The Tick - 2016, Amazon Series

Cafe Society
1

The Pilot episode for the new Tick series is available to watch for free on Amazon.

It’s definitely a new take on it. There’s a lot more depth in terms of world-building (and it’s only one episode so far!), there’s a lot more realism than in the cartoon or the 2001 series.

Arthur was …interesting. The actor definitely did a good job. I think I would really like this character as a brand new character in a brand new title but as Arthur in The Tick? It’s definitely a new and different version of the character. Probably a good way to go for the new realism of the setting but it’s the realism of the setting that I’m not sure is a good idea.

The Tick in a real-feeling world doesn’t seem like a good way to go.

And it definitely seems like this series will be from Arthur’s point of view. This was the case to a certain extent with the cartoon and the 2001 series but it seems like it will be much more the case this time around. Definitely seems like his relationship with his sister is going to be an important part of the series. But this “real” Arthur already seems a bit too tragic just in the pilot. He’s got a dark backstory that’s kind of a downer.

I just don’t see them being able to capture the humor. It doesn’t have a comedic feel to it. When the world of the show doesn’t feel silly then bringing in The Tick feels completely out of place. Peter Serafinowicz (Denarian Saal from Guardians of the Galaxy) does a good enough job I suppose. He’s definitely not big enough. The Tick should be huge. Patrick Warburton on elevated boots was a good size. Serafinowicz just isn’t big enough. His performance was fine as far as being appropriate for the characterization that’s in the script but, as scripted, I just don’t see this as that great a character. C’mon, it’s The Tick!

Jackie Earle Haley was great in his brief scene as The Terror and I think it’s a great idea to have him as the Big Bad for the series rather than as a one-off. He was kind of wasted in the 2001 series (although, he had my #1 favorite tough-talk-in-a-fight line ever! “I’ll fold you into my wallet and spend you on a whore!”). I would worry about having a Big Bad, having a series arc, might ruin the potential for lots of fun villain of the week stories.

Other than Arthur’s sister, the pilot doesn’t establish any supporting cast. There’s no American Maid / Captain Liberty or Die Fledermaus / Batmanuel yet.

I definitely look forward to seeing more. There’s a lot that’s interesting about it and, depending on how they develop it, they could assuage my concerns. It could be very good. I might re-watch the pilot now that my expectations are adjusted.

As a live-action adaptation, the 2001 series really was on it’s way to becoming perfect. It wasn’t perfect yet. The writers were still learning how to write these characters. The actors were excellent though. From the commentary tracks on the DVD, Sonnenfeld and Edlund make it clear that the actors’ strong grasp on their characters was helping the writers figure out where to go with them. If it hadn’t been cancelled mid-season, I think it could have ended its first season strong and that a season two could have been amazing.

But, I’m not going to get a continuation of the 2001 series. I’ll have to resign myself to that.
I look forward to this new series developing.

2

I agree that the Tick was not nearly physically big enough. I really liked the development of Arthur’s (tragic) backstory. The Terror was great.

I liked it well enough that i hope they make the rest of the series.

3

I’ll wait til the votes are in before I watch.

I’d hate to watch it and love it only to find Amazon couldn’t bother with making the series. Been there and done that already.

Also don’t like the idea of watching the pilot and then having to wait a year before you can watch episode 2. WTF?

4

Ah well, maybe it will revive interest in the animated series enough to get the 3rd season on disc.

5

I haven’t watched it yet, but a British, intelligent Tick? No. Just no.

6

Color me impressed! That was much better than I expected. I was never much of a fan of the live action series (maybe I just didn’t give it enough time) but I loved the Saturday morning cartoon. Good to see Ben Edlund is in charge again. Weird how Patrick Warburton is also listed as a producer. I assume he just maintained a fondness for the material all this time (he also played Brock on The Venture Bros, a descendant of The Tick).

It’s got the perfect look for a web series. It isn’t quite polished enough for network TV, but The Tick itself was never mainstream. And it’s certainly faithful to the material as I know it (the cartoon, never read the comic). Near the end when Arthur’s alarm clock went off I’m sure I wasn’t the only one to start humming, “Dot-doweeeee dot dot dot dweeee-dow!” I agree that The Tick’s costume isn’t quite massive enough, but the actor has the character down pretty good. I absolutely would love to see more of this*!*

A note: If you click on the link it says ‘Free for Amazon Prime users’. This isn’t necessary. Just go here to watch it, the episode is free for anybody (though it wasn’t available to view on my iPhone).

Huh?! Did you watch the episode? Maybe the actor who plays him is actually British but he does it without the hint of an accent. Nor is he not dumb.

7

He is British. He’s the voice of Darth Maul, isn’t he?

8

Ok, that was actually pretty good. I was worried that with the Tick/tic thing they were going to go down the Tyler Durden route, but considering that the bad guys saw a huge blue superhero, I think we’re safe from that.

The humor was spot on. “The rocket was full of syphilis!” They really have to get a different costume for the Tick though.

9

Just started watching and The Tick appeared.

I had to check that the actor wasn’t 60 years old, the mask seems to be pushing his face skin towards his mouth area while pulling down on his eyes, so the actor looks like he has the wrinkles of an old man and that his eyelids are drooping - again, like an old man. So, even though the actor is only ~40, he ends up looking like they’ve dressed up an octogenarian in a Tick costume.

And the way that the rubber bends, you can tell that there isn’t much meat underneath, further upping the impression that they just stuffed a scrawny old man in a Tick outfit.

They’re definitely going to need to fiddle with the outfit, if they make the rest of the series, and probably hire a bigger, younger actor.

10

Agree the costume sucks. Decent pilot though. I wouldn’t mind watching more. They made fairly good use of their first half hour.

11

Finished the episode. Wish it had been longer. The Tick seemed a bit too smart, and any other gripes aside, I would say that I liked it. I’m interested in seeing more!

12

I actually started getting very scared that they were taking it in that direction but, yeah, it ends up being clear that other people indeed did see Tick.

He was attached to star for a long time. I think they long gave up on being able to continue the other series, but the idea was that the reboot would still have Warburton as the star. It took too long to happen but he was creatively involved all along the way.

I liked but didn’t love the live action series while it was in its run. I liked it enough, however, to buy the DVD set when it was released. I don’t remember what I paid for it but it wasn’t even a full season so I know it was pretty cheap, cheap enough to buy a series I thought I only kinda liked. I found it to be much better after repeat viewings. The four main actors were really great together. Liz Vassey and Nestor Carbonell are wonderful together. And the one-off characters really fit the world of The Tick- Fiery Blaze (Ron Pearlman) and his sidekick Friendly Fire from the “Couples” episode, Destroyo (Kurt Fuller) from “The Tick vs Justice”, The Champion from “The Big Leagues”, and David Foley’s character from “Arthur Interrupted” …all these characters felt like they could have fit in with the animated series that I was already familiar with. “The Tick vs. Justice” practically could have worked as a script for the animated series.

13

Just finished watching. I liked it, and I giggled and laughed my ass off just like I did watching the cartoon when I was a kid.

The best way I can describe it is “the gritty '90s version” along the lines of The Dark Knight Returns or Batman: The Animated Series, which is ironic seeing as the source material is from the '90s and it’s a Silver Age parody. I liked the actor playing the Tick - he’s no Townsend Coleman, but his delivery is spot-on and whoever’s writing his dialogue has a good feel for the way the Tick ought to speak, and he really seemed to be channeling Adam West to a greater extent than Coleman or Patrick Warburton did.

I like that the Terror is apparently the main antagonist of the series - I only recall him being in one episode of the cartoon, but even then he was played up as being a much bigger threat than the other villains. I don’t know if the Joseph Stalin impersonator or the Man-Eating Cow will show up, but I’d love it if they do.

The CGI, costuming, and cinematography had a definite low-rent, B-movie feel to it, but I felt like it worked and helped build the comic-booky feel of the setting.

I just hope that we don’t ever see Arthur in street clothes again after this episode - it just feels wrong.

I didn’t notice the Moon in the sky in any of the city shots, but in future episodes, they really just ought to put it there with the “CHA” carved into it with no explanation.

14

I know they left it as a cliffhanger, but the perfect thing would be for the 2nd episode to open in the Diner (with Sewer Urchin & the gang) with Tick and Arthur telling them what happened next.

And the Human Ton and Handy. “Even now he sulks like Achilles in his tent. Achilles? It’s the Iliad? It’s Homer? Read a book!”

15

Honestly, it may be my favorite version of the Tick ever. I feel like they’ve pegged a perfect inflection point of dark humor that would make it compelling viewing for me.

“Your reindeer are on fire.”
“Shit!”

16

Liked it enough to want to watch more.

17

I enjoyed it a lot, even though I miss Patrick Warburton. I hope it’s picked up. I liked the slightly darker and more dreamlike tone.

18

I watched it the other day. I have to say, while I liked Patrick Warburton, he had the build and the voice, Peter Serafinowicz really captured The Tick’s childlike joy in doing good. Color me impressed. I mainly knew him from Look Around You and Shaun of the Dead.

19

He was on Look Around You? The thing that worried me was that any comedy roles I’ve seen him in he’s always been the straight man - even the deleted scene in GoG with John C. Reilly. But as we know, the Tick is his own comic relief. But you’re right, the entire sequence where he’s proudly marching through the warehouse spouting nonsense is perfectly done.

20

The Tick looks odd in this one, like he’s too wrinkley or something but I did like the start. Overall, I think the writing of the characters was very good and the actors did a good job as them. The two major things I look for in a Tick story is how goofball the Tick is with his nigh invulnerability and dramatic dialog and how odd the whole concept is of these really mediocre super heroes protecting a city. They got that. Patrick Warburton is a producer, dare we dream of seeing him on screen? dare we?