Two-dimensional entertainment

August 26, 2016 03:45 pm | Updated 03:45 pm IST - Chennai

Among the more significant trappings of the generation I belong to, is our refusal to grow up. We seem to be in no hurry to settle down, we’re still trying to figure out what we want from our careers, what we want from our relationships, and we’re still watching cartoons — yes, they’re cartoons meant for adults, but if ‘adult cartoons’ isn’t an oxymoronic term, then I don’t know what is. While I don’t have great insight into providing a solution for the state of mind that plagues many young people today, I can tell you which of the adult cartoons are the best ones at the moment.

Rick and Morty: Morty is your average 12-year-old, who lives in suburban America with his parents, sister, and a very old, very crazy, super-scientist grandfather, Rick. Rick insists on taking Morty along on all his misadventures across alternate realms and realities. The humour in the show is an original blend of slapstick and wit, and there’s so much action in each episode that you never get bored. The plot lines are over-the-top, but no character feels unnecessary, because they all have such interesting personalities, even if they are going to be on screen for just a few minutes. Rick and Morty was made for binge-watching, and is well worth a weekend of staying in to catch up on the show. (Season 1 of Rick and Morty is currently streaming on Netflix.)

BoJack Horseman:BoJack Horseman might be animated, but the themes that it picks up on, such as the after-effects of fame, self-loathing, complicated relationships, hedonism, at times even nihilism, are far from two-dimensional. The characters are well thought-out, and may seem like stereotypical caricatures at the start, but display great nuance as the show progresses. It gets a little difficult from time to time to spot the funny moments, but the writing is such that the happenings on screen feel like you’re spending time with these characters, as opposed to watching a story unfold. And by the way, this show is about a once- famous talking horse in Hollywood, whose arch nemesis is a Labrador that goes by the name of Mr. Peanutbutter. (Seasons 1 to 3 of BoJack Horseman is currently streaming on Netflix.)

Family Guy:Family Guy is an absurd comedy about a dysfunctional town near Rhode Island, and its even more dysfunctional residents. I used to watch it religiously on television, but for reasons I can’t remember now, stopped doing so for a few years. I got back to the show a few months ago, however, when they released their first India-themed episode, called ‘Road to India’. The India episode, in true Family Guy style, was offensive and politically incorrect in every manner, causing outrage across a lot of Internet media outlets about how ‘insensitive’ it was. Insensitivity, however, is the core theme of the show.

Family Guy rips into every establishment there ever has been, and discusses it without any sense of propriety, discretion or consequence. What I love about the show is that it doesn’t discriminate in its selection of themes (or targets, depending on how you look at it). Family Guy truly is the pinnacle of adult animation, for if you can’t be an adult about watching it, there’s very little chance you’ll enjoy it. ( Family Guy is currently being telecast on Star World Premiere HD.)

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