The show follows Looney Tunes characters Sylvester and Tweety Bird, and their owner Granny, along with bulldog Hector (who appeared in several cartoons alongside Tweety, Sylvester and Granny but was in the series given a new design similar to that of Marc Antony), as they solved mysteries, even with Sylvester still trying to eat Tweety in the middle of solving the mysteries, but Hector acted as a bodyguard for Tweety, and would even beat Sylvester up (usually out of shot, but sometimes behind a blind). The first season was dedicated to the memory of Friz Freleng, Warner Bros. animator and the original creator of the Sylvester and Tweety pairing. Freleng had died of natural causes at age 88 only months before the series premiere. Also, it contains one case per episode, in contrast to the other seasons, which are all with two cases.
The final episode of the series never aired on Kids' WB (in which, after decades of trying, Sylvester succeeded in eating Tweety, but it turns out to be a dream), but did air on Cartoon Network in 2002.
Characters
Sylvester (voiced by Joe Alaskey) – Sylvester acts as narrator throughout the episodes, and continually tries to eat Tweety, though he is always thwarted by Hector or Tweety's craftiness. Despite their never-ending feud, the pair manage to get along for the most part, and Sylvester will defend Tweety when someone else tries to harm the canary. Sylvester also unwittingly discovers many clues, claiming as the narrator to have knowledge of the case (though this is probably bluster). Besides chasing Tweety, Sylvester often explores the surroundings, leading him to sometimes be in awkward situations (i.e. being chased by a male cousin of Pepe Le Pew or using Granny's umbrella to pierce a villain's blimp). Through these situations, the Tuxedo cat endures all manner of pain and suffering, but comes out none the worse for wear. Sylvester is allergic to wool and is jealous of Tweety.
Tweety (voiced by Joe Alaskey) – A cute Yellow canary. Tweety is often trying to escape Sylvester by foiling him through either his flying, clever timing, or his virtual bodyguard, Hector. Tweety usually stays with Granny and is responsible for some major clues. Despite his feud with Sylvester, the pair will team up if Granny is threatened and can work together very well. Tweety also serves as a source of ironic humor at times, usually in reference to Sylvester's foiled attempts to eat him. The show also harks back to Tweety's earlier shorts, and he is not above malice towards "dat bad old putty tat".
Granny (voiced by June Foray) – A practical old fashioned world-renowned detective, Granny travels the globe with Sylvester and Tweety, attending events such as races or canary contest and is often called upon by the locals to solve a crime. However, there have been attempts to frame Granny, causing some difficulty in finding clues. She is overprotective of Tweety, and will not hesitate to give Sylvester a good whack on the head. She sometimes calls upon the cat to investigate clues or defend the group while they sleep, though, showing signs of obvious trust. Granny is good natured mostly, but can become stern. With Granny as the main detective of the show, she bears similarity to Miss Marple.
Hector (voiced by Frank Welker) – Granny's bulldog and Tweety's bodyguard. Hector keeps Sylvester from eating the canary and will often beat him up if he gets in his way. Hector will defend Granny, Tweety or even Sylvester if threatened, but is not above stealing food or trying to please others.
Voice cast
Joe Alaskey – Sylvester, Tweety, Daffy Duck, Cool Cat, Colonel Rimfire, Marvin the Martian, Charlie Dog, Catstello, Sylvester's Dad
Frank Welker – Hector the Bulldog, Mugsy, Cecil Turtle, Silas McCawber, Maid, Pumpkinhead Martin
Additional voices
Patricia Alice Albrecht - French Woman
Adam Ant - Sir Charge-A-Lot
Michael Des Barres - Immigration Agent #2
Yoshio Be - Tunamoto
Jeff Bennett – Bertie, Nohans, Beaky Buzzard, Mac, Pitu Le Pew, Angus, Fog Dog, Duffy, Shecky, Mole, Wayne Figg, Ihopet, Zeus, WB Announcer, Schmenfield, Francois, Smokey, Knuckles LaRose, Paul Freleng, Tour Guide ("Hold the Lyin' King Please"), Larry Alberghetti, Casino Manager, Official #1, Crush, British Gent, Howell Hoser, Cat Leader, Dawes, Delivery Truck Driver
Greg Burson – Sam Fudd, Pepé Le Pew, Cot Martin, Ed McMuffin
Corey Burton – One-Eyed Jack, Tosh, Count Blood Count, Babbit, Hamilton Meatball, Rotha Khan, Engineer #1, Veterinarian #3
Larry Cedar - Potter, Conductor ("When Harry Met Salieri")
Townsend Coleman – Nerdy Kid, Mayor, Accountant
Bud Cort - Flint Northwood
Dave Coulier - Captain, PC Voice
Jim Cummings – Cool Cat, Moogooguypan, Tasmanian Devil, Gossamer, Rocky, Nasty Canasta, Hubie, Yosemite Sam ("Go Fig"), Hugo the Abominable Snowman, The Crusher, Sheik Tusheik, Dan, Curator, Wolfgang Wolf, Alien #1, Nigel, Shropshire Slasher, Squeegee, Erik the Yellow, Lion #1, Conductor ("Triangle of Terror"), Sheriff of Nottingham, Stagehand, Windbag
Diane Delano - Cave Girl
Michael Donovan - Alien #2
Sheena Easton – Trixie
Miriam Flynn – Greta
Steve Franken - President Generic
Lauri Fraser - Matron, Cosmetic Girl
Stan Freberg – Pete Puma
Linda Gary – Beaulah Blakelock
Brian George – Diesel, Farmers, Conductor ("One Froggy Throat"), Masocks Mashoes, Commisar Lanuk, Immigration Agent #1, Tour Guide ("The Tail End")
Joan Gerber - Female Tourist
Ed Gilbert – Colonel Ambore
Robert David Hall - Auctioneer ("Fair's Fair"), Mr. Kaytwo
Jess Harnell - Shorty Twang, Kid Kreole
Phil Hayes - Jean Claude, Snooty Man
Charles Howerton - Prof. Olafsen
Robert Ito – Charlie Smith
Arte Johnson - Tommy Tettrazinne
Lauri Johnson - Miss Marbles
Tom Kenny – Harry Chin, Egghead
Clyde Kusatsu – Soh Fishimeeni, Mr. Kim
Maurice LaMarche – Sam Spade, Mr. Greenstreek, Ed McMuffin, Lojack, Harry Follicle, Bingo Barker, Yosemite Sam, Pjerry Nelsson, Hemlock Holmes
Joe Leahy - Announcer
Loren Lester - Earl Pink
Matt Levin - Chemist
Tress MacNeille – Mama Buzzard, Librarian, Minnie Julep, Conventioneer Granny, Faith N. Begorra, Myopia, Miss Jingleheirmascmitt, Helga, Countess, Katarina, Carmen, Aphrodite, Madame Kibble, Betsy Cracker, Electronic Pass Key, Small Boy, Yudge Yudy, Gertrude, Student, Executive #1,
Lee Magnuson - Jean Claude van Dang
John Mariano - Stanislovsky; Commandant
Gail Matthius - Stewardess, Hostess, Nurse #1
Jeff McCarthy – Michigan J. Froggini
Haunani Minn – Alba Core
Goh Misawa - Master Ichthi Ologi
Pat Musick – Marry Ann
Laraine Newman – Trudy, Inga Canasta, Harem Girl, Laura Fontleroy, Eve
Bobbi Page - Cindy
Rob Paulsen – Doorman, Mechanic, Dussel, Hephaestus, Stanley Coop, Farmer Boyer
Lisa Raggio - Woman ("Is Paris Stinking?")
Peter Renaday – Louie Z. Anna, Auctioneer ("Dutch Tweet"), TV Announcer
Kevin Michael Richardson - Signore Malvoce
Roger Rose - Butler
Marion Ross – Flavia
Neil Ross – Ned
John Rubinow - Football Player
Mark Silverman - Tour Guide ("The Fifty Karat Furball")
Kath Soucie – Sniffles
Mark Taylor - Will Bates, Mr. Fontleroy
Russi Taylor – Tour Guide ("One Froggy Throat")
Brian Tochi – Sushi Master
Keri Tombazian - Anchorwoman
BJ Ward - Madame Pamplemousse
Billy West – Foghorn Leghorn, Ducky Wheeze, Rodney, King, House Detective
Mae Whitman - Little Girl #1
DVD releases
On September 9, 2008, Warner Home Video released The Complete First Season of The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries on DVD in Region 1. This release comes exactly 13 years since the premiere of the show. No further DVD releases have been announced.
Awards and nominations
The series was nominated multiple times for a Daytime Emmy Award in the category Special Class Animated Program. The series won two Annie Award in the category of voice acting for June Foray in the role of Granny.
Broadcast
The series has aired on Boomerang since August 17, 2015 until January 29, 2016, but has been added to the schedule again on December 5, 2016 until January 1, 2017. The series also returned to Cartoon Network on October 26, 2015 after a 10-year absence.
