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Adult SwimIt's only a matter of time before Zorak takes over the entire network.
Raise your hand if you've seen more than one episode of Dexter's Laboratory. Johnny Bravo? Power Puff Girls? We thought as much. And so did Cartoon Network. No longer do you have to skulk around sneaking peeks, because at last they have put together a block of shows just for you, that highly coveted 18-34 demographic. You can get hooked starting Sunday night, September 2, at 10 p.m.
Under the umbrella title of Adult Swim, the network has revived a couple of shows thought dead, while adding a few new twisted titles.
Home Movies
Originally developed for UPN, which too quickly cancelled it, Home Movies features the adventures of Brendon Small, the insecure fourth grader son of a single mom (Paula Poundstone), who makes sense of his confusion by making short films. Using "Squiggle-Vision," the animation is crude, but the storytelling is sharp. Small (the show's creator and voice of himself) and the rest of the cast allegedly ad-lib their dialogue, resulting in the rhythms of real conversation, only funnier. And somehow it captures the truth about fourth grade, only with a much better vocabulary than any of us actually had.
At points painfully honest, Home Movies balances its reality with giddy juvenile humor, such as a running gag with a Russian student who pees in the coach's canteen. It also deflates a lot of the stereotypes that go with its scenario. "You know your father and I love you very much, and it's absolutely not your fault that we split up," Brendon's mother tells him. "I really hadn't considered that at all," he answers, "thanks for planting the seed of doubt."
Home Movies starts off the block, and should not be missed. What else can Cartoon Network save from broadcast network oblivion? Mission Hill, anyone?
The Brak Show
Thankfully, I cannot actually remember Brak from the original Space Ghost series, so no fond memories are getting ripped to shreds here. Former space tyrant Brak stars in a typical domestic sitcom of the sixties, as the teen-aged son of a giant monstress and a suave, vaguely latino father.
As a teen, Brak suffers many of the same problems we all had, such as trying to win the high school talent contest. Unfortunately, best friend Zorak has coughed up a pink protoplasmic blob, leaving him with a lovely singing voice that takes first place. Meanwhile, wacky next door neighbor Thundercleese has an army of killer cyborgs after him. See? Just like on Leave It To Beaver.
It's twisted, it's funny, and despite the overlapping characters, has a distinctly different vibe than Space Ghost: Coast-To-Coast.
Harvey Birdman, Attorney At Law
An even more obscure hero than Space Ghost once was, Birdman has traded in his solar power for the power of attorney. Wisely, Cartoon Network has opted not to duplicate the Space Ghost re-thinking, and the result holds a lot of promise.
Birdman and his sidekick eagle Avenger have become practitioners of cartoon law, which means that a lot of long-used stand-up routines can finally be put to rest. In the first episode, Harvey Birdman tackles a custody battle between Dr. Benton Quest and Race Bannon, to be followed next week by Shaggy getting busted for possession.
Though the plotlines are the subject of one-liners, the execution works well, playing to both the hard-core cartoon fan and the guy who just wants to laugh. And extra points go to the show's creators for casting The Mighty Mightorr as a fussy southern judge.
Directed by J.J. Sedelmaier, who also occasionally works on TV Funhouse, the show has much the same vibe. But really, if anyone has the right to mock those old Hanna-Barbera adventure shows, it's Cartoon Network, not SNL.
Aqua Teen Hunger Force
If Hanna-Barbera still ruled traditional Saturday mornings, and smoked some of Shaggy's stash, they might have come up with this show. Three super-powered man-sized food items join forces to fight crime with a hip-hop beat. It works because it knows how stupid it is.
The leader, Master Shake (who is just a large milkshake), would rather quickly jump to a conclusion and collect a reward. Only the mysterious Frylock has any skill or real power, but even he cannot counteract the leader's apathy. They band together with the shape-changing Meatwad, who only wants to dance to the sounds from his jambox. Rapper Schooly D narrates the show, in a bit that may grow tired.
Of all the shows, this one made me laugh the least, but then, I'm old.
Space Ghost: Coast To Coast
Cartoon Network wisely resurrected this innovative talk show. Not much has changed. It still has its unique rhythm, full of uncomfortable pauses. Space Ghost and his crew remain petulant. And Dave Thomas (of SCTV, not Wendy's) makes a heck of a guest.
If you were a fan of the show before, rejoice. If not, you owe it to yourself to give it a try.
Sealab 2021
This show may wear out its premise rather quickly. Taking a fairly obscure Saturday morning show, Sealab 2020, the producers cut, paste, redo and redub scenes to create this one. Where the original awkwardly fulfilled some educational mandate, this show recasts everyone onboard the Sealab as idiots, and rewrites the plots to have substantially more adult themes.
The cast may be idiotic, but the writing is not. Esoteric jokes pop up. The only real drawback may be that it has a similar rhythm to Space Ghost.
Putting that aside, the show does have one stroke of pure genius: the only competent character on board, Marco Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar Gabriel Garcia Marquez, gives Erik Estrada a job. Tweaking his ChiPs image, Estrada finally comes across as three-dimensional in this two-dimensional world.
It may not last, but we have hope.
The evening rounds out with the U.S. debut of an anime series called Cowboy Bebop, but Cartoon Network did not provide us with a tape of it. Check it out and let us know what you think.
