That's My Bush!

Thats My Bush is first of all a very entertaining show by Parker and Stone, I thought. Its often very very funny, and its quite subversive and crazy. South Park fans would surely get something here.

Another surprise is the production value here. A lot of money must have been put into this, and it shows. A lot of expensive little details. Its not a little show. And Comedy Central is not an extremely rich channel, but they put a lot into this show obviously. In a way I understand that was the death of the show as well though, too costy. It surely could have been done cheaper and went on the will was there.

The critics liked it, and it had its little fanbase, but it failed gaining a big audience. As we know, the show stopped after 8 episodes, which I guess is almost 1 season.

As I really liked the show it has its faults. The problem of the show is kind of that it doesn't know what it wants to be really. Its like it tries to be a sitcom AND a parody of a sitcom at the same time. The actors do a good job, and some of them are well casted, but in my opinion they seem to not always get 100% the bizarre humor they're supposed to present.

I personally think that the show needed some characters that were more down to earth for the show to work. In South Park you have Kyle and Stan, that are kind of a realistic touch in the more looney universe. I think thats kind of what makes South Park work. You need some sane characters that you can relate to in a realistic way, and that makes the insane stuff so much more interesting too because that forces you to take them seriously at some level. If everything is archetypes and stereotypes its difficult to get emotionally included in the show, which really is Thats My Bush biggest problem. Kyle and Stan is characters in South Park that makes sense of the insanity in the show. We have nothing like that here, and this show suffers from it.

Another anchorpoint is Parker and Stones flirting with republicans. Its the only thing about them I don't really get what they're trying to do. Not portraying Bush as nothing else than a dumb Homer Simpsons lovable kind of character IS kind of subversive in a world where a lot of people that can't stand him and think he's the worst president since Nixon, and a parallel comedy world of Letterman and so on that only satirizes his every move... but its difficult to understand if Parker and Stone actually means anything by it. Its like the joke is on us, but somehow it doesn't hit the mark. It seems awkward, because it doesn't remind you of the real Bush at all.

Besides that I actually thought the show was very enjoyable. Some of the jokes in here are hilarious. The pro-life supporter who was a surviving aborted fetus is probably one of my favorite jokes by them in any show. And the show is packed with great material, and is sometimes insanely funny if you use your head a little while watching it.

Wow. Let's make this president likable by giving him his own show where we can show how sweet wholesome and goshdarn loveable he is!

WHAT A LOAD OF CRAP.

The jokes, far from being cutting edge as most South Park fans were anticipating, were formulaic. The laughter had to be canned, no one could have found those lame jokes funny. The acting was first rate. The material was another matter entirely.

I would give this series 1/2* out of a possible *****

Even though I have only seen one episode, I can already tell this is a new smash show. Trey Parker and Matt Stone, who created one of the finest and funniest shows in history, South Park, bring a show that principally makes fun of 2 things- 1 (of course), George W. Bush, the imbecilic guy who lives at 1600; 2, TV shows. The show takes from other shows (like Married With Children, That's My Bob, etc) and the more you get the joke, the more you'll like this show. Kudos to the two creators, executive producers, co-writers Matt and Trey and also star Timothy Bottoms for presenting such a instant classic. By the way, first episode has laughs scattered about, but the aborted fetus (voiced by Parker I think due to the Cartman likeness of the voice) steals the episode, and hopefully it won't be it's last episode. A

My brother actually taped all 8 episodes when they aired on Comedy Central, and each episode made me laugh, which is more than can be said of most sitcoms lately (the lame "Friends" comes to mind). Other reviewers have pointed out that it was more of a parody of all of the formulas present in bad sitcoms than a chance to bash the president, which I agree with. They do make fun of the president, but in a goofy, lighthearted way. They actually make him much more likable and reasonable than I find the actual president. Granted, this series started at the beginning of his "presidency", so there wasn't that much material to work with, and the show seemed to be pulled right after 9-11. Why? Also, I read that Matt and Trey weren't allowed to portray Bush's 2 drunken twin daughters. A shame! This show should have aired on cable... Each episode dealt with a "hot" topic, from abortion to gun control, drug use (Dubya accidentally takes a hit of Ecstasy! Hilarious!) to Capital Punishment, even right to die, with Kovorkian trying to put the Bushs' elderly cat to death! One scene even had an aborted fetus riding on the cat! There was also an episode where Dick Cheney usurps the prez and kicks him out of the white house! Bush then tries unsuccessfully to hold a real job! Like I said before, the only complaint I had with the show is how it handles Dubya with kid gloves, but does have the occasional zinger directed at him. One of my favorite lines was when Laura says: "You may be a terrible president, but you're a pretty darn good husband!"

The first time I saw this show, I thought it was terrible. And it is. But you have to understand the underlying genius behind this show for you to 'get it'. Stone and parker are not trying to make a respectable show here, hell, they arent even making a decent show. In fact, this isnt really a show at all. I mean, it has plotlines and scripts and cameras and stuff, but the whole reason why this show exists is to make fun of every other stupid sitcom, which is why its so friggin lame. Think about it, its only just began and they have the wacky neighbor, the special guest star (Charlton Heston), the very special episodes (i.e. the death penalty morality lesson). They could have hitler join the cast, and it wouldn't end. That's how good this sitcom spoof is!

Basically what I'm trying to say is this show is so absolutely god awful, that its entertaining, and its so god awful because its based on the cliche's of other sitcom's! get it? this show is just one, huge joke. But a good joke.