Disenchantment review

Netflix, ever on the hunt for new shows to invest in, strikes at traditional TV talent once again.

Fox was smart enough keeping Seth MacFarlane too busy to create any new shows for their competitors, but that caused them to loosen their grip on Animation Domination’s O.G.: Matt Groening.

And so we have Disenchantment, a 10-episode miniseason show that was ready for bingeing about a week and a half ago. With the Simpsons and Futurama covering the contemporary and sci-fi eras, low fantasy was a natural next step. I’m sure Disenchantment will eventually be canonised as The Simpsons distant past as Futurama was its distant future. For that matter, Matt probably used this past season’s opening episode, “The Serfsons,” as a pilot. The timing would be about right.

Unlike Groening’s past work, Disenchantment is serialised. Each of the 10 episodes picks up from where the last left off. Many of them appear to have a self-contained plot, but everything comes back into relevance at some point. Sometimes it works, other times it makes an episode’s beginning really stilted. But that’s not the only structural difference borne of this new medium.

Freed from the shackles of commercial breaks, Disenchantment cares not for a having a consistent runtime. Episodes vary in length from 27 to 36 minutes; it’s clear it was aiming to be a half-hour show, but with the episodes getting done when they got done. While that does allow some versatility in crafting the plot, it also leads to some carelessness when it comes to actually bothering to nip and tuck the edit.

(For example, my Sudden Death video would probably have been better with 10 fewer seconds. I’ll have to try that sometime.)

The voice acting has a LOT of returning talent from Simpsons and Futurama. But it is grating how the returning actors are so easily identifiable. You’ll recognise Patrice LaMarche voicing Odval very similar to Kif. It has to be a deliberate nod, because this guy does Yosemite Sam; he’s got range. Another voice cameo that had to be deliberate is Tress MacNeille using her voice for Agnes Skinner for two separate characters.

The comedy isn’t consistent, but Groening’s team can still work some magic. Even the most derivative joke can be inspired. And, like the previous shows, you need to be paying attention to the background in general and signs in particular.

On the whole, Disenchantment is good, but doesn’t find its voice in the first season. It’s worth giving a shot, but I expect greater things next year. The contract was for two 10-episode seasons, so we’re getting more no matter what. …which should explain that ending.