TiVo Season Passes, Part 2 

28) The Brak Show
Here starts the run of Adult Swim shows. Brak is a character from old Space Ghost shows who got reinvented as part of Space Ghost Coast-to-Coast and Cartoon Planet. He became insane and wacky and incredibly funny. Seriously. Go find the Space Ghost soundtrack CDs. Listen to "Never Trust a Monkey." Pee your pants.

Anyway, The Brak Show is a 60s style animated sitcom starring Brak. It's often clever, and has a few fantastic episodes (the rap-off, anything with Clarence), but it definitely ran out of steam. They're not producing any new episodes, so as soon as I think I've seen them all, I'll probably dump this season pass.

27) Sealab 2021
Adult Swim show #2. I'm not sure there are words to express how insane this show is. A recycled version of the 70s cartoon Sealab 2020, the show takes old animation, remixes it, adds new animation, and dubs it with positively insane and often offensive dialog. Making it more insane, the show veers into meta-humor numerous times, with episodes dealing with the characters as if they were actors on the show. It's just an unbelievably great 12 minutes of comedy. Especially Baby Alvis.

Season 1 is out on DVD - go buy it.

26) Aqua Teen Hunger Force
Adult Swim show #3. The best Adult Swim show. Probably one of the best animated shows on TV. Continuously funny and inventive. Positively undescribable. You basically have to watch a few episodes before you really "get" it.

If I had to describe it, ATHF is about 3 mutant food item super heroes who live in New Jersey. They don't really do anything but annoy each other and annoy their neighbor Carl. The guest characters are often the best - Jiggle Billy, the Mooninites, Boxy Brown.

If you don't laugh the first time you see the Mooninites (basically Atari-looking characters) shoot their death rays at someone, you're probably dumb.

25) Coupling
The British version, not the American version. One of the greatest sitcoms ever (up there with Newsradio), the show is able to stay fresh as it runs in short seasons (6-9 episodes). Witty dialogue and some of the most inventive methods of telling stories on TV. Episodes often show issues nearly simultaneously from the perspective of both the men and women, juxtaposing how dissimilar - or similar - the two genders look at issues.

I think the best episode of the series might be "Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps", the third season finale. It expertly balances a number of stories (some running since the pilot) and combines it with two or three of the funniest moments I've seen on TV.

24) Family Business
Not a very good show. Gratuitous nudity and hot women. I think you understand.

That's it for now. Next time, we'll hit some of the big HBO shows, but we won't get to the best show of the past few years - no, it's not The Sopranos. James Gandolfini doesn't hold a candle to Dominic West.