Surprise, surprise. Comedy Central, the network that every so often comes up with gems such as The Daily Show and South Park, has created another show that’s sure to land on its even larger list of obscure failures. Freak Show, from the mind of David Cross — one half of the creative force behind the classic comedy favorite Mr. Show — is described by the network’s PR material as an animated comedy that “… follows the misadventures of the Freak Squad, a band of carnival oddities secretly employed by the Pentagon to execute low-priority missions — Need someone to read the meter at the embassy in a war-torn country? Freak Squad, assemble!”
Boasting an “all-star” cast of Siamese twins, a talking clam, a tall Nebraskan, a premature baby and a homosexual Republican, it is easy to think some interesting twists would occur. However, the show’s predictability foreshadows inevitable disappointment. As expected, the Freak Squad just cannot pull together to save the world, despite repeated efforts.
In the first episode, the Freak Squad is employed to retrieve the President’s favorite nuts from a communist country, despite the atrocities occurring there. When it’s boiled down, the plot translates into simply another satire of President Bush.
While Freak Show does manage to crack some funny one-liners at the President’s expense, those bases have long been covered. The show also parodies American society as a whole. In one scene, the Squad is at a carnival with stands called “Deep Fried Sugar,” “Shoot the Princess” and “Behead the Fireman,” which perhaps gives a little insight into where the writers believe our country is heading.
Despite the star-powered creative team, the social commentary is stale and in the end Freak Show is only good for a few mindless laughs.