20 best sci-fi TV shows that aren’t Star Trek
19. Clone High
Clone High is another one of those series that only lasted for a short while. It exists as a mere 13 episodes, which aired from November 2002 to April 2003. Yet, this goofy animated series, meant more for adults than children, remains popular with many viewers.
The show is set in Exclamation, USA, a fictional town that is actually an elaborate test site run by a government agency known as the Secret Board of Shadowy Figures. The town’s high school students are all clones of famous historical figures. They are intended as objects of study and potential weapons so that the government can harness their unique abilities. Meanwhile, Principal Scudworth wants to use the students to create an amusement park for his own benefit, deemed “Cloney Island.”
First, there’s Abe. He’s the clone of Abraham Lincoln, but struggles with his indecisive nature and the large legacy of his “clonefather.” He’s best friends with Joan of Arc, who carries a torch for the oblivious Abe. For his part, Abe pines after the popular girl Cleopatra, who has an on-again, off-again relationship with similarly popular jock J.F.K.
Abe and Joan are also friends with the cloned Gandhi, who resists his peaceful forefather by becoming a people-pleasing party animal. This depiction of Gandhi led to controversy, wherein some Indian protestors began a hunger strike. MTV, which aired the Canadian series in the United States, later apologized for the depiction and took the show off the air.
Despite the definitely weird tone of party animal Gandhi, there’s still a lot to recommend the series. It’s got a goofy tone with some funny and generally adult jokes, like the popular Grassy Knoll cafe, complete with pictures of famous assassinations inside. The show was created by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who went on to direct the very funny and popular The Lego Movie (2014) and 21 Jump Street (2012). If you can handle some bumpy bits in the humor, you might understand why the show has become something of a cult classic.