Quirky-Looking ‘CatDog’ Displays Familiar Antics

The most distinctive thing about “CatDog,” which debuts today on Nickelodeon, is the design of the characters and backgrounds, which preserve the engagingly quirky look of series creator Peter Hannan’s illustrations.

The two-headed title character is half feline/half canine, somehow joined in the middle. (A similar creature appears in Bob Clampett’s 1938 Warner Bros. cartoon, “Porky in Wackland.”) The anatomical bond is a gimmick that links not two natural enemies, but a standard cartoon duo. The rather fussy Cat (voice by Jim Cummings) fancies himself a shrewd operator; Dog (Tom Kenny) is an unrepentant ding-a-ling who likes to play in the mud and eat garbage.

“Flea or Die” and “Siege on Fort CatDog,” the two cartoons that make up the first program, suggest that the graphic look and the main character’s anatomy are the show’s only unique features. It is typical post-”Ren and Stimpy” cartoon fare, with the usual wild takes, spasms of frenetic action, occasional gross-out gags and throwaway lines that may go over children’s heads. (When Cat considers surrendering everything to the nasty Greaser Dogs, he remarks, “We’d be fools to keep the bidet.”)

“CatDog” is amusing, and kids may enjoy the biologically challenged character’s misadventures. But discerning children will notice that it feels very familiar.

* “CatDog” airs weekdays at 5 p.m. on Nickelodeon.