thereseuphemiaabernathy

I found this on Universal Kids and thought, "A Pug cartoon? Is this their answer to Puppy Dog Pals?" (Yes, I'm an adult who can't quit skipping between that channel and Disney Junior.) I quickly came to realize that no, it's much more than that, and also to question whether I was just dreaming because the show seemed so tailored to me.

Each half-hour episode consists of three segments depicting the wacky hijinks of Mike the Pug, his family's kitten and turtle trio, the neighbors' beautiful dog Iris, and two ceaselessly antagonistic raccoons named Freddy and Mercury. It's charming, clever, creative, classic, cartoonish physical comedy that's highly enjoyable by all ages--in the vein of things like Wallace and Gromit, Looney Tunes, etc. There's minimal dialog, and as with the baby Muppets' and Looney Tunes' nannies, we don't see the humans' faces.

The show is also visually gorgeous. It's set in Mike's home and backyard, which must be in the southwestern US. The art style and animation are almost photorealistic, nearly on par with Pixar, better than most Dreamworks/Blue Sky/Sony-caliber animated films...what I'm getting at is, it's astonishing to see on TV. I've always greatly preferred greater realism, and boy does this have it. The setting and characters are fully believable. The house and patio/pool are so enviably well-designed and detailed they look like a home-plan simulation. I hate the extremely cartoony, blobby, doodle-ish style that I think started around Adventure Time and now seems to be used by nearly every television animator. To find this kind of non-Flash CGI in a series was a pretty mind-blowing breath of fresh air.

And Mighty Mike is only my favorite of the toons I've begun watching regularly. Norman Picklestripes, also on UK? Adorable woodland-critter stop-motion in a cozy setting with cute stories and songs, lovable characters, and good messages. Another must-watch for all ages. Wholesome without getting saccharine. I'm especially fond of Blanche the pink bunny I'd also recommend the Australian "Bluey" on Disney, about a family of red and blue heelers (Australian Cattle Dogs.) It's extremely stylized but cute, reminding me somewhat of Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! Disney's T.O.T.S. has great everything too--characters, designs, visuals, music, story, etc. Gotta love Freddy the flamingo in particular. I've also been most enjoying the aforementioned Puppy Dog Pals (I'm fond of Hissy & Cupcake, the purple cat & dog), Mickey & the Roadster Racers (certainly no masterpiece but more mature and interesting than Clubhouse), and The Lion Guard (significantly flawed but overall has done an excellent job of working with Simba's Pride and has many wonderful characters and episodes.) UK's "Masha and the Bear" is another sporting stunning animation and realistic designs (the bear's home basically defines "cozy.") Pup Academy on Disney is Air Bud-style live-action that, so far, isn't among the best talking-dog productions I've seen. But at least it's talking dogs.

Mighty Mike absolutely deserves to catch on and become a known favorite. I could even see it expanding without losing its unique, delightful charms. My favorite character is definitely Iris; she's awesome. Of course the wannabe-dashing Mike is constantly attempting to impress and woo her. She's obviously a Chinese Crested (although her coating of short fur suggests her having been born somewhere between the hairless & powderpuff varieties, or possibly having trace amounts of something else such as Italian Greyhound.) In any event the message is clear: Watch. This. Show.

...one of the greatest TV shows ever made—and sadly, one of the most under-appreciated. Few series leave such an impact on viewers. Entertaining, exciting, varied, fun, memorable, freaky, chilling, eerie, funny, moving…it is all that and more, thanks to the five-stories-per- hour format.

Each segment illustrates a self-contained, usually very well-shot and - cast (with great, occasionally recognizable, but usually not "name" actors) tale of a potentially supernatural/paranormal, shocking, freakish, bizarre, incredibly coincidental, ironic, or outlandish event. The"game" or "test" is for you to ponder and evaluate the plausibility or likelihood of these stories; which were created by the show's writers, and which did they base upon phenomena that, according to interviews and research, supposedly have taken place in the past for real people?

The hosts (James Brolin in the half-length first season and the overwhelmingly fan-favored Jonathan Frakes during the remaining three) proffer some possible explanations, theories, and interpretations, then leave it up to you to make your guesses and check them at the end. The viewer does end up wishing that this were a 1.5-hour program so that the "true stories" behind the "facts" could be explored with more than a simple yes or no, or a couple scant details regarding the general location and time period. However, it is what it is, and what it is, is brilliant. It's my opinion that both hosts are wonderful, and create the proper spooky atmosphere—using illusions, props, creative set pieces, and cheeky jokes to introduce each segment and reveal the answers in the end. However, Frakes definitely does have the edge over Brolin, as he simply owned the show and fully made it his own. He's the one with whom you primarily associate it; his enthusiasm, mischievous grins, sly, witty remarks, amusing puns, more-elaborate set, and overall perfect attitude suited the series ideally, to a T. They struck gold in getting him for it, bringing that special touch.

Every one of the 255 individual stories contained within this one 45- episode series has something great to offer—its own characters (many to love, and many to love to hate!), unique setting, compelling themes… again, they are so memorable and so varied that it's tricky to sum them up. You WILL have favorites, and ones that haunt you, sticking with you even if you've seen them but once and can eventually only recall certain key details. There's just so much excellence to be had—frights, laughs, thrills, even tears. Few things can really compare with BB:FoF (those that can to some degree include Are You Afraid of the Dark?, the Goosebumps books and certain episodes, Tales From the Darkside, Tales From the Crypt, The Twilight Zone, Urban Legends, Night Visions, The Outer Limits, Unsolved Mysteries, and the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark trilogy—which has a number of directly corresponding stories.)

This is an outstanding, very special show that has generated many terrific times and memories for me personally. Memories of waiting with eager anticipation to play along with each new episode on Fox every Friday night, watching alongside my mom and little brother in the living room…of reliving the absorbed memories again and again, helping friends and others to remember and re-watch stories they couldn't fully recall, after I discovered that they too had been fans…playing episodes in my friend's car on a trip via portable DVD player…keeping records as I played along, summing up every story as I went so that I'd have the entire show straight in my head…typing up my segment-finding key for the 12 discs once I'd purchased it…discovering that there'd been an entire fourth season I had not gotten to see on TV, finally owning it in English, and experiencing that magnificent, irretrievable sense of first-viewing joy and surprise.

I hadn't even known there was actually more for me to see. I wrote letters telling the producers how desperately I wished to see another season, how thrilled I'd be at the chance to audition to be in a story, how willing I was to write some myself…and, oh, how I DO wish there were more new episodes to get excited over! No reason not to pick this amazing show up for a renewed/revived Season 5 and/or 6! Just keep researching those unbelievable, fantastic stories—such things happen, and are reported quite frequently…make up some more, write/cast/film the things, et voilà! Best thing ever. I'm sure Frakes would resume hosting, and a great many talented actors—including his Star Trek brethren—would willingly contribute their acting skills. The show was a Canadian production, so there would likely be more Canadians game to act, too. ;) I had intended to reenact a few segments as a university film class project, but alas, didn't have enough time in the semester for such an awesome undertaking.

Well, to return to the original point…this entire series demands a high- quality English-language release, and it should certainly be available to steam. It's a shame that my (admittedly very well-put-together) DVD set had to be a bootlegger. The show must be remembered and celebrated as the television marvel it is. So find it whichever way you can, grab a blanket and some popcorn, kick back, and enjoy. Get into the mood. You won't regret it—unless you don't enjoy creepy, scary stuff, of course. In which case you might do yourself a favor to find a viewing buddy, or at least snug your best plush pal!)