Remember when "The Simpsons" first premiered? It was a novelty, a groundbreaker in modern television. Not since "The Flintstones" had there been an animated offering for adults (uh, besides "Fritz the Cat," that is).
Recently, network schedules have become so congested with animated sitcoms, it's hard to distinguish your run-of-the-mill "Clerks" from your average "Mission Hill."
Animated sitcoms -- cartoons that have a 22-minute plot like any other half-hour show, are usually scheduled during prime time and have "adult" humor -- are easy fodder for midseason and summer schedules. They can be a risky venture because a loyal audience is rarely a guarantee, but they're cheaper to produce than a live-action show.
While the production of one animated episode takes the talents of teams of animation and graphic artists months to complete, the cost of one cartoon is still less than the high cost of staffing a live-action show (i.e., "Friends").
Some people categorically denounce animated sitcoms. They can't get past the idea that they're watching a cartoon, and they expect to find nothing but juvenile slapstick humor. Just the opposite can be true.
Granted, animated sitcoms can have their fair share of potty humor (i.e., "South Park's" Mr. Hanky), but these cartoons are also the perfect forum for social criticism and for blasting zeitgeists. And animated sitcoms, unlike live-action comedies, pride themselves on being unique in artistic vision, writing and execution.
In the increasingly crowded field of animated sitcoms, here is my personal Top 10. If I left out your favorite, let me know.
"God, the Devil and Bob": While I didn't find this sitcom to be wildly funny -- and it was scheduled opposite "Family Guy," so it had high standards to live up to -- the writing was much better than most of the live-action comedies out there. If there had not been such a high-profile protest from people with little tolerance and even less of a sense of humor, it would still be on the air and would still be worth watching.
"King of the Hill": Let it be known that the Fox network has written the book on the modern animated sitcom, and all the rest are just following their lead. "King of the Hill" is more subtle than other cartoons, giving more emphasis to the story than to hit-you-over-the-head jokes. It is consistently humorous and has a myriad of characters that are easy to love.
"The Critic": This short-lived sitcom about a New York film critic (voiced by Jon Lovitz) knew how to balance the absurd and the culturally relevant. It consistently took jabs at Hollywood, New York society and whatever else fell on its radar. It's worth staying up to watch it on Comedy Central on Sunday nights.
"The PJs": The show uses innovative "foam puppet" animation to create its 3-D characters. The "How did they do that?" factor alone is enough to get you to tune in, but it's the laugh-out-loud satire from executive producer and star voice Eddie Murphy that will keep you watching every week. Critics say the show portrays stereotypes of low-income inner-city blacks, but none of the characterizations are demeaning, and the laughs transcend racial and economic lines.
"The Tick": SPOON! If you missed out on this Saturday morning pleasure from a few years back, then, well, you missed out. This hilarious superhero send-up was on the WB, then it was part of Comedy Central's late-night animation block, but it's been MIA of late. Rumor has it that a live-action "Tick" TV movie is in the works, with "Seinfeld's" resident big lug Patrick Warburton in the title role (perfect casting!).
"Daria": Now that we can get our "Real World-esque" reality TV fix on every channel on the dial, this smart, snappy, animated sitcom is practically the only reason to tune in to MTV. Daria is the cynical brainiac in all of us. She's well aware that she uses her sarcasm to shield herself from her hyper workaholic mother, her neurotic father, her vacuous sister and all the jocks and hipper-than-thou kids at school. The ironies and life lessons that Daria observes transcend high school and apply to the cynic in all of us.
"South Park": Love it or hate it, there's no denying the mark that these four foul-mouthed boys from Colorado have left on television. By pushing the boundaries of comedy (and human decency), creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have made us look at ourselves and at society with a more skeptical eye. No issue is black and white. No sacred cow is unworthy of criticism. And there's nothing like a good fart joke every now and then. Timmy!
"Family Guy": Great News: My sources tell me Fox has had a change of heart and is not going to cancel "Family Guy." Apparently it's heavy rotation in the summer schedule paid off for the ratings. Yeah! This is one of my favorite shows to gush about, because the superb writing catches me by surprise every week. Again, this show mixes social criticism with the absurd in a smart, always laugh-out-loud funny manner.
"The Flintstones": You can't pay homage to animated sitcoms without bowing at the altar of the original. How many shows from 40 years ago -- animated or otherwise -- are not only still considered to be high-quality shows today but are still relevant in this vastly different society? "The Flinstones" is still aired practically every day in countries around the world and is still a franchise worth investing in (i.e., "The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas"). Homage should also be paid to that other Hanna-Barbera pioneer, "The Jetsons."
"The Simpsons": The show that brought the animated sitcom out of a 30-year slumber. It first gained notoriety when Bart's crash comments were considered too vulgar for a young character and unsuitable for a family audience. Can you imagine Bart Simpson telling "South Park's" Eric Cartman to "eat my shorts?" The obscenities that Cartman would use in his retort would be enough to flatten Marge's hair! "The Simpsons" has been around for 10 years, proving that it is more than a novelty act. The writing is still fresh and intelligent, and the cast of characters is still likable and interesting. "The Simpsons" deserves to be No. 1 on any list of great TV shows.
Honorable mentions go to MTV's "Spy Groove" for its hip humor, but neither its writing nor animation break any new ground, and to "Futurama" for trying to take "Simpsons" creator Matt Groening's vision to the next level. UPN's "Dilbert" and the WB's "Baby Blues" (which premieres next week) both also receive kudos for making the difficult leap from newspaper comic strip to television.
Want to talk about your favorite (and least favorite) TV shows?
Let Denise know.
Note: Denise's column, Remote Access, appears every week in our Entertainment section. To be notified by e-mail of the newest entertainment column, click here.
TRIVIA
