B.R.A.T.S. OF THE LOST NEBULA

(Actual show intro not available)

B.R.A.T.S. OF THE LOST NEBULA

(WB, YTV, October 10, 1998-January 20, 1999)

Jim Henson Productions, DECODE Entertainment, Wandering Monkey Productions

MAIN CAST:

Kirby Morrow – Zadam

Annick Obonsawin – Triply

Glen Cross – Duncan

Evan Sabba – Ryle

Deborah Odell – Lavana

            B.R.A.T.S. of the Lost Nebula (later known as Jim Henson’s B.R.A.T.S. of the Lost Nebula) was a combination puppet and computer animated sci-fi series. The series was set in a universe that was being dominated by invading force known as The Shock. Teenaged siblings Zadam (Kirby Morrow) and Triply (Annick Obonsawin) were spared from the Shock attack on their home world when their parents sent them to the Lost Nebula. There, on a living planetoid, they encountered three other similar refugees: mechanically-inclined strongman Duncan (Glen Cross), the fiercely competitive Ryle (originally named Gnash, voiced by Evan Sabba) and mystical fairy Lavana (originally named Selene, voiced by Deborah Odell). Together, they decided to band together and form a resistance movement against the Shock. Aiding them was a long-eared animal named Splock who had a missile-laden suit of armor, and SMARTS, the smartest computer in the universe.

The B.R.A.T.S.: Lavana, Zadam, Duncan, Splock, Triply and Ryle.

            Created by Dan Clark, B.R.A.T.S. of the Lost Nebula debuted on The WB on October 10, 1998 as part of the Kids’ WB programming block. The characters were puppets created and operated by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, designed by Nathan Cabrera, Dave Pressler and Duke Cullen, with Brian Henson serving as an executive producer. The puppeteers include Bill Barretta, Matt Fincer, John Kennedy, Trish Leeper, Sue Morrison, Ian Petrella, James Rankin, Gordon Robertson, Fred Stinson, Jeff Sweeney, Jean-Guy White and Mark Wilson. Along with those and practical sets, episodes also made use of state-of-the-art computer animated space ships and battles rendered by C.O.R.E. Digital Effects. Lane Raichert served as the story editor, with Chris Gauthier and John Kastner composing the music.

            Despite a heavy marketing campaign leading up to the premiere of the series, B.R.A.T.S. was taken off the air after just three weeks. The move came as a surprise to everyone involved, as they weren’t aware of those plans until the week it happened. Ironically, that was also the week that TV Guide had selected the series as one of the Top Ten Children’s Series of the Year. The WB put out assurances that the series would resume at some unspecified time, however the remainder of the episodes would only be seen in Canada when the series was broadcast by YTV.

Puppetry of The Shock's leader.

While ratings for the series were low, ultimately it fell victim to the overall low-ratings of Kids’ WB as a whole. The programming block had fallen into third place behind FOX Kids and ABC’s One Saturday Morning. In their attempts to turn their situation around, the network chose to focus on programming it owned outright. Since B.R.A.T.S. was a third-party production, it was cut from the network and quietly cancelled. For various unspecified reasons, Disney, who has come to own the Jim Henson Company and B.R.A.T.S. by extension, has deemed it too expensive to release the series onto home media.

EPISODE GUIDE:

“What Mom Said” (10/10/98) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.

“Total Bratification” (10/18/98) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.

“Brain Drain” (10/25/98) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.

“A Lozian Necessity” (11/1/98) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.

“Heart Hunters” (12/2/98) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.

“Punk Chip” (11/12/98) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.

“The Runaways” (11/18/98) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.

“Mutant Freak” (11/25/98) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.

“Bite for a Day” (12/9/98) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.

“The Acceptors” (12/30/98) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.

“Faith” (1/6/99) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.

“Mom and Dad” (1/13/99) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.

“Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” (1/20/99) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.