Detective Vigilant (TV series)

Detective Vigilant (alternatively called Paramount's Detective Vigilant or Detective Vigilant: The Animated Series) is an American animated action-adventure comedy superhero slice-of-life television series created by Xavier Shaquille alongside developing the series with Bob Schooley and Mark McCorkle based on the Paramount Pictures feature film of the same name. Following the events of the film, the title character is tasked with juggling his crime-fighting career and his normal everyday life.

After production wrapped on the preceded film, Shaquille went to work on the series and recruited Schooley and McCorkle to develop the series after their work on Pixar's Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, Disney's Kim Possible, and DreamWorks Animation/Nickelodeon's The Penguins of Madagascar. Like the film, it consists of self-referential humor while it has a few moments of black comedy spread around. The series was produced by Paramount Television Studios, Miramax Animation, Troublemaker Studios, and Smashup Productions. It is also the first Paramount animated series since The Itsy Bitsy Spider (1993–1996) and the first Paramount series based on a Paramount Pictures property not to be produced under Nickelodeon Animation Studio, which was at the request of Shaquille.

The series premiered on Paramount Global's new television network Paramount Kids on April 12, 2027 and ended on November 26, 2029, after 59 episodes and three seasons. The series received critical acclaim for its writing, self-referential humor, animation, and character development throughout; some critics and viewers found it more superior to the film.

Characters

 * Thomas Travis / Detective Vigilant (voiced by Xavier Shaquille) is an easy-going young adult who is the adopted son of his late mother Jamie. He had dawned the alter-ego Detective Vigilant to avenge his mother and find her killer; he retains his alter-ego for the sake of keeping her mother's legacy alive in protecting Northvile. When fighting crime, he relies on his knowledge of pop-culture to help him on his crime-fighting sprees and has himself suited up in his mother's spare bullet-proof vests as a matter of shielding his body from gunshots and tasers. He currently works part-time at Northvile's pizzeria in order to pay for his apartment.
 * Rebecca "Rebb" Ophelia (voiced by Isabella Merced) is Thomas' old girlfriend from high school before she moved out of town with her family; as shown in the film's immediate short, Found Job and Lost Time, she moved out of her parents' house her 18th birthday and moved next door to his apartment. Thomas has never told her his alter-ego, nor has she found out yet until the second season.
 * Caren Kaplin (voiced by Sarah-Nicole Robles) is Thomas' roommate and now best-friend after their alliance in the first film. Since discovering his identity in the first film, she has become his ally; when Thomas roams the streets as Vigilant, Caren serves as his chauffeur and will help him remotely through walkie-talkies and nany-cams.
 * Jamie Jean "JJ" Travis (voiced by Deedee Magno-Hall) Thomas' late mother who was part of the Northvile Police Department as detective. Residing in the afterlife, she provides Thomas with helpful advice when it comes to his crime-fighting.
 * Grant Langstrome (voiced by Terry Crews) is the commissioner of the N.P.D. after Julius Kasity had resigned. When it comes to Vigilant's ethics in fighting crime, he is more than willing to have him help the N.P.D.
 * James Terrance (voiced by Ken Jeong) is the current Chief of Police of the N.P.D. following the arrest of Daron Isadore. His tactics include being the "bad cop" and going beyond orders.
 * Magnus Anders (voiced by Rob Delaney) is the mayor of Northvile following his re-election.

Development
Xavier Shaquille, storywriter/co-producer/lead star of the preceded film, had planned on making a follow-up series after the film. Following production on the film, he went on and hired Kim Possible creators Bob Schooley and Mark McCorkle in creating his series as well as writing the episodes.

Like how the film was inspired by Deadpool films and Blankman, the series takes inspiration from Kim Possible and Batman: The Animated Series in tone and genre.

Shaquille contacted Marvel Entertainment president Dan Buckley for permission to reference elements from the company as the preceded film had. Buckley agreed to let Shaquille include references due to Marvel's former alliance with Paramount Pictures when the two companies had founded Paramount Comics and when Paramount had distributed the first four films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Casting
Aside from Shaquille reprising his role from the film, the majority of the other cast members of the film signed on to return in the series, such as Deedee Magno-Hall as Jamie; Rob Delaney as the mayor; Ken Jeong as Terrance; and Sarah-Nicole Robles as Caren. Isabela Merced, who portrayed Rebb in the short Found Job and Lost Time on the Detective Vigilant Blu-ray, also signed on to return as her character. George Clooney reprises his role as Diego Devlin in one episode of the second season. Terry Crews was hired to voice new N.P.D. commissioner Grant Langstrome, a new character to the franchise.

The majority of the series' secondary cast members and guest stars consists of voice actors/actresses who had collaborated with Schooley and McCorkle; Christy Carlson Romano has a supporting role as rookie cop Edith Harkens, Nicole Sullivan and Patrick Warburton guest star as Rebb's parents Deborah and Nicolas, John DiMaggio voices Travis' landlord, Larry Miller as Samuel Wayons / General Arms, Wayne Knight as millionaire Daniel J. Williams, Will Friedle guest stars as Kirk Foly / Bandit Stripes, Raven-Symoné guest stars as movie star Iris, and James Patrick Stuart voices a recurring antagonist Ferris Lizt / Tommy Gunn.

Other recurring guest stars include Alfred Molina as Professor French Harmon, a scientist and inventor who associates with Vigilant by aiding him with gadgets; Ming-Na Wen as Kate Bosworth / Samurai, an Asian-American martial artist now superhero; Seth MacFarlane as Gary Brandon, a civilian of Northvile in debt; Rider Strong as Jedd, Caren's ex-boyfriend; Dana Davis as Jenny Kaplin, Caren's sister; Alex Borstein as Rita Travis-Jefferson, Travis' aunt and Jamie's sister.

Animation
Like the comic books segments from the film, South Korean animation studio DR Movie was brought back to animate the series. The series' character designs are reminiscent to Bruce Timm's artstyle while a few details are altered out of contrast, notably the eyes; all the characters are modeled after their respective actors/actress for the sake of consistency towards the live-action film.

Shaquille wanted to make his series distant from the modern animated series that had animation that was "fast-paced"; he wanted to have the animation for his series match the movement akin to the likes of Kim Possible and Cartoon Network's The Life and Times of Juniper Lee, certain animated series from the early to mid-2000s which had fluent animation.