Let it be said, that I'm not some critic that only picks shows that are so obscure that only the bare minimum have seen, so here's a treat for you guys.
This time it's Hanna-Barbera's most awesome show, Swat Kats.
The story goes that while on a routine mission as part of an enforcers squad in the Air Force, Chance Furlong & Jake Clawson accidentally cause massive amounts of damage to their own headquarters in pursuit of a criminal, despite not being there fault. They are court marshaled and forced to spend their community service in a military junkyard to pay off the damages, this proves to be more ideal as they then build their own fighter jet out of thrown away military parts. Disguising themselves under the nicknames T-Bone & Razor, they become vigilantes to Megakat city fighting off huge Godzilla like monsters and evil super villains that are usually saved for comic strips.
Originally created by two Canadians and syndicated by Hanna Barbera for Cartoon Network, Swat Kats gained instant success under the same banner as the likes of Batman the Animated Series & X-Men as part of the edgier early 90s era that created some of the best cartoons since the Golden Age.
Hanna Barbera barely survived the 80s as they struggled to sell their cartoons to the right audience but taking a chance on something edgier restored faith in the duo but Cartoon Network had other ideas, Swat Kats was the last series produced by Hanna Barbera that gained the same popularity as many of it's earlier franchises even to the point where it was the highest grossing cartoon of 1994, however the What-a-Cartoon project ended plans to extend the series further and Hanna Barbera were made to work on the What-a-Cartoon project as their last official work before their deaths in the early 00s.
It was a shame as the show was cancelled before it officially finished and remains to this day one of the most awesome shows of all time.
The idea of a fighter jet with custom missiles fighting monsters and villains was incredibly groundbreaking and a lack of executive meddling (Mostly) made sure that the themes they were aiming for were kept, after a while you over look the fact that you're watching cats and enjoy what it has to offer which is always a plus for any series that uses anthropomorphic animals.
It would be years before something like this was repeated again but in some cases like the horribly flawed Loonatics Unleashed, it's probably best not to try too hard.
Cartoon Vault: Swat Kats: The Radical Squadron
End