The TV Ratings Guide: son of zorn review

Son of Zorn wrapped up its inaugural (and possibly sole) season tonight, and I've got lots of thoughts on it.

Son of Zorn, since the day I first heard about it, has intrigued me. The season has had its share of good, great, and disappointing episodes. This show was so inconsistent, with some great episodes like the Thanksgiving episode followed by a good but not great episode. One thing was undeniable, the show found its footing after weaker start, and I loved to tune in each week to see what kind of an episode we would get. Sometimes, I'd be disappointed, but most times I'd sit through 20 minutes of enjoyable TV that I'm going to miss greatly. What I loved about this show is that yes, the premise is weird. But that weird premise allowed it to do things other sitcoms could not. The ability of this show to be different and funny was why I was always excited to watch each week.

The cast of this show was great, and weirdly had great chemistry with Zorn. Tim Meadows made me laugh every single episode as the dorky but lovable Craig, and me was my favorite member of this all-around strong cast. Even though I loved Craig, there's no denying that the heart and soul of this show was Zorn. He provided laughs constantly, and the best plots always involved him.

I'm not going to say that this show was without its flaws, it had problems. It didn't quite reach its full potential in this season. I feel that not going to Zephyria was a mistake. I think that could have provided some funny moments, as the animated characters and the pure weirdness of Zephyria was great. Ultimately, despite the show being named after him, Alan was one of the weakest parts of the show. His character rarely provided laughs, and the best scenes involving his character always involved Zorn.

Ultimately, Son of Zorn was a good show that was always enjoyable and never anything less than fun. I never found myself bored, which is always a good thing. I always found myself enjoying the performances by everyone. I don't expect to see another season of this weird, funny, and interesting show, but I will welcome it with open arms if it happens.

Season Grade: 8.5/10
Season Score: B+
MVP: Tim Meadows
Episode of the Season: The Battle of Thanksgiving

Beyond The TV Grave: Son of Zorn

This is the 'Beyond The TV Grave' series where I shell out my thoughts on shows that were canceled after airing no less than 5 episodes and no more than 50.

photo: geek.com

From the first moments I laid eyes on the trailer in mid-May to the season finale in late-February, there was always something I saw in Son of Zorn: potential. Whether it fulfilled that potential or not is entirely up in the air. It's very unlikely that we'll see any more of Zorn outside the initial 13-episodes thanks to disappointing ratings so I will treat this as more of a series recap.

One thing stands, an animated warrior returning home to his live-action son and ex-wife is a solid concept. The execution is where Zorn falls a bit flat. Many times in the season, I felt that it wouldn't make much difference whether Zorn was on the screen or simply a live-action Jason Sudeikis. Take, for example, the radioactive ex-girlfriend episode. Without the cool animation of Zorn deteriorating after having sex with Wilde's character, it's simply a story about an ex who is jealous that his fiance is engaged, a plotline we have seen countless of times. Another example of this is in the drinking buddy episode. In that episode, an old buddy of Zorn comes to visit, but to Zorn's dismay, he has matured. Son of Zorn may coat the picture with a different color but at the end of the day, it's the same picture.

Don't get me wrong, Zorn does go outside the standard sitcom box many times. One of my favorites is the episode where Zorn uses a body double to get out of work. In the end, the body double is about to self-destruct with Edie, Linda, and Craig attempting to stop it. This episode, while embodying some standard sitcom tropes, brings in a cartoony, or should I say Zephyrian, element reminiscent of 80's and 90's Saturday morning cartoons. Other episodes like Taste of Zepryia provide a humorous parallel to real life topics like racism without ever actually referencing it.

Outside of the animated warrior, most side-plots featured Alan or Edie & Craig. The character of Craig was easily the best out of this trio, whether he is arguing with Zorn or bonding with Alan, he never strayed away from his "nice guy" personality and gave so much depth to a character that could easily have been a caricature. Linda, the boss at sanitation solutions, was another great character

who Zorn hilariously mistook as a man until he had sex with her.

The character of Alan didn't provide much of the comedy in the season, as he ended up being the stereotypical unpopular kid. Still, his stable demeanor played well off of Zorn's narcissistic one and I felt happy to see him gain popularity, despite being short-lived, in the penultimate episode.

Minor characters ranged from funny to forgetful. Alan's girlfriend, Layla, was there more to move the plot along than be an actual character. On the other hand, Todd, Zorn's co-worker, was a welcome addition to the cast. The few animated characters, Headbutt Man and the Radioactive Girlfriend, were the best parts of the episodes they were featured in.

Son of Zorn, like most shows, started out pretty shaky, but the last batch of episodes, starting with "The Battle of Self-Acceptance", has gotten a lot better. The finale itself, on the other hand, felt rather rushed, and the cliffhangers were unnecessary.