On paper, a "dark and gritty" reboot of "The Munsters" is an idea that is, in as few as words as possible, misguided. Early in development, the show seemed like nothing but an attempt to cash-in on our culture's current obsession with vampires and werewolves. However, as news started to trickle out, I became more intrigued. I've never seen "Pushing Up Daisies" or "Wonderfalls" so I don't have an opinion about Brad Fuller. An interview were he described the show as "Universal Monsters: The Series" and promised story arcs inspired by "Creature from the Black Lagoon" and "Phantom of the Opera" really piqued my interest. Naturally, it wasn't long after that we found out the show hadn't been picked up for series.
Getting to see the pilot, premiered as a stand-alone Halloween special, makes me want to see a whole season run. The show strikes a balance between familial drama, high-concept monster shenanigans, and a surprising morbid streak. The opening features a werewolf attacking a boy scout camp, quoting directly from 1979's "Prophecy," which is a good way to win over hardcore horror fans. The story of the episode mostly concerns Herman and Lily trying to figure how to break it to their son Eddie that he is a werewolf. The son is proud to be 'normal' and doesn't take his transformation easily. Mom and Dad's attempt to let the kid down easy are undermined by Grandpa's over-the-top embracing of his monster-dom, which includes turning into a bat creature, trying to kill the boy's scout leader, eating a mountain lion in front of the boy, and hypnotizing the neighbors. A subplot includes Herman's heart quite literally falling apart on him.
The show is funny, if a little on the overly quirky side. There's a definite chemistry between the cast. Jerry O'Connell, whom I normally can't stand, works well as Herman. Mason Cook is especially good as Eddie, showing a lot of promise. Eddie Izzard, who turned into an Oliver Reed lookalike at some point, is way over the top and goofy as Grandpa, which suits the character fairly well. I wish we had seen more of Portia de Rossi as Lily, who seems to have a good grasp on the character. The production values of the show are very high, which is probably the real reason it wasn't picked up for series. The Munster House looks fantastic. There's a striking sequence when the newly awaken Lily forms her gown out of spider-webs. Some of the CGI is a little shaky, such as the mounds of rats or the mountain lion, but some of it works better, such as Spot the Dragon's late-episode entrance. So it's sort of a bummer this isn't going to be a full season. I see a lot of promise here.
Getting to see the pilot, premiered as a stand-alone Halloween special, makes me want to see a whole season run. The show strikes a balance between familial drama, high-concept monster shenanigans, and a surprising morbid streak. The opening features a werewolf attacking a boy scout camp, quoting directly from 1979's "Prophecy," which is a good way to win over hardcore horror fans. The story of the episode mostly concerns Herman and Lily trying to figure how to break it to their son Eddie that he is a werewolf. The son is proud to be 'normal' and doesn't take his transformation easily. Mom and Dad's attempt to let the kid down easy are undermined by Grandpa's over-the-top embracing of his monster-dom, which includes turning into a bat creature, trying to kill the boy's scout leader, eating a mountain lion in front of the boy, and hypnotizing the neighbors. A subplot includes Herman's heart quite literally falling apart on him.
The show is funny, if a little on the overly quirky side. There's a definite chemistry between the cast. Jerry O'Connell, whom I normally can't stand, works well as Herman. Mason Cook is especially good as Eddie, showing a lot of promise. Eddie Izzard, who turned into an Oliver Reed lookalike at some point, is way over the top and goofy as Grandpa, which suits the character fairly well. I wish we had seen more of Portia de Rossi as Lily, who seems to have a good grasp on the character. The production values of the show are very high, which is probably the real reason it wasn't picked up for series. The Munster House looks fantastic. There's a striking sequence when the newly awaken Lily forms her gown out of spider-webs. Some of the CGI is a little shaky, such as the mounds of rats or the mountain lion, but some of it works better, such as Spot the Dragon's late-episode entrance. So it's sort of a bummer this isn't going to be a full season. I see a lot of promise here.