Be Careful Hanging Out With RICK AND MORTY

Article first published as Be Careful Hanging Out With RICK AND MORTY on TheTVKing.

Cartoon Network's Adult Swim's latest series, which premiered this week, is Rick and Morty. From the mind of Dan Harmon (Community), Rick and Morty is a twisted tale of a gullible, dumb, naive grandson, Morty (voiced by Justin Roiland, Fish Hooks), being taken along on dangerous adventures by his eccentric, compassion-challenged, alcoholic grandfather, Rick (also Roiland).

Some have compared Rick and Morty to Back to the Future, pointing to the strange relationship between an old man and a young boy, though this show makes the bond more understandable by having the two be related. It's true, the connection between Rick and Morty is the heart of the show, the latter being a willing participant, through more because of familiar duty than desire, in the schemes. But it doesn't paint Rick in a very good light to take advantage of the boy, and so their footing is not equal, making for an unbalanced duo.

This may be a good thing. Were Morty as into the travels and risks as Rick were, the two would likely be in big trouble even more frequently. Rick couldn't take the competition, and while Morty doesn't exactly reign in his grandfather, he doesn't encourage him, either. Thus we have two very different souls pushed together by a blood relation, rather than anything they share in common.

The animation is as crude as the plot and the jokes, which include things such as Rick wanting to smuggle giant seeds up his grandson's butt. They are well matched in rough lines, odd colors, and twisted creations. The places Rick takes Morty are literally out of this world, allowing the animators' imaginations to run wild. To their credit, they definitely get the tone, and provide pictures that match the words.

I actually like it, though, in spite of this. While super weird, it also has that charm and cleverness that is found well-seeped into Community. Harmon extends his talent in a second project, and though the two share little in common, they are likely to earn some of the same types of praise, with words like "original" and "groundbreaking" thrown around. I don't think Rick and Morty is likely to gain quite as large or as passionate a fan base as the live-action sitcom, but it is very enjoyable, more so than I expected it to be.

The voice cast is rounded out by Chris Parnell (Suburgatory) as Morty's father, Jerry, Sarah Chalke (Scrubs) as Morty's mother and Rick's daughter, Beth, and Spencer Grammer (Greek) as Morty's older sister, Summer. All are great, though they don't get a ton to do, at least in the "Pilot."

If you're on the fence about watching Rick and Morty, check it out. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Rick and Morty airs Mondays at 10:30 p.m. ET on Cartoon Network.

IRONSIDE Hard to Get Into

Article first published as IRONSIDE Review on Seat42F.

NBC’s newest drama is yet another remake of an old series. IRONSIDE is based on the 1967-1975 show of the same name, which starred Raymond Burr as a detective confined to a wheelchair after a sniper bullet paralyzes him. In the new show, updated somewhat for modern sensibilities, Blair Underwood (The Event) plays the titular cop, a disgruntled man who doesn’t play by the rules, but gets the job done.

The premise for IRONSIDE is lame. We have a ton of police procedurals on the air, and we surely don’t need another unless it adds something very new to the genre, as some cable networks are currently doing. A remake of a show better suited to another time is a bad idea, even if the new Hawaii Five-0 has done well for CBS, because it does even less to try to craft something original.

The wheelchair seems gimmicky, especially because of the title. Yes, Ironside is also the name of the character, but it implies something different when you see him in the metal wheelchair. The fact that it is copying the original series only slightly makes this less offensive or corny.

There has been some controversy among the disabled community for the casting of Underwood, rather than someone who actually uses a wheelchair in their everyday life. After viewing the “Pilot,” which has quite a few flashback scenes prior to the shooting, the reason for the casting choice seems clear, though, and while there should be more parts for disabled actors on TV, or disability-blind casting, it’s understandable why IRONSIDE goes a different direction.

Early in the “Pilot,” Ironside breaks the rules, psychologically torturing and physically hurting a suspect. The obvious assumption is that Ironside has some anger issues because of the accident that put him in the chair. I applaud the writers for going a different directly, establishing that he was always reckless and insubordinate, so his inability to walk, while surely causing some emotional challenges, did not majorly shift his personality.

The problem is, someone who does their own thing and ignores authority, yet still succeeds, is yet another trope on modern television, especially in procedurals. There are already a ton of characters just like him in other shows, and so another one is not needed or appreciated.

Ironside goes off the rails a couple of times in the first hour alone, and while his boss, Ed Rollins (Kenneth Choi, Sons of Anarchy), grumbles, there are no consequences. Even House had the wisdom to punish its lead now and again, but then, House was a good show. This feels ridiculous and completely unrealistic, leaving discerning viewers wondering how Ironside possibly has a career.

As the “Pilot” makes clear, IRONSIDE will be standard case-of-the-week fare. We see Ironside, along with fellow officers Holly (Spencer Grammer, Greek), Virgil (Pablo Schreiber, Orange Is the New Black), and Teddy (Neal Bledsoe, Smash), go after a man this week that they blame for a girl’s suicide, which may be a homicide instead. It unfolds just as one would expect, with suspicion shifting a couple of times, clues being uncovered, and the guilty party being caught. Yawn.

The one interesting plot in the IRONSIDE “Pilot” is that of Gary Stanton (Brent Sexton, The Killing), Ironside’s former partner. Gary is taking the shooting much harder than Ironside, despite Gary coming out of it physically unharmed. We find out why at the end of the “Pilot,” and there are a couple of scenes that show what Gary has become and what he plans to do about it, or not do. This is an intriguing journey that would make for a cool premise. Unfortunately, it’s a side bit, not the focus of the show.

Now, if you like a procedural, and some do, IRONSIDE seems well made enough. It’s got a wonderful cast, being wasted on this rote work, and the pacing is fast and stays interesting… for a single episode. The problem is, it looks to be a same-thing-every-installment type of series, and there really is no excuse for these anymore in a golden era of amazing visual storytelling. Other than the excuse of ratings and ad dollars, which, unfortunately, is the purpose behind TV networks. If IRONSIDE is an hour NBC has to sacrifice to keep better stuff on, I guess it’s worth it. But it could be so much better.

IRONSIDE premieres Wednesday, October 2^nd on NBC, and the “Pilot” is available now on Hulu.