CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on March 21st, 2024, reviewing the new streaming series “Manhunt” – based on the bestseller by James L. Swanson – currently streaming on Apple TV+.
TV Review: Animated ‘Neighbors From Hell’ Keeps Laugh Meter in Red
CHICAGO – Coming from the punishing fires has never been wackier in the new animated TV series from TBS, “Neighbors From Hell.” Featuring the voice talent of Patton Oswalt, Molly Shannon and Kurtwood Smith, Neighbors reminds us that our current paradise is closer to actual hell than ever before.
Television Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
Belthazor Hellman (voice of Will Sasso) is a low level torturer in hell, obsessed with family sitcoms from earth (”that kid is not so much of a ‘Half’ anymore”). On reassignment from Satan, Belthazor is charged with taking his family onto the earth’s surface to prevent a giant drill, created by Petromundo Co., from infiltrating the homeland fires at the planet’s core.
Belthazor’s wife Tina (Molly Shannon), daughter Mandy (Tracey Fairaway), son Josh (David Soren), Uncle Vlaartark (Kyle McCulloch) and the goblin Pazuzu (Patton Oswalt) – posing as the family dog – will meet the neighbors and try to assimilate in the strange atmosphere of the American neighborhood, using the principle of SNOFIN (”Seem Normal and Fit In”),
Photo credit: TBS Network |
Getting a job with Petromundo in Research and Development, Belthazor begins the arduous job of destroying the giant drill. Along the way, his wife Tina will encounter neighbors like Marjoe Saint Sparks, the southern belle who has the type of world view that teaches kids to stay off drugs by feeding them smack until they’re sick of it. Maybe hell isn’t so bad after all.
This is a jokey and sharp cartoon, related more to “Family Guy” than anything else. The gags come fast and furious, mostly at the expense of our modern lifestyle, including consumerism, pharmaceuticals, ignominious CEOs and lack of any neighborly empathy. This is all wrapped around a loose, improvisational style of delivery that is brightly zany.
Photo credit: TBS Network |
In the tradition of “The Addams Family,” the Hellmans are more “normal” than their so-called normal American counterparts. Neighbors Marjoe Saint Sparks and Tammy Shinola (”word to the wise, Tammy has a little glug-glug Vicodin problem”) are freakishly oblivious to their peculiarities – Marjoe’s poodle Champers is even trying to commit suicide to get out of her care – and their presence adds a fresh sense of suffering for the family-from-hell used to more conventional evil.
One of the great characteristics of modern animation, and the addition of computers to create it, is the depth and quality of the cartooning. “Neighbors” has an art deco style, which gives both hell and earth a sleek vibe, and the character look is straight out of a bebop jazz illustration. Executive Producer Pam Brady, who has written for “South Park,” learned a thing or two from Trey Parker and Matt Stone, establishing an accessible freaky tone right from the pilot episode.
But the best thing about “Neighbors From Hell” is the underlying notion that the “goodness” of the good ol’ USA, with its cynical corporations, dismissal of anyone different, self medication and saccharine portrayal of TV families is perceived to be a better moral lifestyle than the evil in hell. That, to quote the TBS network’s comedy slogan, is “very funny.”
By PATRICK McDONALD |
neighbors from hell - funny? Not even close.
Keeps the laugh meter in the red? Hardly. Barely a laugh in the entire episode. Tired, pathetically old and worn out clichés, characters stolen from basically any sitcom with dysfunctional families. Notice it’s from the “studio” that brought you “The Family Guy” - NOT the writers.
Waste of time.