Cartoons

BoJack Horseman is a deep, well-written work about self-sabotage and depression. It might be the best show ever made for getting people into some kind of therapy or self-improvement; or at least to stop downing a fifth of Jack every day. But it’s miserable, incredibly unpleasant to watch sometimes, and I’ll almost certainly never rewatch it, with the exception of a few non-depressing episodes (“Fish Out of Water”, for instance).

Rick & Morty is exactly what I want from a cartoon: A bunch of science and fart jokes with parodies of Doc Brown & Marty McFly, with an unhealthy dose of cosmic nihilism, and I can watch it anytime I need a laugh or cry at the futility of life. “Nobody belongs anywhere, nobody exists on purpose, everybody’s going to die. Come watch TV?”

The Simpsons hasn’t been funny past season 2 other than some Treehouse eps and guest-artist couch gags, and the characters are the blandest stereotypes possible. It’s extruded cartoon product. I have no subscription that would let me watch it, and I don’t care, but I do see clips and even complete episodes sometimes on the Youtubes or such. It’s Seinfeld without the observational “humor” or asshole New Yorkers, it’s every awful sitcom with a whiny family, just flavorless pablum. It’ll probably outlive us all. The Terminators will sit around after exterminating Humanity and watch their new Simpsons episodes, chuckle robotically, and complain that earlier seasons were better.

Groening’s (well, to the extent he’s involved; producer & they imitate his old style?) medieval fantasy cartoon Disenchantment is equally dire, which is ridiculous since they’ve taken a genre where there’s unlimited possibilities, and made it into a Simpsons style sitcom. I’m dis-enchanted.

Archer, man, I miss Archer. Seasons 1-4 were fun but standard Adult Swim-type nonsense. Season 5 Archer Vice was the peak, with the coke smuggling, Smokey & the Bandit, Pam’s habit. Season 6 was dull, trying to recapture 1-4 but you can’t go backwards. Season 7 Hollywood was great, film noir done by lunatics; it reminds me excessively of every time I’ve run or played in a modern/espionage RPG. I’ve only seen the first eps of S8-10 in this “dreamland” saga where Sterling’s in a coma fantasizing, and they sure didn’t persuade me to find some way to watch it. S11’s supposed to be back to “reality”? Dunno.

Is there anything good I’m missing?