Looney Tunes: Laff Riot (Johnsonverse)

The Looney Tunes Show is an American animated sitcom produced by Warner Bros. Animation that ran from May 3, 2011 through August 29, 2020 on Cartoon Network. The series consists of nine seasons each containing 26 episodes, and features characters from the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies theatrical cartoon shorts updated for the 21st century.

Premise
The series revolves around roommates Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck living in a suburb of Los Angeles with "colorful neighbors" and other characters including Lola Bunny, Tina Russo, Porky Pig, Foghorn Leghorn, Elmer Fudd, Sylvester, Tweety, Granny, Gossamer, Yosemite Sam, Taz, Speedy Gonzales, Marvin the Martian, Pete Puma and more. The series contained less slapstick, and fewer visual gags but instead was more adult-oriented and dialogue-driven with love triangles, employment and rooming. The show concludes with Daffy rewriting the timeline so that Porky may be his second best friend.

Wraparound segments
The show also features two other segments which wrap around the main plot. These consist of:


 * Merrie Melodies – Approximately two-to four-minute music videos showcasing classic characters singing brand new original songs. They appear midway through most of the episodes in Season 1 and at the end of most episodes in Season 2 in place of the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote shorts.
 * Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner – A series of CGI-animated shorts depicting Wile E. Coyote's attempts to catch the Road Runner. These segments were dropped after season one.

Main

 * Bugs Bunny (voiced by Joe Alaskey) – is a grey and white male bunny who lives a life of upper-middle-class suburban leisure, based on income from a popular Carrot Peeler that Bugs invented. Bugs lives in a well-appointed house, drives a compact car, and provides room and board for his best friend, Daffy Duck. Bugs spends his time watching sports on TV, hanging out with his friends and neighbors, and dating Lola Bunny. Bugs generally plays the straight man to Daffy and Lola's various bouts of insanity, although Bugs is not without his own quirks. Bugs has exhibited somewhat compulsive/addictive tendencies, like having a high caffeine intake with coffee, becoming addicted to an energy drink that had dangerous chemicals in it, nearly leveled his own house in an increasingly deranged attempt to put up a shelf and getting hooked on foods that contain butter. Despite being intelligent, Bugs has shown some level of tomfoolery, such as when he found jail "a smart aleck's paradise" and mistook the Tasmanian Devil for a dog.
 * Daffy Duck (voiced by Joe Alaskey) – is a male American black duck who is the roommate and best friend of Bugs Bunny. Unlike Bugs and their neighbors, Daffy has no way of earning money and relies on Bugs for food and shelter. Daffy has tried on numerous occasions to get rich quick but ended up failing repeatedly. While Daffy's greed and jealousy of Bugs remains, it appears less antagonistic in the show. In the first episode, Bugs openly admits that Daffy is his best friend, despite his faults. Daffy has worked, and been fired from, numerous jobs due to negligence and/or incompetence. Despite this, however, Daffy has shown to be a very skilled hairdresser and successfully graduated beauty school. Daffy's three possessions that he is proud of are his blue recliner, his white collar which Daffy always wears, and his Papier-mâché parade float, constructed on top of a pickup truck, which is his main means of transport. Daffy resembles Chuck Jones' version of Daffy in which this is the penultimate time of this version's use as later versions more closely resembles Tex Avery's original version of the character with the screwball personality.
 * Porky Pig (voiced by Bob Bergen) – is a male pig who is one of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck's friends. Despite being bright and bookish, Porky has an innocent, naïve quality that Daffy frequently uses to his advantage, tricking Porky into parting with large sums of money or accompanying him in bizarre schemes. Porky originally worked a boring office job, but got fired following Bugs' example. Porky started his own catering company afterwards. In "Dear John", Porky was shown to have served on the city council. Porky starts a relationship with Petunia in the end of "Here Comes The Pig". In "Best Friends Redux", Daffy meets Porky's young self and ensures that Porky becomes good friends with Bugs & Rodney in their cabin, finally showing Porky an act of kindness.
 * Speedy Gonzales (voiced by Joe Alaskey) – is an extremely fast male mouse who lives with Bugs and Daffy as their "mouse in the wall" and runs a pizza parlor called Pizzarriba. Speedy is occasionally shown to act as Daffy's conscience. The episode "Sunday Night Slice" showed that Bugs bought his favorite restaurant Girardi's to prevent it from being closed and hired Speedy to help him. When Bugs spoke to Speedy about the fact that he doesn't want to own a restaurant anymore, Bugs himself hands ownership of it to Speedy, renaming it "Pizzarriba" as a gift to Speedy.
 * Yosemite Sam (voiced by Joe Alaskey) – is a male cowboy who is one of Bugs and Daffy's neighbors. Sam is a liar, a thief and a cheat, amongst other things. Coming from a lower-class background, Sam tends to steal Bugs' possessions, causing Bugs and Daffy to resent him. His full name was revealed as Samuel Rosenbaum.
 * Lola Bunny (voiced by Kath Soucie) – is a brown female bunny who is Bugs' scatter-brained, bubbly and obsessive significant other, who has a habit of speaking rapidly, whether anyone else is listening or not. When they first meet, Bugs falls in love with her, but after learning how crazy and ditsy Lola is, Bugs loses interest and often tries to escape her company. Lola develops a huge obsession with Bugs Bunny that Daffy later finds creepy; Lola is never put off by Bugs' responses to behavior, that include taking photos of him in the shower, sneaking up on him late at night and often stalking him. Later in the series however, Bugs eventually falls in love with Lola again which started when they went to Paris in the episode "Eligible Bachelors" and Bugs manages to stop her talking for a while. Her parents are members of a country club and her father likes Bugs so much that Daffy considers him to be "The son Bugs never had." Lola was redesigned in both appearance and personality to match the series.
 * Tina Russo (voiced by Jennifer Esposito) – is a new character original to the show who is a female yellow duck and Daffy's significant other. Tina works at a copy store called "Copy Place". Tina is another straight character of the show, with a no-nonsense personality. Tina first starts dating Daffy because "Tina likes a project"; Tina tolerates his selfish and arrogant behavior as Tina has a keen astuteness which allows her to read between the lines when they first meet; Tina works out that Daffy is actually insecure and jealous, and that his vain attitude is really a front. Daffy is amazed Tina works this out so quickly and later reveals Tina, through email, that Daffy can't believe someone "so kind, beautiful, generous, and intelligent" would ever want to be with someone like him. After reading this, Tina is touched, and tells Daffy that she loves him. Tina is based on Melissa Duck from the original theatrical shorts. The character was originally called Marisol Mallard in the Laff Riot pilot.
 * Petunia Pig (voiced by Grey DeLisle) – A pink female pig who is Porky's kind, innocent significant other. Like Lola, Petunia was redesigned in both appearance and personality.

Recurring

 * Tasmanian Devil (voiced by Jim Cummings) – in this show, the Tasmanian Devil is portrayed as walking on four legs like a real male Tasmanian Devil and his eyes are bloodshot red. Initially, Bugs believed Taz to be a dog and kept him as a house pet named Poochie much to Daffy's discomfort. Eventually, Bugs learned the truth and tried to return him to his home in Tasmania only to find out that Taz would rather live with him. When Taz is not causing trouble for Daffy, Taz has occasionally tried to eat Sylvester. In the episode "Ridiculous Journey," Taz spoke for the first time in the series and had bonded with Sylvester and Tweety while they evaded Blacque Jacques Shellacque.
 * Mac (voiced by Rob Paulsen) and Tosh (voiced by Jess Harnell) – are two goofy male gophers who run an antique store.
 * Pete Puma (voiced by Stan Freberg in Seasons 1 to 5, John Kassir in Seasons 6 to 9) – is a dimwitted male puma who is one of Daffy Duck's friends and does various jobs around town.
 * Marvin the Martian (voiced by Joe Alaskey) – is a male Martian who is one of Daffy Duck's friends.
 * Witch Lezah (voiced by Roz Ryan) – is a female witch who lives next door to Bugs Bunny and is often annoyed at the antics of Daffy Duck. Witch Lezah is also a female hypnotherapist by trade. The character is very similarly based on Witch Hazel, with 'Lezah' being 'Hazel' spelled completely backwards.
 * Gossamer (voiced by Kwesi Boakye from Seasons 1 to 3, Terrell Ransom Jr. from Seasons 4 to 6, Donielle T. Hansley, Jr. from Seasons 7 to 8, and Christian J. Simon in Season 9) – is a large orange furry male monster who is Witch Lezah's son. In stark contrast to previous characterizations, Gossamer is portrayed as a timid and kind-hearted young boy with a voice to match.
 * Emma "Granny" Webster (voiced by June Foray as an adult from Seasons 1 to 7, Candi Milo as an adult from Seasons 7 to 9, Stephanie Courtney as young Granny) – is an old lady who is one of Bugs Bunny's neighbors. Granny is revealed to have been a spy for the Allies in World War II. In "The Grand Old Duck of York," it is revealed that Granny also teaches piano lessons. This series marked the final time Foray provided the voice of Granny before her death in 2017; after her death, Candi Milo took over the role.
 * Sylvester (voiced by Joe Alaskey) – is Granny's male Tuxedo cat who is always trying to devour Tweety, but always fails when Granny catches him and spanks him hard enough to spit Tweety out.
 * Tweety (voiced by Joe Alaskey) – is Granny's male Yellow canary who is frequently harassed by Sylvester. Tweety is revealed to have also been a spy for the Allies in World War II during Granny's youth.
 * Foghorn Leghorn (voiced by Joe Alaskey) – is a rich male rooster who has worked under various jobs. Foghorn and Daffy get on very well, and are often involved in various schemes.
 * Pepé Le Pew (voiced by Joe Alaskey) – is a French male skunk who's the local Casanova. In the episode "Members Only" Pepé works as a wedding planner when Pepé planned Bugs and Lola's wedding at the country club.
 * Elmer Fudd (voiced by Billy West) – is the resident male newsman and occasional hunter.
 * Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner (Road Runner is voiced by Paul Julian via archive recordings, Wile E. is mute most of the time, but is voiced by Joe Alaskey) – is a male coyote and a male roadrunner who are shown in short computer-animated segments in season one. They also make small cameos throughout the show.

Others

 * Dr. Weisberg (voiced by Garry Marshall) – is a male physician who Bugs and the other characters often visit. His appearance resembles that of Dr. I.Q. Hi from Duck Dodgers. He was retired after the death of Garry Marshall in 2016, and the debut episode of his replacement, Dr. Charpentier, implies that Weisberg passed away.
 * Walter Bunny (voiced by John O'Hurley) – Lola Bunny's father who idolizes Bugs. He then appears when they play in the father son tennis tournament. He dislikes Daffy.
 * Patricia Bunny (voiced by Grey DeLisle in season one, Wendi McLendon-Covey in season two) – is Lola Bunny's mother.
 * Carol (voiced by Grey DeLisle) - is a beautiful blonde woman who is Foghorn Leghorn's assistant and limo chauffeur who tries to bring reason to Foghorn Leghorn.
 * Ken Schlesinger (voiced by Larry Storch) - is an elderly man who runs an art gallery. His surname is named after the cartoon series' original producer, Leon Schlesinger.
 * Edie Schlesinger (voiced by Kristen Wiig) - is Ken's rebellious granddaughter.
 * Dr. Alan (voiced by Fred Armisen) - is a male therapist. He is visited by Bugs and other characters in multiple episodes.
 * Henery Hawk (voiced by Joe Alaskey) – is a male chickenhawk that likes to target chickens.
 * Cecil Turtle (voiced by Joe Alaskey) – is a male turtle who formerly worked as a male customer service representative at the Trans-Visitron cable company. Cecil later becomes a con artist and an enemy of Bugs Bunny.
 * Frank Russo (voiced by Dennis Farina) – is Tina Russo's dad.
 * Dr. Charpentier (voiced by René Auberjonois) is the replacement for Dr. Weisberg after Marshall's death. Like his predecessor, Dr Charpentier is often visited by Bugs and other characters.
 * Penelope Pussycat (voiced by Tress MacNeille) - is Pepé Le Pew's crush who frequently rejects his advances, but when he doesn't smell, Penelope is willing to accept.
 * Lenny (voiced by Jim Rash) - is a
 * Eric Simpson (voiced by Ben Falcone) - is a
 * Bert (voiced by Hugh Davidson) - is a
 * Slowpoke Rodriguez (voiced by Joe Alaskey) – is Speedy Gonzales' cousin who is the male Sheriff of Tacapulco, Mexico.
 * Hugo the Abominable Snowman (voiced by Joe Alaskey) – is a male Yeti that lives in Alaska.
 * Blacque Jacque Shellacque (voiced by Joe Alaskey) – is a male tracker who is the male Canadian cousin of Yosemite Sam.
 * The Three Bears (voiced by Maurice LaMarche, Grey DeLisle, and John DiMaggio) – is a family of bears consisting of Henry Bear, Mama Bear, and Junior Bear.
 * Beaky Buzzard (voiced by Joe Alaskey) – is a male buzzard that rescues anyone in the desert in a hot-air balloon.
 * Cool Cat (voiced by Joe Alaskey) - is a male beatnik tiger that is perpetually stuck in the 1960s.
 * Colonel Rimfire (voiced by Joe Alaskey) - is a male hunter who is best friends with Elmer Fudd.
 * Merlin the Magic Mouse (voiced by Greg Burson) - is a male mouse who is based on W. C. Fields.
 * Melissa Duck (voiced by B. J. Ward) - is Daffy's ex-girlfriend, who sues him for harassment on the Judge Steven television series in the episode "Duck v. Duck".
 * Bunny (voiced by Grey DeLisle) and Claude (voiced by Joe Alaskey) - are a duo of bunny robbers whose specialty is robbing carrots.
 * Rapid Rabbit and Quick Brown Fox (both are usually mute, but the latter is voiced by Joe Alaskey) - are a rabbit and a brown fox similar to Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner; Quick Brown Fox is revealed to be Wile E.'s cousin.
 * Don Rankin (voiced by J. P. Karliak) - is the Mayor of Los Angeles.
 * Alex Mensch (voiced by Kyle MacLachlan) - is the Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department.
 * Priscilla Pig (voiced by Tara Strong) - is a pink female pig who is Porky's adoptive daughter beginning in the episode "Porky's Daughter".
 * Rodney Rabbit (voiced by Chuck Deezy) – is a male rabbit who is Bugs Bunny's old childhood best friend since summer camp.
 * Ralph Wolf (voiced by Joe Alaskey) - is a male wolf who is Wile E.'s cousin.
 * Sam Sheepdog (voiced by Joe Alaskey) - is a male sheepdog who is lazy.
 * Bob Wheaton (voiced by Jeff Bergman) - is a

Production
The Looney Tunes Show was originally envisioned as Looney Tunes Laff Riot, a "true-to-the-classics" show emulating the original run of Looney Tunes shorts announced in July 2009 by Warner Bros. Animation. However, it was scrapped because the executives weren't impressed, lots of employees were laid off, and it was later retooled into the sitcom-inspired The Looney Tunes Show which premiered on May 3, 2011 on Cartoon Network. The show features new character designs by Ottawa-based artist Jessica Borutski which were first created for Looney Tunes Laff Riot and were retooled for the series. The Laff Riot pilot would surface on September 4, 2020. Further alterations for the series were made at the request of Johnson Industries' WBC Networks, which owned 50% of the network, eventually taking full ownership in 2015.

For most modern animated sitcoms like The Simpsons, this one doesn't have a laugh track.

The animation was produced by Yearim and Rough Draft Korea, along with Toon City Animation in the first season. The Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner CGI shorts were produced by Crew972.

On July 29, 2019, it was announced that the series would not be renewed for a tenth season. A direct-to-video spin-off film named Looney Tunes: Rabbits Run was released on August 4, 2015.

Broadcast
The Looney Tunes Show premiered in the United States on May 3, 2011 through May 14, 2014 on Cartoon Network. In Australia, the first two seasons of the series began airing on 9Go! and Foxtel channel on Cartoon Network.  The Looney Tunes Show in Africa on Boomerang Africa on May 17, 2011, in France on Boomerang France, in the UK on Boomerang UK and on different Boomerang feeds throughout Europe.

The Looney Tunes Show premiered in the United States on Cartoon Network. In Middle East, on Cartoon Network Arabic and MBC3.

Critical response
Critical response to The Looney Tunes Show was initially mixed. Though the voice acting received praise, the series was criticized for its direction and lack of slapstick, as well as the designs and personality changes of the characters. The show, however, remained consistently popular, garnering an average of 2 million viewers every episode.

In a 2010 interview with CBC News, series animator Jessica Borutski said in response to fan criticism of the series' new character designs, that the original designs were intended for adults and that "[it is] time for a new generation to meet the characters." Borutski said, "a fresh, new design is the only way to keep characters alive." Cartoon historian Chris Robinson noted also that the mark the original characters have on fans is indelible and that fans are not receptive to change. "[Fans] just really become attached to these things," Robinson said. "It's just so strongly rooted in their childhood that they're unable to separate themselves."