Then suddenly there appears, The Simpsons, Beavis & Butthead, King of the Hill, Futurama, Daria & Southpark. There are connections between most of them; One of the Creators of the Simpsons & one of the Creators of Beavis & Butthead went on to make King of the Hill & the Simpsons' Crew Released Futurama - unfortunately it just didn't connect for me, even though it has space ships & aliens, etc. (more on Sci-Fi). Never thought that would happen :-(

Most of these Shows have a dig at American Life and all that comes with it - I certainly have enough concerns about 'The American Way' that I find some relief in the fact that there are Americans who share some of these as well. I think it's also a reflection of how seriously the Americans take themselves that these Shows are so scathing - it's all reactionary.

I think the UK Humour went through this 'phase' a couple of decades ago and now seems to have a slightly more 'sinister' element along with it's continuing drive to push the limits as far as it can go. At this stage, 2004, I think the US is still a little to worried about 'image' and Moral Minority - who's mission, it seems, is to reinforce some middle-class pseudo morality! Instead they should be wondering about, and laughing at, the pretensions of these people - much like the UK was in the late 60's early 70's.

I am hoping that the breakthrough will happen soon, as it promises to be quite entertaining, to say the least.

The way The Simpsons works on several levels, Children & Adults alike, is Brilliant. I will often find that my Daughter & myself laughing at different parts of the same Programme. She has tried, at great length, to figure this out, without much success - the thing is that she will eventually and then I'll have some explaining to do ;-) This gives The Simpsons a potentially long life span & she could be watching it for significant number of years.

I was Surprised that King of the Hill seemed to Fade in my Preferred Viewing, particularly during the Second Series. I'm not entirely able to put my finger on the Cause & have not watched all that many of the Re - Runs. It could just be that it had a Limited Life span. Although it is obvious that some of the later Simpsons have lost a bit of their edge they still seem to find enough Diversity to keep me interested.

If I have to make a Criticism of The Simpsons it would have to be the Record-Breaking Number of Special Guests. It smells of something that is too American - Fame and being associated with Fame is what drives the American Dream. It is an amusing paradox that the Show that ridicules the American Way of Life is slowing becoming the American Way of Life - yet it doesn't seem to stop them from messing it all up for the rest of us.

Maybe The Simpsons is as it is and the rest of the World just hasn't got the Joke yet, who knows...

Daria, from what I can gather, is not a popular as those mentioned above, may be it is a little too dry in the humour department for some. It is certainly a bit more subtle and less slapstick than they are. Again the story line revolves around a near dysfunctional family that stays together almost purely because they are all so involved in themselves that they don't really allow the others lives to interfere in their own preoccupation.

It has a cynical outlook that really covers an optimistic perspective. I suppose it's probably because I can relate to Daria in some respects (outside of the obvious Gender Difference, that is ;-) Being surrounded by those, who I perceive to be less aware of the bigger picture and more interested in looks, status & money, that sort of thing. Although this wouldn't include my family in this respects (we are completely dysfunctional in our own particular way & interact reasonably well together (as long as their is not too much overexposure ;-)

Anyway, back to Daria...

It has a wide range of Social Stereotypes that you could possibly meet in a typical American Middle-Class Family & Suburban High School - if such a thing exists. Neurotic Father, Business Woman Mother (well they could be reversed), Fashion-obsessed Sister, Dippy Cheerleader, Dumb Quarterback, Dysfunctional Teachers, Geeks, Weirdoes & Freaks.

I will say that the Female & Ethnic Characters come out of this a lot better than the White Male Population, which is kinda refreshing. In fact, outside of Daria herself, the only other Characters who seem to possess any sort of intelligence & dignity are Jane, Artist Friend of Daria and Mack & Jodie, an African American couple who still don't quite fit in - this time because they are generally too smart & sensible for their peers (sometimes you just can't win ;-)

It's worth checking out at least once, although you may not get all the backhand comments in a single sitting (that I would me being optimistic & that just won't do ;-)

So what about the rest?

Well I thought I might just highlight some of the Scenes, Clips, etc. that have stood out for me. It may be that I can identify particular bits that stand out as the main reason they haven't got their own Section. If they had a few more it may have made the difference between this Section and one of their own. So let's get moving along and if you have your own Favourites then feel free to Email them to me.

The Chef (the excellent Issac Hayes) singing Chocolate Salty Balls was by far the best thing to comer from Southpark. Mr Hanky, The Christmas Poo is just so 'out-there' that I am forced to find it funny whether I wanted to or not. I have realised that I can handle Southpark in small doses as too much just seems to irritate - that may be the whole point so forgive me if I'm stating the obvious. Though I do know a few who are fairly ardent fans.

Beavis & Butthead was great the first time I saw it, though something changed after a surprisingly short amount of time. Even the Music Videos seemed to lose their Appeal, though not my liking for Music Videos in general. I have watched the Movie a couple of times & have come to the conclusion that the only decent bits are the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Rollercoaster, the Shaft Spoof & the Cockpit Scene are its main Features worth the effort. There is the obvious Precursor to the Hank Hill Character in which his Voice is given a good Test Run.

The biggest surprise was Futurama - an Animated Series set in the Future with Aliens and all...

... and not a Jetson in sight ;-)

Well, I haven't got the bug for this Show and I've tried a couple of times over the years. I think it's something to do with the actual Characters themselves - they just don't do anything for me. I feel they aren't 'believable' enough or over-the-top enough for my liking. Sorry Guys