TKO: 10 Year Anniversary

[D'Snowth]

Before I begin, I would like to stress once again that I am not and never was the creator of TKO - TKO was and always has been the creation of MrsPepper; the concept and premise is all hers, I merely helped adapt it into a series format, but all credit for creation goes to MrsPepper, not me.

Okay, so ten years ago in the summer of 2005, a new kind of comedy series emerged among the MC Forum community. Okay, so MopFam came out months before that, but afterwards, another comedy series emerged: a comedy series that centered on the lives of an organization of internet junkies who often find themselves responsible for the "death" of forum threads. These people were known as Thread Killers, and their organization was the Thread Killers Organization . . . or, simply put, TKO.

The series focused on the off-beat unit in the organization, the 3976th 1/2, commanded by no-nonsense, level-headed, yet easily flustered unit C.E.O., MrsPepper, the first woman to run a TKO unit. The 3976th 1/2 consisted of a colorful cast of ragtag thread killers, such as the unit's Chief Thread Killer, Vic Romano; the unit's slacker C.F.O., D'Snowth, and the ever beloved despite being underappreciated and underpaid custodian, Beauregard; in addition to other characters that have come and gone over the course of the series.

Produced by the former Thundercloud Studios (their studios in Toronto, not their headquartered studios in Puerto Rico), the series lasted for four years and 52 episodes, and proved to be a hit with MCers. Now, on the tenth anniversary, we're happy to bring to you "The Summer of TKO": every Saturday all summer long, relive some of your favorite moments from this classic and enduring original MC sitcom. Don't miss it!

 

[MikaelaMuppet]

Congratulations on the 10 year anniversary of TKO @D'Snowth!

 

[D'Snowth]

The idea of a Thread Killers Organization was off to a rocky start, it took a little while for it to sort of solidify into a more corporate organization . . . or, more specifically, something of a satirical corporate organization. Early on, however, TKO was regarded more or less like club, which is why it's refered to as such in this week's Summer of TKO presentation of "The Recruit":

http://www.muppetcentral.com/forum/threads/t-k-o-the-recruit.18289/

 

[D'Snowth]

Among all the units within TKO, the 3976th 1/2 was always regarded as an off-beat unit, mainly because it was comprised of a ragtag bunch of misfits who weren't as corporate about thread killing as other units - though they were perhaps the most dedicated unit in the organization - so when it came time to award the TKO Unit of the Year, there was quite a bit of unrest that the 3976th 1/2 was among the final nominees. Chaos definitely ensued as you may remember in this week's Summer of TKO presentation of "Virus":

http://www.muppetcentral.com/forum/threads/t-k-o-virus.18830/

 

[D'Snowth]

The first time the production of TKO was ever faced with a challenge was when it came time to wrap-up the inaugural season of the series; unsure at that point if the series was going to be renewed or not was vexing enough, but the real challenge was trying to find a way to send off a castmember whose involvement with the series dwindled as the season progressed. For the episode that should have garned the series an Emmy (or a Webby, or whatever)here is this week's Summer of TKO presentation of "Hasta La Viesta, KermieBaby!"

http://www.muppetcentral.com/forum/threads/t-k-o-hasta-la-vista-kermiebaby.19818/

 

[D'Snowth]

TKO occasionally looked for ways to reevaluate its characters, not just as a way or reminding long-time fans of why they love them, but also help establish them for newer viewers to get a sense of who's who and why they are the way they are. That perspective was handled in a wonderful way by having the 3976th 1/2 teamsters analyzed by relative newcomer TogetherAgain, who wrote of their antics in this week's Summer of TKO presentation of "The Greatest Journal":

http://www.muppetcentral.com/forum/threads/t-k-o-the-greatest-journal.21359/

 

[D'Snowth]

Gee, this is quite a disadvantage of not having any other old-timers here anymore: there's nobody here to celebrate.

For the dopey, screwball comedy TKO tended to be, there were occasions where the show would tackle heavier issues; given that the premise of the show was a woman in charge of her own TKO, one issue the show tended to touch on was sexism in the workplace. MrsPepper often had trouble earning respect from higher ups at the 001st, including TKO president Number One, as you are about to see in this week's Summer of TKO presentation of "Cracked Pepper":

http://www.muppetcentral.com/forum/threads/t-k-o-cracked-pepper.22278/

 

[D'Snowth]

Anyone? Anyone? Anyone?

At the height of its popularity, TKO also became infamous for its friendly rival with another of MCF's comedy hits, THE MOPPET FAMILY, which, interestingly enough, shared a number of the same cast members, including Moppet Family patriarch who also served as the 3976th 1/2's hapless custodian. Mat B. Regard pulls a dual role in a bizarre yet memorable crossover episode in this week's Summer of TKO presentation of "The Moppet Family":

http://www.muppetcentral.com/forum/threads/t-k-o-the-moppet-family.22387/

 

[D'Snowth]

TKO wasn't known just for its humor, it was also known for its heart, and the thread killers of the 3976th 1/2 were a band of true companions, though sometimes some of the older staffers needed a lesson in being a little more considerate of the newer recruits, which is a lesson that was learned in this week's Summer of TKO presentation of "The Prawn Went Crackers":

http://www.muppetcentral.com/forum/threads/t-k-o-the-prawn-went-crackers.24929/

 

[D'Snowth]

What do I even bother doing this for?

As time went on, TKO looked for ways to shake things up a bit to keep the series from becoming formulaic and repetitive. A fire at the 3976th 1/2 not only offered an opportunity to refurbish the same old sets that had been used since the beginning, but it also treated us to a look at the 3976th and why they begrudged the 3976th 1/2 - including being introduced to the 3976th's prissy and militant C.E.O. in this week's Summer of TKO presentation of "The Fire":

http://www.muppetcentral.com/forum/threads/t-k-o-the-fire.25417/