Kenny the Shark (partially found live-action Discovery Kids special; 2000)
A photo of Spencer Breslin in the special, from the August 18, 2000 edition of Athens News Courier.
Status: Lost
Kenny the Shark (also known as Who Killed Kenny?)[1][2] is an American children's live-action comedy television special that premiered the morning of August 19, 2000 on Discovery Channel's kids programming block, during the channel's Shark Week event. Written and directed by Don Wells, the half-hour special served as a potential springboard for a recurring live-action series.[3]
The special and its main character would later become the basis for an unaired animated pilot, and eventually, a full-fledged animated series that aired from 2003 to 2005.
Synopsis
The special focuses on the titular character, Kenny the Shark (voiced by Paul Spencer), a six-foot tiger shark who lives in a suburban neighborhood with a human family. Having eaten the family out of house and home, and on the verge of banishment, Kenny must find a job with the help of the family's young son Matt (portrayed by Spencer Breslin), while evading evil shark hunter Quint (portrayed by Marshall Effron).
Kenny himself is not visible in the special, with scenes being filmed from his point-of-view.[3] In addition to the special, interstitials featuring the characters were also produced that aired between programs, focusing on phenomena such as the wrestler Shark Boy, the shark-tooth capital of the world, and a man who created a sharkmobile from a 1982 Nissan Sentra.[2][4]
Availability
The special was rerun on television in August 2001 for that year's Shark Week event,[5] but seemingly never again after that; it was also not released on any form of home media. The only found visual material relating to the special is a photo of Spencer Breslin (presumably in his role as Matt), which circulated in various newspapers around the time of the special's airing.
Gallery
See Also
- Kenny the Shark, an unaired 2001 animated pilot based on the special.
External Links
- Discovery Kids webpage mentioning the special. (archived) Retrieved 18 Aug 2000.
- Turner Classic Movies webpage featuring a synopsis and listing of the special's cast/crew. Retrieved 18 Aug 2000.
- Athens News Courier page mentioning the special. Retrieved 18 Aug 2000.
References
- ↑ Chicago Tribune article mentioning the special. Retrieved 05 Dec '18.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Broadcasting & Cable article about the special. Retrieved 05 Dec '18.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article about the special. Retrieved 05 Dec '18.
- ↑ New York Post article mentioning the interstitials. Retrieved 05 Dec '18.
- ↑ August 17, 2001 TV listings from Kalispell Daily Interlake. Retrieved 09 Jan '19.