TV Funhouse (2000–2001) User Reviews

Awesome Short-Lived Kids Show Parody

[jeremycrimsonfox · 9/10 · 18 February 2019]

TV Funhouse is a great series that never lasted long. A spin-off of Saturday Night Live's Saturday TV Funhouse segment that ran from 1996 until 2008), the series is basically an adult parody of shows like Howdy Doody Time and Pee-Wee's Playhouse.

Why is it adult? Because it's rated TV-MA (and some episodes had a warning about it). Airing on Comedy Central, which was the cable company that aired South Park, TV Funhouse did a lot of things that the SNL segment were never allowed to do since it was on NBC, which was a network television station (and therefore under FCC guidelines). Don't let the intro and theme song fool you, this is not really a kid's cartoon show. Each episode has the Anipals go on crazy adventures, and they can involve intense violence, use of blood, and sexual content. One scene in the Chinese New Year's episode actually involves a panda puppet being blown up by a Chinese firework, causing blood and guts to fly all over the set, and two episodes feature Triumph The Insult Comic Dog.

And of course, when we have an adult parody of a kids' show, we have to have cartoons. Yes, there are cartoons as well as some spoofs of educational content and commercials. Most of these are new content created for the show in order to take advantage of the TV-MA rating (one cartoon, Jokamel, is a Pokémon parody involving Joe Camel, complete with fake commercials for merchandise, and Wonderman is an adult parody of the 1940's Superman cartoons). The Christmas episode would actually reuse the Harlem Globetrotters cartoon parody from an 1998 episode of SNL, but there may be other reused cartoons.

Sadly, as the title of the review points out, this show was short-lived, only getting eight episodes before being cancelled. It's been said that Comedy Central was not happy that each episode went over budget, and Robert Smigel has expressed how difficult the show was to work on, especially the puppet segments. It is a lost gem that any adult should watch, just be sure the kids are in bed first.

A very funny show. With some weak spots

[tbyrne4 · 7/10 · 27 February 2011]

I really love TV Funhouse. Love the format and the irreverent humor and the politically incorrect nature of the whole thing. However, I think the basic problem with this show and why it never caught on is because the anipals grow tiresome after a while. After the third or fourth episode their sketches start to blur together and none of them are that interesting. They always do the same thing: take drugs, hump other animals, act like idiots, get into trouble, etc, etc. It's decadence piled on top of decadence and the characters are so thinly drawn that it becomes easy to lose interest.

The real genius of the show is in the animated bits. Stuff like the Dennis the Menace take-off where the Dennis character torments his neighbors because they're Jewish, and "Stedman", where Oprah's boyfriend uses the ruse of being a secret agent to escape from having to make love to Oprah. Also hilarious are some of the live-action bits like the ad for the doll that acts as a surrogate parent for the little girl.

I think if they had found a way to move the show along a little quicker it would have caught on with more people. But too many of the anipals jokes fall flat and sometimes the moments are very static. And some of the characters are simply not funny. Like the out of water fish who is always gasping and the dog who spends every episode chasing his tail.

One of my other favorite shows is Wonder Showzen, which certainly borrows a lot from TV funhouse. It uses the same kid's show format and is very politically incorrect, although Wonder Showzen has a slightly nastier edge to it. But I think one of the things Wonder Showzen does do successfully that TV funhouse doesn't is keep the pace clipping along so things never become static or tiresome.

Sick and subversive

[enfilmigult · 17 January 2001]

Not since "Meet the Feebles" have puppets been used for such evil purposes. "TV Funhouse" is pure gold: a demented kiddie variety show with some reality skits thrown in (a method taken, I'm guessing, from the hidden-camera end credit shots from "The Upright Citizens Brigade") and a few animated shorts to fill out the rest of the half hour, all three shockingly, hilariously obscene.

The twisted scenes involving the drug-using, cannibalistic, necrophiliac Anipals are jaw-dropping, to say the least; the Christmas special involved them injecting a hypodermic needle into the spine of their good-natured host in order to extract some "Christmas spirit," then cutting the pinkish substance and selling it on the street (not to mention using it heavily themselves). If that's where the episodes starts, imagine the ending.

Robert Smigel's animated sequences are, it seems, what he would have done earlier had "Saturday Night Live" not been on a broadcast channel: the usual use of impersonated celebrities and wacky situations is raised to grotesque new levels, making it much, much funnier.

A show that is nearly impossible to describe, the kind of thing which becomes mind-numbing when described by a breathless, giggling friend, "TV Funhouse" in its undiluted first-hand form is one of the funniest shows Comedy Central has produced in a while, rivaling "Strangers with Candy" and "The Upright Citizens Brigade" in crudeness, giddy hilarity, and sheer ballsiness. Highly recommended for those with strong stomachs and a low tolerance for political correctness.

Robert Smigel is so cool!

[TOMNEL · 10/10 · 10 December 2005]

stars: Doug Dale as Host Doug and puppet Jeffy the duck. Robert Smigel as Fogey, Rocky the lobster, Xabu and Triumph the insult comic dog. Dino Stamatopoulos as Whiskers and Chickie. Jon Glasser as Hojo the turtle. Dave Juskow as Larry the mosquito.

Okay, this is a weird show..let me tell you! It's host is Doug, a stereotypical children's show host that lives in a house with several puppet animals called the Anipals. Doug is totally G-rated, but the Anipals cuss and drink and do all kinds of bad things. While there was the plot with the Anipals, there are also short films. Its a sketch show too. Some of the sketches include, Fetal Scooby Doo, Black Sabbath cartoon, Porn for Everyone, Mischivous Mitchell(spoof of Dennis the Menace), Ambiguously Gay Duo and many others. The sketches were cool, considering they were sometimes cartoons, sometimes real life and sometimes they were clay animated. My personal favorite sketch was Joecamal, a cigarette based spoof of Pokemon. TV Funhouse was a great show that some find offensive and bad, but was so funny! Based on the short cartoons featured on Saturday Night Live, which were also written by Robert Smigel.

rating-TVMA. 8 episodes my rating-B plus.

Terrible Idea from Robert Smiegel

[michael_the_nermal · 2/10 · 15 December 2006]

This is yet another Comedy Central show that was deservedly canceled early. I had high hopes for this show. I loved Smiegel's cartoons on "Saturday Night Live," such as "The Ambiguously Gay Duo" and "The X-Presidents." I thought this show would parody nationally-syndicated kiddie shows like "Howdy Doody" and "The Banana Splits," and feature Smiegel's SNL toons. What we got were sub-par, totally unfunny cartoons, with most of the air time going to the disgusting and equally unfunny "anipals." Smiegel, like John Krickfalusi, has not learned that amplified grossness does not equal amplified humor. Watching the "anipals" engage is perverse acts was not fun to watch at all. The one-note gag with the serpent regurgitating mice was terrible, and should never have been repeated after it was first aired.

Most painful was that Smiegel did not rerun either "The Ambiguously Gay Duo" or "The X-Presidents." Those were dead-on parodies of Hanna-Barbera cartoons that were clever and hilarious. Smiegel's newer toons were one-note wonders that lacked any wit or subtlety. The only cartoon I enjoyed was "Stedman," a sharp jab at Oprah Winfrey's then-boyfriend.

Comedy Central did right in canceling this stinker. Let's hope they get the hint further on down the line.

Disgusting, fitfully funny and lined with pointed commentary.

[liquidcelluloid-1 · 25 July 2004]

Network: Comedy Central; Genre: Sketch Comedy; Content Rating: TV-14; Classification: Contemporary (Star range: 1 - 4);

Season Reviewed: Complete Series (1 season)

Robert Smigel, the voice of Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog, spins off his shining diamond in the rough 'TV Funhouse' animated shorts from Saturday Night Live into his own sketch comedy show for Comedy Central. The title couldn't be more appropriate, as the show is a brightly colored carnival ride through the absurd, the sick and the twisted in Smigel's mind now given free reign for a full 22 minutes. It is delivered to us like a full-length children's television show. Doug (Doug Dale) is our gosh darn, sweet as sugar host, always coming to us in ridiculous get-up of whatever theme day today's show is about - Astronaut Day, Hawaiian Day, Western Day, etc. His puppet pals are the AniPals and include a turtle, a chicken and his chicks, a dog who does nothing but chase his tail with malicious intent and Triumph himself. We follow the AniPals into their world and out of the studio as they discuss all manner of foul things and get into all kinds of wacky situations.

It's pretty well known at this point that what Comedy Central finds funnier than anything in the world is not a well timed comedy of errors or witty naturalistic dialogue, but nothing more than scatological vulgarity - especially when it is juxtaposed against a backdrop as wholesome as a kid's show. Swearing puppets? Comedy gold to them. Despite this autopilot programming, they actually stumbled onto something with this show. 'TV Funhouse' is actually funny. It works because the show doesn't tip it's hand and ironically snicker at itself, but plays it's cornball set-up with a poker face. Smigel doesn't spare us from anything crude here, making ample use of projective vomit, novelty poop, hair balls and - in a particularly disgusting segment - Terrance the snake hacking up a mystery item that he ate that day. But Smigel does it all with a giddy smile. He splatters the walls with that wit, edge and feverish enthusiasm that make his 'Ambiguously Gay Duo' or 'Fun with Real Audio' segments on 'SNL' such a hoot. His dead-pan animated segments were the best, featuring such things as 'Wonderman' whose soul goal was to save only beautiful women and get his alias some action and 'Sted-Man' in which Oprah's live-in boyfriend Stedman haplessly pretends to be a CIA agent to avoid commitment.

Most amazingly, 'Funhouse' is able to keep it's pace up at a funny pitch almost the entire 22 minutes. There are dud skits here and there, but any attempt at sketch comedy series in primetime is wrought with dead spots and minefields. The disaster that was 'The Dana Carvey Show' proved that even the most talented comic can't keep every sketch in each episode hysterical. So Smigel hits more than he misses, particularly compared to most shows. That is quite an achievement in this genre. Disgusting, fitfully funny and lined with pointed commentary. I can imagine that if this type of offbeat crude comedy is ever going to get appreciated as a kind of post-modern art it would have to be from Robert Smigel leading the charge. I'd follow him.

* * *

So glad it was canceled

[nathan-574-799939 · 1/10 · 18 November 2013]

Warning: Spoilers may follow!

This was a sick program for sick, desperate people with juvenile mindsets and a 12-year-old's adoration of anything dirty. The Anatominals Yogi Bear parodies on SNL were about as low as that program has ever sunk - so low that in jest, the creators brought on an animated Lorne Michaels to provide a tongue-in-cheek apology for the baseness of the sketches. Ho ho ho. But by that point, the jig was up - they had already gone an extra mile by creating a whole spin off series that upped the disgusting quotient to an unseen level, with characters eating poop and cuddly animals (only puppets, mercifully) exploding and showering the studio with their "innards." Fortunately, not enough viewers dug it and the series lasted only one season - proving that most viewers do in fact have standards. As for those who think the creator of this is a genius... news-flash: the adults-only puppet gimmick was hardly novel at the time; it was done more imaginatively by Peter Jackson in his Meet the Feebles, and over a decade before that, by Gerry Damiano in his X-rated puppet feature Let My Puppets C--e.

The height of it's own unique genre

[david_hands_of_fate · 5 November 2002]

No doubt canceled because of what must have been an avalanche of lawsuits, this show strove to offend everyone. The most shocking thing about this show really was that Comedy Central let it be killed. It was truly awesome. Robert Smigel is a vicious satirist in the tradition of Monty Python. Like Monty Python, much of his satire goes unnoticed, or people just don't see the irony in it. What few episodes were made are funny enough to make you wet your pants.

Whoa!

[doctrnoles · 8 January 2001]

This show totally warped my mind! I've never seen anything on television that could top how raunchy and offensive this show was. I thought the characters, the acting, and the writing were all dug up from some junior high school playground. Sexist, perverted, and mysogonistic, this is one great show! I'd recommend it to anyone who thinks that television is just here to keep us in a perpetual state of numbness. Trust me, this one will wake you up! It's amazing that in these PC times, a show like this is allowed to be on the air! Rating: 10/10

Best New Comedy Central Show in a While

[DaveInIndiana · 19 March 2001]

I was skeptical at first--the weekly intro with the host in various positions while people walk around him isn't great--but this show is hilarious and gets better each week. Lots of shows try to be sick, but very few are sick AND funny in a new enough way to make them watchable each week (South Park being the obvious king of the genre). The show consists of both live action, with the kiddie-style host "Doug" and his puppets, and short clip segments (many of which are cartoons). Happily, Smigel doesn't just fall back on the Ambiguously Gay Duo or Triumph; his new creations, like the Joe Camel Pokemon take-off, are very funny if a little over the top. I do wish he wouldn't use real kids in his skits, as most of them are clearly adult-oriented. Comedy Central has had more than enough bombs lately, but "TV Funhouse" is definitely worth watching.

Robert Smigel is a genius

[wmattifo · 6 January 2003]

From his days on Saturday Night Live to his success on Conan, Robert Smigel has shown his amazing ability to create memorable characters. This show was very witty and low brow at the same time. My favorite episodes involved Triumph the Insult Comic Dog (a Robert Smigel creation) and a lizard who doesn't want to mate. Robert Goulet does a great job playing himself (as a pal of Triumph) and I would recommend this for everyone except young kids. There are great cartoons in this show but they aren't for children.

A short-lived yet hilarious show!

[jellyneckr · 13 August 2001]

When I first saw commercials for TV FUNHOUSE, I thought that it would be really stupid. It was really stupid, but it was also very funny. It was vulgar too. I hadn't seen a show this vulgar since SOUTH PARK. Just like SOUTH PARK, the laughs come from the vulgarity. In a few short weeks, TV FUNHOUSE became my favorite show so I was sad to hear that it was canceled. It should have been on for longer than it was because it was an extremely hilarious show!

Funny, but not to be taken too seriously...

[Jdc102 · 13 July 2001]

First off, when I first heard they were making a show out of the "TV FUNHOUSE" cartoon on SNL, I thought it would be very funny. I love the TVFUNHOUSE on SNL.I tuned in the first two times and didn't think it was anything special, but after about 3-4 episodes I began to like it more. I must say that I think it would be a lot funnier if they "toned" the show down a bit more, some of the stuff is just sick, but others are funny in a weird sort of way. Bottom Line: Not classic comedy, but worth a look..

Robert Smigel is cool.

Thank You

its FUNNY

[blukat14 · 7 August 2001]

i think this show is pretty funny. i love that cat who wears the tie, hes so funny. this show is weird and makes no sense, but thats what makes it good! no one should actually take this show seriously. it is meant to be dumb! anipals are da COO'EST

Intended for the Ren and Stimpy generation

[mythicfox · 29 January 2001]

First off, this show is fantastic, if you can appreciate the humor. Comedy Central puts out shows that try to be a lot funnier than they are... Sports Night is a perfect example. TV Funhouse is intended for people who grew up on gross cartoons like Ren and Stimpy, and are looking for an adult cartoon of that same flavor (since none of the current Ren and Stimpy knock-offs on Cartoon Network even come close). I've been searching for a show like that for years, and TV Funhouse really does the trick... my only complaint is that the host, Doug, just really bites. Typical Comedy Central Original Series trash (I don't count South Park as a Comedy Central Original Series, as it wasn't created by them). The rest is great, though.

poop jokes aren't genius!

[foxygrandpa411 · 6 January 2004]

I like this show but calling Robert Smigel a genius is overdoing it. A snake that vomits rats, wow that's revolutionary! The show does the same jokes over and over; it gets real tiresome. The only thing I really like is the dog chasing his tail. It's mindless fun but not genius.

what happened to comedy central?

[JohnCaryParsons · 29 December 2000]

Comedy Central is still one of my favorite channels but they have picked a couple of bad shows the past few years. Don't get me wrong, they had some strong programming but some of the shows aren't good. This one for example, Strip Mall is also stupid, as well as the League of Gentlemen. This show is just filled with fart jokes and puppets!

Good Loving Grief this show sucked

[Jake-215 · 21 February 2002]

What the hell was this? I haven't seen something this unfunny since Ghallager. All I have to do to get the same kind of treatment from the show is sit in my room with sock puppet and make fart noises with my mouth. I'm just glad they got rid of this before it got any worse. I hope Robert Smigle goes back to the Gay Duo. That there is something worth laughing at.

Finally, another show for complete idiots!

[Hotoil · 22 January 2001]

Now I personally enjoyed some of the TV Funhouse cartoons that aired during Saturday Night Live over the past few years, especially the fun with real audio bits. So when Comedy Central announced it was doing a series based on these inserts, I thought it had promise. I mean, it had to be better than crap like Strip Mall, The Man Show & The League of Gentlemen, right? But no, they've topped themselves again.

First of all, there is about one animated short per show. The rest is a bunch of crappy puppets saying dirty words and humping real animals. I realize this is a never-ending stream of hilarity to the moron population, but really - are these the same people responsible for the SNL cartoons?

All in all, top notch humour and very entertaining - if your drunk and six-years-old.

One of the best shows on T.V.

[blee1134 · 24 January 2001]

This show is great. it is 2nd funniest show on comedy central(behind south park), and maybe the second funniest on T.V. the anipals are hillarious, and Doug is great. the cartoons are even better. this show is great. rating= 10 out of 10

Pretty good until the shock wears off

[Brett_Buck · 10 September 2002]

This show was funny for a while. But there's a real limit to how much of this sort of thing a sane person can watch. Some of the cartoons were excellent - I particularly liked "Fetal Scooby-Doo" and "Dennis the Menace" as a toxic anti-Semite - others were dumb. And some of the segments made even ME want to turn off the TV and read a book. Honestly, I could have lived a full and complete life never having seen an talking endangered lizard in bondage. It wore thin very quickly, which really should be much of a surprise, given it started as occasional skit on SNL.

I find it hard to believe that anyone would put this in the same league as "South Park", this was a real one-note shock show with no semblance of wit.

People couldn't see the forest for the trees!

[eskovan1 · 10 November 2002]

Those who didn't like or didn't 'get' this show simply suffered from a lack of imagination. They didn't like it for the same reason they don't like The Simpsons or, even more so, South Park.

People see a cartoon or a puppet show and a switch in their brain closes. There are only certain things they expect from a cartoon character or puppet and they are incapable of accepting anything else.

And the vulgarity of TV Funhouse (or South Park) seems so out of place in a puppet show (or cartoon) that they think that's all there is to the humor. Cartoon kids or puppets getting bleeped saying f---.

And if that was all there was to the humor these shows wouldn't be funny. But its not all there was. The scripts for TV Funhouse were very well written, intelligent, complex and witty, and actually gave the puppet characters somewhat realistic personalities.

The scripts were also, however, extremely warped, twisted and dark. And that's the other problem. Some people not only can't accept these kind of things coming from a traditionally kid's form of entertainment, they just refuse to accept the idea that humor can come from these things at all! When in fact, this is where the best laughs almost always come from. And TV Funhouse was no exception.

So if your idea of humor stops at a drunken Lucy slurring, "Veta-viga-vega" a hundred times over and over then no, TV Funhouse is definitely not for you.

But if you're not put off by a little (or a lot of) vulgarity and appreciate original, very politically incorrect satire then check out TV Funhouse. You won't be disappointed.

Don't let the puppet animals fool you

[athomas1 · 15 January 2001]

If you are sitting at home with your young son or daughter and happen to land on this show while changing channels, dont stop!! This is not for them!! Aside from that warning, this show is hilarious!! The plot of the show revolves around the Anipals and their wacky adventures absent of the shows host Doug, who stays back at the house and has adventures of his own. I recommend taping this show on video or TIVO so you can go back and catch the little things that you may have missed.

Funny as hell

[Casey-55 · 16 January 2001]

This show is what Comedy Central needs. Good stuff. Its obvious the creator is ballsy enough to snub his nose at censors and for that I applaud him. Who out there wish there was a show with puppets that was as nasty as the puppet shows we made as kids? C'mon now! This makes up for the other shows which just plain sucked, like Strip Mall and the League of Gentlemen (Which they thankfully canceled).

It's funny

[ufctom · 1 January 2001]

First off, this isin't a normal puppit show.It is a show featuring foul mouthed amimal puppits and dirty cartoons.The "Anipals" are the main charectors.Doug takes care of the puppits.If you like South Park I would recamended this to you.I give it a 9. Rated TV-MA for vulger language, mature subject matter, and sexual content.