Father of the Pride is an American animated television series that began broadcasting on NBC on August 31, 2004 and was part of a short-lived trend of CGI series in prime-time network TV. The show, which was produced by Jeffrey Katzenberg and his company DreamWorks Animation, revolves around a family of white lions, the patriarch of which stars in a Siegfried & Roy show in Las Vegas. Despite heavy promotion, the show was unsuccessful and was canceled after one season. Transmission and production were also delayed by the real-life on-stage injury of Roy Horn.
Episodes
In the quest to create a panda-breeding program, Siegfried and Roy import one of the few remaining male pandas to the secret garden for an intimate rendezvous with the community's romantically challenged female panda Foo-Lin. However, when Larry and Kate play matchmaker in order to speed up nature, they end up disrupting the complex process of panda-mating.
Settling into the fame of his new position as lead lion, Larry looks forward to his debut in the show until Siegfried and Roy proclaim to Matt Lauer during their appearance on the Today Show that they will unveil the greatest magic trick the world has ever seen with their new star. Panicked over the pressure, Larry turns to the crafty veteran performer -- Sarmoti -- to help prepare him. However, when the trick backfired during practice, a concerned Seigfreid and Roy turn to their proven veteran white tiger Blake to save the day much to the disappointment of Larry and Sarmoti.
When Larry and Kate discover a bag of catnip in Sierra's room they fear the worst -- that their teenage daughter has become a ""nip-head."" Taking the advice of the community drug counselor, they decide to confront Sierra but only cause her to run away. Meanwhile, in their quest to experience the ""ah"" they observed in a recent 7-Eleven TV commercial, Siegfried and Roy venture to the local convenience store to claim the ultimate prize -- ""The Big Gulp.""
With the entire secret garden in a frenzy over the arrival of famed animal actor Donkey in town shooting a commercial, local celebrity Larry speaks to Hunter's class for career day. However, when his classroom performance falls flat, Larry attempts to wow his son's friends by promising a visit from his alleged good friend Donkey. Meanwhile, alarmed by the appearance of a small family owned bed-and-breakfast on the Vegas strip, Siegfried and Roy vow to take up the fight to help maintain corporate America's stranglehold on sin city.
While dining at the Mirage with her family and Siegfried and Roy, Sierra discovers a political prisoner when she meets Emerson the lobster who as survived countless dinners in the hopes of getting his political message out to the masses. Hoping to regain his daughter's affections, Larry frees Emerson from his bondage only to regret his act of kindness based on the lobster's quest to bring down the watering hole. Elsewhere, Siegfried and Roy prepare for the arrival of Barbra Streisand and Sarmoti attempts to bond with Hunter.
Searching for a way to satisfy Kate's desire for spontaneity, Larry relies on his natural instincts and steals Blake and Victoria's big screen television. However, while this new life of crime heats up their love life, the lions find themselves in the midst of an animal dragnet. Meanwhile, a distraught Siegfried and Roy search for the perfect gift for their white lions in the hopes of preventing the performing big cats from feeling slighted by the magician's recent showering of gifts on the tigers, and Sarmoti teaches Hunter how to be an African warrior lion.
Unimpressed by their lead lion's inability to fit through the hoop, Siegfried and Roy put Larry on a diet forcing him to give up his favorite pastime - eating. However, when Snack's new girlfriend Candy decides to dump the lovestruck gopher, Larry does the honorable thing and tells his friend he ate the love of his life. Meanwhile, Sarmoti teaches Sierra the truth behind poker and in the process scams her new boyfriend out of his Bar Mitzvah fund.
Overworked and feeling the strain of being lead lion, Larry takes advantage of a bad landing during practice to over-emphasize a leg injury, giving him a week of bed rest. However, when his blissful time off is interrupted by Sarmoti's bitterness, the exhausted lead lion slips his surly father-in-law a medicated meatball in the hope of quieting the African lion.
In the midst of the heated battle to win the election for PTA president, Kate makes an off-handed remark regarding her turkey constituents that has the entire animal population labeling her a racist. In the hopes of avoiding defeat she invites the turkeys to spend their annual festival of pilgrim betrayal (a.k.a. Thanksgiving) with Larry and the family, only to have Sarmoti's off-color remarks threaten to ruin the evening. Meanwhile, Roy catches Snack wandering around and decided to domesticate the sly gopher into a showbiz rodent. Synopsis courtesy of NBC.com
In another stunning move, Siegfried and Roy decide to move Sarmoti in with Kate and Larry forcing the new lead lion to share his castle with the grouchy stage veteran. However, when Sarmoti's attitude pushes Kate to take out her rage on his prize zebra skin rug, she begs Larry to search for a quick replacement as the couple sets their sights on a lonely Zebra. Elsewhere, Snack attempts to solve his cash flow problems by exposing the raunchy lives of Vegas animals for an internet tape and Siegfried & Roy decide to donate their skills to charity to help Mirage casino guests better themselves. Synopsis courtesy of NBC.com
Despite vowing never to forget his wedding anniversary which corresponds with Jimi Hendrix' birthday, Larry once again fails to celebrate this important occasion with Kate. However, when Siegfried and Roy's decision to whisk all the female cats off to a spa weekend at Little Bavaria prevents him from properly apologizing, Larry ventures off into the vast Nevada desert to find his wife with no one but the ever-criticizing Sarmoti to aid him in this quest.
Larry remembers about how he became the main lion in the show, and how Sarmoti lost the position. He remembers how Sarmoti was so arrogant, and didn’t want to accept not being in the lime light anymore.
When a new magic duo entered the Vegas scene, Siegfried and Roy decides to make a movie about their lives. Larry and his friends are preoccupied with their "Bill Murray marathon", leaving Kate to join Foo-Lin in a women's group session.
