EarthBound: The Series (Johnsonverse)

EarthBound: The Series (known in the Japanese states as Mother: The Series) is an American-British television series that aired on WBC from September 1, 1997 to June 21, 2015, based on the 1994 Super Nintendo Entertainment System game Mother 2, which was released in the American states as EarthBound. It is a follow-up to the 1997 movie, and was developed and directed by Timothy Hill, who directed the film.

Production began in 1995, at the same time as the movie. Throughout its run, EarthBound: The Series received critical acclaim, consistently high ratings, and won several Emmy awards. On January 1, 2014, Hill confirmed that Season 18 would be the final season. Its final episode, the four-part episode "The Final Fight", aired on June 21, 2015.

Season 1 (1997-1998)

 * 1) "Raid on Twoson" (aired September 1, 1997) -  S

Season 18 (2014-2015)

 * 1) The Final Fight

All seasons

 * Ness (Gary Nelson from 1997-2001, John Helbert from 2001-2005, Joey Whittman from 2005-2008, and Tim Johnson from 2008-2015) is the series' protagonist.
 * Paula (Kate Locklain from 1997-2001, Vanessa Parsons from 2001-2005, Emily T. Kendrick from 2005-2008, and Chloe Johnson from 2008-2015)
 * Jeff (Jeffrey Paul from 1997-2001, Billy Michaels from 2001-2005, Robert Larson from 2005-2008, and Hayden Michaels from 2008-2015)

Seasons 12-18

 * Lucas (Fred Perry) is
 * Kumatora (Mabel Luckey)
 * Duster (Nick Robinson)

Season 15

 * Ninten (Gary Nelson)
 * Ana (Kate Locklain)
 * Lloyd (Jeffrey Paul)

Reception
The series managed to maintain consistently high ratings throughout its run. The highest-viewed episode was "The Return", which was aired on Memorial Day 1998, the second-highest being "Project X", which aired on Labor Day 2011.

Critically, the series received universal acclaim. Entertainment Weekly noted in 2012 that the series "is of the same caliber as the movie". The series got a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the critic consensus reading "With a stellar cast, amazing stories, and top-notch production values, this series manages to live up to the already-iconic movie".