The Looney Tunes Show
The Looney Tunes Show is the most off-putting version of Looney Tunes I’ve ever seen. Instead of a universe where anything could happen, here the plots are standard sitcom tropes. Instead of a universe spanning eons and continents and galaxies, here all the characters live on the same cul-de-sac. Instead of a universe run on the primal conflict between two individuals, here all the characters hang out together. Which could have its advantages, if these were indeed the Looney Tunes characters. But, at the risk of going Studio 60, they’ve all been lobotomized. Yosemite Sam has one scene: turning down Bugs’ invitation to his fifth dinner party this week because the buttery snacks are too fattening. Is this Stepford? To make matters worse, Lynchian pauses inflate 10 minutes of story into 20 minutes of almost recognizable behavior, killing jokes in the process. It’s like when Louie had that segment casting the show as a conventional multicam. I don’t know who this show is aimed at, but I know they’re young and they deserve better.
A running Looney Tunes lampoon of the sitcom has extraordinary potential, but the season première “Bobcats On Three!” just lies there, occasionally tossing off some wordplay. The very first gag of the season is a bit where Bugs silently judges Daffy as the duck watches an exercise tape from a comfy chair, which really starts the year off with an “um.” Almost all of the comedy is in dialogue, too. There’s one visual parody, no radical line readings, and no real sight gags unless you count Bugs’ distended stomach. The biggest advantage to this show is having all the characters in the same room—as long as it’s a classic sitcom, at least we get to see Marvin each week—but only a handful of characters are actually used in “Bobcats On Three!” and mostly just for a scene or two. It’s clear the sitcom format is just convenient. The Looney Tunes Show exists happily inside the lines.