Season: Three (released 2019)
Episodes: 10 (The so-called episode one "My Fury Valentine" was released between seasons two and three and will not be subject to this review); each between 25 minutes and 27 minutes.
How to Watch: Netflix
Genre: Animated high school comedy
You'd Enjoy This Show If You Like: Honest and gross (but realistic) discussions on puberty; Nick Kroll's wacky characters; woke, improv comedy.
You'd Hate This Show If You Dislike: Kroll; S-E-X; another coming-of-age story.
People Involved: Kroll co-created with several friends Andrew Goldberg (a Family Guy writer), Jennifer Flackett, and Mark Levin. The latter two are the married couple behind the video blog series "The Man's Guide to Love." The show is loosely based on Kroll and Goldberg's suburban childhood in West Chester, New York. Kroll leads a familiar voiceover cast featuring John Mulaney (doing Goldberg's character), Jason Mantzoukas, Jenny Slate, Maya Rudolph, and Fred Armisen, among many others.
The Pitch: I know Nick Kroll is a tough hang for a lot of people. I've repped for Team Kroll throughout Kroll Show, his Comedy Bang Bang appearances, and even The League (I watched like six seasons of that show!). I attended Oh, Hello on Broadway. I even liked his Douche character on Parks & Recreation. I've judiciously not recommended his other shows for people with disdain for him... until now.
Big Mouth rules. Season to season, this show consistently is a joy to watch and (truly) laugh-out-loud funny. Each teen is fully realized and has his or her own struggles with puberty. Every kid has one defining characteristic (jock, nerd, oversexed, feminist, autistic, handicapped, big boobs, tiny penis), but they are not defined by those labels. Yes, the show is edgy and at times needlessly graphic. But you're rooting for these twerps to figure it out.
I relate to this show, but I'm not exactly sure why. I wasn't as horny as these kids (I didn't have a hormone monster lurking over my shoulder, impacting my every move), but was certainly preoccupied with sex in a probably unhealthy (but totally normal, I swear) way. This show is inclusive and makes you feel like everyone was a preteen monster, too.
What's Different About This Season? Not too much. Some new sex topics are touched on (incest! menopause! dick pics!). The show pushes the plot a little bit more, and there are actual consequences for characters' actions. And as it's season three, some lesser characters receive a little more attention: Matthew (Andrew Rannells) gets his own episode as the show explores its only gay character, and the Ghost of Duke Ellington (Jordan Peele) even has an origin story. For the most part, the principals—Nick, Andrew, Jessi (Jessi Klein), Missy (Slate), and Jay (Mantzoukas)—drive the plot.
Should I Watch This? Yes. If for anything else, the "Disclosure The Movie: The Musical" episode travels a wacky path and really dives into the plot where a woman sues a man for sexual harassment just for revenge (I cannot speak to whether this Demi Moore-Michael Douglas romp is worth the watch, though). You don't have to start with season one, but you probably should if you've never seen the show before.
No comments:
Post a Comment