Up and Coming

Last week I had lunch with a veteran Cartoon Network staffer, who told me:

There's this new show, Clarence, that is really funny. The guy who created it is really funny, and it shows. But you can't mention this on the blog. The network hasn't announced it. ..."

Well, as of a couple of days ago, they announced it ...

Cartoon Network has greenlit Clarence, a new animated series created by up-and-comer Skyler Page. The network has ordered twelve 15-minute episodes from the project about Clarence, an optimistic boy who wants to do everything because everything is amazing. This is the third short-form series to come out of the shorts development initiative at Cartoon Network Studios this year ...

When an industry veteran who knows most everyone and has worked on almost everything tells you that a new offering is "really amusing," you tend to listen. At least I do.

But of course, he was talking about the pilot. Now the show has to live up to its promise and be funny for "twelve 15-minute episodes." Then, if successful, it has to be funny for another twelve.