FISH S1E1: Not Fun. Not Funny. Not Worth It.

It boggles the mind how something so short in length can be so incredibly awful. Fish, the new pilot from writer/creator Curtis Johnson and Dog Den Films, seemingly managed to figure out the formula for such dreck. Let’s begin with the synopsis and try to take it from there.

According to the IMDb- When Jacob Fiskel, aka Fish (Trenell Blanks), applies for his dream job as a radio host and is rejected, he makes it his life-long goal to call in and rile up as many radio hosts as possible. Each morning, he hilariously preps his work-space, complete with stats, pictures, a laptop for replays, and his lucky bobble-head, in preparation for comedic battle.

This is a pretty accurate representation of what I can only imagine was the pitch for the show, with a few misconceptions in the verbiage. Words like “hilariously” and “comedic” should immediately be omitted due to the gross misuse of such terms. There was nary a moment where I found myself cracking a smile, let alone full-on laughing, at anything said or seen throughout this disastrously cheap-looking Flash animated mess.

Throw It Back

Given the blissfully breviloquent runtime of just over four minutes of which I sat through, the idea of not dragging this out any longer than needs be was the only saving grace to come out of Fish. There is nothing here. Nothing. I watched it three times and still couldn’t find even a moment of clever banter, let alone a plot.

The story is as such. Basically, an under-animated guy named Fish stands dead-eyed in his dull looking bedroom talking psychotically to a bobblehead about which radio talk show to call into and harass. Cut to an obnoxious conspiracy theory talk show with some wannabe Matthew McConaughey knockoff voice rambling on about weed smoking aliens only to be interrupted by the titular Fish. Poorly written schoolyard insults fly between the two characters and the scene ends. Cut to the exact same scene at another radio station with a stereotyped feminist host named Carol where literally the exact same thing happens only now laced with random curses for the sake of comedic desperation. Fade to black. That is the whole show or at least what I was given watch.

Last time I checked, you can’t curse on the radio so right off the script shoots itself in the foot even for adult animation. The dialog is nothing short of intolerable with a bunch of sadly rendered characters calling each other “bitch” or, brace yourself, “stupid.” (Comedy gold, right there!) The only thing missing is a 1997 Yo Mama joke thrown in for good measure. There is even a moment when someone asks if Fish is a ten-year-old, which says a lot about the humor.

Honestly, if anyone actually found this juvenile style of comedy even the least bit funny, I hope their parents send them to their room without dinner.

I Get What You Were Going For, But…

Full disclosure, when I first read what Fish was about I thought it might be an edgy, subversive comedy worth my time. The idea of someone turning the tables on hack DJs representing extreme versions of societal stereotypes who spout one-sided opinions is actually kind of brilliant in the hands of capable comedy writers. I’d imagine throughout the show Fish could garner a following for bringing them to task on air, only to get hired by the very station manager who told him he wasn’t fit for radio. But Fish, the character, isn’t funny, witty, or even engaging. He is equally, if not more, annoying as the DJs he is setting out to destroy, leaving the story with nobody to root for let alone care about.

The voice work is trying its best to bring these under-animated characters to life, given the trash lines, they are forced to regurgitate. Not that it matters when the main character is played as a dim-witted pest who amounts to nothing more than a goofy voice when all is said and done.

The Most Important F-Word Is Funny

Jack Lemmon was once credited for the quote, “Dying is easy, comedy is hard.” Fish is an example of both sentiments. Writing comedy is an art and should be left to the select few who know how set-up, timing, and punchlines work. The laughs in this show fall short of being funny even by cringe-worthy of dad joke standards.

One of the cardinal sins of Fish is the blatant use of profanity. Now, I am not a language prude by any means and my last few family gatherings are a testament to my conviction of seasoning a conversation with well-placed expletives. Fish, however, does what so many comedies do these days, spout a list of ‘what you can’t say on television’ and someone will inevitably laugh.

Don’t do that.

Cursing incessantly for the sake of laughs is a talent that when done correctly and with purpose drives your point home. Here, it comes off like a toddler mimicking what he heard from their drunk uncle at Thanksgiving.

Tell Us How You Really Feel

Fish is terribly dull with little to no redeeming moments in the end. The animation is dated and stiff, which wouldn’t be an issue if it only had some decent jokes to offset the look, but sadly, no. Besides, a halfway decent premise, I can’t otherwise find a single reason to waste your time with this hacky, uninspired show.

Is there a subversive animated series you might recommend to the Film Inquiry Community? Comment below and get the conversation started.