The Zeta Project is an animated series that ran from 2001 to 2002. It was a spinoff of the Batman Beyond episode "Zeta".
Infiltration Unit Zeta was built by the government to replace and eliminate targeted enemies. On one mission, however, he learned that the man he was sent to kill was innocent and made the decision not to destroy anymore. Unfortunately for Zeta, the government believes he has been reprogrammed by the organization he had been infiltrating and will stop at nothing to retrieve the renegade synthoid.
On the run from the National Security Agency, Zeta is joined by Rosalie Rowan, a sarcastic, street-smart runaway searching for her family. With Ro's help, "Zee" learns that his only chance for freedom is to find his creator, Doctor Eli Selig.
Robert Goodman said he had the idea for a spin-off from "Zeta" when the episode was in pre-production, after the Batman Beyond team had been socializing after the Emmy Awards: "The Fugitive but with a runaway robot". His original intention was to make a show "darker" than Batman Beyond, and the intention was to use the original design, with use of laser guns. The network pushed for a more kid-friendly, lighter approach. Zeta's design was redone to be more "relatable" as a result, a decision Goodman felt was correct.[1]
The network's directive led to the show being brightly colored, often set in daylight, and with an entirely pacifistic Zeta and somewhat less aggressive Bennett. However, the show remained about a former sanctioned killer, with plots involving extrajudicial assassinations, government coverups, and the basic idea of the government (as one character put it) "sending infiltration units home to their [targets'] wives and kids".[2]
Cast
- Diedrich Bader as Zeta / Zee
- Julie Nathanson as Ro
- Kurtwood Smith as Agent Bennet
- Michael Rosenbaum as Agent West
- Lauren Tom as Agent Lee
Production Crew
Creators
- Robert Goodman — Series Creator, Producer, Writer
Producers
- Haven Alexander — Associate Producer
- Alan Burnett — Producer, Writer
- Liz Holzman — Supervising Producer
- Jean MacCurdy — Executive Producer
- Kathryn Page — Associate Producer
Directors
- Bob Davies — Director
- Bob Doucette — Director
- Curt Geda — Director
- Liz Holzman — Director
- T.J. House — Director
- Tim Maltby — Director
- Dan Riba — Director
Writers
- Hilary J. Bader — Writer
- Kevin Hopps — Writer
- Ralph Soll — Writer
- Rich Fogel — Writer
- Stacey Liss Goodman — Writer
- Wendell Morris — Writer
- Tom Sheppard — Writer
- Paul Diamond — Writer
- Katy Cooper — Writer
- Ned Teitelbaum — Writer
- Joseph Kuhr — Writer
- Liz Holzman — Writer
- Randy Rogel — Writer
- Lyle Weldon — Writer
- David Benullo — Writer
- Christopher Simmons — Writer
Casting
- Leslie Lamers — Casting Director
- Andrea Romano — Casting Director, Voice Direction
Episodes
Season One
Airdate Order | Prod. Code | Title | Directed by | Written by | Airdate | Opponent(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
01 | 385-531[3] | The Accomplice | Curt Geda | Robert Goodman | January 27, 2001 | Agent Bennet & NSA |
02 | 385-532[3] | His Maker's Name | Tim Maltby | Hilary J. Bader | February 3, 2001 | Agent Bennet & NSA |
03 | 385-534[3] | Remote Control | Curt Geda | Ralph Soll | February 10, 2001 | Bucky & Donald Tannor |
04 | 385-533[3] | Change of Heart | Bob Doucette | Kevin Hopps | February 17, 2001 | Agent Bennet & NSA |
05 | 385-535[3] | The Next Gen | Tim Maltby | Hilary J. Bader | February 24, 2001 | IU7 |
06 | 385-536[3] | West Bound | Bob Doucette | Stacey Liss Goodman & Robert Goodman | March 10, 2001 | Agent Bennet & NSA |
07 | 385-537[3] | Hicksburg | Curt Geda | Paul Diamond | March 31, 2001 | Agent Bennet & NSA |
08 | 385-538[3] | Shadows | Tim Maltby | Hilary J. Bader | April 7, 2001 | IU7 |
09 | 385-539[3] | Crime Waves | Bob Doucette | Kevin Hopps | April 14, 2001 | Sven |
10 | 385-540[3] | Taffy Time | Tim Maltby | Hilary J. Bader | May 5, 2001 | Krick |
12 | 385-541[3] | Ro's Reunion | Tim Maltby | Katy Cooper & Ned Teitelbaum | November 24, 2001 (Canada)[4] | Agent Bennet & NSA, Harry Lux |
12 | 385-542[3] | Kid Genius | Bob Doucette | Paul Diamond | August 11, 2001 | Donald Tannor |
13 | 385-543[3] | Absolute Zero | Curt Geda | Robert Goodman & Kevin Hopps | March 23, 2002 | Agent Bennet & NSA |
Season Two
Airdate Order | Prod. Code | Title | Directed by | Written by | Airdate | Opponent(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
01 | 385-621[5] | Wired, Part I | Curt Geda | Robert Goodman | March 30, 2002 | Agent Bennet & NSA, Meg, Plug and Buss |
02 | 385-622[5] | Wired, Part II | Liz Holzman | Robert Goodman | April 6, 2002 | Agent Bennet & NSA |
03 | 385-626[5] | Resume Mission | Rob Davies | Ralph Soll | April 13, 2002 | IU7 |
04 | 385-623[5] | Hunt in the Hub | T.J. House | Paul Diamond | April 20, 2002 | Thomas Boyle, NSA |
05 | 385-624[5] | Ro's Gift | Rob Davies | Hilary J. Bader & Joseph Kuhr | April 27, 2002 | Brain Trust |
06 | 385-627[5] | Lost and Found | Curt Geda & T.J. House | Randy Rogel | May 11, 2002 | Krick |
07 | 385-631[5] | Eye of the Storm | Tim Maltby | Ralph Soll | May 18, 2002 | Tornadoes |
08 | 385-625[5] | Quality Time | Tim Maltby | Kevin Hopps & Ralph Soll | July 13, 2002 | Agent Bennet |
09 | 385-628[5] | On the Wire | Curt Geda | Joseph Kuhr | July 20, 2002 | Agent Bennet & NSA |
10 | 385-629[5] | Cabin Pressure | Rob Davies & Olaf Miller | Lyle Weldon | July 27, 2002 | Agent Bennet & NSA |
11 | 385-632[5] | The River Rising | Curt Geda | Paul Diamond | August 3, 2002 | Agent Bennet & NSA, No-Tech |
12 | 385-633[5] | The Hologram Man | Rob Davies | Robert Goodman & Joseph Kuhr | August 10, 2002 | Brother's Day, Agent Bennet & NSA |
13 | 385-630[5] | The Wrong Morph | Curt Geda | David Benullo | November 23, 2002(Canada)[6] | Dr. Myrell, Blake |
Home Video
Cancellation and unmade seasons
Goodman planned a four-year semi-serialized arc, partly mapped out based on The Fugitive and how many episodes Lt. Gerard (for Bennett) and the One-Armed Man (Selig) made appearances. A now-lost online flash game called Zeta Quest 3D came out in May 2001 with an Infiltration Unit 8.[7]
It had almost been cancelled after season one due to the events of 9/11 and to save it, the show had to cut the word "terrorist".[8]
However, the show was cancelled in its second season at the eleventh hour, with the crew unsure if the network would renew it. The show was ordered to have a cliffhanger, with the death of Eli Selig and a robotic hand out of the water being done as a ratings boost just in case the network decided to renew. Robert Goodman said in an interview that this made him unsure where to take the show. "I also knew that if we did come back, the network wanted to take the show in directions I didn't want to go... I was wondering if it wouldn't be best to let the curtain go down right then and there." [9]
On 12 May 2013, Goodman finally revealed one of those directions when he tweeted that "one of the twists the network wanted" was that Ro would be a robot.[10]
Goodman later revealed that the show had been cancelled because he quit, saying the network's kid friendly demands ("no fighting, no bad guys") was making it impossible to produce the show he wanted or get stories through. The final straw was that the season 3 WB wanted was about Zeta and Ro as public good guys solving crimes together. WB was unable to get a replacement showrunner.[11]
Goodman made it clear that Zeta and Ro wouldn't have become a couple; "sorry to disappoint, 'shippers."[12]
Zeta live-action pitch
Jon Schnieder planned to create a live action Zeta Project reboot with Bob Goodman. He originally mentioned it on his website, which was confirmed in 2020 by Goodman. It would not have been modeled after The Fugitive which Warner Brothers. Television had recently done a failed reboot of, and it was a "dirty word" at the company. Instead, Ro was an FBI cybercrimes agent and Zeta had replaced her partner, and they would solve tech crimes every week in a procedural.[13]
See also
References
- ↑ "Bob Goodman Reveals THE ZETA PROJECT Season 3...and 4?! Interview", 07:00 to 08:00, 11:00 to 12:50, 26:31 to 28:10, 30:05 to 31:30
- ↑ Zeta's handler, "Lost and Found"
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 The Zeta Project Season 1 - World's Finest
- ↑ YTV air logs November 2001
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 The Zeta Project Season 2 - World's Finest
- ↑ YTV air logs November 2002
- ↑ Watchtower Database: "Bob Goodman Reveals THE ZETA PROJECT Season 3...and 4?! (24-Hour Birthday Bash) Interview", 37:10 to 39:00
- ↑ "Bob Goodman Reveals THE ZETA PROJECT Season 3...and 4?! Interview", 47:30 to 49:30
- ↑ The World's Finest talks to Series Creator, Robert Goodman
- ↑ Screenshot of tweets between Goodman and Nathanson, "The Zeta Project" tumblr
- ↑ "Bob Goodman Reveals THE ZETA PROJECT Season 3...and 4?! Interview", 47:30 to 54:55
- ↑ The World's Finest talks to Series Creator, Robert Goodman: "They already love each other plenty," says Goodman. "It's the kind of love that's between two close friends, or even more to the point, between siblings... It was really never my intention that they be anything more than that."
- ↑ "Bob Goodman Reveals THE ZETA PROJECT Season 3...and 4?! Interview", 23:10 to 26:30
External links
- The Zeta Project at Wikipedia