Sanjay and Craig

Sanjay and Craig is an American animated comedy television series that aired on Nickelodeon from May 25, 2013, to July 29, 2016, for three seasons and 60 episodes. The series is about a 12-year-old boy named Sanjay Patel who owns a talking pet snake named Craig.

The series was created by Jim Dirschberger, Andreas Trolf, and Jay Howell. Howell is also the character designer. Sanjay and Craig was produced by Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi, the creators of The Adventures of Pete & Pete, which aired in the 1990s. The series began production in late 2010. Nickelodeon renewed the series for a second season on September 12, 2013 that began airing on July 12, 2014, and for a third season on June 11, 2014, that premiered on September 7, 2015. On June 10, 2016, Craig's voice actor, Chris Hardwick, tweeted that the series has finished production. The series ended on July 29, 2016 with a half-hour special titled "Booyah for Bollywood".

Plot
The series follows the exploits of the title characters, a 12-year-old boy named Sanjay Patel, and his best friend, an anthropomorphic snake named Craig. On a promotional webpage for the show, the network explains that Sanjay and Craig's suburban hijinks require that "no one finds out that Craig can talk".

Main

 * Sanjay Patel (voiced by Maulik Pancholy) is a 12-year-old Indian-American boy who goes on adventures with his best friend, Craig. He has a crush on Belle Pepper, who works at his favorite place to hang out, The Frycade. Sanjay attends Stuntman School and idolizes Remington Tufflips, a washed up action movie star from the 1980s. Sanjay tries to fit in most of the time and always enjoys his time with Craig.
 * Craig Slithers (voiced by Chris Hardwick) is Sanjay's anthropomorphic pet snake whom he met in a pet store. Craig is a so-called "master of disguise" — whether he is a doctor, a lawyer, or a beauty pageant queen, no one ever recognizes him. Only a few people know Craig can talk; Sanjay and his close friends keep it a secret. Craig does not like to be called just a pet.
 * Vijay Patel (voiced by Kunal Nayyar) is Sanjay's father and owns a clearance store in the neighborhood. He has invented various mechanicals, such as a party-obsessed, dancing robot, the Partybot. He also knows that Sanjay's pet snake Craig can talk.
 * Darlene Patel (voiced by Grey Griffin) is Sanjay's mother who works at a hospital as a nurse and a surgeon. She often tells Sanjay stories about her work. She also knows Sanjay's pet snake Craig can talk.
 * Hector Flanagan (voiced by Matt Jones) is Sanjay and Craig's weird eye patch-wearing friend. He can annoy them at times and has a crush on Megan.
 * Belle Pepper (voiced by Nika Futterman) is a 16-year-old girl who works at the Frycade, Sanjay and Craig's favorite place to hang out. Sanjay has a crush on her, yet when he attempts to talk to her it does not work out. Even though she is a good friend of Sanjay, she rarely shows any signs of seeing him as her boyfriend, unlike Megan, who shows her passion constantly.
 * Megan Sparkles (voiced by Linda Cardellini) is Sanjay and Craig's enthusiastic and overachieving friend who takes part in beauty pageants. Megan is a frequent beauty pageant winner who can get carried away at times, but loves helping Sanjay. She has an unrequited crush on Sanjay, although Sanjay does care about her as a friend.

Recurring

 * Mr. Leslie Noodman (voiced by Tony Hale) is Sanjay and Craig's psychotic neighbor who hates snakes. He has a pathological fear of them because of a prank his father pulled on him when he was young (his father actually pulls many pranks on him, thus, he hates his father). He loves his cat, Lady Butterscotch, but is Sanjay and Craig's number one enemy. He cares deeply for his award-winning blueberries and likes to use his shovel as a weapon. He seems to be aware that Craig can talk, and wants to kill him.
 * Lady Butterscotch is Mr. Noodman's pet cat. Noodman appears to really admire her. As revealed in "Butt's Up", she was originally owned by Darlene, until Noodman bullied her during a game of Butt's Up. Darlene shows grief over her loss.
 * Sandy Dickson (voiced by Grey Griffin) is the leader of the hard rock band "Tuff Skulls". She has two brothers named Scabs and Baby Richard. She is shown to be a goth girl, and is the lead singer for her band. She rides a motorcycle with a sidecar for her monosyllabic fraternal twin Scabs. Sanjay and Craig appear to really like her music, and although Sandy and her brothers look like bullies, they are mostly indifferent to Sanjay and Craig's adoration and would never intentionally harm them, though they can be very aggressive at times.
 * Scabs Dickson (voiced by Grey Griffin) is a member of the Dicksons' band, "Tuff Skulls". He has a sister named Sandy and has a younger brother named Baby Richard.
 * Baby Richard Dickson (voiced by Nolan North) is a member of the Dicksons' band, "Tuff Skulls", and is the youngest of the Dicksons. He is shown to be very rude to Sanjay, Craig, and their friends.
 * Brenda Dickson (voiced by Grey Griffin) is the mother of Sandy, Scabs and Baby Richard. Her husband is never seen or mentioned. She only communicates through grunting and snorting, but as revealed in "Enter Sandman", she can actually talk, but only when her children aren't around.
 * Remington Tufflips/TuffFist (voiced by Chris D'Elia, credited as "Remington Tufflips") is a washed-up action movie star from the 1980s who Sanjay and Craig idolize. To them, he is the raddest guy to ever walk on the face of the Earth. Despite his has-been status, Tufflips' ego and arrogance have swelled over the years, along with his waistline. To Sanjay and Craig, he is still the king of cool, in their adoring eyes. Although he is Sanjay and Craig's ultimate hero, he usually keeps forgetting their names. In "Street Dogg", Tufflips was formerly a rapper before his movie career, and was in a band with Street Dogg (a parody of Snoop Dogg). In "Booyah for Bollywood", it is revealed that his real name was "Remington TuffFist", in which Sanjay and Craig (As well as TuffFist himself) were calling him his wrong name the whole time.
 * Tyson (voiced by David Hornsby) is a very rude and sarcastic young man who speaks in an English accent, and is Sanjay's primary rival for Belle's affections. He carries a scooter in his pants, and often attempts to ruin Sanjay's life.
 * Sam Lastnamè (voiced by Tania Gunadi) is a former member of the Butts Up Club, and Sanjay's newest friend. She first appeared in the episode "Butt's Up", and also appeared in "Street Dogg", "Huggle Day", "The Sanjay and Craig Stunt School Special", "JJ and Greg", and "Booyah for Bollywood" in background roles. She makes a full return in "G.U.T.S. Busters" where she is forced to compete against her friends.
 * Ronnie Slithers (voiced by Nolan North) is a wealthy corn snake who is revealed to be Craig's long-lost brother and first appeared in "A Tail of Two Slithers". Ronnie's cruel tendencies have led Sanjay and Craig to believe that they are no longer the best of friends. He later joins Sanjay's side by revealing to his soldiers that he is a snake, and later gets returned to the pet shop, where he formerly lived with Craig before Sanjay found him. Ronnie makes a return in the series finale, "Booyah for Bollywood", where it is revealed that after his last encounter with his brother, Ronnie decided to live in India throughout a shipping box after feeling hopeless in finding a new owner. During his life in India, Ronnie learns to control his anger by practicing Yoga and Meditation, and later becomes a movie director.
 * Dolph Lundgren (voiced by himself) is the founder of the town the series took place in. He made his first appearance on-screen in the episode "Huggle Day", where he tries to search for Huggle Bunny and reveals to Sanjay and Craig on how he really founded Lundgren and Huggle Day. Before the events of the series, he became lost and cold in the middle of nowhere, then suddenly he was saved by Huggle Bunny and was given some shelter. But he has failed to pay him back thanks to the greed of the citizens of Lundgren.
 * Booger Johnson (vocal effects provided by Ryan Crego) is Megan's pet gerbil. Sanjay once took care of him while Megan was out of town, and tried to get Craig to see him as a friend instead of a snack. He is also has the most hearts on a social-media site called "Heartyface".
 * Penny Pepper (voiced by John DiMaggio) is the owner of The Frycade and Belle's father. Penny makes the wings at the Frycade, and is good friends with Sanjay and Craig.
 * Debbie Jo Sparkles (voiced by Grey Griffin) is Megan's mother.
 * Grandma Wheezy (voiced by Eliza Schneider) is Sanjay's Grandmother, as well as Darlene's Mother. She is very optimistic, but also wise. She first appeared in the episode "Conquistador".
 * Farmer Larry (voiced by Toby Huss) is a farmer at Blueberry Farm. He helps Sanjay and Craig make blueberry jam to keep Mr. Noodman from calling the pound in the episode "Dog Wave". He is also the current owner of Sanjay's former dog "Barfy".
 * PMA Guy (voiced by Carl Faruolo) is a judge and a stand-up comedian, who has an obsession with laughing.
 * Huggle Bunny (voiced by Nolan North) is a carnival entertainer. He is considered to be mysterious, magical, and creepy by many people. The town of Lundgren celebrates a Christmas-like holiday centered around him, which they name "Huggle Day".
 * Chido (voiced by Natasha Lyonne in "Bike-o Psycho", later voiced by Pamela Adlon) is a sarcastic and tough red-headed girl who owns a bike named "Glutte". She also makes paper hats and also plays electric guitar as a hobby. Chido made her first appearance in the episode "Bike-o Psycho". In "Combo Attack", Megan befriended her, and they both formed a band together called "Character Select".
 * Stasi Stuntman (voiced by Janet Varney) is an academic overachieving 12-year-old girl who attends Stuntman School, which is founded by her parents "The Flying Stuntman". She made her first appearance in "The Sanjay and Craig Stunt School Special" and makes a cameo at the end of "Booyah for Bollywood".
 * Barfy (vocal effects provided by Fred Tatasciore) is a purple barfing dog that Sanjay wants to adopt. Sanjay entered the contest to win Barfy for free, and Craig entered Sanjay in the contest 99 more times; the plan was successful, but it also backfired, as Sanjay ended up winning not only Barfy but also 99 other dogs. Barfy was given to Farmer Larry because Mr. Noodman would harass the purple dog and also because Farmer Larry needed some blueberry dogs. Barfy returns in the episode "Barfy's Babies", when she gave birth the three puppies named Barfy Jr., Lil' Beef, and Puppy.
 * Noodman's Father (voiced by John DiMaggio) is the 70-year-old father of Leslie Noodman. He enjoys making his son's life miserable by pranking him with his fear of snakes. He has a fear of cats especially Noodman's pet cat, Lady Butterscotch.
 * Noodman's Grandfather (voiced by John DiMaggio) is the grandfather of Noodman's father. Like his father's son, he enjoys pranking his son with his fear of cats. He appears in the episode "Family Re-Noodman". He also has a fear of Butterflies.
 * Randy Noodman (voiced by Christopher Mintz-Plasse) is Noodman's teenage nephew who seems to get along well with Sanjay and Craig. He is one of the few recurring characters who knows that Craig is a talking snake, but keeps the secret for himself. Randy made his debut in the episode "Dude Snake Nood".
 * Uncle Thurop (voiced by Thurop Van Orman) is one of Noodman's relatives. He is short and has a broken leg. He appears in the episodes "Family Re-Noodman" and "Fart Baby".
 * Mr. Flanagan (voiced by Nolan North) is Hector's father.
 * Mrs. Flanagan (voiced by Linda Cardellini in Seasons 1 and 2, later voices by Grey Griffin in Season 3) is Hector's mother.
 * Hector's Grandmother (voiced by Grey Griffin) is Hector's grandmother. She cooks Hector's favorite Tamales, and is considered a hugger when greeting people.
 * Sweet Cheeks (vocal effects provided by Fred Tatasciore) is Hector's pet dog who has very large cheeks.
 * Maximum Dennis (voiced by Nolan North, credited as "Maximum Dennis") is a popular American Tough Guy. Sanjay and Craig once disguised as him in order to beat Tyson, and to attract Belle.
 * Chicken Chuck (voiced by Nolan North) is a frequent visitor to "The Frycade", and good friend of Penny. He was ranked #1 on the wall of wings, before Tyson took his spot. He also works at an Amusement Park, as shown in "Heightmare", and a Car Wash, as shown in "Old Farts". In "Middle Shame" it's revealed that Chuck is his last name and Chicken is his first. In the same episode it is revealed that Chuck was raised by chickens in a farm.
 * Raska Boosh (voiced by Adam DeVine) is a comedic internet prank show host of a show called "Booshed", Sanjay and Craig are his biggest fans.
 * Mr. Munchie (voiced by Sam Lavagnino) is a candy store owner who has the voice of small child and sells strange candy like Flip Flopas, which makes garbage taste good and actual food taste terrible. He was member of Hector's Grandmother's book club and has a crush on her.
 * Chill Bill (voiced by Michael-Leon Wooley) is a wandering Bassist who lives in a convenience store in cavern underneath a sinkhole. He once tried to split up Sanjay and Craig.

Production
Jay Howell said that the idea began with a comic he and Dirschberger had made about a man who was a snake charmer. Dirschberger then changed the snake charmer character to a 12-year-old boy "without a weird quirk or affectation". Howell said that the series' inclusion of gross-out humor was based on the fact that both he and Jim Dirschberger have mothers who are nurses, "and they've told us a lot of gross stories over the years". Since none of the three creators had produced a series before, Nickelodeon chose Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi, the creators of The Adventures of Pete & Pete, as executive producers. Howell said that McRobb's and Viscardi's experience on Pete & Pete helped them add "surreal kids' stuff" to Sanjay and Craig. Unlike most animated series, Sanjay and Craig does not rely on scripting. Instead, the writers make an outline, which is then converted to a storyboard. Thurop Van Orman, known for creating Cartoon Network's The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, served as the supervising producer for season 1.

Broadcast
The series airs worldwide on Nickelodeon. It premiered on September 6, 2013 in Southeast Asia, on November 4, 2013 in Australia and New Zealand, on November 5, 2013 in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and on February 3, 2014 in South Africa.

Reception
David Weigand of the San Francisco Chronicle said that the series is "juvenile but also smart and funny" and "understands that kids are kids but also are often more sophisticated than children's television acknowledges." Giving it 3 stars out of 5, David Hinckley of New York Daily News said that the show "doesn't tiptoe around the stuff kids love most. Like gross stuff and absurd slapstick that in real life would probably get you killed." Marah Eakin of The A.V. Club gave the first two episodes an "A". The premiere episode had an estimated 3.6 millions viewers. Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media gave the show 2 out of 5 stars, stating, "There's no rhyme, reason, or reality to the characters' misadventures, which can be a fun departure from real life but at the same time doesn't give them anything positive to glean from the content."