The Awesomes

The Awesomes are great! I don't know why but, people who tend to write negative reviews about shows are often sad little people who are disappointed that their favorite shows are no longer interesting or a pale imitations of themselves. Well, my thoughts are don't take issue with something new because your old dried up crusty shows haven't covered the same topics the new shows are covering. Comparing this to Family Guy is so embarrassing because they really have nothing in common besides writers named Seth, former cast members of Mad TV and being animated sitcoms. No the fact is that the show lacks a lot in common with many of these shows the other reviewers have mentioned, so if I were you, I'd disregard sad old men who can't make an objective analysis of new shows because they're still stuck on shows that have lost their mojo or been canceled. The Awesomes are actually quite addictive. I think the fact that the show focused a good amount of time of some the formation process of the team and its rivals, is something you don't often see but, they have fun in the process. Many of the other shows often, have awkward or unexplained transitions that further their plots, The Awesomes plot is generally revealed in more naturally textured plot lines that mirror funny, yet, exaggerated real life situations. The show isn't exactly predictable, if you ask me but, it does maintain a certain level of character structure that keeps each character from just spitting out random jokes that don't suit the personalities built into the show. Altogether The Awesomes manage a good balance of animated and superhero surrealism, comedic quality and actual characters that aren't being offered by many shows that readily change the characters up just to fit whatever jokes pop into the writers heads.

I liked that this show is trying to be it's own thing, It's edgy but does not overdue it, like The Simpsons, Family Guy, South Park,American Dad to name a few. Most certainly not for kids, even though it's not overly vulgar, the show is for adults. basically spoofing Justice League, The Avengers, and X-Men. The humor mostly on the superhero foul ups, and the funny issues of the characters. I'm surprised that this is not on Adult Swim, it's a very funny show, and enjoyable. It's proof you don't have to count on gross out gags to be funny. That's what animated shows started to depend on lately. The animation is pretty descent, not high art. I really hope this will be on a while.

I have to admit, I'm unsure who the target audience is, and maybe I'm exactly who it was made for, but I think this is great. As a longtime superhero fan, and a gamer (and admittedly a superhero RPG player), I think they nailed the misfit Hero concept pretty comfortably. I agree with the other review (there's only one at the time I'm writing this) that it could be edgier, and it could probably be made to appeal more broadly (how many viewers have ever participated in a tabletop Superhero themed RPG, really?), but unless it's trying to be, or compete with Family Guy, it's probably OK with what it is.

I can't see the show being around long, which is the biggest reason I didn't give it a higher review. I think it would be a bigger hit if, honestly, there were less focus on Prock, and a decent bit more about each member of the team, and if they could isolate a target audience. That's why Drawn Together worked, despite being seen as crude, sick, stupid, and random (in my unabbreviated opinion). They knew who their audience was.

I hope the writers read this. I would love to see The Awesomes stick around.

The more superhero stories pervade our TVs and movie screens, the more room there is for superhero parodies.

The latest one is created by SNL head writer and comic book geek Seth Meyers who created this show along with his Saturday Night Live cohorts and populated with a cast of mostly SNL talent along with his brother Josh (Mad TV).

The hero, Prock, is a mild-mannered guy who ranks towards the bottom of the barrel of all the world's superheroes (this is a world overwrought with superpowered-humans who are all organized in a full-on bureaucracy that's part of the satire) but has a lot of smarts and when his dad announces his retirement, he goes on to lead a ragtag group of misfits. It's the kind of plot you've seen in all kinds of stuff from "Sky High" to "Mystery Men" to the "Misfits" to a comic book that Taran Killam just wrote.

The show is really clever in the way that I'd expect from an SNL head writer and gets its satirical jabs in where it can get them.

The problem is generally that many of the characters are weak and uninteresting and, well, those characters take up a lot of the screen time. Taran Killam plays a one-note redneck speedster, Keenan Thompson plays a mama's boy who sounds like Kenan Thompson always does, Bobby Lee plays a boy who turns into sumo wrestler. His character being the kid on the team seems like it has some potential to be any sort of character dynamic but it's quickly dropped.

Ike Barinholtz is moderately potential-filled as the sidekick, and a lot of the more interesting characters come from outside the superhero team: Bill Hader as supervillain Malocchio and Josh Meyers as rival Prock.

Interestingly enough, a couple of SNL's writers Emily Spivey and Paula Pell voice characters here. Pell's character is equally one-note with a moderately gross angle about an old woman being sexy and Spivey's character, a super-secretary of sorts with a charming Southern accent named concierge is the kind of character who feels like she belongs in a more well-rounded cast.

The Awesomes is a fun, offbeat take on the superhero genre with a mix of irreverent humor, quirky characters, and engaging storylines. Created by Seth Meyers and Mike Shoemaker, the show balances satire with genuine character development, making it more than just a parody. The voice cast, featuring Meyers, Ike Barinholtz, and Kenan Thompson, brings a lot of charm and energy to the series.

While the animation style is simple and might not appeal to everyone, the writing makes up for it with witty dialogue and creative superhero antics. Some jokes land better than others, and the show takes a little time to find its footing, but overall, it's an enjoyable watch for fans of comedic superhero stories. Not groundbreaking, but definitely a solid and underrated animated series.