By now I'm sure you've heard of Comedy Central's newest show, Lil' Bush. I got a chance to finally watch an episode last week, and subsequently found a few other episodes online and casually watched them as well.
Apparently the show is getting poor reviews, and I can probably understand why, with political biases allowed to show in critiques, on either side of the political spectrum. I too would like to state that I have biases as well, but mine are not political. My bias is that I am fan of just about everything Iggy Pop has ever done, and he just happens to voice the character of Lil' Rummy (that being, Donald Rumsfeld).
Created by Donick Cary, whose writing credits include shows such as The Simpsons and Just Shoot Me, the show admittedly seems like a great idea, but one begins to wonder if the show is actually about something or just a bunch of cheapshots.
That is really is up to you and your internal ideological barometer to decide. Though, with all that aside, is Lil' Bush funny?
The premise of the show is to smear the Bush family and the Administration. Some of which is pulled off with a considerable amount of wit, but some of it does not make much sense. For instance, Florida Governor Jeb Bush is portrayed as the stupid little brother, which is not all that accurate. He wasn't Ivy League educated like his older brother, but he did finish his undergraduate studies in two and half years at University of Texas, just in time to register for the draft; lucky for him the war ended before his number was called.
Other inconsistencies also make the show seem rather half-planned. Incorporating current events like Paris Hilton going to jail, while Lil' Bush is still in elementary school with his dad still the President-- unless I'm missing something, this should have made the cutting room floor before air.
Immediately following the 2000 elections, Trey Parker and Matt Stone created a show based on a sitcom convention called That's My Bush. If you remember that show, it had almost nothing to do with current events. That's My Bush, rather, was focused more on issues such as abortion, immigration, and other boilerplate issues.
Lil' Bush, on the other hand, is all over the place. Thus far, there have been some very funny show ideas put forth mocking the president, but for the most part, the show, destined to be one-and-off anyway, seems to be trying to get away with as many crass jokes they possibly can before the Secret Service comes and whisks the writers away.
So what is good about the show? Well, some of the bits with the four childhood friends -- being, Lil' Bush, Cheney, Condi, and Rummy respectfully -- are clever to some extent; the voices in particular are performed well. As mentioned previously, Iggy Pop as Lil' Rummy is hilarious. The good deep Ann Arbor, MI accent mixed with 40+ years of venue cigarette smoke in his lungs makes for a surprisingly delightful Rumsfeld character as it turns out. Also guest starring on the show are members from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters, and Jeff Tweedy from Wilco.
Still the show's pitfalls, at this point, are much too gaping to ignore. Perhaps Donick Cary, not unlike his nemesis, would like to let history decide. Unfortunately for him, while that may fly for government, it certainly will not for basic cable.
