Greg the Bunny

I had the chance to catch the premiere episode of "Greg The Bunny" as of last night on FOX. Not since the days of earlier puppet shows has this one been funnier. It was a send-up of Jim Henson's Muppets mixed in with several characters that had striking resemblances...for instance,Greg the Bunny looks more the 'bunny rabbit' from Bob Keeshan's Captain Kangaroo;a count by the name of Count Blah resembles the count from Sesame Street,which looks striking different,but Blah is not from Sesame Street mind you......let me give you a synopsis of the show..it begins with a ordinary adventures of fast talking,smart(and sometimes potty mouth)Bunny who gets hired to do a children's television show and is run by the director(played by SCTV's Eugene Levy)who insisted that he is the next biggest thing to come since Kermit the Frog,but he is not Kermit mind you(Kermit is for kids,Greg is not--BE WARNED)and he is always on constant watch by his manager in charge.

However,the show is down right hilarious,especially with the puppets and all,but it passes the book with flying colors,but let me remind you---since this show came on Wednesday nights that this is not a children's show and if you have little ones who are wondering what that bunny is doing while they're up and about---please send the little ones to bed--IMMEDIATELY---this is an adult show....but if you have pre-teens and all,it's okay,because its made for teens and adults in mind but in terms it is funny. A Must See.

Greg the Bunny is an old fashioned ensemble cast TV series that tickles the funny bone. Everyone who watches the series will immediately have a favorite character (mine is the delightfully slow turtle, Tardy). The show had (I use the past tense since this show was never given a shot to find an audience before FOX pulled the plug on it.) an interesting mix of likable (Greg, Jimmy and of course Tardy), misunderstood (Gil and Alison) and just downright strange (Count Blah and most of the fabricated Americans--puppets.) There are a few other human characters who get their time in the stoplight as well. What FOX screwed up was the irreverent nature of the show. Seeing shows like 'Arrested Development' and 'Malcolm in the Middle' on FOX that are boarder line tasteless at times, makes me wonder why they'd try to tone down a show like 'Greg the Bunny'. But they did. The first half of the series is great, then there is a steady decline as the show got whitewashed and sanitized. A wonderful highlight of the DVD set are the commentaries by the creators. At one time it was a passion but then they caved to other peoples whims and the show sank. The Tardy the Turtle mini movie, if you enjoy Tardy is great as well. I highly recommend this show to anybody who enjoys The Simpsons and most other FOX adult cartoons.

As I write this, "Greg the Bunny" is a prime candidate for cancellation. What a shame! This is a funny, original show, and I think it would build an audience if Fox gave it a chance.

The characters -- humans and puppets -- are a scream, the concept (that puppets are living, breathing individuals) is totally new, and the humor is both sophisticated and crude. What's not to like?

Fox pulled "Greg" for May sweeps, replacing it with "Bernie Mac" reruns. That can't be a good sign.

Excellent concept, with great writing, a really funny cast, and lines that you just don't expect to come from puppets. This has the potential to be as funny as "That 70's Show" and "Malcolm in the Middle". As long as the scripts are allowed to stay quirky, this show and "Andy Richter" will last.

I loved this show! The funniest characters were the puppets (fabricated Americans) who interacted on the same level as the humans, were just as vain and ridiculous as any other celebrity. They all graduated from Harvard (as they sing in the opening credits) and have started this kids' show.

The humans weren't all that as characters, but the writing was great. In one episode, Greg the Bunny is competing with Jimmy (Seth Green) for the attentions of Laura, a lovely female reporter. Greg imperiously tells Jimmy (as Laura only has eyes for the star of the show), "A vanilla cappuccino. Make that happen!" To which Jimmy bitterly says "Yeah, I could make a lot of things happen to your vanilla cappuccino."

Another favorite line is when someone accuses Count Blah of being a rip-off of Sesame Street's "the Count". "HE is the fake! His accent is fake! I am from Transylvania -- HE is from New Jersey!"

Or when one character laments "This party isn't going to be like that time you all came to my house and cleaned out my liquor cabinet!" and another one says "THAT was an intervention!"

Yeah, boozing puppets -- gotta love it!