Disenchantment (The TV Show, Not the Feeling)

I used to really love The Simpsons when I was younger.

Over the years, my affection has slightly vanished, but when the creator of The Simpsons, Matt Groening, started his new show Futurama, I really liked that one, too. Still do. 

After Futurama was discontinued, there hasn’t been any real news from Groening. Fair enough, he has probably earned enough and lost his motivation. 

Along comes Netflix.

“Hello, thanks for calling Netflix – you’re greenlit! How can I help you?”

The giant company which just throws money at everything at the moment. 

The show is quite a bit rougher in tone than your standard cartoon show and follows the footsteps of the likes of Family Guy or even Rick and Morty. Which is a good thing – competition really improved quality here. My wife Sophie and I really enjoy the central three characters’ dynamics – our favorite is little Elfo, the always-supposed-to-be-happy Elf that has just had enough of it. Him, the alcoholic and metaphorically caged princess Bean, as well as her own personal demon Luci create an interesting trio. 

The medieval fantasy setting carries a fresh wind with it. Placing these characters in a Game of Thrones / Lord of the Rings type of scenery was a great idea as it offers lots of opportunities for jokes. 

What’s missing from the show might be a bit of a modern spin on certain topics. There’s modern pacing and a high joke frequency, but it sometimes feels like some of its jokes were written by middle aged people negatively commenting on modern society. I don’t think they hit their audience there. 

Some of the adventures the main characters experience lead them into other parts of the fantasy continent that just are copies of, for example, Ancient Egypt, or the Far East. The jokes during those sections have an odd racist feel to it and I think it’s not necessary – be more creative and think of societies that don’t exist on Earth! Or maybe that’s too much to ask from your audience? 

I don’t know. In any case, it’s worth a watch – see for yourself!