A lothas changed in the 20 years since Clone High first aired on — then got canceled by — MTV.

For starters, Clone High actually found an audience since it went off the air. While it received low ratings during its MTV run, it went on to develop a cult following. Its creators Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and Bill Lawrence also went on to achieve massive success with their involvement in projects like Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse(Lord and Miller) and Ted Lasso(Lawrence, whose TV creations also include hits ranging from Scrubsto Shrinking). Then there's the teeny tiny fact that comedy and animation have also shifted in a major way since 2003 — along with, you know, the rest of the world.

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With all these changes in mind, it should come as no surprise that Clone High's long-awaited second season is no clone of its first — and that's a good thing. Lord, Miller, and Lawrence have all returned for this revival, along with co-showrunners Erik Durbin and Erica Rivinoja, who wrote on the original series.

Clone High's team addresses the 20-year time gap between seasons with relative savvy and self-awareness, ushering in a new cast of historical clones and zany teenage adventures that feel true to Clone High 1.0 andto its new time period.

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How does the Clone High revival compare to the original?

The love triangle is in full effect.Credit: Courtesy of Mx

Clone High's revival picks up 20 years after the Clone High Season 1 finale — and yet, for many characters, no time has passed at all. That's because the show's original cast of high school-aged cloned famous guys and ladies was all frozen in ice at the very end of Season 1.

Now unfrozen by a cabal of shadowy figures in order to complete the mysterious "Operation Spread Eagle," Clone High's students — including Abraham Lincoln (voiced by Will Forte), Joan of Arc (voiced by Nicole Sullivan), Cleopatra (voiced by Mitra Jouhari), and JFK (voiced by Miller) — are still processing the aftermath of Season 1's prom night, and all the relationship drama that came with it. Will Abe confess his love to Joan or Cleo? Will Joan and JFK stay together? (If you don't remember the details, the shadowy government employees get you caught up fast, along with a revamp of the classic theme song by Abandoned Pools.)

But that drama isn't the only thing the clones need to worry about. They need to catch up on 20 years of culture, as well as get to know the new host of clones Principal Scudworth (voiced by Lord) has created. Among them are Harriet Tubman (voiced by Ayo Edebiri), Frida Kahlo (voiced by Vicci Martinez), and Confucius (voiced by Kelvin Yu).

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Where the original Clone High generation spoofed '90s and early 2000s teen TV archetypes like the dumb jock and the cynical goth girl, these newbies call to mind Gen Z with their colorful hypebeast styling and individualism that clashes with Clone High's prior social hierarchy. Their character designs, complete with brighter colors and modern clothing, set them apart from the original set. It's just one of many ways in which Clone High reminds us it's a continuation of an older show as well as a "modern refresh," as the logline puts it.

Clone High is an extremely self-aware reboot.

How else would you catch someone up on 20 years of culture?Credit: Courtesy of Max

Clone High is hyper-aware of complications that may arise due to its time jump. In its first episode back, it immediately tackles questions of outdated, stereotypical humor and cancel culture. Thankfully, it comes across as less cringey or preachy than it does as a look at the total chaos that occurs when two different generations of teens meet for the first time. It also serves as a meta take on the fine line a reboot must walk between maintaining its original spirit while making itself over somewhat to remain relevant.

Meta-humor has always played a part in Clone High, but the revival turns it up a notch, especially when it comes to the nature of the reboot itself. "Why would anyone do anything a second time after they got burned so badly the first time?" Scudworth's robot Mr. B (voiced by Miller) asks. Despite the threat of being burned, Clone Highpulls off the transition from 2003 to 2023 without a hitch — for the most part.

Viewers of the original Clone Highwill immediately notice that Gandhi (voiced by Michael McDonald), Abe's best friend and sidekick from Season 1, hasn't been unfrozen with the other clones. It makes sense, given that Gandhi's portrayal led to protests and hunger strikes in India and MTV canceled Clone High as a result. In as much of a compromise as it can afford, Clone High Season 2 briefly makes reference to Gandhi in a way that fans may not find particularly satisfying. When viewed through the lens of the show's original cancellation, that moment and some of the "cancel culture" commentary can read a tad like an apology tour. However, the new characters and storylines make for fulfilling replacements for a highly sticky situation.

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Clone High is still a fun high school romp.

Sex ed is out, sax ed is in.Credit: Courtesy of Max

While Clone High's first episode is almost entirely devoted to reconciling the gap between 2003 and 2023, the rest of its season drops us right back into high school shenanigans. The send-up of teen soap operas is still in full effect, complete with the kind of important morals that you'd expect from "a very special episode of Clone High."

Cliques, popularity, and relationship woes are, as always, central to Clone High, but the series takes us on some other madcap adventures too. For example, an episode devoted to test anxiety quickly devolves into a horror movie, all thanks to a furry little mascot. Elsewhere, side plots involving Scudworth and his new boss Candide Sampson (Christa Miller) allow for more sinister clone-y intrigue. In these cases and more, Clone High excels at heightening genre conventions. (Also, the genre theme song remixes are bops.)

So while a lot is different about Clone High this go around, a lot is still the same. It's still an over-the-top comedy complete, it's still full of clever historical nods, and it still features a ton of influential teens losing their minds.

Perhaps most importantly of all, its JFK is still a dirty joke-obsessed himbo with a deep love for his own butt. Some things, you just shouldn't change.

Clone High premieres May 23 on Max.

TopicsHBO