Squidbillies: Volume One (review)
The guys who created Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Space Ghost Coast to Coast joined forces to create this entry for Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim that asks the daring question: Is hillbilly humor funnier when it’s tentacle-waving squids being crass and stupid? The answer is, sadly, no. The rough and scraggy animation is refreshingly distinctive, but the humor tends toward the obvious: cars wrapped around trees, proud ignorance, ethnic bashing, big hair, the pitfalls of homeschooling, and so on. Adult Swim devotees, typically teenaged boys of all ages, apparently think it’s the funniest thing in the late-night bonger block, but it’s one long overbaked “you might be a redneck squid if...” joke. These two discs include all 20 episodes from 2005 and 2006 -- basically, everything that’s aired up till now -- plus six never-before-seen pilot episodes, an anime talk show, deleted scenes, making-of material, and more. [buy at Amazon]
(Technorati tags: Squidbillies, Adult Swim)
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comments
posted by Count Shrimpula (November 26, 2007 11:36 PM)
Oh god, I'm an Adult Swim devotee, but I think Squidbillies is a pile of shit. Just awful. And at least all of the other people I know who are also into Adult Swim think the same way.
posted by MaryAnn (November 26, 2007 11:41 PM)
Glad to hear it. :->
posted by Mike Brady (November 27, 2007 12:55 AM)
I agree wholeheartedly. The funny thing about Adult Swim is that most of their shows seem awful at first. They get inundated with hate mail every time they introduce something new. Then many of those same shows become cult hits. The upshot of this is that they seem to think they can throw any crap and have it stick somewhere. They've stopped listening to poor reviews and negative feedback because they've begun to interpret it as a measure of success.
This time, they couldn't be more wrong.
I'll admit that it usually takes me a while to warm up to a new show, but I see nothing worth salvaging in Squidbillies. I often have the TV on in the background when working at night, but I abhor that show so much that the TV immediately goes off lest that bile should seep into my ears. Unfortunately it means I miss whatever good programming they might have on afterwards, but it's just not worth the risk. It's just not worth the risk.
posted by Patrick (November 28, 2007 9:20 PM)
It's a bloody shame that with the exception of "Futurama" and "American Dad!", "Family Guy" is the most coherently written cartoon on Adult Swim.
When did incoherent non-sequitur gags become *automaticaly* "funny"? Did I miss a meeting?
posted by MBI (November 29, 2007 2:11 AM)
Adult Swim's allegedly random shows -- "Metalocalypse," "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" and "Sealab 2021" -- are actually rooted in character interactions, even among absurd situations.
"Squidbillies" was okay the couple episodes I saw. "Tim and Eric Awesome Show" and "Tom Goes to the Mayor" is the really toxic stuff -- awful, awful.
posted by MaryAnn (November 29, 2007 3:33 PM)
They didn't originate on Adult Swim, though.
posted by ItWasAllADream (November 30, 2007 3:00 PM)
Anybody catch the English import called "Darkplace" now on Adult Swim?...I think it's supposed to be spoofing early 80s soap operas but w/ a supernatural bent. The one episode I saw was kind of amusing...humor's very "British" if you get my drift..
posted by Steve (December 3, 2007 11:54 PM)
Okay, I'll confess that you've got to take this show with a grain of salt the size of a Buick but I actually found it somewhat funny. I think it helped that I grew up around people like this--when you get invited to a high school keg party that features no less than fifteen kegs, you begin to appreciate Early Kuyler and his frequent bouts of drunkenness in a different way. If you're looking for highbrow, naturally you shouldn't be watching Cartoon Network in the first place but if crass humor heavy on the hooch is up your alley, then so too "Squidbillies".
posted by Bryan (December 15, 2007 9:14 AM)
"It's a bloody shame that with the exception of "Futurama" and "American Dad!", "Family Guy" is the most coherently written cartoon on Adult Swim."
The Boondocks and The Venture Brothers say "hello".
posted by Miguel (December 22, 2007 4:47 AM)
For me, there are a few episodes of Squidbillies that are hilarious. All the rest are absolutely horrible, and more likely to make me retch than laugh.