It's Time For ANIMANIACS

 Article first published as TV Review: ANIMANIACS on Seat42F.

You may be surprised to learn that the original run on ANIMANIACS was only ninety-nine episodes long. It has such an oversize place in our culture that I assumed it boasted more seasons under its belt than that. The gently subversive cartoon that brought original music and adult humor (of the kind that easily flew over kids’ heads) in the 90s is well-remembered by my generation, and found great popularity a few years ago when it arrived on Netflix.

So it shouldn’t be much of a surprise to learn, if you didn’t already know, that the series is back on Hulu this week with the first new batch of new episodes in twenty-two years (and a second season already ordered). That’s right, Yakko (Rob Paulsen), Wakko (Jess Harnell), and Dot (Tress MacNeille) Warner have returned to the Warner Brothers movie lot and moved right back into the tower as if they’d never missed a beat.

The first episode back (the only one I’ve yet reviewed, though I’ll surely watch more) spends a fair amount of time breaking the fourth wall and discussing not only their time off the air, but everything that has transpired since. Some of this is done in original music, with full orchestral accompaniment. Later, the focus is on reboots specifically. Of course it’s funny, of course it’s timely, and of course it’s smart, because that’s the ANIMANIACS brand. It would be insincere for them not to comment on their return, and comment they do, in spades and in song.

As much as the difference is acknowledged, though, the show feels exactly the same. Jokes are topical and fresh, but they were back in the 1990s, too. The brand of humor espoused is unchanged, not quite biting, but not exactly tame, either. Ralph the Guard (Frank Welker) is still chasing the trio and easily being bested. There is acknowledgment that the characters may be a bit more accepting and forward-thinking in a socially liberal way, as the culture has gone, but ANIMANIACS never spent too much time commenting on that, so that doesn’t feel like a focus. And possibly problematic characters like Minerva Mink and Hello Nurse are nowhere to be seen, though not missed.

When it comes to the side stories, though, that’s where fans will likely notice the difference, though not right away. The most successful characters, which garnered their own contemporary spin-off, Pinky (Paulsen) and the Brain (Maurice LaMarche) are fully intact. The pair have the middle of three segments in the new premiere, with updated technology, but little else different for them. (The opening and closing segments are given over to the Warners.) But the theme song indicates we shouldn’t expect to see Slappy Squirrel, the Goodfeathers, Buttons and Mindy, or the others anytime soon. They’ve been cut from the show. The opening credits only hint there will be new characters, but other than a fresh network exec, none are revealed in episode one.

Unsurprisingly, a saxophone-playing Bill Clinton is also absent for the opening title sequences. References to W., Hillary, and Trump are in the first episode to acknowledge there may be some political jabs, though it’s doubtful there will be any true opinions expressed about such people. So worry not those who aren’t looking for culture wars in their cartoons. Celebrities and pop culture characters are familiarly referenced.

In short, the differences are minor, and though I’m anxious to see what the new side segments are, the premiere is a return to form. I’m sure it will perfectly give most people tuning in exactly what they want. ANIMANIACS doesn’t seem likely to jar fans or disappoint. I do wonder how long more-of-the-same will be able to continue, but for the moment, I’m just glad the Warners are back on television.

The first new season of ANIMANIACS premieres Friday, November 20th on Hulu.

The Simpsons has "A Midsummer's Nice Dream"

     It was high time Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong, better known as Cheech and Chong, got to guest star as themselves on FOX's The Simpsons. I was stoked to see them. They were smokin'! OK, enough with the pot puns. This episode has enough drug references for a season's worth of episodes. But they weren't just stereotypical chariactures, thank goodness, so it ended up being a fairly funny.

     Apparently Cheech and Chong are from Springfield, go figure. They began life as local broadcasters, until a strange smell wafted in and made them who they are. So, this week, they return to their hometown to do a show. Homer (Dan Castellaneta) takes his family, because, of course, they will certainly be putting on an appropriate performance. But Chong decides he is tired of the classic bits, and wants to do something more daring. With Cheech left on stage by himself, Homer is encouraged by friends and family to step up to the plate, since he knows all of their bits by heart. Cheech is so impressed, he invites Homer to go on tour with him as Cheech and Chunk.

     Cheech and Chong are merely the latest in a long line of famous celebrities willing to bring a bit of themselves into the small town supposedly bursting with connections to funny people. Funnily enough, the stereotypical image of the two of them gels much better with the denizens than the reality. This episode played up the latter, so the fit was a little uneven.

     Homer is a drinking man. As referenced in the episode, beer has always been his thing, not pot. As such, I find it odd that Homer would know and enjoy stoner comedy so dang much. Wouldn't this be a better role for a side character? I understand that the Simpson family is the heart of the show and are usually central to the main story, but I can't help but feeling that Homer was the wrong man for the job. However, since Homer has gotten himself into many situations he probably shouldn't ever have been in over the years, it can be sort of excused, because it has become a common conceit of the show.

     Chong also interviews replacements for his own new act. For no apparent reason, he thinks the unfunniest man is the right one, so he hires Skinner (Harry Shearer) for Teech and Chong. My biggest regret in this episode is that we didn't get nearly as much of Teech and Chong as Cheech and Chunk. I find the principal's antics far more entertaining than Homer's in this case, and wish there was a better balance.

     The B plot involved Marge (Julie Kavner) venturing into the Crazy Cat Lady's (Tress MacNeille) lair and discovering why she is so crazy: she is a hoarder! Once Marge removes all the junk, the cats begin to wonder away, and the woman finally finds her speech after twenty years of appearing on the show. Remarkably, she sounds just like a number of other women in Springfield! Yeah, that last comment is sarcastic. But the temptation of the junk is too much for Marge, who becomes a hoarder herself.

     Setting aside how unrealistic it is that the Simpson household completely fills with junk so quickly, I don't think it is in Marge's nature to ever be a hoarder like this. She is concerned with a neat house, and prides herself on her homemaking skills. As such, I don't see her actually falling into this trap.

     But, I admit, I am overanalyzing. The Simpsons is meant to be enjoyed without question, and have apparently earned the right for that to be the case after more than two decades on television. I personally don't think that is an excuse to rest on their laurels, but I'm not a fraction as successful as Matt Groenig, so who am I to judge?

     It just makes me sad when they don't try just a tad bit harder sometimes. There have been many brilliantly funny episodes of The Simpsons over the years. I feel like when guest stars are stuck into characters that would have worked for any voice actor, they are more successful than when the show is worked around the guest stars. This episode was definitely in the second category, and that may be why I was a little less than satisfied with it, even though I delighted at the concept.

     That being said, my favorite sequence is the A Midsummer Night's Dream reference of Bart (Nancy Cartwright) as Puck at the end, tying everything up neatly. Only incredibly loosely did this episode resemble the Shakespeare work about two couples confused in the woods by fairies, but at least the bit tied in the title.

     The Simpsons airs Sunday nights at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.

Article first published as TV Review: The Simpsons - "A Midsummer's Nice Dream" on Blogcritics.

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Good news everyone! Futurama has returned!

    In 2003, after five seasons on the air (released in four DVD volumes; Wikipedia wrongly lists the four volumes as four seasons), Fox canceled Futurama.  Like so many bad decisions the network has made (canceling the amazingly awesome Firefly and Dollhouse and renewing the terrible Human Target spring to mind), this one was unacceptable.  However, luckily, the story doesn't end there.  In the last three years, four straight to DVD movies of the Futurama crew have been released.  And then Comedy Central asked for more episodes.  Last night, the culmination of that effort was gloriously realized when the first new Futurama episodes in nearly seven years premiered: "Rebirth" and "In-A-Gadda-Da-Leela".


     Producers and creators Matt Groenig (The Simpsons) and David X. Cohen are back at the helm.  The voice cast, including Billy West (The Ren and Stimpy Show), Katey Sagal (Sons of Anarchy, Married With Children), John DiMaggio (Kim Possible), Tress MacNeille (The Simpsons), Maurice LaMarche (Pinky and the Brain), Phil LaMarr (MADtv, Samurai Jack), David Herman (Office Space, MADtv), and Lauren Tom (King of the Hill, Man in Trees),  has returned.  There were disputes over salary, and talk of recasting, but it all was worked out in time.  If it hadn't been, it may have killed the new episodes before they even got started.  The setting, the animation, it's all like it never left.  Fans of the show should not notice anything different.


     Plot wise, the first episode picks up right where the final movie left off: with the ship and all the main characters being sucked into a wormhole.  This was intended as a series finale, just in case nothing else was ordered, but the writers were able to transition it seamlessly into the new plot.  Unfortunately, the ship crashes almost immediately and almost everyone dies.  Luckily, the Professor has murdered a few adults and harvested their stem cells, so he is able to bring everyone back.  Someone explain to me how stem cells regrew Bender, a robot?  Not only that, but due to a comedy of errors, a Robot Fry and Robot Leela are created.  And there were the obligatory puns, acknowledging their new network.

     Loyal viewers know that Fry's love for Leela was always an unresolved plot, winding through each episode, and taking center stage in a couple of the movies.  The fourth movie had them together, and the new episodes thankfully continue that thread, rather than setting them back.  My sincere hope is that the two remain a couple, and I think it likely.  Although only the first of last night's two new episodes developed their relationship, in the second one they kissed goodbye as she left for a dangerous mission.  Futurama is the rare cartoon that allows it's characters lasting growth, and it's part of what makes it so special.  That aspect should be nurtured.


     Twenty six new episodes have been ordered.  If it's rebirth is like Family Guy's, we can look forward to even longer run than the original series, although since it has been resurrected for cable, that may be wishful thinking.  However, I know of no other show that was off the air for as long as Futurama was and then brought back, so this whole situation sprang from wishful thinking.  It gives you real hope to see that anything is possible.

     Futurama will be airing Thursday nights at 10pm on Comedy Central.