Western Animation / Constant Payne

Life's a pain.

Welton: See ya, sunshine!
Amanda: Later, Uncle Weirdo.

Constant Payne is a pilot created in 2001 by Micah Wright that follows the adventures of Amanda Payne and her father, Doc Payne. This would've been Nickelodeon's first action-adventure series, a title that's held by Avatar: The Last Airbender. However, it wasn't picked up for various reasons, making it a One-Episode Wonder.

You can read more about it and watch it here.

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This show provides examples of:

• 20 Minutes into the Future: The pilot is set in a Steampunk-inspired future.
• Action Dad: Doc Payne, who goes on adventures with his daughter.
• Action Girl: Amanda. She joins her father in his various adventures.
• Action-Hogging Opening: The opening shows Doc and Amanda's adventurous nature.
• Action Prologue: The pilot is this, since the series was never picked up.
• Affably Evil: Welton Payne-Smythe affectionately calls Amanda "Sunshine".
• All There in the Script: Welton's full name is only revealed in the end credits. Also, Amanda's friend Tony's full name is revealed to be Anthony Nguyen.
• Amplifier Artifact: The one item Welton is after and manages to obtain.
• Animesque: Well, it was animated by Madhouse and Tama Productions.
• The Bad Guy Wins: The end of the pilot involves Welton getting away with the contents of the box.
• Badass Adorable: Amanda again. While she's capable of taking care of herself, she's very expressive, humorous, and tries to convince her dad that she is old enough to drive an airship.
• Badass Bookworm: Doc again, as well as Welton to a greater extent.
• Badass Family: The three central characters are related, after all.
• Badass Normal: Both Doc and Amanda. They are very capable fighters who have no powers.
• Bare Midriffs Are Feminine: Amanda's civilian clothes. As part of them, she wears a short T-shirt that completely exposes her belly.
• Beard of Evil: Welton. He has a multicolored one, mirroring the color of his hair.
• Big Bad: Welton is the main antagonist of the pilot.
• The Big Guy: Doc is a burly man.
• Big "NO!": Near the end when Amanda thinks her dad was killed in an explosion.
• Bruiser with a Soft Center: Doc is this when he is around Amanda.
• Cain and Abel: Doc and Welton. The former is trying the stop the latter, who is the Big Bad.
• Classic Villain: Welton has the classic appearance of a Mad Scientist.
• Combat Pragmatist: Amanda shows signs of this when dealing with a parachuting mook who's trying to grab her out of her father's airship; she snaps his goggles into his eyes to stun him before biting his hand, distracting him long enough for his parachute to get caught in the crosswind and drag him off the vessel.
• Deflector Shields: Welton uses them to counter his brother's physical attributes.
• Drives Like Crazy: Unintentional on Amanda's part, as she flies her father's airship between two buildings to avoid crashing thanks to the ship's autopilot flying right toward them.
• Dumb Muscle: Welton's minions aren't too sharp.
• Evil Minions: Welton has several.
• Evil Uncle: Ostensibly subverted, as Welton apparently has no animosity whatsoever towards his niece and even calls her "Sunshine", while she simply calls him a "weirdo", even when his homicidal tendencies are obvious.
• Experienced Protagonist: Doc is shown to be a very experienced fighter and scientist.
• Girliness Upgrade: The Virtual Paper Doll Amanda has at the beginning of the pilot shows that there is one that increases her femininity by giving her a bob cut and a more girlish attire.
• Girly Girl with a Tomboy Streak: Amanda as she prefers going on her father's adventures.
• Good Scars, Evil Scars: Averted. Doc, the hero, has a huge scar over his right eye, while Welton has none.
• Heroic Wannabe: Amanda really wants to be her father's sidekick.
• I Just Want to Be Badass: Amanda wants to be just like her father, much to his chagrin.
• The Idealist: Doc's research and studies in order to alleviate other people's troubles.
• It's Personal: The dispute between Welton and Doc. It's justified since they're brothers.
• Lady and Knight: Pretty much the relationship between Amanda and Doc.
• Mad Scientist: Welton has the classic appearance of one. He even states that he is a thinker, not a fighter.
• Man Bites Man: At one point, Amanda stops a parachuting mook from trying to grab her by biting his hand.
• Men Act, Women Are: A milder example as Doc cares so much for her daughter that he forbids her from actively joining him in his riskier adventures.
• Missing Mom: According to Wright, Amanda's mom was killed by terrorists.
• Multiple Demographic Appeal: Wright stated that his goal was to make a show that appealed to both boys and girls.
• Never Say "Die": Subverted when Amanda says this:
  I thought you were — I thought you were like, dead or something!
• Outrun the Fireball: Doc successfully escapes an airship that his brother had self-destructed.
• Real Women Don't Wear Dresses: Among the holographic attires Amanda tries out, there is a military uniform that propels her to impersonate a bold kung fu aware soldier.
• Rebellious Spirit: Amanda. Against her father's wishes, she prefers to join him in his adventures.
• Shout-Out: Amanda attends a school named after Lester Dent.
• Steampunk: Mixed in with a bit of Tesla Punk.
• Thou Shalt Not Kill: Amanda stuns a bad guy and has him teetering on the edge of her airship, about to fall off. After she saves him, he lunges at her, only for her to punch him off the ship. Unlike the first time, however, he's still aware enough to pull his parachute cord before he hits the ground. However, it’s implied earlier by one of the Faceless Mooks that they threw out one of the crewmen of the zeppelin they hijacked without a parachute.
• The Trickster: Welton outwits Doc by threatening Amanda, his niece, expecting that his brother would lower his guard.
• Unique Pilot Title Sequence: As aforementioned, the opening shows Doc and Amanda's adventurous nature, while the closing sequence feature some scenes from the pilot.
• Utility Belt: Both Doc and Welton wear one.
• Virtual Paper Doll: Amanda has one in her room that lets her try on various hairstyles and outfits.
• You Go, Girl!: Amanda personally deals with many hoodlums at Welton's service.
• Zeppelins from Another World: Which doubles as the Cool Car since airships serve as the primary means of transportation in the pilot.

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