The Cadets

The Cadets is an animated sci-fi comedy series created by BaconMatthew for Comedy Central UK. The series follows a group of 6 cadets training to destroy the E.P.I.C. (Evil Planet Incineration Corporation) corporation, who travel across space destroying the contents of planets so they can use it for property development.

The series premiered in the UK on March 3, 2014 on Comedy Central. It was picked up for a second season which premiered on July 10, 2015, later followed by a third season in 2016 and a feature film in 2019. In mid-2017 the series started airing on Dessin.

Development
The series was pitched to Comedy Central on August 23, 2012, where it was greenlit for a first season of 13 episodes. Writing began in late 2012, and by early 2013,the main cast members had been cast.

Animation
Although storyboarded in the UK, the series is animated by Rough Draft Studios. The series mostly utilises digital hand-drawn animation, although some animation is computer-generated.

Main

 * Will (Kevin Eldon): Will is a 28-year old who becomes a cadet after a technical mix-up when submitting his resume to work in a restaurant. Although reluctant at first, he soon begins to enjoy being a cadet.
 * Kate (Amanda Holden): Kate is a 31-year old who is in her second year of being a cadet after failing her first test. She is skilled in flying and repairs.
 * John (Richard Ayoade): John is a 25-year old who has dreamed of being a pilot from a young age. He and Kate often have conflict over who should fly the ship on missions.
 * Chris (David Mitchell): Chris is a 57-year old who decides to become a cadet when he has a mid-life crisis and wants to do something with his life. He acts as a mentor to Will in times of doubt.
 * Sue (Tress MacNeille): Sue (whose real name is Zxcvbnm but can't be pronounced) is an alien who joined the cadets after crash-landing on Earth alone. Initially only joining to try and get home, she soon decides to stay after bonding with her fellow cadets.
 * Deb (Tress MacNeille): Deb is a 35-year old former corporal of the US Army who later moved to the UK. She is arguably the toughest of the cadets.

Secondary

 * James Wilson (Billy West): James is the main teacher of the cadets. An experienced pilot, his career almost ended when he lost his arm in a fight, however he was given a bionic arm as a present from his co-workers.
 * Xurak (BaconMatthew): Xurak, the main antagonist of the series, is a psychopathic being formed from a small planet which was fertilised in a test. He wipes planets of life so he can use them for property development.
 * Dude (BaconMatthew): Dude is the left half of a halved being that splits into seperate beings when split and one of Xurak's henchmen.
 * Dudette (Jessica DiCicco): Dudette is Dude's sister and one of Xurak's henchmen.
 * S.I.A. (Tress MacNeille): S.I.A. (Ship Intelligent Artificiality) is the ship's AI who assists the crew on missions.

Episodes
Main article: The Cadets/episodes

Ratings
The show has had fairly high ratings from the start, and has been steadily increasing. Its premiere on March 3, 2014 was Comedy Central's 4th highest rated broadcast of the week with 0.23 million viewers, while the third season's premiere was the 2nd highest rated broadcast of the week with 0.32 million viewers. The series' 2017 premiere on Syfy had an audience of 0.08 million, Syfy's 4th highest rated broadcast of the week.

Film
Main article: The Cadets Movie

In 2016, after the success of its third season, a feature film based on the series was greenlit. The Cadets Movie was released on January 25, 2019 and follows the cadets on their biggest mission yet when Xurak and his forces intend to wipe Earth for property development. The film had a worldwide gross of $76 million and received mostly positive reviews from critics.

Funko figures
In 2017 the series signed a deal with Funko for a line of Pop figures to be released based on the series. The first series in 2017 had the six cadets, James and Xurak and the second series in 2018 had the six cadets each in a different outfit seen in the show, an updated Xurak and a two-pack of Dude and Dudette.

In 2018 Funko also released a line of Mystery Minis and Pocket Pop keychain based on the series.

Home media
Box sets of each season have been released on DVD. On May 27, 2019 The Cadets Movie was released on DVD and Blu-ray.