Article first published as MOONBEAM CITY Review on Seat42F.
Comedy
Central’s newest cartoon comedy is MOONBEAM CITY. Set in the metropolis
named in the title, which has heavy Miami overtones to it, the show
follows local cops as they struggle with the criminals who are ruining
their beloved town. But the cops aren’t the slightest bit competent, nor
are the criminals, really, and the results are humorous.
MOONBEAM CITY boasts a very impressive
cast. The lead is Dazzle Novak (Rob Lowe, Parks and Recreation), who is
very reminiscent of FX’s Archer, inept and over-sexed, but the star of
the police force because of blind luck and charm. Dazzle is assisted by
Chrysalis Tate (Kate Mara, House of Cards), who wants to stop getting
coffee and start firing guns, which she already is much more skilled at
than Dazzle. Dazzle’s rival on the force is Red Cunningham (Will Forte,
Last Man on Earth), who is jealous of the hero, but slightly less
effective. This motley crew is overseen by the put-upon Captain Pizzaz
Miller (Elizabeth Banks, The Hunger Games), who has little patience for
their antics, but seems hesitant to actually fire them.
Now if those names sound like something
out of the 1980s, they are far from the only thing ripped from the era
in this show. MOONBEAM CITY seems to be set in that decade, and the
colors (neon), lighting (blinds), and music (synthetic) all reinforce
the style, as does the clothing and overall design. The faces are super
white, and only a portion of the spectrum is used, but it’s all very
consistent with the overall tone of the piece.
To give you an idea of the type of
bizarre, twisted stories the show seeks to tell, the pilot finds Dazzle
hunting a kingpin he accidentally allows to ascend to that stature. But
Dazzle gets distracted by a pretty girl playing chimes in a mall. (Yes,
in keeping with the 80s trend, malls are very popular.) Dazzle commits
himself to being her manager, which he does out of police headquarters,
and only because of the kingpin’s ridiculous hobby does Dazzle even
cross paths with his query. Could the whole thing be an elaborate scheme
by Dazzle to catch his query? Nah; he’s just not that smart.
I’m sure MOONBEAM CITY will be a
case-of-the-week procedural. It has already established the world and
the format that it will likely be repeated in installment after
installment as Dazzle tangles with many different villains.
This is where MOONBEAM CITY is sure to
fall short of its closest rival, Archer. Archer thrives because it makes
the viewer care about the characters, building a funny ensemble that
make the show as much a workplace comedy as it is about spying. Over
time, the players because far more important than the situations.
MOONBEAM CITY has the potential to do this, with the criminal sort of
ignored in the pilot, and the four leads being fantastic in their own
right, but shows no signs of committing to putting character above
story, at least not yet.
That being said, it’s still a humorous
romp. There aren’t really any laugh-out-loud moments or quotable lines,
but I enjoyed watching the half hour, and will probably tune in again.
I’m impressed by the overall production, if not many of the specifics,
and it deserves a chance to find itself and grow into whatever it’s
going to be. It’s clear it doesn’t know what that is from the get go,
but it has the right ingredients to get there without having to add new
elements, so that’s a good start.
MOONBEAM CITY premieres Wednesday, September 16th on Comedy Central.
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