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New Season of "Travis and Bob" is released on M7
Returning Fans include Her Imperial Majesty
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
January 25, 5605


After 38 years, Travis and Bob return to M7

It's been more than 45 years since the first episode of "Travis and Bob" aired on M7, and 38 years since the show went off the air.  But creator Earl Gabriel who initially created the show as a college art project, has returned and has brought back the duo, to great critical and fan acclaim.

"At the time, Travis and Bob were quite famous," said Gabriel, now 63 and a veteran comedic satirist who has worked more often in film than in animation over the last four decades.  "We never made a movie for the show, and I am really glad we didn't.  It would have sort of been too much:  The jokes are great for a 20 minute episode, but I couldn't keep it up over two hours, so when it seemed like this was the logical next step, we just ended the series, and let them stay as they were: two teenaged idiots who spent their time laughing at the stupidity in the world around them."

But Gabriel always said that fans wrote to him over the years asking him what he thought happened to Travis and Bob.  "It was kind of the driving force behind the revival," said Gabriel.  "I don't feel like they really got a future.  I mean, the sort of casual nihilism was a main theme of the first series, and the shadow of the future for these two was always about an inch long, but the more I looked back, the more I thought, maybe these guys have more to say, and it led me to the second series."

M7 was also eager to work with Gabriel again.  When he pitched the idea of a new limited animated series based on the two titular idiots Travis and Bob, he said he wanted to show them as kids again, the way people remembered, but also as adult characters.  "It was kind of fun to see what Travis and Bob turned into.  They still watch tv but now they get to drink and smoke on screen, while I think that M7 would have had an issue with me depicting two 14 year olds drinking and smoking.  Other than that, it gives me an opportunity to kinda poke fun at conservatives in our society, to suggest that to be a conservative you must have been like Travis and Bob as kids."

Does Gabriel think Travis and Bob are conservatives though?  "Well, they are morons, so of course they are conservatives," said Gabriel who identifies himself as a socialist.  "They don't question anything serious.  They focus on stupid sh-- all the time, and they are obsessive television viewers.  Yeah, every conservative I know is like that.  No intellectual curiosity at all.  But are they like conscientiously conservative?  No I don't think they are smart enough."

One conservative who loves the revival however, is reportedly Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Carolina I Ananto, who watched the show in her youth.  Crown Prince Fredrick Ananto-Sandoval was discussing his studies recently, and noted that he was visiting with his mother in Eveari and found her watching the new "Travis and Bob" series on television.  "She said she has all the old episodes recorded," said His Highness the Crown Prince.  "She put them on DVD and watches them from time to time so she can watch them with the videos in tact.  I couldn't believe how funny she thought this program was."  For the record, the Crown Prince found the new series humorous as well.  "I liked what they said about the videos and the episode where they went to vote was hilarious."

The new series airs weekly on M7, and will air through April.  It is unclear whether Gabriel will do a second season of the show, or just leave it as a one season limited release.  

You can check out Travis and Bob's review of the Sulari-based pop&B singer Donnatella and her song "No Guesses" and the review of Brad Marko's "Smokey"  from the new series right here.  And you can watch whole episodes on M7, or watch old episodes on the M7Stream service.

[Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJE-tkGcRKk]

[Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOvfo7YJDEQ]

@LaModa