It's not really clear to me what the intent was with this sitcom.
It seems almost like the writers intended it to be a Kafka comedy from the other side; there are two spoiled brats who, episode after episode, get what they want. Rather than watching a sympathetic but ineffective protagonist who we can sort of cheer for struggle and loose, we watch an unsympathetic protagonist succeed against all logic. The Show somehow manages to mix Boring Invincible Hero with Boring Invincible Villain.
It's hard to write this review in terms of anything but potential. Likeable characters weren't given a chance to develop and were confused on their own motivation; Jeremy, having escaped an awful relationship he was trapped in, runs right back after a cheap reverse psychology joke. Julie pulls a complete 180, not once but twice, for poorly explained reasons. Even if it is only to watch them get crushed, it would be watchable if they were developed. If Julie were the protagonist trying (and failing) to thwart her awful brother, with Jeremy playing an awkward fatherly role to her this show might have been watchable. Instead, they're hard to really like as they feel like potentially interesting premises left flat.
The father and son are only developed in so far as they are spoilt and want things, there isn't any kind of charm in them that even makes them fun to hate.
Where Cartman might usually come out on top (or at least break even), its clear he suffers and that lends him a charm. People hate him and he deserves it, but he comes up with new and interesting ways to win that hate.
Allen Gregory doesn't have that; there's no attempt at wit, charm or even characterization. He's an unlikeable Anti-Sue who gets his way and the characters simply roll with this. There isn't even a wink and smile at the camera.
The rest of the character are one, or two, note jokes.
I can see this show having had potential if they'd taken any other route or put any kind of effort into it. Instead we got this; a sociopathic manchild and regular child run amok. It is not remotely as subversive as it wants to be.
Thankfully, it died quickly and so we can reclaim some shred of hope in the quality of Television these days.
If only because I can't imagine a much worse replacement ever coming on.
Mercy Killed at 7 Episodes.
It's not really clear to me what the intent was with this sitcom.
It seems almost like the writers intended it to be a Kafka comedy from the other side; there are two spoiled brats who, episode after episode, get what they want. Rather than watching a sympathetic but ineffective protagonist who we can sort of cheer for struggle and loose, we watch an unsympathetic protagonist succeed against all logic. The Show somehow manages to mix Boring Invincible Hero with Boring Invincible Villain.
It's hard to write this review in terms of anything but potential. Likeable characters weren't given a chance to develop and were confused on their own motivation; Jeremy, having escaped an awful relationship he was trapped in, runs right back after a cheap reverse psychology joke. Julie pulls a complete 180, not once but twice, for poorly explained reasons. Even if it is only to watch them get crushed, it would be watchable if they were developed. If Julie were the protagonist trying (and failing) to thwart her awful brother, with Jeremy playing an awkward fatherly role to her this show might have been watchable. Instead, they're hard to really like as they feel like potentially interesting premises left flat.
The father and son are only developed in so far as they are spoilt and want things, there isn't any kind of charm in them that even makes them fun to hate.
Where Cartman might usually come out on top (or at least break even), its clear he suffers and that lends him a charm. People hate him and he deserves it, but he comes up with new and interesting ways to win that hate.
Allen Gregory doesn't have that; there's no attempt at wit, charm or even characterization. He's an unlikeable Anti-Sue who gets his way and the characters simply roll with this. There isn't even a wink and smile at the camera.
The rest of the character are one, or two, note jokes.
I can see this show having had potential if they'd taken any other route or put any kind of effort into it. Instead we got this; a sociopathic manchild and regular child run amok. It is not remotely as subversive as it wants to be.
Thankfully, it died quickly and so we can reclaim some shred of hope in the quality of Television these days.
If only because I can't imagine a much worse replacement ever coming on.