Saul of the Mole Men

I loved the idea of this show... having the schlub survivor of an expedition explore a subterranean realm filled with comically cheesy special effects. And overall I thought the show was pretty good visually. But the writing was just plain lazy. Unlike the sets and costumes, the writing did little to evoke the feel of those old live-action Saturday morning kids' shows. Plus, there weren't many jokes as other reviewers have noted... just deadpan whining by Saul. Apparently the writers thought to themselves, "This resembles something people will remember from when they were ten but with some blood, a naughty joke and a bit of whining.. so it's funny!" Well, no it's not.

Remember those god-awful Krofft Brothers shows you watched as a kid back in the 70s? Of course you do--Land of the Lost, HR Pufnstuf, Sigmund and the Sea Monsters--the works.

It would seem the folks at Adult Swim, in a fit of nostalgia, threw this affectionate little spoof together, complete with the bad costumes, green-screen, and horrible acting that you remember all too well.

I can, of course, see how people wouldn't like it--it's very much "over the top" in its deliberate badness, but it seems like, to me, that's half the fun.

Overall, an absolutely hilarious parody.

you have to be in the right frame of mind for this show. if you start watching expecting to be moved by profound insights and thrilled by the special effects then your definitely going to be disappointed. my recommendation? just sit back, relax, and watch. part of the charm of this show is the actors have to be masters of their craft to come off as such poor actors. (the camera holds on Saul's face, he is seen to look away from the camera and his face is set in his signature, slack expression)to me, thats funny. a nice contrast to the arrogance of so many other programs that take themselves so seriously. there are so many shows out there that i suspect the creators of think they are doing something important. television is not important, it is not deep, it is entertainment. and Saul of the mole men is entertainment in its purest form.

i don't know why the creators of this show made it like this,obviously they weren't trying to excel at anything. but the net result is a program that because of its creativity and ability to laugh at itself i would prefer to watch over anything out there. i'm actually frustrated because i've only watched half of the season. and i hear they are not going to have a second season. that would be a tragedy.

It's unfortunate how much worthwhile programming gets shelved. Saul might night have been rebroadcast much but it's worthwhile even though a lot of the show's humor is lost on the younger audience.

Saul of the Mole Men has a pretty decent story and is funny. It also does a pretty excellent job at honoring / parodying shows like Land of the Lost and the other live action 70s TV shows that Sid & Marty Kroft produced.

The guy who played John Henry sites the role as one of his favorites, and he actually gives a surprisingly good performance. Also surprising that Saul and Johnny Tambourine was played by the same actor.

The whole show is free on the Adult Swim site and is definitely worth checking out.

Plenty of times I have watched and enjoyed movies and TV shows that where more about the script than the production budget. Saul of the Mole Men tries to act as parody and farce of shows like Land of the Lost, but falls short in the following area: It's not funny.

There are no discernible jokes, just an attempt to make people laugh because of how absurd it is that a show is made this bad. Long shots with bad special effects of an actor obviously running in place, acting that would embarrass a middle-school musical production, and idiotic decisions on the part of main characters are what the writers HOPE will amuse the audience.

Unlike shows such as Sealab 2021 and Venture Brothers who also take jabs at their source material, I have to assume that SotMM is hoping that it's viewing demographic is either high or VERY easily amused.

There are better things to watch on a late Sunday night, and I hope other people realize that also.