Craig of the Creek
Genre	Slice of life Adventure Comedy
Created by	Matt Burnett Ben Levin
Directed by	Supervising Directors: Stu Livingston (S1) Tiffany Ford (S3–) Art Director: Martin Ansolabehere Animation Director: Eddy Houchins (supervising)
Voices of	Philip Solomon Georgie Kidder (2018) Noël Wells (2018–) H. Michael Croner Phil LaMarr Karen Fukuhara Lucia Cunningham Terry Crews Kimberly Hebert Gregory Matt Burnett Ben Levin
Composer	Jeff Rosenstock
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	110 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Curtis Lelash (S1–2) Jennifer Pelphrey Tramm Wigzell Rob Sorcher Brian A. Miller Matt Burnett Ben Levin Co-Executive Producer: Conrad Montgomery
Producers	Supervising Producer: Kelly Crews
Running time	11 minutes
Production company	Cartoon Network Studios
Distributor	Warner Bros. Television Distribution
Release
Original network	Cartoon Network
Picture format	1080i HDTV
Audio format	Dolby Surround
Original release	Pilot: December 1, 2017 (2017-12-01) (CN App) Series: February 19, 2018 (2018-02-19) (CN App & Online) March 30, 2018 (2018-03-30) (TV) – present

Craig of the Creek is an American animated television series created by Matt Burnett and Ben Levin for Cartoon Network. The show's pilot episode debuted directly on the official app on December 1, 2017.^[1] The series premiered online on February 19, 2018, with a double-premiere event airing on March 30, 2018.^[2]

On July 15, 2019, it was announced that it was renewed for a third season which premiered on June 21, 2020.^[3] On February 17, 2021, the series was renewed for a fourth season.^[4]

Synopsis

In the fictional suburban Baltimore/DC area town of Herkleton, Maryland, a boy named Craig Williams and his two friends, Kelsey Pokoly and John Paul "J.P." Mercer, have their many adventures in the titular creek, described as a kid utopia of untamed wilderness in which tribes of children reign over tree forts and dirt bike ramps.^[5]

Characters

Main

• Craig Williams (voiced by Philip Solomon) – A 9-year-old boy who enjoys playing at the creek with his friends, Kelsey and J.P. He is a natural leader and always tries to help other kids when they need it the most. He typically carries a homemade staff and a satchel. In "Escape from Family Dinner", it is shown that Craig takes advanced math and admits that he likes the class. He also takes on the role of a cartographer as he is constantly making additions to his detailed map of the Creek.
• Kelsey Pokoly (voiced by Georgie Kidder [pilot, S01 Ep 1–3], Noël Wells [S01 Ep 4–present]) – A ginger-haired, 8-year-old girl who is one of Craig's friends. She is always seen wearing a purple cape and has a pet budgerigar (which she identifies as a falcon) named Mortimor who is usually perched on top of her head. Her hair is very long, leading almost to her ankles, so she keeps it in a large bun, which she only unties before she goes to bed.She typically carries a homemade PVC pipe sword which she proudly made herself partly with the help of a blacksmith. She is adventurous, loves books, and tends to be overly dramatic. She often internally narrates her life, for which others are completely aware. She is raised by her single widower father. In "Doorway to Helen", it is revealed that Kelsey is Jewish.
• John Paul "J.P." Mercer (voiced by H. Michael Croner) – A tall, 10-year-old boy who speaks in a Southern accent is another one of Craig's close friends. He wears an oversized red hockey jersey. While not shown to be very bright, he is imaginative and kind to those around him. He is prone to getting very dirty and injuring himself. His namesake is short for John Paul, as revealed in "You're It". In "Under the Overpass", Craig stated that he and Kelsey "found" J.P. in a previous adventure.

Craig's family

• Jessica Williams (voiced by Dharma Brown (pilot) and Lucia Cunningham (series)) – Craig's younger sister who typically likes to keep everything in check by describing her actions out loud. She is very smart for her age, detail-oriented, and already shows an interest in the stock market.
• Bernard Williams (voiced by Phil LaMarr) – Craig's smart, no-nonsense, and sometimes snobby, teenage older brother. He looks down on Craig and his misadventures at the creek. He is obsessed with getting good grades and getting into an Ivy League school. He values love and the importance of homework. He used to play Bring Out Your Beast and showed no interest in teaching it to Craig, until they played it together for the first time at the Splintery Butt to win back the Beast Snare.
• Duane Williams (voiced by Terry Crews) — Craig's understanding father who works as a computer programmer. He sometimes plays retro video games with Craig. He loves dad jokes.
• Nicole Williams (voiced by Kimberly Hebert Gregory) – Craig's loving mother who works as a school counselor and cares deeply for her children.
• Earl Williams (voiced by LaMarr (pilot) and Phil Morris (series)) – Craig's grandfather and Duane's father. Craig looks up to him and has inherited his adventurous spirit.
• JoJo Williams (voiced by Saundra McClain) – Craig's grandmother and Duane's mother who is a city councilwoman and was a civil rights activist back in the 1960s.

Episodes

Production

Development

The greenlit announcement publicly made on March 30, 2017 alongside other shows such as Apple & Onion and Summer Camp Island.^[6] Matt Burnett also stated on his Twitter account that he and his team had recently begun production around that time.^[7]

LGBTQ representation

In April 2018, two lesbian characters were confirmed in Craig of the Creek. In their debut episode, "The Curse", Tabitha refuses to go college and wants to spend more time with Courtney, which makes Courtney blush. At the end of the episode, they're holding hands. In "The Haunted Dollhouse", the two end up kissing in fear when they believe that something supernatural actually happened.

International broadcast

The series made its international debut on Teletoon in Canada on May 3, 2018.^[8]

Home media

Reception

Awards and nominations

Spin-off series

On February 17, 2021, it was announced that a spin-off series centered on Craig's little sister Jessica was in development. Titled Jessica's Big Little World, the new series is set to air as part of Cartoon Network's upcoming Cartoonito block.^[14]