# Beethoven (TV series)

Beethoven is a 1994 American Saturday morning cartoon television series loosely based on the 1992 motion picture of the same name. The series was produced by Northern Lights Entertainment and Universal Cartoon Studios, and aired for one season on CBS Saturday Mornings, with 13 episodes with two 10 minute segments produced. Dean Jones, who played Dr. Varnick in the film, voiced the role of George Newton. Nicholle Tom, who played teenage daughter Ryce in the film and Beethoven's 2nd, was the only cast member from the films to reprise her role in the series, partly due to her presence in CBS's own prime time series, The Nanny, in where she was contractually obliged to portray the Maggie Sheffield character.

## Premise

The Newton family love Beethoven, their St. Bernard dog, but the father, George, has his moments with Beethoven, who gets in different mishaps time after time. When not with the Newton family, Beethoven spends time with three other dogs, Sparky (the stray from the first film), Ginger, and Caesar.
Unlike the film (except Beethoven's Christmas Adventure and Beethoven's Treasure Tail), Beethoven has a speaking voice, at least among the other animals. The same plot was used in another animated series, Free Willy, where the main character also could talk.

## Cast

* Dean Jones as George Newton
* J.D. Daniels as Ted Newton
* Bill Fagerbakke as Caesar the Great Dane
* Brian George as Mr. Huggs
* Tress MacNeille as Ginger the Collie
* Joel Murray as Beethoven, the dog named after the German composer Ludwig van Beethoven.
* Joe Pantoliano as Sparky the Jack Russel Terrier
* Francesca Marie Smith as Emily Newton
* Kath Soucie as Alice Newton
* Nicholle Tom as Ryce Newton
* Maurice LaMarche as Doberman

### Additional voices

* René Auberjonois
* Hank Azaria as Killer the Poodle
* Gregg Berger as Mailman
* Mark Campbell
* Dan Castellaneta as Blind Shep (in "Scent of a Mutt")
* Christine Cavanaugh as Rosebud (in "Cyrano de Beethoven")
* Brian Cummings
* E.G. Daily as Peanut (in "Puppy Time")
* Stephen DeStefano
* Paul Dooley
* David Doyle as Blind Shep (episode "The Mighty Cone-Dog")
* Jess Harnell as Singing Donut (in "The Big One")
* Bill Henderson
* Dana Hill as Timmy (in "The Kindergarten Caper")
* Tony Jay as Watson (in "Scent of a Mutt")
* Scott Menville
* Art Metrano
* Tim Neil
* John Schuck
* Pamela Segall
* Justin Shenkarow as Roger (in "Mr. Huggs Wild Ride")

## Crew

* Paul Germain - producer, story editor and voice director

## Production

In March 1994, it was announced Universal Animation Studios would be producing an animated series based on Beethoven for broadcast on CBS in Fall of that year.

## Episodes

| No. | Title | Written by | Original release date |
| 1 | "Good Old George""The Pound" | Joe Ansolabehere & Paul Germain | September 10, 1994 (1994-09-10) |
| When Sparky accidentally messes up Beethoven's ball which helps him sleep, Beethoven tries to go in George's room to sleep with him, Much to his master's dismay. / When Sparky gets caught by the Dog Catcher, Beethoven and his Pals attempt to break him out. ||||
| 2 | "Dog Dreams""The Good, the Bad, and the Poodle" | Joe AnsolabehereJonathan Greenberg | September 17, 1994 (1994-09-17) |
| When a group of bad dogs terrorize the dogs in the neighborhood, Beethoven, Mr. Huggs and his friends try to stand up for themselves and run them out of town. / The Newton Family has random dreams about Beethoven. ||||
| 3 | "The Experiment""The Incredibly Pointless Journey" | Jonathan GreenbergMichael Ferris | September 24, 1994 (1994-09-24) |
| 4 | "The Guard Dog""Mr. Huggs' Wild Ride" | Buddy ChuckPeter Gaffney | October 1, 1994 (1994-10-01) |
| 5 | "Cat Fight""The Kindergarten Caper" | Jonathan GreenbergPeter Gaffney | October 8, 1994 (1994-10-08) |
| 6 | "The Gopher Who Would Be King""Pet Psychiatrist" | Jim Bernstein & Michael ShipleyBuddy Chuck | October 15, 1994 (1994-10-15) |
| 7 | "Cyrano de Beethoven""The Mailman Cometh" | Paul GermainJoe Ansolabehere & Jonathan Greenberg | October 22, 1994 (1994-10-22) |
| 8 | "A Cat Named Rover""The Dog Must Diet" | Buddy ChuckJonathan Greenberg | October 29, 1994 (1994-10-29) |
| 9 | "Car Trouble""The Mighty Cone-Dog" | Buddy ChuckJoe Ansolabehere | November 5, 1994 (1994-11-05) |
| 10 | "Puppy Time""The Morning Paper" | Joe Ansolabehere & Jonathan GreenbergMichael Ferris | November 12, 1994 (1994-11-12) |
| 11 | "The Big One""Fleas!" | Joe AnsolabehereJeff Lowell | November 19, 1994 (1994-11-19) |
| 12 | "Scent of a Mutt""Down on the Farm" | Jonathan GreenbergMichael Ferris | November 26, 1994 (1994-11-26) |
| 13 | "Trash Island""Long Weekend" | Christian FletcherJoe Ansolabehere & Jonathan Greenberg | December 3, 1994 (1994-12-03) |

## Home release

Universal and Goodtimes released episodes of the show on VHS. In July 2020, the series became available on the Peacock streaming service.