Fillmore!

Premise

Characters

Main

• Cornelius C. Fillmore : An African American seventh grader at X Middle School and the main protagonist of the series. He is a member of the Safety Patrol. His middle name is revealed throughout the series. Fillmore was a juvenile delinquent, his crimes included "milk counterfeiting" and "back talkery". Fillmore's life changed when Safety Patrol member Wayne Liggit gave him a choice; spend the rest of middle school in detention or help him solve another case. Fillmore was recruited into the Safety Patrol as a result of his helping out. It is revealed he is an only child, has a pet dog, and a pet fish and is really good at mini golf. He is known for going above and beyond the standards of other Safety Patrol officers. He almost never loses a target even if it means destroying school property, which he happens to do a lot, much to the dismay of Jr. Commissioner Vallejo. Before moving to X Middle School, he lived in Cleveland, Ohio.
• Ingrid Third : Fillmore's goth best friend and partner on the X Middle School Safety Patrol. Before her arrival at X Middle school, Ingrid was sent to a reform school in Nepal for an incident involving a stinkbomb and a piñata. Ingrid, another former delinquent and a certified genius due to her photographic memory, arrives at X Middle School and partners with Fillmore after he helped her clear her name in "Ingrid Third, Public Enemy #1". Her father is a professor and she has an older sister named Ariella. Her mother is seen but never mentioned. It is revealed in "The Unseen Reflection" that she played Little League for two years.
• Horatio Vallejo : The Mexican American junior commissioner of the Safety Patrol and Fillmore's immediate superior. Vallejo has had some rough experiences in the Safety Patrol as an officer: Losing his friend and fellow safety patrol officer Malika to the Red Robins, a crooked girl scout troop after she went undercover and went bad leaving the force, and unintentionally betraying his partner and best friend, Frank Bishop, after he refused to speak out against his expulsion from the force, believing it would jeopardize his chances of becoming commissioner. Vallejo has problems with drinking too much cocoa, which is a kid-friendly version of problems with excessive caffeine or alcohol. Vallejo is often put at odds against Fillmore, such as when he is forced to take Fillmore off a case even though he doesn't want to, or Fillmore is close to solving it. He also often scolds Fillmore for his reckless destruction of school property, which usually allows Fillmore to catch the criminal, but makes both him and the safety patrol look bad. The only thing that gets Vallejo more mad is when he sees how much it's going to cost to repair the damages, caused by Fillmore. Vallejo's catchphrase is yelling "Fillmore!", which he does in almost every episode when he hears of something Fillmore broke, like a waxer, and ordering expensive walkie talkies by tricking him into signing his signature. Another running gag is that his first name is either unknown or covered up throughout the series.
• Karen Tehama : The Japanese-American crime scene investigator on the Safety Patrol who has a keen interest in forensics. Although she appears in almost every episode, she is more of a background character.
• Joseph Anza : Partner of Karen Tehama, known for his bodyguarding training. He is Italian-American. Although he appears in almost every episode, he is more of a background character.
• Danny O'Farrell : The Irish American crime scene photographer for the Safety Patrol, though it is often joked that he shouldn't be qualified to be a Safety Patroller by Vallejo. He has a tendency to get on other people's nerves and has some deep thoughts, overreacting, and weird ideas. O'Farrell serves as the comic relief on the show. He is also able to develop film with common household items as seen in "Masterstroke of Malevolence". His name, red hair and kilt characterize him as Scottish.
• Dawn S. Folsom : The principal of X Middle School, though she acts like a District Attorney or a mayor figure in crime shows or is similar to M from the James Bond series. In context of the show's police drama parody theme, she represents the over-stressed, image-conscious mayor archetype, where in every episode she threatens to turn the Safety Patrol office into something else if they are unable to solve the case. Tough on the outside with looks that can stop any student in its tracks, she runs her school with a strong presence – but she does it for pride and honor. She does have a kind heart on the inside and does much for her students and staff, sometimes anonymously. It is stated that she is 40, as in "Next Stop, Armageddon" it is her birthday, and Vallejo mentions that "this year, it starts with a 4".
• Vice Principal Raycliff : The school's vice-principal and Folsom's right-hand man. Though he acts like a secretary in crime shows, he does not really say much, but can be counted on to spout out school facts, figures and catchy metaphors at the drop of a hat. It is possible that he attended school with Folsom, according to an old school album. It's revealed in "Two Wheels, Full Throttle, No Breaks" that he gets seasick.

  Recurring

• Mr. Collingwood : One of the teachers at X Middle School.
• COMAGY : His real name is Augie Sansome. In the former, he was suspected by Fillmore and Ingrid of stealing the answer sheets to the S.A.T.T.Y. 9 test, but what he really stole turned out to be packets of tartar sauce.
• Mrs. Cornwall : The algebra teacher at X Middle School and a student in 1956. She strongly believes in the school's honor code. In "A Cold Day at X" she places the answer key to one of her tests out in the open to prove her belief in the code.
• Librarian Lendrum : X Middle School's librarian.
• Cheri Shotwell : The chipper, bubbly, blonde cheerleader who also serves as a reporter or interviewer. Also frequently hosts parties and sleepovers.
• Philsky : The school's reporter, who usually co-anchors with Cheri.
• Vern Natoma : Editor-in-chief of the school's newspaper. Like Karen, he is also of Japanese descent.
• Professor Third : College professor and the father of Ingrid and Ariella.
• Jamie Townsend : A caucasian student, who wears a brown flattop and glasses.
• Proper Kid : A blond boy dressed like a sea captain. Which is appropriate, considering that he's a member of the Paddle Boat Club. He's so called due to his always pointing out what's fit.
• Lab Coat Kid #1 : As his pseudonym suggests, is one of the kids who wear lab coats and often involved in the lab or science class.
• Wade : Another blond X Middle School reporter.
• Wayne Ligget : Fillmore's original Safety Patrol partner before he eventually moved away and was replaced by Ingrid when she came to X. He is best friends with Fillmore, and before Ingrid became Filmore's partner, Filmore refused to have any partners because he was still greatly affected by Wayne's departure. He's caucasian and has light brown hair. As such, little is known about him and his background, but he's referenced a few times. However, he and Fillmore would meet up again in "South of Friendship, North of Honor", when the latter went to Tennessee where the former is based and resides currently to take on a case there. Fillmore helps Wayne take down the schools crooked patrol sheriff and Wayne is subsequently named as his school's new safety patrol sheriff
• Frankie Polk : A blond boy who has an affinity for sketching and painting, and as such, is president of the Art Club.

  Production

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (2002–03)

Season 2 (2003–04)

Broadcast

Release