I’ve always been a fan of Robot Chicken. Little batches of 15-minute episodes have cropped up a few times over the last several years, and though their skits fall flat more often than they should, the ones they execute well approach comedic brilliance. Also, “they” is Seth Green. And Seth Green is gold.
Seth enlists the help of celebrity friends to voice (and often write) his stop-motion action figures – notably Breckin Meyer, the most underused veteran of awesome 90s movies who’s now been relegated to appearing in the Garfield movies. Historically, other cameos have included plenty of Buffy alums – reason enough to sit through the more tedious episodes.
That is why it’s so painful for me to suggest that the show abandon its current routine. But after the premiere of Robot Chicken Star Wars, I really think they’re onto something. Several months of work culminating in a half hour of unrelenting thematic spoofing, there was no room for filler on last night’s special. A few filler-free jaunts a year might be a much greater use or Seth’s time and talents. After all of that marketing (and an endorsement from George Lucas himself), I imagine they found a much bigger audience than they’re used to as well.
Robot Chicken‘s most successful sketches are those that exploit cult-favorites and sci-fi standards. It’s what the creators know best, and what most registers with the Cartoon Network’s audience. So why not just package them together once in a while and give us all something to look forward to? Personally, I could watch several hours of Highlander parodies alone…