Ein Schaf in der Großstadt

As described above, Sheep In The Big City is a great show. It really brings back the humor that's been missing SO long in cartoons nowadays...that of the silly, not-making-sense kind, not of the stereotyped juvenile kind like Nick dishes out on their network. It brings back great memories of Rocky and Bullwinkle...add to that a great cast of characters, interesting storylines, a cute sheep as the hero of the show, and humorous "commercials" in-between the show's chapters akin to Ren & Stimpy, and you got yourself one of the best cartoons on Cartoon Network. It's a shame they only play it once a week...

Enjoyed 'Sheep in the Big City' as a kid, it was very funny, silly and charming with a lead character that endeared and amused, even if the animation was not quite to my taste and occasionally the humour went over my head. Seeing it as an adult, not only does 'Sheep in the Big City' fare even better but it was a show where the humour and concept were easier to understand.

'Sheep in the Big City' is sadly very much underrated now, especially when at the same there were longer-lasting and more popular shows airing more regularly. It may not be for everyone's taste, particularly if one likes more variety to their plots and beautiful animation, but it did deserve to last much longer than it did and deserves to be better known other than another relatively obscure (thank goodness for good old Youtube) show. Although not a Cartoon Network show strictly speaking, 'Angela Anaconda' lasted longer and had higher ratings when it aired on Cartoon Network in the UK in 2000 when 'Sheep in the Big City' first aired, plus aired at more accessible times, which is sad because 'Sheep in the Big City' was the significantly better show (actually being good).

The way 'Sheep in the Big City' was treated by Cartoon Network may have played a large part in the show not as successful as it deserved, with its troubled cancellation and revival history (it even almost didn't get a second season!). Although the pilot was well viewed, actually the highest rated premiere of any Cartoon Network original show at the time, ratings dwindled from my understanding. Which would have been partly because there was stiff competition of shows also airing, back when 'Dexter's Laboratory', 'Courage the Cowardly Dog', 'Cow and Chicken', 'Ed, Edd and Eddy' and 'The Powerpuff Girls' were airing on a regular basis and when the network was not just good but actually watchable (now it has the odd gem but has declined severely with a lot of the frequently aired shows being dross). And also the show's erratic scheduling which practically buried it amidst everything else airing, being aired (when first appearing in the summer vacation of 2000) either when families wouldn't be stuck indoors or around the children's bedtime period. It deserved much better treatment than that.

By all means, 'Sheep in the Big City' wasn't the perfect show. While it is colourful and more detailed, some of the pointy visuals are still not quite to my taste. There are times too where the show is a little formulaic and could have done with more variety and a few of the stories went a little overboard on the strangeness.

However, these are the only criticisms and they are not big ones. The stories a vast majority of the time are really entertaining with a clever satiric edge and an imaginative structure that was unlike any other Cartoon Network show airing at the time. Things that are deliberately unrelated could have been completely irrelevant but are used and written so cleverly and so seamlessly put together it adds to the fun and is what makes the show as unique as it is. Pacing is always lively.

Really like the characters. My childhood memories of Sheep being an endearing and funny protagonist still stand as a young adult. He is very cute but has a personality that makes him so much more than that, 'Sheep in the Big City' does a great job with making him an intelligent but flawed character and with the "sheep out of water" aspect. General Specific is one of those humorous, dim-witted bumbling villains that actually is entertaining, yet he does have a little menace in his treatment of his subordinates. His losses and outcomes of his scheming are predictable but you have to admire the guy's refusal to be discouraged.

Private Public is a perfect much smarter contrast. Farmer John has similar motives to Specific but is less overt and far more mild-mannered, while deliberately monotonous (part of the character) his pseudo-psychological talk is entertaining. Ben Plotz is one of the best use of narrators seen and heard in a cartoon in recent memory, his presence actually serving a lot to the show's humour and never becomes over-explanatory. There are other characters, with clever apt names (i.e. The Plot Device) that are also very interesting and fun.

It is the humour that makes 'Sheep in the Big City' a winner. Humour-wise, it is unusual but also quite unique, it is this uniqueness that makes the show a joy. It's extremely clever and hilarious, and done in a sharp, knowing, zany and satirical way. The apt oxymoronic character names, the constant breaking of the fourth wall, the unrelated sketches and shorts, sheep puns, use of literal humour, the narrator being treated as a character himself with frequent interaction, multiple rhetoric and comic references to film and broadcasting, this is humour unlike that of most other shows and it is done so well if more understandable to adults than children. The theme song is catchy and the voice acting fitting.

Overall, a great under-appreciated show. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Sheep in the Big City is a strange show. I remember loving it when I was younger and only a handful of episodes were shown on constant repeat, but now that I look at it as a whole, I can easily see its flaws. I can easily see why it was canceled. For those of you who don't know, Sheep in the Big City was a contestant in a contest Cartoon Network held a few years ago. Different animation studios would send in short episodes of their proposed show and users would vote to decide which one would be made into a series. And it's as if the creators of Sheep never intended to win. When the series begins, things quickly become formulaic.

In every episode, General Specific tries to capture Sheep for his sheep-powered ray-gun. (What does he need a ray-gun for anyway? The show never explains.) Anyway, interspersed between every three-part capture sheep plot are "commercials" that poke fun at pop culture. These actually are funny, for the most part. But the show's main sense of humor comes from taking figures-of-speech, sayings, etc. literally. These are pretty juvenile at best, when they're not being glaringly obvious (One example is a man saying "I'm not a doctor but I play one on the TV", followed by him jumping around on a TV set, shouting "I'm a doctor! I'm playing on the TV!"). And would you believe the most hilarious moment of this series comes in the pilot episode? The characters are going about their business when a cute and saccharine little girl asks them to help find her sheep. One of the characters then proceeds to grab her by the head and nonchalantly fling her over their shoulder. If this kind of outrageous, unexpected humor had been used more often, who knows how it could have improved the show.

But as it is, Sheep in the Big City has too few moments of good humor and falls prey to its own plot. It probably sounds like I hate this show, but I don't. As I mentioned earlier, I loved this when I was younger, but now that I've watched the entire series through twice, its flaws are all too obvious.

I wasn't too sure what to expect when I heard Sheep in the Big City received it's own series. All in all, I'd have to say it's very funny, and has a lot of charm. Sheep is constantly being chased down by the military, as they need a sheep for their new ray gun. Of course, Sheep will make sure they never take him alive! One must wonder, however, why don't General Specific and Private Public go after a different sheep instead? I'd also like to know how exactly a sheep is an exponent in a ray gun. However, that's the kind of humor to expect from this show. It does get a little repetitive unfortunately, as General Specific never actually catches Sheep (or even come close to doing so) in any of the episodes. However, Sheep always gets into trouble unintentionally while trying to hide. What really makes the show so hysterical, however, is the incredibly sarcastic narrator Ben Plotz. He's always commenting throughout the show on whether or not he thinks General Specific's plan will work, and whenever Sheep is feeling blue, you can be sure he'll say something like "Awwwwww, poor Sheep." Overall I'd give this show an 8/10. It's actually quite similar to Ed Edd n Eddy, as both shows have so many different events going on at the same time it can be difficult to follow (which is more of a good thing.) However, the environment is a lot different, and offers a lot more variety. Even so, I'd say I prefer Ed Edd n Eddy because of the fantastic character development. That's not to say the characters in Sheep in the Big City are flat, as everyone's full of personality. However, the characters are much more open with each other on Ed Edd n Eddy than Sheep, which knocks it down a little. But even so, this show is a worth watching. And hey, how many cartoons end with a Ranting Swede?

Sheep in the Big City is a show you would most likely love or hate. I don't think it caters for the masses but it directed at a small audience. For some it would seem stupid but for those who can really appreciate its particular type of humor the brilliance in the show would be overwhelming. The attention to detail and the countless small funny things going on in the background is enough to give this show its worth. The writers definitely had fun with this series. My advice to you is to watch the first episode, if its not your cup of tea, so be it but for some it would start you on an amazing journey with very unique humor. Enjoy!!!