The classic 1983 Inspector Gadget was one of my all-time favorite animated TV shows growing up. However, this revival series from WildBrain is incredibly monotonous and insulting. It focuses too much on childish writing and lacked heart. #1: the titular character, Inspector Gadget, never has any significance in any episode, and feels like he's been reduced to a forgettable side character. #2: the main villain, Dr. Claw, has been reduce to being painfully ignorant, juvenile and less threatening, and acts even more incompetent than his henchmen or nephew combined. #3: Dr. Claw's nephew, Talon, is incredibly arrogant and annoying, and his love/hate rivalry with Penny feels cliched and forced. #4: Gadget's niece Penny, and well as Brain, take up way too much of the spotlight, and act like she's the main character of the series instead of her uncle. #5: Literally every episode is about Dr. Claw doing malicious things for the most boring and juvenile reasons, then Penny and Brain do all the competent work while Gadget does absolutely nothing but saves the day with dumb luck all the time, rinse and repeat. Plus, seasons three and four made me rage quit. #6: The writing also lacks sincerity, opting for shallow, juvenile and contrived plot lines. Plus, any actual humor or character growth has been sacrificed for cheap jokes and outdated cliches. Finally, bizarrely this Canadian series is only available on Netflix in America, but aired reruns on Universal Kids after the show ended in late 2018. So releasing a Canadian cable TV show on an American streaming platform feels pointless. The only positive thing about this reboot is that one of the animators that worked on this show, Alex Henderson, later made one of my favorite independent animated short films on YouTube, The Rhino and the Redbill. So in conclusion, the 2015 Inspector Gadget reboot is incredibly lackluster and disappointing.
