The Tick

Unquestionably one of the funniest and most original comedies to come down the pike in years, this show was nevertheless canceled by Fox after airing only a relative handful of episodes. Why? According to the producers, Fox execs were caught up in the minutiae of the character: Who is The Tick really? Where did he get his superpowers? One of the most important answers that eluded Fox was that THE VIEWERS DON'T CARE!! The show is funny! If it ain't broke, don't fix it! Beyond clever writing, the characterizations were spot on. The choice of Patrick Warburton as The Tick was little short of inspired. In fact, all of the characters were perfectly cast even though, when approached to do the character of Batmanuel, Nestor Carbonell initially turned it down, claiming that he was tired of doing Hispanic parts. The producers said nonsense; you'll do it, and you'll be brilliant. They were right. Time was when a network announced it's fall lineup, you could pretty much count on any given show hanging around for at least a season (although, to be fair, "Batman" was a mid-season replacement on ABC), but not any more. With "The Tick", Fox had a winner and didn't see it, which is our loss. Happily, "The Tick" is available in it's, er, "entirety", on DVD. We heartily recommend this one.

True, they should've played it more like the 60s Batman series with lots of goofy villains in every episode as opposed to superheroes-in-sitcom-situations, but this was show pretty darn funny. Hulking supporting player Patrick Warburton was an ideal Tick. Yeah as some others pointed he wasn't quite as excitable as the cartoon version (in fact, his Tick was like a mix of Tick and Puddy) but he still brought a lot of hearty energy to the part and managed to be endearingly goofy just like the Tick should be. David Burke was a good foil as Arthur, Liz Vassey was great eye candy and of course, Nestor Carbonell was hilarious as Batmanuel.

Another problem I think is that Fox just didn't have enough faith in this show so they didn't put a lot of effort into advertising it, which is why we're still stuck with a lot of bad new episodes of "The Simpsons" instead of getting new episodes of "The Tick". And maybe Patrick Warburton himself is just too closely identified with his Puddy character from "Seinfeld". It's a shame, really.

Long Live the Tick.

In closing, the pilot with the Soviet Robot, the second episode with the superhero funeral and the 8th episode where Tick got frustrated with the legal system were all great. Truly I shall miss this show.

This was a great series cancelled before its time.

It did start a little slow but by the fourth episode it was picking up. I had only seen a couple of episodes of the cartoon so I'm not able to compare the two. But as a stand alone series this was very funny and if you are starting to get sick of the flood of superhero movies coming out at the moment watch this for a laugh it will allow you to look at superheros in a new light.

After seeing it here in oz on cable I just had to buy the DVD although it really has no extras for what was not a cheap DVD.

But all the same I would say it was worth its money for what is a very funny series.

I don't think any other actor than the towering, deadpan Patrick Warburton could pull of the role of the blue-clad buffoon The Tick. The Tick may be dim-witted, prone to making long-winded, nonsensical soliloquies and may be the most unintentionally destructive hero since Sledge Hammer, but he also has a heart of gold and is willing to stand up to any challenge. Whether it's stopping petty crooks or throttling an uncooperative coffee machine, the Tick is just the hero The City needs... whether they like it or not! Joining the Tick in his quest for justice are loyal but nebbish moth man Arthur (David Burke), tough cookie Captain Liberty (Liz Vassey), and blasé ladies' man Bat Manuel.

Like many TV shows, the live action version of "The Tick" suffered an early death on the Fox network, but it has thankfully become a cult classic. I actually found this one to be funnier than the animated series. Not that I'm diminishing the legacy of the great cartoon, but to see flesh-and-blood adult actors dressed in these ridiculous costumes, uttering ludicrous lines ("Abso-doodle!") and fighting comical villains (Apocolypse Cow, Destroyo), makes "The Tick" so literal and so rewardingly hilarious.

I started out watching the pilot of this show with quite a bit of apprehension, but about 12 minutes in, when they introduced Batmanuel, I was hooked. His introduction alone was enough to make me a fan, but they didn't stop there. 'The Tick' is surprisingly well written, and manages to be truly funny without being stupid. Watch this show and give it half a chance. You won't be disappointed.