The Oblongs...

The oblongs, where do i start? If you have seen the show, you know the basic storyline is about a deformed family living in a toxic filled landscape. Now I am a current watcher of cartoon networks "adult swim" and have found myself looking forward to sundays again because of this programming. 2 weeks ago I saw this show for the first time and I laughed so hard I thought i was seriously going to wet myself. This has all the great makings of a cartoon, rude, funny and the characters are drawn so weird that you cant help to laugh even when they are'nt talking. I was acutally surprised to find out that before this show aired on Cartoon network that it had been on WB and was canceled, I am truly in shock, this could have been the next family guy or simpsons. You know, now that i mention it, this cartoon is very simuliar to an older cartoon called "Duckman". In any case, just alittle interesting note, 13 episodes of this were ever made and from what i understand, only 8 made it to WB, I guess CN is going to show all of them, but currently have no new plans to make anymore (let's pray thus not true), So if you have'nt seen this show and want some good funny stuff, sit down and watch the show. I also suggest you record them on your VCR so you can watch them over and over agian. Give it a fair shake and see what you think. I give it a 9 on the funny scale.

I really thought the Oblongs was a great show that was axed too soon but I can assume that if a show doesn't get the ratings that the network wants then it's more likely than not that the show is going to get cancelled. However I think that the show was canceled for all of the wrong reasons.

I especially enjoyed hearing the children go through all of the their particular issues. Biff and Chip going through their awkward stages of life being conjoined twins. Milo the marginally disturbed middle child who thinks that the world is out to get him and Beth who's socially challenged.

Then there's the parents Pickles the always drunk and chain smoking old hag and Bob the limbless head of the household. Then there's Milo's friends, Jawless Peggy, Neckless Helga and Mikey the kid with the huge butt.

If this is offensive to some people then it's quite possible that the people say this aren't really getting the message of this cartoon. The whole Oblong family is different and that's what makes them special.

Based around the lives of "the valley" kids, The Oblongs manages to show quite the range of human emotions behind their veil of crude, yet often very clever, jokes. If taken for just the face value, some may see the show as utterly atrocious. Of course, as with similar shows (alright, there's nothing that really comes close to this show, but there are some come within a few miles, such as Family Guy, or in a looser fashion, The Simpsons), taking the jokes at the surface level can leave many offended. These people just shouldn't watch. However, if you have somewhat thick skin, and can take a joke as it is meant, The Oblongs are quite worth it. Their presentation of all facets of life in a removed setting create an image of ourselves that we can laugh at without dwelling on the fact that it is ourselves. So sit back, relax, and prepare to cringe while laughing hysterically.

"The Oblongs" are so politically incorrect that the show never stood a chance of survival. People oft compare it to "The Simpsons," (same writers and exec producers), but the fact that most of the characters are disfigured was the bullet-in-the-head to the show. With rare exceptions (like the kid in the wheelchair on "Malcolm in the Middle") the US audience doesn't welcome the disabled with open arms. Which is a shame, since they missed out on a clever show -- which is now being prematurely canceled after only 8 of the 13 episodes have aired. The social commentary is subtle but scathing. And the signs that appear on everything are hysterical! Jean Smart is in top form, as always, portraying the "bald-but-beautifully-wigged mother," Pickles, an alcoholic, chain-smoking addict with slightly psychotic tendencies. And son Milo, who the creators wanted to be the new Bart Simpson, could have gotten that honor, had the rest of the clan not been so outlandish. One of only 3 shows that I've held in highest regards this season, I should have known it wouldn't last, since it was scheduled to start in January & was pushed back to April (and my other two favorite shows were already canned, as usual). . .

I really like cartoons that target adult audiences. They don't hold back as much as Primetime comedies. The Oblongs is a perfect example of an adult cartoon that is loaded with non-PC content, but is so richly hilarious, that even the most rigid of critics should have sympathy. Its about a family of defective misfits, all altered somehow by a swamp filled with chemical waste that is located in their backyard. What is so great about the Oblongs, aside from the wonderful voice acting of Jean Smart as the savvy, alcoholic mother, and Will Ferrel as the armless and legless, but tender and soft father, is the absurd concepts and rapid-fire humor that is consistent in every episode. I would recommend this show to any adult who is not insulted by tasteless(but fabulous) jokes, or to any kid that has enough self-control not to go jump in to a chemical waste dump. Great cartoon comedy. Watch it if you have the chance.