The prospect of voice actor and creator J.G. Quintel (“The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack,” “Regular Show”) moving from a children’s show to one aimed at adults should be the biggest leap in the world, but because of the way his previous show “Regular Show” worked, the differences are actually minimal. The Cartoon Network modern classic thrived on weird storylines based around teenaged worries and dipped in pop culture references. This new show, the long awaited “Close Enough” thrives on adult worries dipped in pop culture references.
Josh, voiced by Quintel, and Emily, voiced by Gabrielle Walsh (“Shameless,” “Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones”), are a young couple living in an LA duplex with their friends: divorced couple Bridgette, voiced with a searing valley girl accent by Kimiko Glenn (“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” “Orange is the New Black”), and Alex, voiced by Jason Mantzoukas (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” “Big Mouth”) doing the Jason Mantzoukas voice.
There are layers to each character that make them more interesting to watch than the typical adult cartoons released each year; Emily is the main breadwinner of the house and struggles with not being a doormat to her boss, Josh has dreams of one day finishing the video game that made him semi-famous in college, Alex might be a slob, but has a PHD and is trying to finish his novel on space Vikings, and Bridgette clearly still has feelings for her ex-husband.
Quintel takes these characters and follows the same formula established in “Regular Show” to great effect. Take a real-life situation, crank it to the extreme via sci-fi or fantasy elements, and then use that extreme to cut to a real-life truth. One episode sees Emily trapped in a sitcom after she avoids talking about what she wants from her future with Josh and their daughter. Another sees the main foursome trying to be young for a night at a bar, only to learn that this bar kills any patrons they learn are about 30.
Most surprisingly of all, “Close Enough” manages to maintain its label of being “adult” without teetering into the forcefulness of other shows like “Mr. Pickles” or “Paradise P.D.” It’s less “adult swim” and more “Bob’s Burgers,” sure there are jokes about sex, some violence, and cursing, but it never feels like something the creators want you to feel ashamed for watching. It feels virtually the same as "Regular Show," by no means a bad thing, except it lets the characters fully curse instead of stopping at "What the H?"
The fact that it knows the difference between “for adults” and “adults only” is only one reason the show is one of the best cartoons of the year. It’s also just consistently funny in really surreal ways. Jokes and gags fly at a mile a minute, and while there are a fair share of technology and “damn millennials” gags, there are also just as many surprising ones that come out of nowhere.
For anyone missing the adventures of Mordecai and Rigby, consider “Close Enough” “Regular Show 2.0.” The gags fly fast and quick, coupled with some really great animation and voice acting. If there’s anything to fault, its that the “lessons” each episode tries to impart feel thrown in. This is a show that’s at its best when it’s trying to make you laugh and occasionally injecting some surprise emotions into the proceedings. Is it perfect? No, but it has potential to expand and be one of the best on TV. Regardless, its close enough. 4/5
No comments:
Post a Comment