Moral Orel

Moral Orel is an American adult stop-motion animated black comedy drama series created by Dino Stamatopoulos for Cartoon Network's nighttime programming block Adult Swim. It originally aired from December 13, 2005 to December 18, 2008. The series follows the titular Orel Puppington, a young, happy-go-lucky and naïve Protestant who showcases his commitment to God, while dealing with the cynicism of his abusive and alcoholic father, his lethargic mother, and the devoutly Protestant town of Moralton in which he resides. The show, predominantly in the first and second seasons (excluding the "Nature" two-parter), is a straightforward satire of the archetypes of Middle American suburban life, modern-day White Anglo-Saxon Protestant culture, and religious fundamentalism. The "Nature" two-parter and the final season is featured in a non-linear but episode-to-episode continuity, and marks a shift in the series from a satirical black comedy to a nihilistic and bleak psychological drama, depicting the convictions and mentalities of other characters (meant as an expansion on subplots from the first two seasons) and exploring heavy topics such as child sexual abuse, rape, abortion, and latent homosexuality. The final season was aired interspersed with repeats from the first two seasons, as many of the episodes took place in parallel with events of past episodes. The event, which was called "44 Nights of Orel", was hosted by Stamatopoulos and others beginning on October 6, 2008, and running through December 18, when the series finale aired. A prequel special entitled "Beforel Orel: Trust", meant as an exploration of the origin of Orel's Christianity, later aired on November 19, 2012. Moral Orel received widespread acclaim from critics and audiences for its vocal performances, characterization, emotional weight, and frank depiction of mature subject matter. It has developed a cult following in the years since its initial release.