I had really high hopes for it but was mostly let down. They went for really obvioius, played-out jokes for the most part. Comedically, it was on par an '80s sitcom or maybe a really bad '90s sitcom. Just not fresh or original at all. I think the way to do this kind of show - the way I thought they were going to do it - is make a really good story and strong characters first, and then add the humor through situations. Instead, it was very slapstick. How many times have we seen some variant of the bit they did for General Arcadius’s death? He gets shot with an arrow and Krod screams, It’ll take more than one arrow to kill the great General Arcadius! Almost before he finishes another 3 arrows and a spear find their mark, to which Krod reacts, That’ll probably do it. Yawn.
Still, I’ll give it one or two more chances, just to see if they’re serious about making a run of this and innocently stumbled out of the gate, or they are trying to make a quick buck off a dumb audience.
The minute I saw Onion News Network was promoting it, I figured it was a wet pancake. The best video humor is viral anyway; anything else these days is lukewarm and covered in greasy fingerprints.
I got a few laughs, but this really hits one of my big pet peeves: incompetence is not funny, not from the villains and certainly not from the protagonists.
It can be funny if the characters are competent, but get foiled anyway – e.g. Dexter’s Laboratory.
It can be funny if a character is marginally competent, but beaten down by life – e.g. Dr. Venture.
It can be funny if a character who is not stupid is nonetheless constantly foiled by his own character flaws – e.g. Fawty Towers.
I’ll even own that it’s possible to make a character who is funny despite bumbling from one mishap to another, but you have to be pretty good to pull that off, and for my money even Rowan Atkins doesn’t manage it. And nobody of Atkins’ caliber appears in this show.
But this isn’t just one useless dunce. It’s a team of four of them. A swordsman whose only bid for our sympathy is that he’s the good guy. A mage whose gimmick is that he isn’t a mage. A pig-man. Finally, the scantily clad female sidekick whose sluttiness actually makes her the most competent member of the team.
It’s definitely a weird show. It has Steve Speirs who I like, but all his character seems to do is shoot his crossbow at our hero. At the bottom as far as running gags go.
I rather enjoyed Krod giving that inspiring speech. (The fact that he was standing there shirtless, in just those leather pants and has a rocking body did not influence at all. No siree.)
I was surprised in how much I enjoyed it. Sure it was broad and familiar humor, but it wasn’t totally stupid and offensive humor. The characters all have personality and that counts the most. Krod is fun to watch, unlike a lot of supposed heroes, who wind up being stiffs. (David from Kings one current example.)
I’ll keep watching it. It’s only a limited series so it won’t have too much time to go under.
I liked it. A lot of the humor was broad, but I thought the bit with Krod, liberator of slaves, expressing frustration at being called ‘master’, was clever.
I rather enjoyed it. They obviously love broad, silly, Monty Python humor, and they’re trying their best to hit the right notes. It should settle down and get into a flow as the series continues.
India de Beaufort - homina homina homina!
I liked their homage to the “I’m being repressed!” serf from Holy Grail. Sullen, cheeto-eating basement nerds everywhere are screaming about it being a “rip-off” of the MP bit, but come on, people, it was obviously an homage.
Two words – Get Smart – the original series. Everyone was an idiot, with the possible exception of the Chief, who MUST have been an idiot for keeping on 99. Oh, 86 wasn’t an idiot either, except, again, that she hung with Max.
I’m 48; I’d also like to hear another example, because I can’t think of one.
And, serious question – how old are you? Do you realize that appending “Yawn” to your little critique makes you sound like a snotty teenager?
I had a couple of laughs; the villain, not surprisingly, is the most entertaining character. The pagan chick is hot, and it was amusing that Krod’s full name is Krodrick J. Mandoon.
Maxwell Smart (Agent 86) was actually an interesting character because in spite of apparently being an idiot, he did get the job done. And Agent 99 fueled my pre-adolescent erotic dreams. (Don’t know if it’s true, but the story I heard was that Mel Brooks originally wanted her character to be Agent 69.)
Oops, sorry, you are absolutely right, including about the adolescent erotic dreams. Even moreso with Anne Hathaway in the remake, and even though I’m 50 now.
I honestly can’t think of any specific examples at the moment, but it’s entrenched enough that I called it before the 2nd volley of arrows hit, my wife said “seen that a million times,” and my brother mentioned it when I talked to him the next day. It evokes Mel Brooks/David Zucker/Monty Python, maybe all of them.
Whatever, I didn’t call names. This makes you look like a . . . oh, screw it.
Yes, the girl is hot (but so is every other girl on tv - YAWN), and his name was one of the few things that made me laugh, but it was Krodford, not Krodrick.
I’ll give it another chance or two. If it goes right down the crapper, I can just pause on the Pagan girl and stare at that for an hour or two… or until the wife hits me in the head; whichever comes first.
