Why was ‘Clone High’ canceled, Explained

With the news that adult animated sitcom Clone High is set to be rebooted two decades after it first aired, plenty of people have been wondering why the show was cancelled in the first place. The most obvious reason would have been low ratings, however, it seems that wasn’t actually the case, and the plug was pulled on the show for much more sinsiter reasons than that — for their controversial depiction of Mahatma Gandhi, the famous Indian civil rights leader who helped the country to gain independence from the British through non-violent means.

If you want to know more about the reasons why this cult classic show was cancelled, and what will happen to it in the future, then read ahead to discover why Clone High didn’t make it.

What is Clone High about?

Clone High is an adult, animated sci-fi sitcom set in a high school populated entirely by the clones of incredibly famous historical figures. The cast includes teen versions of Cleopatra, Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Joan of Arc, and Mahatma Gandhi. A parody of teen and high school dramas like 90210, it was an irreverent show that prioritized humor and story over a sharp and professional animation style.

The high school is based in the fictional American town of Exclamation, and Clone High itself is a top-secret, incredibly elaborate military experiment being run by a government branch called the Secret Board of Shadowy Figures. The students were created in the 1980s, and supposedly raised to have the various strengths of their originals magnified, so their abilities could be used by the U.S military.

Although there are plenty of famous clones shown, our main protagonists are the ones listed above. Lincoln is in love with Cleopatra, who prefers promiscuity to the stability the clone president wants to offer. All the while, Joan of Arc pines after Abe. JFK is a caricature of himself, prioritizing womanizing over all else, and also has a long-standing acrimony with Lincoln. Gandhi is more of a comic figure, who loves to party and have a good time, in direct opposition to the asceticism his real life counterpart was famous for.

Why did Clone High get cancelled?

Originally running on MTV, the new series will get its second shot on HBO. The reason it was cancelled in the first place wasn’t due to low ratings, as many beleived, but because viewers in India reacted so strongly against the depiction of Gandhi that they held a hunger strike at the MTV offices in India, much like their hero had done decades prior when battling the British.

Gandhi on the show was not a sympathetic character, preferring to get a buzz on and act horrible to his fellow classmates for a bit of fun. It wasn’t just rabid protestors in India who balked at the depiction of the civil rights icon, either, with dozens of politicians also joining in the protests, and some even threatening to take away MTV’s television broadcast license in the country unless the show was no longer aired.

The creators Bill Lawrence (Scrubs, Ted Lasso) Phil Lord, and Christopher Miller (21 Jump Street) tried to work with the government, suggesting that Gandhi could be completely removed from the next season, or that it could be revealed the clone was actually of Diff’rent Strokes child actor Gary Coleman, thus erasing the association between the character and the nonviolent freedom fighter. However, these were both rejected, leading to the show’s cancellation.

Will Gandhi be in the Clone High reboot?

It is all but confirmed that Gandhi will not be appearing in the new Clone High reboot. While he was a fairly hilarious presence, it is likely a case of better safe than sorry from the creators and producers, who now have two decades of additional experience to draw on. With that said, the other characters are returning, with some of the original voices also reprising roles (including Will Forte, Nicole Sullivan, Christa Miller, Donald Faison, and Judah Miller).

In addition, we’ll be seeing clones of Harriet Tubman (Ayo Edebiri), Frida Kahlo (Vicci Martinez), Confucius (Kelvin Yu), Topher Bus (Neil Casey), Sacagawea (Jana Schmieding), and Michael Bolton and Mandy Moore playing themselves. Cleopatra will now also be voiced by a non-white actress, Mitra Jouhari. So, even though Gandhi might be gone, we’ll still surely get some edgy jokes and hilarious performances that teeter on the edge of acceptability — the thing that made the show a cult classic in the first place.