Kid Notorious

It seems the problem with this animation is that it will be WAY above the heads of the general audience of those who watch comedy central, and those who should see it wont, because they're too old to watch Comedy Central. this is sad, because this little peice of anime is genus, tool from the most egotistical, brilliant Hollywood Producer there is.

"Kid Notorious" reminds me of the film "All that Jazz" by the late, great Bob Fosse. You see, when "All That Jazz came out in 1979, it wasn't that well received, but the IDEA was that Mr. Fosse had a chance to tell a bit about his life, his way, before he died and before all the other folks could manage to put their two cents in on it. Now, many people watch "All That Jazz" and realize it was not so "inside" of a joke. This is how "Kid Notorious" will pan out.

Mr. Evans is...in a very tounge and cheeky manner...letting you in on quite a few Hollywood goings on...and of course HIS goings on. (You cannot spell ego without Evans.) He has also put in alot of fantasy and conjecture where it makes the episodes uneven. Theres A LOT to pick up up on here, but you have to be able to know what to pick up on, and I am afraid the Comedy Central's main demographics..wont. To make this work, this series has got to be less "Hollywood In" and more "Let me just come right out and give it to ya at your level".

Comedy Central is not the place for "Kid Notorious", it should have went the way of Todd McFarlane's "Spawn" series on HBO. But oops..I did a bad thing...I'm actually telling Evans where something of his should really be. And as we know, that's not too cool considering he knows it all.

Kid Notorious is a tribute to a great man who has had many unfair trials in his life, but has always come out on top. Robert Evans is an extraordinary man. Kid Notorious gives us a rarely seen insight into the "glamour" of Hollywood life. The fact that Robert Evans still has a sense of humor and can laugh at himself after all he has been through is an admirable thing. Hilarious, often cutting edge, never boring, this show is one of a kind, and a must see.

Let's get right to the point: This is a very funny and slick show. 'Kid Notorious' is the new program from Comedy Central (the folks that brought you 'South Park' and 'Primetime Glick'), produced and created by ultimate Hollywood insider Robert Evans. The animated series follows the adventures of Bobby "Kid Notorious" Evans as he moves and shakes deals all over Hollywood. The Kid's exploits are, of course, based (however loosely) on the actual dealings of Mr Evans, a fact which, if known in advance, should lead the viewer to be fairly amazed at how smooth the Kid (and, in real life, Mr evans) really is. The Kid lives in his posh Beverly Hills mansion with his butler, English, his cook/house keeper, Talley Mae, his furry black kitten, Puss Puss ("Puss" for short), and a never-ending stream of starlets and starlet wanna-be's. The Supporting Characters bring alot with them and are not just relagated to the one-phrase, one-setting scenario often compelled upon similar charater in Network programming ("Hailing frequancies open, Captain"). Indeed, They each seem to play a strong role in the over-all make up of the show. Talley Mae brings the "real world" into The Kid's version of reality (often with very funny tirades). English, the butler, is the perfect "mark", setting-up any number of funny moments, buth verbally and physically. And Puss, well, Puss just seems to enjoy hanging around with The Kid and generally abusing English and causing mayhem en mass.

But the star of the show is Robert Evans. In creating/producing 'Kid Notorious', Evans may have finally found the singular role for which he was born to play...Himself. As the Kid, Evans exudes a graceful and cool style which is often contrasted (diliberately, I assume) with the reality of the given moment (in the first episode, The Kid smoothly talks his way out of some trouble with the mob as if her were telling English which suit to lay out with his rich, velvet voice, all the while the glaring danger of the situation seems palpable to everyone else in the room), which beggs the question, Does the Kid really live in his own fantasy world or does he actually know exactly what is going on and is just too cool to let it get to him? I was left with the feeling that it was the latter. Always smooth ("I can say, 'Baby, you take my breath away!' in 65-langueges..."), always Funny ("...except Ducth"), 'Kid Notorious' seems to have just one week point: It is Too Cool For You, so to speak. As with most "inside" films/shows, the true brilliance of 'Kid Notorious' may only be apparent to those in The Industry or those who follow it closely (read; 'The Player'). For anyone is not familier with how Hollywood works or the political workings behind the scene of any show biz project, this show may just be another cartoon written in a languege they do not understand. But to the initiated, this is a rare piece of self-deprecating humor that also manages to do a supperb job of highlighting the talent(s) and charm of it's lead character and, there-for, by default, it's creat/producer/star. Not many people could pull off so shameless an act of self promotion while at the same time taking pot shots at their own reputation. But then, not many people have led the life that Robert Evans has led. Is he great producer? Debatable. Is he a great Star? Questionable. Is he a great Insider? Undoubtedly! And this is why this show works. Robert Evans has finally found the perfect star for the perfect role of his career. Himself playing himself. Genious.

Robert Evans IS 'Kid Notorious'.

"Kid Notorious" was just one of the many unsuccessful shows that Comedy Central has tried to launch since "South Park" hit big in 1997. The plot to the this great yet short-lived animated series followed the adventures of Robert Evans, arguably the most famous (or infamous depending on how you look at it) Hollywood producer of all time. I've been a fan of Evans' ever since reading his autobiography The Kid Stays In The Picture, which was turned into a documentary/biography by filmmakers Nanette Burstein and Brett Morgen in 2002. The success of that film lead to this series. Unfortunately, this show could not duplicate the success of that film was canceled within months. Perhaps it was too cartoonish for viewers. The writers took full advantage of the fact that this was an animated show, something that other animated series such as "The Simpsons" does not do. My guess though is that as was the case with "Action", viewers just weren't ready for a satiric series about Hollywood. Maybe one they will be. My rating: A

I watched this show on accident and found myself laughing out loud more often than not. Evans is so slick and "Hollywood-ish" that it works like a charm. The supporting characters of Tollie Mae, Puss-Puss, and English are hilarious and the outlandish stories and adventures just keep getting better. Animated or not, this show is funnier than most of the sitcoms out there right now. Worth watching.