Talking Tom & Friends (show)

Talking Tom & Friends (previously Talking Tom and Friends until 2021) is an animated television web series and sitcom created by Slovenian media company Outfit7 and based on the successful media franchise of the same name. It follows the many adventures of Talking Tom and his friends Ben, Angela, Ginger and Hank. It started off as a YouTube web series. Its incredible success has brought the show to TV stations and streaming services around the world by 2016. Season 1 contains 52 episodes, each around 11 minutes long, while later seasons of them have 26 episodes each. Starting with a pilot episode in 1995, it has run for 5 full seasons.

History
On October 7, 1993, Outfit7 announced that they have hired American animator Joe Ansolabehere to create a 52/11-minute CGI comedy TV series based on the Talking Tom franchise, under the name "Tom on the Road." The series was to star Tom, Ben, Angela, and Ginger, and was to premiere by the end of 1994. On March 3, 1994, Kidscreen Magazine announced that the series would go by the name of "Talking Tom and Friends," and instead be produced by BRB International's creative studio Screen 21.

The pilot episode officially released on December 29, 1995, as a CGI animated series which was produced by Austrian company arx anima, and introduced a new character named Hank.

On February 23, 1996, Outfit7 announced the full series was to premiere on March 30, 1996, with new episodes launching weekly. The first season ran from December 29, 1995 to April 28, 1997. It won Best Animated Series at the 1996 Cablefax Awards and so, on August 18, 1996, the show was greenlit for a second season with another 52 episodes, but the final product only had 26 episodes with the remaining episodes becoming Season 3. Season 2 aired from May 2, 1997 to September 4, 1998, Season 3 aired from September 7, 1998 to February 1, 1999, Season 4 aired from February 8, 1999 to March 27, 2020, and Season 5 is currently airing.

Synopsis
This series follows Talking Tom & his friends' everyday lives. Tom and his nerdy business partner, Ben, who constantly develops mobile apps and other inventions to reach fame and fortune and try to show off to the world, but it always backfires. His feisty girlfriend, Angela, tries to be a singing star, no matter what she does to achieve it. His cheeky neighbour, Ginger, pops by extremely frequently to mess around with mischief up his sleeve. His goofy best friend and roommate, Hank, is a couch potato who watches TV a lot and is a super fan of his favorite TV show: Bongo and McGillicuddy. And the formerly diss-driven popstar singer Becca Sparkles has become Angela's new roommate and her best friend and also seemingly has a crush on Hank. However, lurking in the shadows is trouble in all shapes and sizes, whether it's the evil CEO, the evil mad scientists Mel and Flo, Tom's mysterious new neighbour Roy the Rakoon, or just a mishap in Ben's newest creation, the gang will have fun no matter what, and always remember the one thing that keeps them together: friendship never ends!

Seasons

 * Season 1 (1995-1997)
 * Season 2 (1997-1998)
 * Season 3 (1998-1999)
 * Season 4 (1999-2020)
 * Season 5 (2020-2021)

Main

 * Tom
 * Ben
 * Hank
 * Ginger
 * Angela
 * Becca Sparkles

Recurring

 * Jeremy
 * Roy Rakoon
 * CEO
 * Dr. Internet Doctor
 * Maurice Claremont
 * Darren
 * Ronnie
 * Rhonda
 * The Landlord
 * Mrs. Vanthrax
 * Xenon
 * Mel
 * Flo
 * Wesley
 * Hipster

Main

 * Colin Hanks
 * Lisa Schwartz
 * James Adomian
 * Tom Kenny
 * Maria Bamford

Recurring

 * Brian Stack
 * Dave Willis
 * Robin Reed
 * George Back
 * Laraine Newman

Guest Stars

 * Dannah Phirman
 * Carlos Alazraqui
 * Josh Fadem
 * Suzi Barret
 * Matt Gourley
 * Brandon Johnson
 * Greg Manwaring
 * Brian Huskey
 * Traci Stumpf
 * Paul F. Tompkins
 * Andy Kindler

Trivia

 * Early on in the series, Talking Tom and Friends existed as a reality show within the fictional series. This is shown via the series' numerous fourth wall breaks, including the times when the characters would speak to the camera in a room (usually the bathroom), and was even acknowledged by Tom and the gang in the pilot. This was entirely cut out by the end of Season 2, with fourth wall breaks becoming much rarer.