I would have given this series an 8 instead of a 7 if it was able to stay on track and not veer off into fart joke land.
Seriously, this show contained moments of sheer brilliance in seasons 2 and 3. Then, quite suddenly, it started to go off the rails in season 4 (volume 5). Writing that was once clever and genuinely funny became a string of gross-out humor (without the humor). It became tougher to find even small bits of content that were either inspired or genuinely entertaining. I think "Dickesode" was the point at which I started to feel like the writers were wasting my time.
It's unfortunate that this sort of thing happens so frequently with animated comedies: Family Guy, Robot Chicken, ATHF, Metalocalypse, etc.... I see the same pattern over and over again. First, the writers have a ton of cool ideas and actually show a level of sophistication (albeit the first season production values are typically a bit lacking). Then they figure out how to increase production values as their well of good ideas begins to run dry up. Next, in what appears to be either a fit of desperation (or just an attempt to please themselves) they engage in a form of unfiltered script-writing diarrhea. And at that point, the show in question really starts to stink.
Speaking of Aqua Teen Hunger Force specifically: when it's good, it's really good. The "Broodwich" is an example of a truly inspired and well-executed episode. And the various insane robots from the future are a total blast (complete with pop-culture film references). Then there are the various space aliens that grace the show; all of them are awesome in their own right. And of course, the main characters. Each character is unique and well-defined. If someone handed you a script with no names on it, you'd still know who was saying what.
This show was one of my favorites. It just irks me that the writers couldn't save the really gonzo unfunny potty jokes for a side-project and keep ATHF in the realm of hilarious and clever entertainment. I guess what it shows is the potential for greatness, but an unfortunate lack of consistency. Perhaps it's the pressure of always wanting to 'raise the bar' when writing scenes that are supposed to get the audience's attention. Maybe raising the bar isn't the secret to success. Instead, a look at Chuck Jones' approach to maintaining the look and feel of a show is worthwhile. He wrote a guide for his staff to follow, in order to keep the show consistent. It worked. The guy's a legend for a reason and so is his work. It seems that even modern shows could learn a lot from him.
In summary, ATHF is pretty awesome. That is, if you delete out the episodes that do nothing more than detract from it's merits.
Seriously, this show contained moments of sheer brilliance in seasons 2 and 3. Then, quite suddenly, it started to go off the rails in season 4 (volume 5). Writing that was once clever and genuinely funny became a string of gross-out humor (without the humor). It became tougher to find even small bits of content that were either inspired or genuinely entertaining. I think "Dickesode" was the point at which I started to feel like the writers were wasting my time.
It's unfortunate that this sort of thing happens so frequently with animated comedies: Family Guy, Robot Chicken, ATHF, Metalocalypse, etc.... I see the same pattern over and over again. First, the writers have a ton of cool ideas and actually show a level of sophistication (albeit the first season production values are typically a bit lacking). Then they figure out how to increase production values as their well of good ideas begins to run dry up. Next, in what appears to be either a fit of desperation (or just an attempt to please themselves) they engage in a form of unfiltered script-writing diarrhea. And at that point, the show in question really starts to stink.
Speaking of Aqua Teen Hunger Force specifically: when it's good, it's really good. The "Broodwich" is an example of a truly inspired and well-executed episode. And the various insane robots from the future are a total blast (complete with pop-culture film references). Then there are the various space aliens that grace the show; all of them are awesome in their own right. And of course, the main characters. Each character is unique and well-defined. If someone handed you a script with no names on it, you'd still know who was saying what.
This show was one of my favorites. It just irks me that the writers couldn't save the really gonzo unfunny potty jokes for a side-project and keep ATHF in the realm of hilarious and clever entertainment. I guess what it shows is the potential for greatness, but an unfortunate lack of consistency. Perhaps it's the pressure of always wanting to 'raise the bar' when writing scenes that are supposed to get the audience's attention. Maybe raising the bar isn't the secret to success. Instead, a look at Chuck Jones' approach to maintaining the look and feel of a show is worthwhile. He wrote a guide for his staff to follow, in order to keep the show consistent. It worked. The guy's a legend for a reason and so is his work. It seems that even modern shows could learn a lot from him.
In summary, ATHF is pretty awesome. That is, if you delete out the episodes that do nothing more than detract from it's merits.