Big Bad Beetleborgs (later Beetleborgs Metallix for Season 2) is an American live-action superhero television series by Saban Entertainment and was co-produced with Renaissance-Atlantic Films, Toei Company and Bugboy Productions. Two seasons aired on Fox Kids from September 7, 1996, to March 2, 1998.
The series adapted combat footage from the Metal Hero tokusatsu-series Juukou B-Fighter (first season) and B-Fighter Kabuto (second season). Unlike its contemporaries, such as Power Rangers, the show had a greater emphasis on sitcom elements, rather than a villain of the week.
Synopsis
Season 1 In the fictional town of Charterville, three kids — Andrew "Drew" McCormick (Wesley Barker), his younger sister Josephine "Jo" McCormick (Shannon Chandler, later Brittany Konarzewski), and their best friend Roland Williams (Herbie Baez) — enter the haunted Hillhurst Mansion after accepting a dare from two rich bullies, Van and Trip. They discover that the mansion is inhabited by actual monsters who intend to eat them. In the midst of a chase, the kids accidentally bump into a pipe organ, releasing a phasm named Flabber (Billy Forester), who had been trapped inside of it. Out of gratitude for freeing him, Flabber offers to grant the kids one wish. Their wish is to become their favorite comic book heroes, the Big Bad Beetleborgs, but this also brings the Beetleborgs' archenemies, the Magnavores, into the real world. Throughout the season, the Magnavores' leader, Vexor, summons monsters from the comic books to battle the Beetleborgs.
Later, Vexor creates Shadowborg, who briefly takes away the Beetleborgs' powers, prompting them to ask the comics' creator, Art Fortunes, to create the White Blaster Beetleborg and Drew's new Mega Blue mode to help them. The team later meets a new kid in town, Josh Baldwin (Warren Berkow), who becomes the new Beetleborg and helps the team until he loses his powers after Shadowborg was destroyed.
In the penultimate episode of the first season, the Magnavores steal a picture of a new villain named Nukus from Art Fortunes' office, and bring him to life in hope that he will help them destroy the Beetleborgs, through his creation of Borgslayer, a hybrid of all the Magnavore monsters. Unbeknownst to the Magnavores, Nukus was actually plotting to get rid of them, and tells Trip and Van how to defeat Borgslayer, and orders them to take the information to the Beetleborgs, who succeed in destroying Borgslayer, causing the Magnavores to be swept back into the comics.
Season 2 After the Beetleborgs destroy Borgslayer and the Magnavores, Nukus has challenged them. Despite Art's warning that Nukus is too powerful, the Beetleborgs face him anyway, and Nukus quickly wipes them out, destroying their armor, weapons, and powers in one fell swoop.
Nukus soon discovers that his creator is actually Art's incarcerated brother, Les Fortunes. He subsequently busts Les out of prison and uses some of Les' drawings to summon his own group of villains called the Crustaceans. Les now serves Nukus by creating new monsters for him to use. In response, Art creates new powers, armor, vehicles, and weapons, which Flabber then brings to life again for the kids, who rechristen themselves as the Beetleborgs Metallix.
The battle between the Beetleborgs and the Crustaceans would later escalate after the Fortunes brothers dig up a time capsule containing the Lost Comic, a story that both brothers worked on when they were children which featured the Astral Sword that could summon and control the all-mighty Roboborg if one manages to gather the eight Astral Coins. Nukus summons his own evil team of Borgs from the Lost Comic called the Mantrons, while the Beetleborgs are reinforced by the Astral Borgs. After many battles, the Beetleborgs finally get their hands on the Astral Sword and all eight coins, using it to summon Roboborg, who demonstrates his powers by sending the Mantrons back to the Lost Comic.
To fight Roboborg, the Crustaceans eventually created their own giant robot named Boron, while Nukus and Vilor gain upgraded Mega forms. Boron could be summoned and controlled with the Astral Axe. As a response to Nukus' and Vilor's new Mega forms, the Beetleborgs were given an upgrade by Roboborg who fused their Metallix powers with their original powers creating the Mega Spectra Beetleborgs. Vilor's "mega" form did not last long, and he quietly returns to his original look without explanation while Mega Nukus retained his upgraded look.
The series concluded with the Beetleborgs gaining the enemy Boron as an ally, stripping Nukus of his greatest weapon during the fight against Repgillian, while Les Fortunes willingly decides to return to Charterville Prison, disabling his ability to create new monsters out of illustrations.
Characters Beetleborgs Andrew "Drew" McCormick (portrayed by Wesley Barker) is the Blue Stinger Beetleborg, later the Chromium Gold Beetleborg in the second season, and the leader of the Beetleborgs. He was granted the ability of telekinesis by Flabber, which he activates by nodding his head, and pointing at an object. Drew received an upgrade, Mega Blue Beetleborg, after he used the energy axis that powered Shadowborg on his original armor. After Roboborg arrived, Drew received a new upgrade, Mega Spectra Chromium Gold Beetleborg, after Nukus and Vilor went Mega themselves. His armor was modeled after a male Japanese rhinoceros beetle. Roland Williams (portrayed by Herbie Baez) is the Green Hunter Beetleborg, later the Titanium Silver Beetleborg in the second season, and the best friend of the McCormick kids. His family owns the local comic book shop named Zoom Comics, where he, Jo, and Drew usually hang out. He was granted the ability of super speed by Flabber, which he activates by snapping his fingers. After Roboborg arrived, Roland received an upgrade, Mega Spectra Titanium Silver Beetleborg, after Nukus and Vilor went Mega themselves. His armor was modeled after a male stag beetle. Josephine "Jo" McCormick (portrayed by Shannon Chandler in episodes 1–39, Brittany Konarzewski for the rest of the series) is the Red Striker Beetleborg and later the Platinum Purple Beetleborg in the second season. She is Drew's younger sister. She was granted the ability of super strength by Flabber, which she activates by cracking her knuckles. After Roboborg arrived, Jo received an upgrade, Mega Spectra Platinum Purple Beetleborg, after Nukus and Vilor went Mega themselves. Her Red Striker armor was modeled after a female Japanese rhinoceros beetle, and her Platinum Purple armor after a ladybug. Jo is often shown wearing a baseball cap backwards. A unique casting change occurred and instead of an official departure removing the character Jo from the cast, when Shannon Chandler left the series, her character remained. In the 39th episode of Season 1, Wolfgang (while playing with a magic book) accidentally cast a spell that caused Jo to change in appearance permanently. Brittany Konarzewski took over Chandler's role in the guise of actually being the original Jo with a new look and voice. To counteract this, Flabber used his magic to make her look and sound the way she always had, but it did not work on anyone who actually watched the spell being cast. Flabber, Drew, Roland, and Jo herself saw Jo in her new appearance, but the Hilhurst monsters as well as everyone else saw her as she looked before. According to Flabber, the spell would eventually wear off, which was never shown in the series. Josh Baldwin (portrayed by Warren Berkow) is the White Blaster Beetleborg, and he was granted the ability of invisibility by Flabber, which he activates it by dusting his hands. He was on the team for a very short period of time. The White Blaster Beetleborg was created after Shadowborg, an evil clone of the Beetleborgs, stole their powers. He succeeded in getting their powers back, but it was soon discovered that the White Blaster and Shadowborg were linked in a fashion of yin and yang mainly because the White Blaster powers were created solely to battle Shadowborg, meaning if one was destroyed, the other would lose his power forever. Josh and Drew were rivals for Heather's attention. Josh accompanied the Beetleborgs in the final battle against Shadowborg, where he transformed for the final time. Shadowborg was defeated by Drew (in his Mega Blue Beetleborg form) and due to the link, Josh lost his powers at which point, he returned to a normal life, but has suggested to Art Fortunes that he should include the White Blaster Beetleborg in his later comics alongside the Mega Blue Beetleborg form. It was hinted that Jo had a crush on him. His armour was modeled after a Hercules beetle.
Hillhurst Inhabitants An old mansion outside of Charterville had fallen into disrepair since the death of Old Man Hillhurst and became home to some rather goofy monsters. With the exception of Flabber, all the monsters attempt to eat any humans who trespass in their home. As a running gag, they never learn their lesson about trying to go after the Beetleborgs who always manage to outwit or clobber them.
Flabber (portrayed by Billy Forester) is a phantasm (phasm) who was trapped inside a pipe organ and was freed by the kids. Out of gratitude, he granted their wish to become their comic book heroes, the Big Bad Beetleborgs. This event also unintentionally released the Magnavores. He also acts as an advisor and best friend, and offers needed magic to the kids when fighting the Magnavores and later the Crustaceans, although his magic does not always work the way he might hope. He is the head of the Hillhurst Mansion and is usually the one to keep the house monsters in check by trying to keep them from eating the kids. The producers of the show said that he was based on Elvis Presley. Mums (voiced by Michael Sorich in the pilot episode, performed by Blake Torney in later episodes) is a 5,000-year-old Egyptian mummy, who used to be a prince. He can unwrap his bandages to reveal a "Grim Reaper"-like form. Frankenbeans (performed by David Fletcher) (called "Frankie" for short) is a strange, lumbering Frankenstein's monster-type monster. He was once kidnapped by the Magnavores on Halloween and held for ransom in exchange for the Beetleborgs' Beetle Bonders. He allows Wolfie to stay in a dog house kept in his room. He has no brain and little ability to speak, often roaring or saying toddler-like sentences. His creator Dr. Baron von Frankenbeans showed up in a few episodes. His name is a play on franks and beans. Count Fangula (portrayed by Joe Hackett): Loosely modeled after Count Dracula, Count Fangula is a vampire (albeit one of questionable aptitude in the Dark Arts). He seems to be the only one who can understand what Wolfie may be saying. He mentioned in Wolfie's introductory episode that they were roommates "in the old country". The Pipettes (portrayed by Traci Bellusci) are a multicolored spirit-like trio of ladies who live in the pipe organ and they act as Flabber's back-up singers. Ghoulum (performed by Dan Letlow) is a living stone statue monster who resides in Hillhurst Mansion and has little to say or do other than what statues do best, stand in place. While not the most active monster of Hillhurst Mansion on rare occasions, he would join in on the other monsters' mischief. Wolfgang "Wolfie" Smith (performed by Frank Tahoe, voiced by Michael Sorich in the first appearance, Scott Page-Pagter in later appearances) is a werewolf and is treated more like a family dog than a monster at Hillhurst. Only Fangula can translate what Wolfie is saying most of the time since Fangula was once Wolfie's roommate.