This short show is not for everyone. It is clearly made by proud and knowledgeable geeks for the rest of us geeks who get it and are in on what they are talking about and making fun of. If you're not a geek or into nerd culture then it might be best to move on. The show is hit or miss but a good enough time for us proud geeks!
8 Reviews
No laughs in this lazy workplace comedy
SamMcGee16 February 2014
Note: This review based on Episode 7 "Business Gay" which is available online...not being a Super Channel subscriber, it's impossible to find the show as neither the producers nor SC have seen fit to release Season 1 on DVD.
Now, if you're going to post a single episode online, better make it your best. If Business Gay is a barometer for the series as a whole, Tiny Plastic Men is terrible.
It's the story of three toy designers, the cranky one, the naive one and the cynical one. Under appreciated and toiling away in the basement of a larger toy conglomerate, it has shades of "The IT Crowd"...but without the laughs. In this episode, the guys trick their idea-stealing superior into appropriating a very obviously gay Transformers pastiche as his own invention. It backfires, and said superior ends up pretending to be gay in order to secure an endorsement from a stunt cast George Laraque playing a gay football player.
The entire episode is just one 23 minute long gay joke. Not only that, it's a hopelessly regressive gay joke relying on passé stereotypes of the effeminate, touchy-feely homosexual. The robots are pink! They hold bake sales! They turn into kitchen wear! These are the kinds of jokes you'd expect from a brainstorming session between Ted Nugent and Rush Limbaugh.
Even done well, the gay robot storyline is *at best* a B-plot. Sadly, its the entire focus of the episode, the supposed main characters popping in for cranky, naive or cynical commentary/"jokes". There's no investment in the story or characters since everyone seems content to just sit back and make a few glib comments here and there.
Tiny Plastic Men makes the same mistakes of a few other Canadian comedies in that the writers are preoccupied with constantly firing off constant jokes or "clever" lines that none of them are given time to setup and develop so the punchline falls flat. Worst of all are the extended "Family Guy"-esque cutaway sequences. Instead of simply cutting away, delivering the joke and cutting back, we have to sit through painfully long sequences that have nothing to add to the main story. n In this episode, there was even an extended cutaway sequence WITHIN a cutaway sequence that featured too many "jokes". I wasn't even sure what the purpose of the video game character cutaway gag was, and how it fit in with the story.
You'd think Riley Beach's animated sequences would at least be clever (his shorts are quite hilarious) but they suffer from the same bland writing and faffing about as the rest of the show. I think the Kitten Assassin sequences are a running joke with the series, but all they amount to are a couple scenes of a stiffly animated cat firing a weapon. No jokes, no context...just the image of a cuddly animal in a violent act, as though "Happy Tree Friends" hadn't exhausted that idea 15 years ago. If the writers are so intent on ripping off Family Guy, they could have at least put the cat in parodies of known war films...but that would be asking too much, wouldn't it?
Finally, the show isn't very well shot. The lighting is garish and the actor's shadows are frequent, which is the mark of sloppy cinematography. There also appears to be some audio syncing issues. I can normally put up with that if the writing or characters are interesting, but...
No idea how this show is up for Best Comedy Series at the Canadian Screen Awards. It definitely speak more to the dearth of Canadian television comedy than it does to this show's comedic chops.
If you like a funny, basement dwelling workplace comedy, watch "The IT Crowd". If you like decently executed cutaway sequences, watch "Family Guy". Don't watch "Tiny Plastic Men".
Now, if you're going to post a single episode online, better make it your best. If Business Gay is a barometer for the series as a whole, Tiny Plastic Men is terrible.
It's the story of three toy designers, the cranky one, the naive one and the cynical one. Under appreciated and toiling away in the basement of a larger toy conglomerate, it has shades of "The IT Crowd"...but without the laughs. In this episode, the guys trick their idea-stealing superior into appropriating a very obviously gay Transformers pastiche as his own invention. It backfires, and said superior ends up pretending to be gay in order to secure an endorsement from a stunt cast George Laraque playing a gay football player.
The entire episode is just one 23 minute long gay joke. Not only that, it's a hopelessly regressive gay joke relying on passé stereotypes of the effeminate, touchy-feely homosexual. The robots are pink! They hold bake sales! They turn into kitchen wear! These are the kinds of jokes you'd expect from a brainstorming session between Ted Nugent and Rush Limbaugh.
Even done well, the gay robot storyline is *at best* a B-plot. Sadly, its the entire focus of the episode, the supposed main characters popping in for cranky, naive or cynical commentary/"jokes". There's no investment in the story or characters since everyone seems content to just sit back and make a few glib comments here and there.
Tiny Plastic Men makes the same mistakes of a few other Canadian comedies in that the writers are preoccupied with constantly firing off constant jokes or "clever" lines that none of them are given time to setup and develop so the punchline falls flat. Worst of all are the extended "Family Guy"-esque cutaway sequences. Instead of simply cutting away, delivering the joke and cutting back, we have to sit through painfully long sequences that have nothing to add to the main story. n In this episode, there was even an extended cutaway sequence WITHIN a cutaway sequence that featured too many "jokes". I wasn't even sure what the purpose of the video game character cutaway gag was, and how it fit in with the story.
You'd think Riley Beach's animated sequences would at least be clever (his shorts are quite hilarious) but they suffer from the same bland writing and faffing about as the rest of the show. I think the Kitten Assassin sequences are a running joke with the series, but all they amount to are a couple scenes of a stiffly animated cat firing a weapon. No jokes, no context...just the image of a cuddly animal in a violent act, as though "Happy Tree Friends" hadn't exhausted that idea 15 years ago. If the writers are so intent on ripping off Family Guy, they could have at least put the cat in parodies of known war films...but that would be asking too much, wouldn't it?
Finally, the show isn't very well shot. The lighting is garish and the actor's shadows are frequent, which is the mark of sloppy cinematography. There also appears to be some audio syncing issues. I can normally put up with that if the writing or characters are interesting, but...
No idea how this show is up for Best Comedy Series at the Canadian Screen Awards. It definitely speak more to the dearth of Canadian television comedy than it does to this show's comedic chops.
If you like a funny, basement dwelling workplace comedy, watch "The IT Crowd". If you like decently executed cutaway sequences, watch "Family Guy". Don't watch "Tiny Plastic Men".
Hey, Sam McGee, let me clarify a couple of things in a super friendly way!
craddo7 December 2014
Hello Sam! I'm the head-writer of this show, and I play Crad. Thanks for taking the time to go out of your way to watch an untried show. That's cool of you, and I'm sorry you got burnt. While our show is far from perfect, I'd like to defend it a little, because there's a couple elements in your review that are "false".
Number one, I daresay the episode you saw wasn't finished. It was our first season, and we were excited to get hockey star Georges Laroque to be on our show as a guest star. We were, and are stoked to be working with him, so we sent him an early rough cut and he threw it up on YouTube out of pure exuberance, which is basically what Georges is made of. . The cut you saw most likely lacked music, titles, a fine cut, colour correction, and other stuff that helps TV to not suck? We added those later. It helped out some.
In your review, you said "If you're gonna put only one episode of your show online, it better be your best!" or something close to that. Well, I don't know if it's our best episode. It should surprise no one that I got my favorites, and while I love them all like my children, some shine brighter than others. Since you are a true explorer or media, perhaps I could ask you to give our humble show one more chance, perhaps the pilot? "The Man With No Name" is our premiere, and it, as well as newer episodes and a selection of sketches are up at www.tinyplasticmen.com.
If you still figure us a 2, I will accept this and wear it, like a heavy hat. I'm gonna give us a 10, for effort.
Number one, I daresay the episode you saw wasn't finished. It was our first season, and we were excited to get hockey star Georges Laroque to be on our show as a guest star. We were, and are stoked to be working with him, so we sent him an early rough cut and he threw it up on YouTube out of pure exuberance, which is basically what Georges is made of. . The cut you saw most likely lacked music, titles, a fine cut, colour correction, and other stuff that helps TV to not suck? We added those later. It helped out some.
In your review, you said "If you're gonna put only one episode of your show online, it better be your best!" or something close to that. Well, I don't know if it's our best episode. It should surprise no one that I got my favorites, and while I love them all like my children, some shine brighter than others. Since you are a true explorer or media, perhaps I could ask you to give our humble show one more chance, perhaps the pilot? "The Man With No Name" is our premiere, and it, as well as newer episodes and a selection of sketches are up at www.tinyplasticmen.com.
If you still figure us a 2, I will accept this and wear it, like a heavy hat. I'm gonna give us a 10, for effort.
They're Tiny And Plastic And Men!
garbanzo522 August 2018
Funny, sharp, witty, crazy, nerdy!
JasonFiliatrault9 December 2014
An excellent comedy, with lots of fun laughs and clever writing and liable characters. Must- see for anyone who likes pop-culture or fantastically well placed swear-words.
The combines great sitcom bits with some sketch and surreal elements - has loads of fun references, and really works hard to squeeze the most comedy out of its time.
Also, it's Canadian - which makes it doubly wonderful and exceedingly polite when it bumps into you on the street.
Tiny Plastic Men is a criminally under-appreciated show. So don't be a criminal.
The combines great sitcom bits with some sketch and surreal elements - has loads of fun references, and really works hard to squeeze the most comedy out of its time.
Also, it's Canadian - which makes it doubly wonderful and exceedingly polite when it bumps into you on the street.
Tiny Plastic Men is a criminally under-appreciated show. So don't be a criminal.
From someone who actually watches the show...
scott-westby7 August 2014
Not sure how someone can write any sort of valid review of a TV Series after seeing only one episode, nor how they can harp on the quality after seeing it on YouTube
I have seen Season 1 and Season 2 of Tiny Plastic Men, and thoroughly enjoy the series.
It's a small "IT Crowd"-like comedy with heart. Being from Alberta, I am proud that an Edmonton-based show can do so well that they're CSA-nominated and into their 3rd Season. It's the little show that could and I'm a supporter and fan.
Yes, there are inside jokes, such as Kitten Assassin, that cater to the returning audience. Every good comedy does that. Yes, there are multi-episode story lines that would make you feel lost if you jumped into the series at Episode 7 and spoke as an authority on the subject
The cutaway scenes speak to this show's roots as a sketch comedy, and while I understand the comparison with Family Guy, they aren't meant to be the same. It's a quirky look at the pop culture world we live in, the cutaways are hilarious and it makes me laugh a ton.
Definitely deserving of the Canadian Screen Award nomination, can't wait for season 3, and I would recommend this series to anyone who considers themselves a pop culture fan.
I have seen Season 1 and Season 2 of Tiny Plastic Men, and thoroughly enjoy the series.
It's a small "IT Crowd"-like comedy with heart. Being from Alberta, I am proud that an Edmonton-based show can do so well that they're CSA-nominated and into their 3rd Season. It's the little show that could and I'm a supporter and fan.
Yes, there are inside jokes, such as Kitten Assassin, that cater to the returning audience. Every good comedy does that. Yes, there are multi-episode story lines that would make you feel lost if you jumped into the series at Episode 7 and spoke as an authority on the subject
The cutaway scenes speak to this show's roots as a sketch comedy, and while I understand the comparison with Family Guy, they aren't meant to be the same. It's a quirky look at the pop culture world we live in, the cutaways are hilarious and it makes me laugh a ton.
Definitely deserving of the Canadian Screen Award nomination, can't wait for season 3, and I would recommend this series to anyone who considers themselves a pop culture fan.
Brilliant Canadian comedy
vancetes8 December 2014
Warning: Spoilers
From the fertile minds of Chris Craddock, Matt Alden and Mark Meer comes a brilliant comedy about a trio of prototype toy testers and their interactions with their bosses and fellow testers at Gottfried Toys.
Fans of Canadian Comedy shows like Corner Gas and The Red Green show will love Tiny Plastic Men.
Equal parts sketch comedy and office-style sitcom, Tiny Plastic Men is a love letter to all fans of toys and pop culture. If you don't have Superchannel you can catch episodes on their Youtube channel. I wholeheartedly recommend this series.
Fans of Canadian Comedy shows like Corner Gas and The Red Green show will love Tiny Plastic Men.
Equal parts sketch comedy and office-style sitcom, Tiny Plastic Men is a love letter to all fans of toys and pop culture. If you don't have Superchannel you can catch episodes on their Youtube channel. I wholeheartedly recommend this series.
I Love These Guys!
madams20109 August 2018
I love this show and I love these guys! I mean what is not to love? It is a nice, sweet, funny workplace comedy about subject matter that most proud geeks love. It's well written and performed, and I love the tiny... plastic... men!
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