Men in Black: The Series

Men in Black: The Series was an animated series based off of the original Men in Black film, that ran for four seasons between 1997 and 2001. It ran on Kids' WB for all four seasons. It originally aired on Saturday mornings, before moving to weekdays.

Plot/Premise
MIB: The Series was based on the 1997 blockbuster Men In Black and was set some year after the first film. Agent K was de-neuralyzied and came back to be the partner of Agent J. Agent L was moved to the lab inside MiB Headquarters. The headquarters itself was no longer under the ventilator building of the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, but now at what looked like a disused area under LaGuardia Airport. The LTD from the first live-action film is reused and serves as Jay and Kay's primary mode of transportation, although in "The Sonic Boom Syndrome" the LTD is totaled by Eidi and Kay, Elle and Aileen were forced to used a temporary rental car until the LTD is repaired.

The show had varied writing in its episodes. Some episodes hearkened back to the plot to the first film, and brought back characters like the Bugs, and the Arquillians. MIB: The Series itself had a long-running plot where the Men In Black fought Alpha, a former MIB chief who previously had been Agent K's friend and mentor. Eventually, Alpha had turned maverick with greed and sought to achieve immortality by assimilating rare alien body parts into his body. He returned numerous times and his appearance grew grislier each time with the help of the 'Cosmic Integrator', a device that let him combine alien appendages to his own body.

Ultimately, the basic plot formula was for the MIB to protect the Earth from harm, and this extended into keeping peace throughout the galaxy. Technology, as well as intergalactic politics and peacekeeping played a part, along with common criminal activity on a science fiction level.

Besides Agent Kay, the founding members of the MIB were Agents T, H, Q, and D (Kay's first partner from the first movie).

Design
Another grand departure from the film was the look of the main cast, whose designs were a notable departure from their movie counterparts. Agent L was given blue eyes and a different hairstyle whose color was switched to blonde. Agent J was made notably taller and given a flat top while his signature mustache was omitted. For season 2, the series' art style was streamlined with Agent K's design becoming much more youthful in appearance. The designs of Edgar the Bug and his identical brother, Edwin were given a very reptilian aesthetic which bore a strong resemblance to Maleficent's dragon form. Whereas in the film, Zed had black hair and a goatee, he possessed white hair and no goatee in the series while his eyes were dramatically shaded in to give an impression of a lack of sleep. These differences are addressed in one episode of the series, where it's revealed that every so often, some Hollywood-type learns of the MIB and makes a movie about them, possibly hinting that the live-action movie were one of these incidents.

Recurring Themes
The cartoon series is filled with recurring gags and clichés:
 * Whenever MiB agents show up at a scene involving civilians, the agents always use the term Division 6.
 * Kay frequently refers to Jay as Slick or Sport.
 * Jay often begs Kay to let him drive the LTD but he is never allowed. (In one episode, Jay manages to take the LTD for a joyride which leads to dangerous results.)
 * Jay uses his Noisy Cricket on a regular basis whereas Kay uses standard MiB weaponry. In the second season and onward, Jay upgrades the weapon with a Silencer which limits the violent kicks.
 * The word "you" is mixed up with Agent U's code name.
 * Jack Jeebs has his head blown off on a regular basis. It completely regrows seconds later.

Video Game
With the success of the series, Infogrames studios decided to release a video game adaptation called Men in Black The Series: Crashdown

Cast

 * Ed O'Ross as Agent K (Season 1)
 * Gregg Berger as Agent K (Seasons 2-4)
 * Keith Diamond as Agent J
 * Jennifer Lien as Agent L (Seasons 1-3)
 * Jennifer Martin as Agent L (Season 4)
 * Charles Napier as Zed
 * Adam Baldwin as Agent X
 * Eddie Barth as Frank the Pug (Few Episodes)
 * Pat Pinney as two Worms; Blblup
 * Pat Fraley as two Worms; Bob
 * David Warner as Alpha
 * Tony Shalhoub as Jack Jeebs (Few Episodes)
 * Billy West as Jack Jeebs (Remainder)

Trivia

 * Every episode title started with "The" and ended in "Syndrome".
 * Only Season One has been released on DVD. In North America, only 6 episodes of Season One were released on VHS. The entire series is currently available on Sony Crackle, but it would alternate between which seasons are available every few months.
 * One episode, The Star System Syndrome, implies that the term "Division 6" is the identity of the main branch of MiB, which explains its frequent use.
 * The series also serves as a sequel to Men in Black II since the second movie is set before the series presumably to not confuse those who never saw the series.