The Secret Saturdays

The Secret Saturdays (originally called Cryptids) is an American animated television series created by Canadian cartoonist Jay Stephens (creator of the Emmy-winning cartoon, Tutenstein) for Cartoon Network. The series is about a family of secret agents that work to keep the truth about cryptids from getting out, to protect both the human race and the creatures themselves.Cute Creeps From Pop Culture: It's Saturday It premiered in Fall 2008.Toon Zone - CN Upfront 2008: "The Secret Saturdays" Comes to Fridays
Similar to The Powerpuff Girls and Samurai Jack before it, the show is action-focused, but has an styilized art style, in this case, inspired by comic books.
A feature film was originally planned for this series to officially end it, but due to the many new shows being introduced to Cartoon Network during the time, it was canned.
The show is the last Cartoon Network series to be greenlit by both Jim Samples (season 1 aired from October 3, 2008 to August 1, 2009) and Stuart Snyder (season 2 from November 7, 2009 to January 30, 2010), ending the original airing of Samples era programming when the show's season 1 ended on August 1, 2009.
==History==
When Stephens first pitched the show, it was called Cryptids, after the monsters undiscovered by science. It involved a crack team of globe trotting cryptozoologist that were uniquely qualified for the job because they were once cryptids themselves. Okapi, Komodo, and Megamouth, along with their nine-year-old human mascot, Francis, served as a sort of anti-detective team. They scooted across land, sea, and air in what is called Campercopter, and their goal is to preserve the mystery of the world’s strangest creatures before they are exposed by humans or destroyed by the Cryptids' nemesis, Monsieur Dodo. When this version got him nowhere with many networks — though they did show interest for some time — he went "back to the drawing board". Cute Creeps From Pop Culture: Mystery of the Cryptids Part 1
Months later, the show was picked up by Cartoon Network with its current format and name. Nine-year-old Francis became 11 and 13-year-old Zak Saturday, and many of the original characters were canned. For a time, the network wanted the show's name to be The Secret Adventures Of Zak Saturday, but it was later re-decided.Cute Creeps From Pop Culture: Name That Toon?Cute Creeps From Pop Culture: Saturdays Are Back! Unlike other mystery shows, the goal of 'The Secret Saturdays' aren't to expose the truth about cryptids, but to keep them secret.Cute Creeps From Pop Culture: Mystery of the Cryptids Part 2Cute Creeps From Pop Culture: Mystery of the Cryptids Part 3Cute Creeps From Pop Culture: Mystery of the Cryptids Part 4
In July 2008, Cartoon Network started a viral campaign for the show. Several commercials for a website called 'Cryptids Are Real' aired on Cartoon Network.Cryptids Are Real! Each commercial featured a pet of the Saturday family: One showed Fiskerton, another Komodo, and a final one showed Zon.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WveP2szYlfkhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C46prWjyRqkhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFewYOmIYZg On one area of the website held a 'secret' document.Top Secret Document! While most of the words were blacked-out, the names of Drew and Doc (two of the main characters) were revealed. The website also showed a blueprint of the Saturdays family's airship. During San Diego Comic-Con 2008, booklets about a show called Weirdworld (the show-within-a-show) were given out, with the website for it on the back of them.Weirdworld Show Unlike the previous website, this one couldn't be traced back to Cartoon Network. On July 29, Gawker showed a photo of a supposed dead monster that washed ashore in Montauk, Long Island.Dead Monster Wahes Ashore In Montauk However, it was later revealed to be part of Cartoon Network viral campaign for The Secret Saturdays.Montauk Dead Monster Maybe Tied To Cartoon Network Show Later, commercials for Weirdworld aired on Cartoon Network for a few weeks before a commercial for the Secret Saturdays was aired on August 14.
==Premise==
Doc, Drew and Zak Saturday are a family of world-saving scientists called "The Secret Saturdays". Living in a hidden base, they are part of a network of cryptozoologists who protect mankind against all the hidden and terrifying things in this world. In this show, ordinary folktales aren’t just legends, but real-life mysteries and adventures. Traveling from the hot Gobi Desert to the icy Marianas Trench, they explore ancient temples and bottomless caves and tangle with twisted villains, all in the attempt to keep the existence of cryptids secret, to protect mankind and the creatures themselves.
==Episodes==
==Characters==
===Heroes===
* Doc Saturday: Solomon "Doc" Saturday is the father and the "Indiana Jones"-like character who spent his whole life studying cryptids and builds many of the gadgets the family uses. Voiced by Phil Morris.
* Drew Saturday: Drew Saturday is the mother and the one who "believes in the magic". Thus, she is willing to believe in something before the evidence is found. Being raised by gypsies, she is used to traveling around the world. Voiced by Nicole Sullivan.
* Zak Saturday: Zak Saturday is their 11 and 13-year-old son who jumps right away into every adventure. Zak has a special bond with cryptids, and may have the power to communicate with them. Also, he is the reincarnated form of Kur, a lendendary cryptid thought to bring the ending of days to humans. Voiced by Sam Lerner.
* Doyle: Van Rook's former apprentice and Drew's long-lost younger brother, Doyle had previously helped Zak at the end of "The Ice Caverns of Ellef Ringnes", starting a stable relationship with him. In "Van Rook's Apprentice", his mask was removed while he and Drew were fighting, revealing his identity to her. Drew is initially distrustful of him when it appears as if he set her up in order to steal an artifact from their home, but he earns her trust by stealing a piece of the Kur Stone from V.V. Argost. He now lives with the Saturdays, but unlike the other Saturdays, Doyle uses street smarts, has a tough attitude, and rushes into things head-first. He uses a jetpack and concusion grenades. Voiced by Will Friedle.
* Fiskerton: Fiskerton is an seven-foot-tall "gorilla-cat" with glowing red eyes called a "Fiskerton Phantom" that was adopted by the Saturday family when he lost his home in Nottinghamshire, England. Voiced by Diedrich Bader.
* Zon: Zon is a surviving member of a thought to-be-extinct Pterosaur species who lives in a nest near the Saturday Headquarters. Voiced by Fred Tatasciore.
* Komodo: Komodo is a 250-pound komodo dragon owned by the Saturday family that can turn invisible. Voiced by Fred Tatasciore.
===Villains===
* V.V. Argost: The series' main villain and host of the show Weirdworld. He is obsessed with finding the powerful cryptid, Kur. Though it is usually thought that Argost is a villain, Argost (after learning of Zak being the human form of Kur) helped Zak control his powers. Though in the end, Argost (like usually) betrayed Zak. It remains unclear if he actually felt some type of caring for the young Saturday or if it was purely a plan from the begining. Voiced by Corey Burton.
* Munya: Munya is Argost's manservant can inject himself with the DNA of a Papuan Giant Spider to transform into a half-human/half-cryptid monster in battles. Voiced by Fred Tatasciore.
* Van Rook: A rival cryptozoologist, Leondias Van Rook is solely interested in proving the existence of cryptids for money. Similar to Doc Saturday, he is an inventor and has many high-tech gadgets. Helping Van Rook is his sidekick Doyle.
== Appearances in other media ==
==== In other shows ====
Zak appeared in the OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes series finale, Thank You For Watching the Show. He was in CN City, about to attacked by Strike (the main antagonist of Crossover Nexus), along with Sunny Bridges (from Class of 3000), and Randall P. McDuff (from the failed Cartoon Network TV movie pilot, Party Wagon), most likely due to the three of them making up for their absence in Crossover Nexus.
==== Video games ====
Zak, Doc, Drew, Fiskerton, and V.V. Argost appeared as NPCS in Birthday Bash update of the MMO online game, Cartoon Network Universe: FusionFall. A nano of Zak Saturday also appeared.
== Home media ==
Two DVDs of The Secret Saturdays were released:
* Volume 1 (July 21st, 2009)
* Volume 2 (October 27th, 2009)
The series is available on Amazon Prime.
The series is available to watch on HBO Max in Latin America. It is also available on the Canadian streaming service, Teletoon+.
==Broadcast History==
===USA===
Cartoon Network (2008-2010, original-run; 2010, reruns)
== Trivia ==
* This was the first Cartoon Network series to premiere during the Noods era.
* It's the eighth and final Cartoon Network Original Series that was never made by Cartoon Network Studios, the seven being Space Ghost Coast to Coast, Big Bag, Ed, Edd n Eddy, Mike, Lu and Og, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Sheep in the Big City, and Codename: Kids Next Door.
== Gallery ==
File:The Secret Saturdays - HBO Max vertical image.jpg|HBO Max Latin America cover
File:SecretSaturdaysHorizontalHBOMaxcoverHigherquality.jpeg|Horizontal HBO Max Latin America cover
File:TheSecretSaturdayspremiere.jpeg|The series' premiere on October 3rd, 2008.
File:SecretSaturdaysBeastsofthe5thSunDScover.jpeg|Beasts of the 5th Sun Nintendo DS cover
File:SecretSaturdaysBeastsofthe5thSunWiicover.jpeg|Beasts of the 5th Sun Wii cover
File:SecretSaturdaysVolume1DVD.jpeg|Volume 1 DVD
File:SecretSaturdaysVolume2DVD.jpeg|Volume 2 DVD
File:ZackSaturdayOKKO.jpg|Zack Saturday in the OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes series finale episode, Thank You for Watching the Show
File:TheSecretSaturdaysMay15th2009episodepremiere.jpeg|The premiere of the episode, Ghost in the Machine, on May 15th, 2009
File:ZakSaturdayFusionFallnano.jpeg|Zak Saturday's nano icon in FusionFall
File:TheSecretSaturdaysSeason1finaleAugust1st2009.jpeg|The premiere of the Season 1 finale, Kur Rising, on August 1st, 2009
File:Beastsofthe5thSunWiigamedisc.jpeg|Beasts of the 5th Sun Wii game disc
File:Beastsofthe5thSunPS2cover.jpeg|Beasts of the 5th Sun PS2 cover
File:Beastsofthe5thSunDSgamecard.jpeg|Beasts of the 5th Sun Nintendo DS game card
File:ZakSaturdaymessageboxiconFusionFall.jpeg|Zak Saturday's message box icon from FusionFall
File:DrewSaturdaymessageboxiconFusionFall.jpeg|Drew Saturday's message box icon from FusionFall
File:V.V.ArgostFusionFallmessageboxicon.jpeg|V.V. Argost's message box icon from FusionFall
File:TheSecretSaturdaysNovember7th2009seasonpremiere.jpeg|The premiere of the show's second season on November 7th, 2009
File:SecretSaturdaysNovember14th2009episodepremiere.jpeg|The premiere of part 2 of Kur on November 14th, 2009
File:SecretSaturdaysVolumeOneDVDdisc.jpeg|Volume One DVD disc
File:SecretSaturdaysVolume2DVDdisc.jpeg|Volume Two DVD disc
File:SecretSaturdaysSeason1AmazonPrimecover.jpeg|Season 1 Amazon Prime cover
File:SecretSaturdaysSeason3AmazonPrimecover.jpeg|Season 3 Amazon Prime cover
File:SecretSaturdayssquareAmazonPrimecover.jpeg
File:TheSecretSaturdaysApril10th2009episodepremiere.jpeg|The premiere of Black Monday on April 10th, 2009
File:Beastsofthe5thSunPSPcover.jpeg|Beasts of the 5th Sun Playstation Portable cover
File:Beastsofthe5thSunPS2gamedisc.jpeg|Beasts of the 5th Sun PS2 game disc
File:The Secret Saturdays.png|Now/Then icon of Zak Saturday from the City era in Latin America/Brazil
==External links==
* Official Website
* Jay Stephens' Blog
* CN Upfront (Go to "New Shows", then click show's logo)
* Cryptids Are Real!, viral marketing website
* Weirdworld Show, fake website for the show within a show: Weirdworld
*Meet the Saturdays, a Secret Saturdays promo
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