Creature Comforts

Got to this show late - believe it was the 3rd, and final episode, when first watched it - and was blown away by a social commentary that hasn't been seen on American TV since 'All in the Family'.

Was very surprised CBS would even run this in the first place.

Which is merely to say the last time CBS 'had a set' - if you know what I mean - was back in the day of 'All in the Family'. The most controversial decision they're willing to tackle today is how much eye make-up to put on Katie Couric.

If you want to make a bunch of folks really, really mad - let them discover the truth about themselves. And if you want them willing to pull strings, make calls, and get a work of Art removed - let them discover that truth by hearing their own words spoken from their own mouths.

The Aardman folks have always been WAY ahead of the curve. And this show is no different. Somehow it snuck under the CBS 'corporate/social/political/censor radar' to get it onto the schedule (perhaps the 'big brass' never really watched it till it finally aired?), but once good 'ol middle 'merika heard and saw themselves being themselves - well, can bet the farm that message, or the messenger, won't last long.

Now, if only the 'missing episodes' can find their way onto Usenet or bit-torrent ;-)

Thank You BC Kelly Tallahassee Fla

I was looking forward to this new version and I am disappointed. Some very charming creatures are in it but they don't seem to be getting loving attention. The little bird with the unusual eyes is adorable. (Would make a great toy if only Aardman would license really nice fake ceramic (plastic) versions of the creatures..)The birds in the cage are very American. The male bird voice is very familiar! Unfortunately, the voices are often not funny enough, and some of the creatures seem to be lacking when it comes to coloration. (e.g. the bull dogs..even the horses..)One of the problems is that the American voices that have been chosen are not as funny as the British ones.. The fake Chong..is not as funny as Cheech and Chong..but could be with a little work. The Alfred Hitchcock cat voice in the British version is wonderful..as is the cat. Why aren't the American pair (two cats) as interesting and as funny as the Hitchcock cat and funny little dog pair? The dachshunds are wonderful..and need more attention.

There are also too many commercials on American TV for this kind of program.

but just as entertaining and random! Love it or hate it, but don't expect a sophisticated plot or nail-biting cliffhanger. Think of it like Seinfeld, but without the follow-through and repeat performances of wacky characters (well...so far; i have a feeling i will develop favourites as the season continues).

"Creature Comforts" is not for the faint of humour - it's meant to be enjoyed with the least amount of effort on your brain's part. Which is why this show embodies everything i need in a program when i get home from work in the evening: superficial conversation in the background with just the right amount of "cute" to the characters for me to enjoy when i eventually look up from the computer to see what i'm missing.

Funnier than most of today's sitcoms, calmer than an evening at NASCAR. Just the right mix of dead air and comebacks. Can't wait for the next one.

With films like "Wallace & Gromit" and "Chicken Run" under their belt, the good people from the other side of the pond, Aardman Animation, are now introducing us to a bit of their twisted humor in the form of "Creature Comforts".

Derived from a short done early in their careers, "Creature Comforts" is a slice-of-life show where snippets of conversation are removed from their context and given to an animal of some sort.

Aardman Animation went across the country interviewing people with innocuous questions such as, "Are you a liar?" and then speed things up a bit asking about their sex lives.

The answers, while seeming to be boring and mundane, are actually quite funny, when you understand the dialogs come first and the animals are added later.

How many of these animals look like the person making the statements? One of the characters discussing what he looks for in a woman, "I like them kind of thin." is an insect, the Walking Stick.

There are two dogs discussing odors and smells, while sniffing the behind of a poodle, as they talk about the different smells of a woman.

There are two birds in a cage. As the "wife" tells the litany that is her health, her long suffering husband stands by her, saying nothing.

While it might take some time for "Creature Comforts" to find it's "legs", it should find a place on television for those who are tired of the ordinary. While there are more reality shows than Carter has liver pills, "Creature Comforts" is one of a kind and definitely worth watching.

Some of the humor might seem a little racy, it's the claymation that catches the attention of the children (like the old Batman series of the 60's, the jokes are subtle enough the kids won't get them) and it's the jokes that are there for the adults.

One question: Why? First off, the premise is not funny or engaging at all. They use taped interviews, and take the audio to animate ite with animals speaking the parts. First off, the interviews aren't funny or entertaining to begin with, and even if they were, I am sure they would be a lot more entertaining being viewed as they are originally, without being turned into cartoons. How does that add any hilarity to it? I turned on CBS's Monday night sitcom line-up, (which has become a regular way for me to relax after stressful Monday workdays) and found this on. Of course, the sitcom line-up would be reruns anyway, being summer, but seeing those episodes over again would have been more entertaining. I tried to give "CC" a chance. I really did. When it started, I figured, well, maybe it will be funny. Nope. And then it kept going. It was a long half hour.

And I can almost see if there was a purpose, if the interviews were shown in their entirety, and had points to them. But no, it was just one-line clips, cut and pasted together really quick. It was like a horrible dreadful version of Cartoon Network's "Robot Chicken." I wasn't a fan of CBS' now-cancelled sitcom "The Class." WHile that was on, it was one half-hour of the line-up I would struggle through. But if it came down to me deciding a whole season of that or three more episodes of "Creatures"....let's just say I'd take the "Class." Considering it's been a couple hours since it aired, and I come on here to see I am the first to comment...I guess that's a good sign that nobody watched it, and that it won't last much longer. Cartoon roadkill.