Shows like Family Guy and American Dad! have been popular for decades now, as their unusual, sometimes raunchy, and often ridiculous stories make it easy to tune out everyday troubles for a while. What makes these shows great is that they require so little effort from the audience, as fans can simply just laugh at them and not have to pay any particular amount of focus to understanding the story in each episode.
Given that much of the merchandising done today is aimed at adults that grew up alongside the rise of The Simpsons, it makes perfect sense that several cable and streaming networks are creating content that caters to them. There is certainly no shortage of adult animated content out there today, and it just keeps coming.
Among the many new adult animated series coming out is the relatively new Duncanville, created by Amy Poehler for Hulu and Fox-affiliated networks. While the series was recently canceled, it has three seasons available for viewing, and it follows the growing pains of a 15-year-old that imaginatively navigates his way through life with the help of his family and sometimes his friends. What makes this series stand out is how the characters naturally reflect that being an imperfect family is perfectly fine, making it a relatable piece for most people.
The humor of this show is like Big Mouth meets American Dad!, as it includes many of the awkward and painfully funny downsides of being a teenager, as well as the many maddening tasks of parenthood and their relation to the life of the teen. Like American Dad!, this series captures what it means to be a family, no matter the crazy circumstances, but it also dives into enduring the many embarrassing (potentially traumatic) experiences of a teenager. Like any genre, adult animated comedies have their share of tropes and approaches to jokes, but this series only borrows the best ones.
Like many of the big animated shows for adults, the series features several pop culture references, sexual innuendos, and relatable jokes about family life. What makes it so different from the rest, however, is the feminine voice that it brings to the table. To clarify, feminine voice isn’t in reference to the jokes or the focus of the show being “girly”, but rather, it simply also acknowledges the struggles and expectations of women in an honest but comical light– a detail that many of the other popular adult animated comedies lack.
An additional strength of Duncanville is the clarity of each character’s voice– the characters don’t blend together, and each one contributes something to the lovable and funny family dynamics. While many of the situations the characters get themselves into are probably unlikely to happen to the average person, the character’s emotional responses are oftentimes relatable.
Certainly one reason the characters all stand out and feel relatable is because of the impressive cast bringing them to life, with stars like Ty Burrell, Rashida Jones, and Wiz Khalifa. Of course, viewers even get to hear Wiz– and Poehler– spit a few verses for the roles. Amy Poehler definitely does not waste her talents in this series as she plays multiple voices for the show. Her ability to capture the voice of a teenage boy is certainly impressive enough that one can assume her understanding comes from personal experiences, being the mother of two boys. In terms of voice casting, this animated series seems to have figured it out.
Though the series is still too young to be truly considered as good as the rest, it is not lacking in potential or effort. After all, a great show seldom has perfect characters, so allowing them to be broken and learn from their mistakes is just part of the story and part of what makes the characters believable.
Poehler’s intentions with making the series were to create a show that would appeal to the nonsensical humor kids often enjoy, but also, follow a relatable adult thread to make it an appropriate option for parents too. By having characters that a range of ages could relate to, the show can be watched by the whole family.
While Duncanville won't continue past its third season, it's still a solid watch for fans of animated sitcoms. As anyone who was a fan of Futurama or Family Guy in their original runs knows, sometimes a great animated show is cut down before it has the chance to really shine.