Beakman's World
Series, 1992, The '90s, Set in Beakman's lab
Beakman's World is #15 of 18 in release order and #15 of 18 in chronological order in the CBS Saturday Morning Cartoons.
The story
Beakman's World is an educational children's television show. The program is based on the Universal Press Syndicate syndicated comic strip You Can with Beakman and Jax created by Jok Church. The series premiered September 18, 1992 on The Learning Channel cable network and in national syndication. On September 18, 1993 it moved from national syndication to CBS Saturday morning children’s lineup. At the peak of its popularity, it was seen in nearly 90 countries around the world. The series was canceled in 1998. Reruns returned to national syndication in September 2006, after which it was transferred to local stations such as KICU. The show debuted a year prior to Bill Nye the Science Guy, which covered similar topics. The show's host, Paul Zaloom, still performs as Beakman in live appearances around the globe.
Beakman's World recap
Beakman's World (1992) is a live-action science show in which an eccentric scientist named Beakman answers viewer mail with loud, messy experiments. It is based on Jok Church's comic strip You Can with Beakman and Jax. Paul Zaloom plays Beakman, who shouts "Zaloom!" when an experiment works, and Mark Ritts plays Lester, a reluctant lab assistant in a rat suit. A teenage assistant changes over the years: Josie (Alanna Ubach) in season 1, Liza (Eliza Schneider) in seasons 2 and 3 and Phoebe (Senta Moses) in season 4. Two penguins, Herb and Don (voiced by Alan Barzman and Bert Berdis), watch the show and comment on it between segments. Each episode works through a few scientific questions with demonstrations, sketches and sight gags. The show premiered on TLC on September 16, 1992, and in syndication three days later, then joined the CBS Saturday morning lineup on September 18, 1993. It ran four seasons and 91 episodes, 26, 26, 13 and 26.
Beakman's World ending explained
Beakman's World ends with "Protozoology, Beakmania & Movie Stunts", aired December 6, 1997, after which the series was cancelled. It is a regular episode with no farewell. Reruns returned to national syndication in 2006, aired on MeTV from 2016 and now stream on The Roku Channel and a YouTube channel. Paul Zaloom still performs as Beakman in live appearances, but no new series has been made.
Ratings
IMDb 8.6/10
Where it fits
- Release order: after Where's Waldo?, before Aladdin.
- Chronological order: after Where's Waldo?, before Aladdin.
Cast
- Paul Zaloom as Beakman
- Mark Ritts as Lester
- Bert Berdis as Don (voice)
- Alan Barzman as Herb (voice)
- Eliza Schneider as Liza
- Alanna Ubach as Josie
- Senta Moses as Phoebe
- Jean Stapleton as Beakman's Mom
Created by Jok R. Church.