Ugly Americans is an American animated comedy series created by Devin Clark and developed by David M. Stern which focuses on the life of Mark Lilly, a social worker employed by the Department of Integration, in an alternate reality version of New York City inhabited by monsters and other creatures.
The series premiered in the USA on Comedy Central on 17 March, 2010.
Ugly Americans premiered in South Africa on DStv's Comedy Central channel on Tuesday 3 July 2012, at 21h20. See "Seasons" below for seasonal broadcast dates and times.
Season 2 premiered on Comedy Central on Thursday 2 August 2012, at 21h20. New episodes broadcast from Tuesdays to Thursdays at the same time. There are 17 episodes in the second season.
Synopsis
Take New York City, add every horrifying beast, science-fiction freak and fantasy faerie, shake thoroughly and you've got Ugly Americans.
This animated horror-comedy series follows one Mark Lilly, social worker at the Department of Integration, as he helps new citizens both human and "other" adapt to hectic life in the Big Apple.
There are easier tasks than weaning vampires off of blood, socialising land-whales and housebreaking werewolves, but Mark is up to the challenge.
Between his stressful job, a zombie roommate, and a demon ex-girlfriend, Mark's lucky if he can sneak in a few minutes of sleep.
Characters
Mark Lilly
Mark Lilly, a social worker at New York's Department of Integration, is a newcomer to Manhattan. He recently moved into his first apartment, a 2-bedroom he found on Craigslist, only to discover his roommate was freshly undead.
Despite the frustrations of his job, where his boss Twayne has downsized Social Services to two people, Mark maintains a positive attitude.
He has an on-and-off relationship with his immediate superior, an insanely hot (and completely insane) demon named Callie Maggotbone.
Randall Skeffington
Randall Skeffington, Mark's roommate, "went zombie" in an attempt to win over a cute girl with a short-lived zombie fixation. Now, the unemployed/undead oaf spends his days doing odd jobs to pay the rent.
Randall hails from South Jersey, a rabidly anti-zombie community, so he has been forced to hide his condition from his parents (especially his father, who fought in the Human-Zombie Civil War).
Due to his zombie-ism, Randall is frequently losing body parts to decay, forcing him to find replacements at local flea markets.
Callie Maggotbone
Callie Maggotbone is Mark's immediate superior, and also his on-again/off-again girlfriend. In between stealing Mark away for bathroom rendezvous, Callie is berating him for being so soft.
She's the typical 20-something girl who doesn't know what she wants, but is also bona fide hellspawn, as her father is a high-ranking minion of the Devil.
However, since Callie is the product of that demon's union with her waifish human mother (who was drugged by a cult), Callie is frequently conflicted by her human side. She is drawn to Mark the nice guy, but feels in her heart that she will inevitably end up with someone like Twayne the Bone Raper... after all, it's what daddy wants.
Unfortunately for all of us, such a union could potentially lead to the apocalypse.
Leonard Powers
Leonard Powers is a centuries-old wizard whose path has somehow led him to a desk job at New York's Department of Integration. This suits Leonard just fine, as his primary goals in life are to drink heavily and not rock the boat.
In fact, he hasn't done any real work in years, relying on Mark (and his union, The Wizard's Guild) to save his ass.
Leonard's brother is the famous magician Christ Angel, a fact that has bred a lot of resentment in Leonard, and probably contributed to his ongoing drinking problem.
Twayne
Twayne the Bone Raper is a mid-level government bureaucrat who oversees New York's Department of Integration. He is also a terrifying demon, who would prefer tearing your spine out to giving you the time of day.
Twayne loathes the immigrants and would rather vaporize them than help them, but he has to play ball, because infiltrating the U.S. government appears to be part of some larger demonic plan.
Nonetheless, he despises Social Services and their compassionate ways, so he has slashed the department down to two people and allocated all of their funds to law enforcement.
Despite his imposing appearance, Twayne is a bit of a high-status buffoon, often relying on Callie to make sure the department runs properly.
Grimes
Francis Grimes runs the Department of Integration's Law Enforcement Division, and like Twayne, has utter disdain for the immigrants.
Preferring to think of them all as "illegal", he hunts down those who have strayed from the proper bureaucratic procedures that provide a path to U.S. Citizenship - at which point Mark must step in to help.
Grimes' encounters with unruly creatures have left him with a lifetime's worth of scars, both visible (missing kneecap) and emotional (broken marriage). Thus, he naturally detests Mark and anyone else who sympathizes with the immigrants.
Grimes commands a small but well-funded goon squad that operates out of the D.O.I.'s "force floor."
Seasons
Series exclusive to Comedy Central
Season 1 (14 episodes)
Premiere: 3 July 2012 | Finale: 1 August 2012 | Tue-Thu, 21h20
Season 2 (17 episodes)
Premiere: 2 August 2012 | Finale: 11 September 2012 | Tue-Thu, 21h20