I first caught this show as an advertisement before watching a Beetlejuice musical sing-a-long, and after realizing it was made by Sesame Workshop, I decided to give it a look. As a lifelong Muppet fan, I was surprised that the puppets weren't made affiliated with them in any way; would this show live up its famous predecessor's reputation, or would it just be a blow to its face?
After watching all six episodes, I have to say the answer is neither. It stands greatly on its own terms, and I don't think is has to be involved with the Muppets or Sesame Street to get any sort of recognition. The puppets all ooze with personality, thanks to the amazing work of the talented puppeteers, and the lessons taught are meaningful, actual world problems. And as you keep on watching, you just can't help but identify with every problem on this show.
Despite all these positives, Helpsters is far from being perfect. One thing that particularly annoyed me throughout was the show's tendency to repeat songs every episode. It got old fast, and after being sung so many times, I actually started dreading the song when they asked if they wanted to help you. They do rearrange the music sometimes, though, so that's always a refresher.
Another big issue with the series is its inconsistent pacing/lack of details in places. Sometimes it's too slow, often it's too fast, and it usually doesn't fit the scene if it needs to. For example, whenever they sing about making a plan, they never explain their motives, but wait until after to chart the steps to solve the problem, and it just doesn't feel right to me. I hope they fix this up by the time Season 2 starts.
The best things about this series by far are the characters and their development. The puppeteers tried their hardest to make three-dimensional, identifiable heroes out of two-dimensional script descriptions, and their efforts clearly show. Scatter in particular is a fascinating character; despite not understanding the sequence of events and misinterpreting things, he tries his best to help his friends despite his shortcomings, and its shown that he's also a talented musician and singer. Cody is also very interesting; she seems like the archtypical leader at first, but as the series weaves on, it's shown that not only is she vulnerable and afraid when not in command, but she's also an ascended fangirl when it comes to dinosaurs and obsessive-compulsive, as shown in her ability to always check lists over and over.
Overall, this show was funny, well-written, and had good, educational morals. I'd recommend it to anyone, even those well outside the preschool target audience. Teens in particular could use it; we'll learn to never give up our schoolwork!
After watching all six episodes, I have to say the answer is neither. It stands greatly on its own terms, and I don't think is has to be involved with the Muppets or Sesame Street to get any sort of recognition. The puppets all ooze with personality, thanks to the amazing work of the talented puppeteers, and the lessons taught are meaningful, actual world problems. And as you keep on watching, you just can't help but identify with every problem on this show.
Despite all these positives, Helpsters is far from being perfect. One thing that particularly annoyed me throughout was the show's tendency to repeat songs every episode. It got old fast, and after being sung so many times, I actually started dreading the song when they asked if they wanted to help you. They do rearrange the music sometimes, though, so that's always a refresher.
Another big issue with the series is its inconsistent pacing/lack of details in places. Sometimes it's too slow, often it's too fast, and it usually doesn't fit the scene if it needs to. For example, whenever they sing about making a plan, they never explain their motives, but wait until after to chart the steps to solve the problem, and it just doesn't feel right to me. I hope they fix this up by the time Season 2 starts.
The best things about this series by far are the characters and their development. The puppeteers tried their hardest to make three-dimensional, identifiable heroes out of two-dimensional script descriptions, and their efforts clearly show. Scatter in particular is a fascinating character; despite not understanding the sequence of events and misinterpreting things, he tries his best to help his friends despite his shortcomings, and its shown that he's also a talented musician and singer. Cody is also very interesting; she seems like the archtypical leader at first, but as the series weaves on, it's shown that not only is she vulnerable and afraid when not in command, but she's also an ascended fangirl when it comes to dinosaurs and obsessive-compulsive, as shown in her ability to always check lists over and over.
Overall, this show was funny, well-written, and had good, educational morals. I'd recommend it to anyone, even those well outside the preschool target audience. Teens in particular could use it; we'll learn to never give up our schoolwork!