Clone High is a Canadian-American adult animated science fiction sitcom created by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and Bill Lawrence for MTV.

Set at a high school populated by the clones of well-known historical figures, the series follows its central cast which includes adolescent depictions of Abe Lincoln, Joan of Arc, Gandhi, Cleopatra and JFK.

Lord and Miller first developed the series' concept, originally titled Clone High School, USA!, while at Dartmouth College in the 1990s, later pitching it to executives of the Fox Broadcasting Company during their tenure at Disney, who ultimately decided to pass on the program.

[1] The school is entirely populated by the clones of famous historical figures who were created in the 1980s[2][3][4] and raised with the intent of having their various strengths and abilities harnessed by the United States military.

[citation needed] Lord and Miller attended a two-minute interview with animation executives at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California.

[1][27] Lord later changed the show's setting to a high school, attempting to lean into the tropes of teen dramas, a popular genre at the time.

[1] While making lists of people "everybody [had] heard of", they found themselves limited in the number of historical figures they could depict, in consideration with avoiding "litigious estates" (such as the families of Albert Einstein and Marilyn Monroe) and "keeping in mind" with the viewership of MTV.

[27] The show's depiction of Gandhi was based on people in high school and college Lord and Miller knew, who were of Indian descent that had a lot of boundaries and expectations by their families.

[1] Sullivan had mixed thoughts due to her level of success in Mad TV, Kim Possible, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, and The King of Queens.

[8] During an interview with Entertainment Weekly in 2017, Bill Lawrence stated that the writers would sometimes "stay in the psych ward [in North Hollywood Medical Center]" and make the creators laugh, which was cited as one of the reasons why many cast members of Scrubs appeared in the show.

[citation needed] The soundtrack included songs by Alkaline Trio, American Football, Ritalin, Catch 22, Ilya, The Gentleman, Drex, Taking Back Sunday, The Gloria Record, The Stereo, Jo Davidson, Saves the Day, Hot Rod Circuit, Thursday, Helicopter Helicopter, Owen, Dashboard Confessional, Elf Power, Abandoned Pools, The Get Up Kids, Mink Lungs, Mates of State, Snapcase, The Mooney Suzuki, Jon DeRosa, Ephemera, Jinnrall, Avoid One Thing, DJ Cellulitis, DJ Piccolo, Whippersnapper, Matt Pond PA, Mad City and Bumblefoot.

[35][36] The series' other background music and original score was written and produced by Scott Nickoley and Jamie Dunlap of Mad City Productions.

[31] Clone High experimented long storylines with romances and running gags,[31] constructed with adult jokes, conspiracy theories, and melodrama.

[38] The show parodied dramas that appeared on American television in the 1990s that dealt with themes such as drug abuse, AIDS, alternative lifestyles, racism, ostracism, and consequences of prom.

[2] A lot of the show's humor were references cited from common knowledge of the historical figures, including JFK yelling "Nothing bad ever happens to the Kennedys!"

[1] In a positive review, Dakota Loomis of Flak Magazine stated that "Clone High is original, quirky and worthwhile television, head and shoulders above the endlessly replicating reality show rabble.

"[10] Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Rob Owen complimented the show: "Yes, Clone High has the MTV-requisite sexual innuendo, but it's more clever than much of what passes for humor in prime time today.

"[3] Anita Gates of The New York Times opined that "the dialogue isn't always exactly funny, but it's smile worthy," observing, "the characters are intriguing in a lightweight way but could lose their appeal fast.

"[12] Scott Sandell of the Los Angeles Times felt that the show's debut episode "doesn't quite live up to the obvious comedic potential behind the killer premise.

"[6] The Hollywood Reporter's Michael Farkash felt similarly, writing, "The premise sounds intriguing, but what hatches in the first episode is a disappointing, weak strain of comic material, lacking the cunning, subversive quality of, say, South Park.

"[44] On January 24, 2005, Nelvana announced on Corus Entertainment's website that Clone High, along with several others, would be released on home video with the retail initiative Teletoon Presents.

[49] Clone High was caught in a crossfire when citizens in the country conducted internet searches on the Maxim article but also found out about the show's Gandhi character on MTV's website.

[27] MTV offered a quick apology, stating that "Clone High was created and intended for an American audience", and "we recognize and respect that various cultures may view this programming differently, and we regret any offense taken by the content in the show".

Lord and Miller's two potential versions of a second season included one that made no mention of Gandhi's absence, and another that revealed that the character was a clone of actor Gary Coleman.

[5] David Broermann of the website Freakin' Awesome Network gave the series an "A+", saying it has "some really really good character development and depth" and an "amazing soundtrack".

[54] In a 2014 retrospective piece on the series, Jesse David Fox of Vulture praised the premise, characters, and voice-acting, writing that "Clone High still holds up more than a decade later as a brilliantly funny, completely nuts, surprisingly heartfelt, tonally inventive masterpiece.

[27] In the 2018 film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, produced by Lord and Miller, a billboard, designed in parody to the original poster for 22 Jump Street, appears promoting a movie titled Clone College, starring Abe and JFK.

[61] On September 16, 2021, Tara Billinger, who is known for Paul Rudish's Mickey Mouse universe and created Long Gone Gulch, announced that she would be serving as art director.

[16][68] Joining the cast were Ayo Edebiri as Harriet Tubman (replacing Debra Wilson), Vicci Martinez as Frida Kahlo, Kelvin Yu as Confucius, Neil Casey as Topher Bus, Jana Schmieding as Sacagawea, Sam Richardson as Wesley, Mo Gaffney as Ms. Grumbles, Al Madrigal as Frederico, Danny Pudi as Dr. Neelankavil, Emily Maya Mills as Ethel Merman, and Michael Bolton, Ian Ziering, Steve Kerr, and a returning Mandy Moore as fictionalized versions of themselves.

Consisting of Jermaine Fowler as Toussaint Louverture, Paul F. Tompkins as Professor Hirsute, Stephen Root as Schneider Snorkelle, Jackée Harry as a fictionalized version of herself based on Jack the Ripper, Hannah Simone as Lady Godiva, D'Arcy Carden as Bloody Mary, Randall Park as Mr. Kim, Jameela Jamil as Mrs. C, Renee Elise Goldsberry as Sandra Sandria and Richard Kind as Nostradamus (replacing Andy Dick).