Back in early 2000 Kevin Smith, then at the height of his popularity as a filmmaker, saw the launch of a primetime animated series based on his debut feature, the 1994 cult classic comedy Clerks. The show was set to air Wednesday nights at 9:30 on ABC, the ideal time slot for a show inspired by a movie whose script was so rich in poetic vulgarity and profanity that the Motion Picture Association of America’s ratings board originally slapped an NC-17 on Clerks, a decision that was later successfully appealed by the film’s distributor Miramax Films. Smith had entertained offers from rival networks for the animated Clerks series before settling on ABC as an act of corporate solidarity since the network was owned by the Walt Disney Company, the multimedia conglomerate that also owned Miramax.