simueltaneously hired to do computer work on the database and assist Lenny Ringtail in the detective department.

Rex Shard (John Vernon) - A convict sentenced to life in prison, who was accidentally exposed to the radiation of an experimental diamond mining machine created by Dr. Greenbox. He turned into a crystal colossus and had the ability to turn anything he touched into crystal. He was stopped by the SWAT Kats, reverted back to normal and was sent back to prison. He only appeared in Chaos in Crystal, but was supposed to appear in the proposed 3rd season episode Cold War.

Red Lynx (Mark Hamill) - The ghost of a Mega War II flying ace who pilots a red biplane, (he is a parody of the Red Baron). T-Bone says he learned a lot about dogfighting from studying the Red Lynx's maneuvers. The Red Lynx stole a prototype plane from the Enforcers and tried to kill Mayor Manx, who was the descendant of his greatest opponent, the Blue Manx, but in the end, the SWAT Kats, along with Mayor Manx sent him to his doom by destroying the plane. He only appeared in The Ghost Pilot.

Mutilor (Michael Dorn) - Mutilor is a giant lobster-like alien warlord who attacked Earth using a stolen Aquian spaceship to steal all of its water so he could sell it to a desert world. In the end, the SWAT Kats were able to destroy him by blasting his spaceship and saving Captain Grimalken and his crew from harm. His name comes from a goldfish that Lance Falk's friend once owned. He only appears in When Strikes Mutilor.

Morbulus (Jim Cummings) - An evil pilot who literally has eyes in the back of his head, appearing in The Giant Bacteria. He bombs oil refineries with his fighter jet until defeated by the SWAT Kats. After giving the SWAT Kats the slip, he is founded by Dr. Viper and mutated into a grotesque purple bacteria monster which divides into more of itself (in the style of amoeba) when hit. All of the bacteria monsters (there were three) were killed by the SWAT Kats using electricity with Burke and Murray cleaning up the bacteria monsters' remains. Morbulus' name was originally going to be "Occulus," but it was changed at the last minute due to possible legal problems with Marvel Comics.

Turmoil (Kath Soucie) - A villainous she-kat that wants to conquer Megakat City by controlling the airspace, with the help of her flying fortress and her squadron of female pilots, if the citizens of Megakat City don't pay her her due first. She tried to seduce T-Bone, by showing him some of the modified airplanes that supposedly never went as far as the drawing board. But in the end, T-Bone fooled her, and with the help of Razor, put Turmoil in prison. Writer Lance Falk created Turmoil because besides Molly Mange, there were no other female villains. Her named is an anagram of "Mutilor" from When Strikes Mutilor. She only appears in Cry Turmoil, though she was scheduled to appear in the unfinished episode Turmoil II: The Revenge.

Dark SWAT Kats (Charlie Adler and Barry Gordon) - Villainous variations of the SWAT Kats from a parallel dimension accessed by the real SWAT Kats by accident. They serve the alternate dimension's Dark Kat, and plot with the alternate Callie Briggs to overthrow Megakat City's government. They exhibit alternate characteristics to the real SWAT Kats, such as T-bone being a clumsy pilot, Razor being a lousy shot, and the two of them hating each other. They were killed when a bomb they were carrying exploded. They only appeared in The Dark Side of the SWAT Kats. In an idea of G-52 creator Nathan Stanley, the Dark SWAT Kats later switch to good and help the SWAT Kats foil Dark Kat's plans.

Other Characters

Mr. Young (Robert Ito) - A business kat usually seen with Mayor Manx. He is always accompanied by two silent assistants.

Burke and Murray (Mark Hamill and Charlie Adler) - Two cats who constantly bug Chance and Jake. They're brothers, and usually do the job of dumping the junk in the junkyard, though do it mockingly.

Dr. Newton Zyme (Paul Eiding) - Dr. Viper's former colleague who works at Megakat Biochemical Labs. Similar to Professor Hackle, his good intentions always lead to disaster. He is believed to have been eaten by one of Viper's giant bacteria monsters.

Little Old Lady (Candi Milo) - A cranky old lady whose car always seems to be breaking down. She consistently threatens to report Chance and Jake to her auto club, but never actually reports them. On one occasion, she received a free pizza and three free tune-ups when Jake and Chance apologized for rushing off in the middle of a towing job when Dark Kat attacked.

Warden Cyrus Meece (Jim Cummings) - The greedy warden of the Megakat Maximum Prison. He was the third victim of Rex Shard's deadly crystal touch. After being crystallized, he was accidentally knocked over and smashed by Dr. Greenbox.

Vehicles
Black Widow - One of the latest creations of Dark Kat, this giant Garret Prater contraption was designed to destroy Megakat City. Its one problem was that it required enormous amounts of power to operate, and literally put the city in a black out when it was activated. It required a Mega Catalytic Converter, that altered electricity to actually make the machine grow in size when it absorbed power. The SWAT Kats eventually destroyed this creation, but not without much effort.

Blue Manx - A multi-million dollar machine owned by the Enforcers of Megakat City. The Blue Manx was dedicated to Mayor Manx's great grandfather. The machine featured a computerized flight control, and forward firing missile launchers, high intensity lasers, and highly developed maneuverability. The Ghost of the Red Lynx managed to find a way into the Blue Manx when the Enforcers were supposed to be watching the machine. Unfortunately, the craft had to be shot down, because it was the only way to eliminate the Red Lynx.

Brigg's Sedan - Owned by Callie Briggs (deputy mayor). Whenever her car breaks down, she relies on Jake and Chance to fix it while they take advantage of the vehicle by upgrading it.

Chop Shop's Chopper - Jet powered chopper used by Chop Shop on the episode, Swat Kats Unplugged, which featured mega-alloy armor and rear firing saw blades.

Cyclotron - A motorcycle used by Razor whenever he needs to be in pursuit of an enemy on ground. After the cyclotron gets released from a sliding door of the Turbokat, it can reach at extremely fast fast speeds and manually moves around with no problem.

Dark Turbokat - Main mode of transportation for the Dark SWAT Kats, it parallels all features of the Turbokat along with a few extra features. Utilizing a lethal array of weaponry, it proves to be one of the most dangerous things with wings.

Enforcer Chopper - The most used vehicle in the show (mostly by Commander Feral). It features lasers and missiles used to shoot down the enemy in the skies. Unfortunately, they are prone to get hit and the enemy can successfully hit the choppers with no problem.

Enforcer Cruiser - Police cars used by the Enforcers of Megakat City.
Enforcer Jet - It features lasers and missiles used to shoot down the enemy in the skies. Unfortunately, they are prone to get hit and the enemy can successfully hit the jets with no problem.

Enforcer Tank - With armor plating, dual turret guns, dual anti-personnel guns, surface to air missile launchers, all terrain tank treads, and massive numbers the tank is the superior ground vehicle. Always found on the front lines, the Enforcer tank is often the last line of defense for Megakat City.

Hoverkat - SWAT Kat style hovercraft equipped with the standard arsenal often associated with the vigilantes. It was used to infiltrate the entity known as Zed and was assimilated in the process.

Manx's Limo - Main transportation for Mayor Manx. Whenever he needs to leave to make his speeches, go to a scene of a crime, or go golfing, Mayor Manx will always be transported in his limo.

Thunder Truck - Tow truck used by Razor on the episode "When Strikes Mutilor." It transformed into an assault vehicle when the Turbokat was out of commission.

Turbokat - Main transportation vehicle of the SWAT Kats, the Turbokat is only used whenever the city is in jeopardy. The Turbokat features lasers and missiles used to shoot down the enemy in the skies, ejecting seats, section to hold the cyclotron, and three engines. The Turbokat is so ahead of time with technologies, that the SWAT Kats always get the job done, leaving the Enforcers empty handed. The jet's various weapons include; a cement firing gattling gun, scrambler missles that apparently cause enemy electronics to short circuit, missles tipped with a buzz-saw and a host of others including conventional ones.

Turmoil Airship - It was the airship that was operated by female-only fighters. Turmoil used this ship to attack Megakat City. With its Vertigo Beam, numerous laser weapons, and the female fighter squadron known as the Omega Squadron it was nearly invincible. When T-Bone (Chance Furlong) got hit by the Vertigo Beam, he was unconscious and woke up inside the airship. From there, he managed to install remote mines in different parts of the ship so that the ship can explode.

Episodes

For episode details, see List of SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron episodes

The following is a complete list of episodes for SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron, a television cartoon series created by Christian and Yvon Tremblay. SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron premiered on the Cartoon Network channel in the United States on September 11, 1993 and ended on January, 1995.

The series consists of a total of 25 original episodes over two seasons, including four "half" episodes (SWAT Kats Unplugged, Cry Turmoil, Volcanus Erupts! and The Origin of Dr. Viper – running around 15 minutes in length) aired during the second season. A "documentary" episode featuring clips from previous episodes aired after the final episode Unlikely Alloys as a sort of closer once the series was cancelled. This brings the total number of broadcast episodes to 26. There were also three episodes in production at the time of the series' cancellation as well as two that never made it past the concept stage. The first season consists of thirteen episodes; the second season consists of twelve episodes. Also, the show's distinctive opening and closing theme music changed during production of the second season to a heavier, more metal-influenced theme.

Every episode of the series was directed by Robert Alvarez. The bulk of the series was written by either 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. Lance Falk's ideas were usually very ambitious and very inventive and this usually met with the studio executives telling him to change his ideas to something more simple, such as making the Aquians "kat" aliens instead of humans in When Strikes Mutilor or to cut out entire characters and subplots, such as making Commander Feral the one Turmoil successfully corrupts in Cry Turmoil.

The cancellation of the series occurred near the end of season two's production. The reason why is not exactly known, but the show's violence, declining viewership and its inability to move merchandise have been cited as the most likely causes.


Cancellation
SWAT Kats became the number one syndicated animated show of 1994, according to Nielsen Television Index (NTI) and Nielsen Syndication Service (NSS). Hanna Barbera Productions also stated this in a SWAT Kats Poster ad that they were going to release new episodes, posters, and other works in 1995. Toon Magazine also published a section about the success of SWAT Kats in Fall 1994 issue. Modelsheets of characters were also released in the same issue. The show was canceled with three unfinished episodes. In a 1995 issue of Entertainment Weekly, Ted Turner stated, "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." In addition, before the Turner/Time Warner merger, Hanna-Barbera Productions ended their syndication block, The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera to focus on producing original works for Cartoon Network.


Video Game
Only one game about the SWAT Kats has been made. It was produced by Hudson Soft and released on August 1995 for the SNES. It is a 2-D Action Platformer which features a character select screen where the player can choose between T-Bone or Razor, a level-selection screen, a password system, and third-person flying sequences in the Turbokat Fighter. An in-depth review with numerous screenshots can be seen here.

DVD Release
No word yet on when Warner Bros. will plan a future DVD release of the show for the classic Hanna-Barbera collection.

Holland Fan Forever

10 Massively Underrated '90s Animated TV Shows
SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron
The animated action comedy debuted as part of The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera block in 1993. The show lasted two turbulent seasons on TBS before wrapping up with a special clip show in 1995. SWAT Kats follows two former Megakat City officers – Jake and Chance – as they become high-flying vigilantes fighting adversaries like Commander Feral and Dark Kat.

Its turbulent series run didn’t allow for the animated action comedy to catch on compared to similar shows like Street Sharks. Like other 1990s fare, the action-adventure series mixed dark tones with comedic sensibilities. This aspect was best illustrated in the high-flying action scenes in typical monster-of-the-week stories. The big draw for the show was Jake and Chance’s chemistry, despite their differing personalities. The series stood out from other shows with its comic book aesthetics.

SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron is currently available through an Amazon Prime Video subscription.
Here's the link, https://www.cinemablend.com/televisi...mated-tv-shows