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2 Setting 3 Cast 4 Content 5 Episode Guide 6 External links |
The show was created by Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi and began as 1 minute shorts in 1990 which were shown in between regular programs. After the popularity of the shorts, 5 half hour specials were made. This was followed by a regular half hour series that ran for three seasons (1994-1996).
The show featured many humorous and surreal elements both in its narrative and its recurring themes. It was set in the fictional town of Wellsville and originally filmed in Leonia, New Jersey (school scenes) and South Orange, New Jersey (neighborhood scenes). In the third season filming was moved to Cranford, New Jersey, a suburb of Princeton. Peculiarly, almost every product mentioned on the show was manufactured by KrebStar products -- if someone on the show were to have some coffee they would drink "Kreb Full o' Nuts Coffee", their underwear would be "Kreb of the Loom", and wax the floor with "KrebStar Industrial Floorwax".
The show starred Mike Maronna as the older Pete, Danny Tamberelli as the younger Pete, Allison Fanelli as Ellen, Judy Grafe as Mom, Hardy Rawls as Dad, Michelle Trachtenberg as Nona Mecklenberg, and Toby Huss as Artie, the Strongest Man in the World. The many guest stars that appeared on Pete and Pete include Selma Blair, Steve Buscemi, LL Cool J, Chris Elliott, Janeane Garofalo, Frank Gifford, Debbie Harry, Patty Hearst, David Johanson (Buster Poindexter), Lucious Jackson, John McLaughlin, Iggy Pop, Michael Stipe, and Adam West.
The show featured music by independent bands such as Polaris. Some of the music from the show was released as a CD.
Although Pete and Pete was a childrens show aired on a children's network, many of the jokes and allusions were lost on the younger generation. It is not to say that some subject matter was mature, but simply that many referential antecedents fall outside of the target audience's experience.
Some such allusions include:
Origins
Setting
Cast
Content
Episode Guide
Season One
Season Two
Season Three
External links