Talk about a weird pilot.
FOX’s ambitious new comedy, Son of Zorn, is definitely a strange beast: it’s a live-action/animated-comedy hybrid, but it’s also a pretty traditional fish-out-of-water sitcom. The first half of the show didn’t impress me in the slightest, but things definitely picked up in the second half as the characters become more clearly defined and the laughs multiplied.
The story of a He-Man wannabe who leaves his cartoon world to return to his live-action family, Son of Zorn has one heck of a cast. Jason Sudeikis is predictably awesome as the barbarian, but the supporting cast is also stellar: Cheryl Hines, one of my favorite comedy actresses, plays Zorn’s wife, while Johnny Pemberton is easily likeable as the title character, the Son of Zorn. However, the MVP here is Artesmis Pebdani who was a standout on Scandal, and looks like will be equally amusing here.
Of course if you’re giving this show a shot, you’re here for the comedy, and there’s definite laughs to be had after the slow opening. The humor is pretty absurd (a vicious bird dinosaur gets slaughtered and it’s oh so bloody yet inappropriately hilarious), but the show certainly invokes a special charm. It’s a grower to be sure!
Strangely enough, the pilot ends with a cliffhanger (which I won’t spoil here), but the twist effectively shifts the focus to Zorn’s son (as the title suggests). Perhaps there’s more to this straightforward comedy than meets the eye?
And yes that bird was still twitching in the end. Ouch!
Zorn Zingers
Zorn: My boss looks and talks exactly like a woman. I mean, the guy’s going all out too, he wears skirts and a purse, and he uses tampons. Honestly, if he wasn’t above me in the chain of command, I’d swear he was a woman.
Alan: Sounds like that’s a woman.
Zorn: No, no, son. You’re not listening. He’s my superior.
Zorn: (calling the waitress) Food whore!
Zorn: Why are you telling her you’re not taking the bus? Amazing people have taken the bus, you know? Rosa Parks, took the bus. Even more famous than her, Keanu Reeves. For 100 minutes of packed action!
Zorn: You remember that time we had that fivesome with those mountain trolls?
Edie: Yeah. Okay that was the old me. Sex with the mountain trolls. A lot of fun. That was a long time ago.
Zorn: (to Linda) Hey. You’re a good guy.
Alan: But Mom, it can fly!
Edie: I don’t care if it can spit out flesh-eating slime.
Zorn: Which it can.
Zorn: Don’t act like you never rode a death hawk!
Edie. Okay, I was 19. I was coked out of my mind.
Conclusion
It’s quite bizarre, but it’s also got tons of potential. I’m going to stick with this one for a bit.
Nad Rating
B