# Downtown (1999 TV series)

Downtown is an American animated sitcom created by Chris Prynoski that aired on MTV from August 3 to November 8, 1999.

## Plot

The show follows a cast of young adults who live in an urban area of New York City, and presents their everyday lives. The series is based on interviews with real people.

## Characters

* Alex Henson (voiced by Gregory Gilmore) is a 24-year-old man, along with being Chaka's older brother.
* Chaka Henson (voiced by Leyora Zuberman) is Alex's 17-year-old younger sister.
* Fruity (voiced by Marco H. Rodriguez) is one of the members of the friend group, particularly friends with Matt.
* Scott "Goat" (voiced by Scot Rienecker) is a friend of Alex and Jen.
* Jen (voiced by Tammy Lang) is a friend of Alex.
* Matt (voiced by Hector Fontanez) is friends with Fruity.
* Mecca (voiced by Aurora Lucia-Levey) is a friend of Chaka.
* Serena (voiced by Phoebe Summersquash) is a character in the show, being the love interest of Alex.
* Leah (voiced by Rosanna Plasencia) is Jen's roommate.

## Production
### Development

According to Chris Prynoski, when he watched early-1970s Ralph Bakshi films in the mid-1990s, he felt that his films from that time were "much like a time capsule." This inspired him to create Downtown, "so that when people watch the show 20 years later, it feels exactly like 1999 in New York". Prynoski also wanted to show "a line of demarcation where society changed completely" before cell phones and he "wanted to be able to have nostalgia for what doesn't exist now."

## Broadcast

Downtown aired 13 episodes from August 3 to November 8, 1999. Prynoski himself is unsure why the show was canceled after one season.

## Reception
### Critical reception

Sarah Nechamkin of Interview called Downtown "The best piece of discarded treasure to come out of the glorious trove of '90s MTV".
In a retrospective review for Vulture, Greta Rainbow called it a "Feat of naturalistic dialogue", describing the series as a "hyperspecific time capsule".

### Awards

In 2000, Downtown was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program for the episode "Before and After".

## Episodes

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 1 | "Sin Bin" | Tony Kluck | Anne D. Bernstein | August 3, 1999 (1999-08-03) |
| Alex moves into his own apartment, with the help of his friends Jen, Goat, Chaka and Mecca. Selling some of his old action figures, Alex meets his newest infatuation, goth girl Serena, at a comic book store called Starbase 12. Chaka and Mecca, tasked with watching the van, are distracted by boys and the moving van is stolen. |||||
| 2 | "Train Pain" | Ilya Skorupsky | David Regal | August 10, 1999 (1999-08-10) |
| Chaka and Mecca challenge Fruity and Matt to a battle-of-the-sexes subway race to Coney Island, to determine which subway line goes there the fastest. Meanwhile, Alex and Jen play board games, leading to a big blowup. |||||
| 3 | "Hot Spot" | Kevin Lofton | Rachelle Romberg | August 17, 1999 (1999-08-17) |
| The dive bar on the ground floor of Alex's building is replaced by "Flame", a trendy new club. Chaka and her friends, all underage, sneak into the club to party. The party continues in Alex's apartment, and Alex and Jen try to retaliate against the club. |||||
| 4 | "Insomnia" | Eugene Salandra | Japhet Asher and Peter Gaffney | August 24, 1999 (1999-08-24) |
| Alex is set up on a date with Serena, and suffers insomnia from his pre-date anxiety. Wandering around the city streets late at night, he starts hallucinating from lack of sleep, leading to an unexpected encounter with Serena. |||||
| 5 | "The Con" | Tony Kluck | Erica Rothschild | August 31, 1999 (1999-08-31) |
| Alex is concerned that his nerdy obsessions with toy collecting and comic book hoarding will drive his dream girl away. At a Horror Convention with his friends, Alex is torn between trying to impress Serena and acquiring a rare action figure to complete his "White Trash" fantasy collection. World Wrestling Federation (WWF) pro-wrestler, The Undertaker, makes a special guest appearance. |||||
| 6 | "Graffiti" | Kevin Lofton | Erica Rothschild | September 7, 1999 (1999-09-07) |
| Matt goes out for a night of painting graffiti in the subway tunnels with Fruity and Chaka, and finds the city's underground Hall of Fame for graffiti artists. Meanwhile, Alex has a sexually-charged night with Leah, Jen's promiscuous roommate. |||||
| 7 | "Hotel Bar" | Eugene Salandra | Eric Friedman | September 14, 1999 (1999-09-14) |
| Goat takes Alex out for a night of picking up girls, and encourages him to lower his standards, leading to a rough night for both of them. Meanwhile, Jen and Leah have an unfortunate night out as well, as Leah tries to pick up a rich guy. Rev Jen Miller provides the voice of Teeny. |||||
| 8 | "Limo" | Tony Kluck | Anne D. Bernstein | September 28, 1999 (1999-09-28) |
| Worried that she hasn't had a date in a long time, Jen impulsively rents a stretch limo for the night, and takes Alex along for the ride. Fruity, Matt, Chaka and Mecca are accosted by a group of tough Catholic school girls in Chinatown. |||||
| 9 | "Testing" | Pat Smith | Peter Elwell | October 5, 1999 (1999-10-05) |
| Alex, Chaka, Fruity and Goat take part in a research study about how much they remember their education. Alex tests well, and wonders if he should be more ambitious. Meanwhile, Goat is becoming increasingly unstable and paranoid, but is calmed down by a meeting with an old high school classmate. |||||
| 10 | "Night Shift" | Eugene Salandra | George Krstic | October 18, 1999 (1999-10-18) |
| Jen is upset by Serena's effect on Alex and their other nerdy friends, and starts investigating her. Meanwhile, Alex has a hard time working at the copy shop. |||||
| 11 | "Before and After" | Tony Kluck | Eric Friedman | October 25, 1999 (1999-10-25) |
| Chaka accuses Mecca of copying her style. Jen forces Alex to clean his house, and throw out his toy collection. |||||
| 12 | "Cropsey Clanners" | Pat Smith | David Regal | November 1, 1999 (1999-11-01) |
| Jen and Alex go collectible-hunting in the New Jersey suburbs, with Chaka and Mecca along for the ride. When the car breaks down, the four share urban legends about rural New Jersey, leading to a freak out. |||||
| 13 | "Trip Or Treat" | Eugene Salandra | Rachelle Romberg | November 8, 1999 (1999-11-08) |
| Alex finally gets the nerve to ask Serena out to a Halloween party. |||||