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Thanks to The Simpsons, which is kicking off its 20th season, and King of the Hill, which is approaching its 250th episode, Fox's Sunday lineup of adult animation is one of the most entrenched institutions on television. And for almost as long as it has been around, there have been people pronouncing its imminent demise. With new-season premieres of The Simpsons, King of the Hill, Family Guy and American Dad, tonight will no doubt spark a new round of Internet debate over which show has lost it, which has found it and which found it but lost it again.
Based on those first episodes, reports of The Simpsons' death will be greatly exaggerated. The debut is solidly smart and funny. The main story has Homer teaming up with Ned to become a bounty-hunting team, with one inspired sequence that is right up there with the series' best moments. Ned tries to quit the bounty-hunting business but has one more fugitive to bring in -- Homer. This leads to a chase-fight sequence that is full of Parkour-spoofing stunts that sets a new standard for silly fun. (Parkour is that form of urban gymnastics that has become all the rage in movies, such as the opening chase of the last James Bond film.) The topper is when Ned and Homer jump on horses and engage in the next generation of extreme sports: horseback Parkour.
Follow that with a solid King of the Hill episode. At this summer's press tour, creator Mike Judge said he kept waiting for a bad season so that he would know it was time to hang it up, but that it just hadn't happened yet. If tonight's debut is any sign of things to come, the end is most definitely not nigh. Perennial sad sack Bill is diagnosed with early-stage diabetes and resigns himself to a worst-case existence, including a motorized wheelchair -- no sense waiting until his legs have to be amputated due to complications from diabetes.
Other shows in the Fox lineup get more attention, but this series deserves its due. While most adult-themed animation goes for extremes -- gross humor, shockingly incorrect behavior and outrageous slapstick -- King of the Hill goes the radical route of being subtle, emotionally complex and, in its own weird way, painstakingly realistic.
Given that Family Guy and American Dad, both from Fox's new $100 million man, creator Seth MacFarlane, are the relative new kids on the block, it's funny that their premiere episodes would seem kind of stale. In Family Guy, Brian (the talking dog) meets the first girl he's been really excited about in a long time but starts taking relationship advice from baby Stewie. There's plenty of provocation for the sake of being provocative and fearlessly crude humor. But it all just feels so rote and on autopilot. Even worse, it's just not all that funny.
American Dad fares a little better with a coming-of-age story about little Steve Smith going through puberty. This being the crude side of adult animation, there's virtually no joke or plot point that can be openly discussed in the light of a daily newspaper, but the episode does close with a funny spoof on the feather-floating scenes in Forrest Gump.
Adding an alternative platform to Fox's Sunday night animation, HBO is unveiling its new animated series, The Life and Times of Tim. The series comes from creator Steve Dildarian, an advertising veteran who came up with the Budweiser lizards. The animation is low-tech, simple line drawings that in their flat and primitive look recall Comedy Central's long-gone but great series, Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist.
The premise and the apparent humor generator of this series is Tim's deadpan reaction to whatever absurd, offensive, outrageous situation is going on around him. Caught by his girlfriend and her parents with a prostitute sitting on his couch, Tim tries to make small talk and get everyone seated for a nice meatloaf dinner. Told by his boss at the giant corporation he works for to pretend to be Tim Sanchez to fulfill some minority-hiring initiative, Tim goes along.
This is HBO, so this is adult animation with all the normal content restrictions lifted. So get ready for any profanity, bizarre sex act or offensive social situation to be discussed or diagrammed in detail.
That edginess will attract some fans, and the show's dry, off-kilter tone is kind of fun. In that way, it's like another recent HBO sitcom, Flight of the Conchords. But reminding you of another better, smarter, more imaginative show isn't the best way for a new show to build an audience. It's funny here and there, but it seems destined to grow old quickly.Animated tonight
The Simpsons, 7 p.m. Fox (Channel 4). 30 mins.
King of the Hill, 7:30 tonight. Fox (Channel 4) 30 mins.
Family Guy, 8 tonight. Fox (Channel 4) 30 mins.
American Dad, 8:30 tonight. Fox (Channel 4) 30 mins.
The Life and Times of Tim, 10 tonight (HBO). 30 mins.
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