I scour across the Internet and find TV shows with only 1 season, watch them, see if I enjoyed them, talk about them here and put them in a list of 1-Season Wonders. It sounds easy as it looks, right? No, you actually have to find these shows, watch through them hoping they're not as painful as they were the first time, and debate with yourself to see if it makes the list. If that sounds challenging and you want it that way, then let's do it.
But this time, a little reluctantly.
Today’s edition of 1 Season Wonder is a Wonder for a different reason. It’ll make you wonder... Why this show was made in the first place? Why did the network greenlight it? Who would watch it? And who on Earth would waste the time and credibility as animators, producers, and voice actors on this particular show??
The show I’m talking about today is Allen Gregory, an adult animated comedy series that aired on Fox from October 30 to December 18 in 2011. This show is shit. It’s not funny, it’s extremely mean-spirited, and it’s God-awful torture to sit through.
Allen Gregory is about the titular character, a 7-year-old boy who believes he is one of the most important people on Earth, yet acts like one of the most despicable. His father, Richard, is a repulsive, idiotic and reprehensible person, who shouldn’t be doing anything that involves thinking, which I don’t think he does much of anyway, and not only teaches his son to be a piece of shit, but encourages the actions of one, too. Many things both do are horrible and sickening, and are some people you shouldn’t be around in real life.
And there are other characters that are embarrassingly bland, unfunny, and incredibly deadpan. No one is cheerful (except Patrick), everyone acts bored or dickish (again, except Patrick), it’s like everyone has an agenda against one another, and no one is likeable for any reason (even if there are likeable characters. there are few reasons for their likability)
The humor is shit--nothing is funny, the writing is sloppy, whatever is supposed to be clever the writers think they’re funny and pushing the limits of TV, but their efforts end up extremely terrible, and nothing is memorable (then again, why should it be? It’s shit we’d all like to forget.)
Let's start with the characters:
Plus, he has what has to be the most creepy and disturbing crush any boy character has in the history of television--he has a crush on his principal...who is over seventy. Fucking. SEVENTY!
but doesn’t even have one because his father pretended to give him one, letting on the illusion that he's working, because his utter incompetence and horrible behavior around people would destroy the company.
(He should even deserve that either)
Plus he forced a guy (a STRAIGHT guy!) into a homosexual relationship with him, for no reason at all, other than to treat him like garbage. And what makes this worse, is that the guy has a wife and two kids!! I don’t care if I have as much money while with him, this is disgusting. And Allen Gregory is cool with it!! I...I...can’t fathom this.
--And both are basically one and the same:
Both are stupid (they don’t even try to understand the basics of human decency), racist (both believe that minorities [especially Hispanics] are created to work in the service industry, because they look and sound), are extremely self-centered (it’s amazing that they even realize there are other humans around them in the first place) and they have no regard for society (they just treat everyone as beneath them and have nothing to do with them but treat them like crap). And since they’re the main characters, we’re supposed to like them. Why? They’re too spiteful, assholish and vindictive to like.
As for characters I do like, there are actually more than a few:
--Jeremy is a kind, caring, humble and intelligent man, who not only makes sense, but wants Allen to live a more respectful, honorable life (which of course fails)
--Julie may have a big weird-looking head, but she’s sane, competent and aware of the idiocy around her.
--Patrick is a sweet young man who is AG’s best (and only) friend. He cares about Allen, but doesn’t realize much about him or his intentions. (which is a good thing on his part) I like him because despite being naive (he is 7, you know), he is not a stupid character, and I can enjoy his antic and dialogue more that Allen Gregory’s.
--Principal Gottlieb is a competent worker of authority and isn’t a dick. She sees right through Allen’s bullshit and doesn’t find his crush for him even remotely palpable. See “1 Night in Gottlieb” for more (if you dare).
Now let’s talk about the writing:
On a short level, it’s like Family Guy (which makes sense as executive producer David A. Goodman was a producer on Family Guy), but on a more upscale, white collar-like level. They’re gross, offensive, creepy and most of all, it’s not funny. Whoever on the writing staff thought this was funny needs to look at their high school diplomas and college degrees and take a deep thought: What made you go to this show, and why did you believe it has potential? That’s what I think when I watch this show again. This writing is fucking terrible. When characters like Jeremy, Julie, Principal Gottlieb, Patrick and (sometimes) Gina aren’t talking, is when the shit reaches the fan. The dialogue is horrible in many ways, especially when Allen Gregory and Richard open their mouths.
One of the worst examples of this waste of the alphabet for television is “1 Night in Gottlieb”, an episode where Allen Gregory tries to prove to everyone at his school that he has made a sex-tape (a sex-tape) with Gottlieb (who, might I remind you again, is pushing fucking EIGHTY!!). This is one of the very worst plots of any episode for any television show in any genre EVER. Whoever thought that a plot like this would work needs to be lobotomized, because it’s not funny, it’s disgusting, it’s horrifying to think about and should not have been made in the first place. Why a child would know what a sex tape is is nauseating enough, but to want to make one with an old woman just makes me want to vomit so hard my organs will spill out. Another stupid thing is that her husband, the school counselor, actually believes that his wife would do such a thing, and actually wanted AG to prove it by showing it. Either he knows that it doesn’t exist and wants AG suspended for it or actually have to gall to have this seep into his mind; I don’t know, I didn’t really notice on account of the fact that this episode is dangerously horrible.
And speaking of stupid, many characters here are near retarded. They see AG’s or Richard’s antics, and instead of calling him out on them, they just take them as if they’re not a big deal. And they get away with this crap with little to no repercussions whatsoever.
And finally, let’s discuss the jokes:
On second thought, let's not to keep a good mind. This is why we as Americans should appreciate South Park, Family Guy and (yes) The Simpsons more. They’re not the crappy, horrible shows I thought they were. At least they have funny, memorable and excusable episodes to watch.
There are a few things I do like about this show:
The theme song is really good. The use of horns in it give this a nice jazz vibe and wonderfully relaxing. (this also goes for the incidental music) Makes you wonder why this music would be tied with such a shit show.
And another thing, I actually wanted to like this show. I really did. I thought this show would be different from Family Guy and even The Simpsons and King of the Hill, and that interested me a lot. But what I didn’t notice is that the jokes and writing are so abhorrent, that I’m watching a rich Family Guy. And say what you want about Family Guy, but at least that show can turn out a gem every once in a while. This show has no gems, no genuinely good moments, no funny jokes or humor, few redeemable characters, and a disgusting black eye on Fox’s reputation that makes you wonder why the execs at the Animal even green-lit this shit in the first place.
This show is one of the worst television shows I’ve ever seen. And I’ve watched Family Guy, South Park, and even Tales from the Darkside. I've never been creeped out and violated from anything like this before and I don't think I might for a while. Hopefully. I want you to avoid this show like the plague, and if you've never heard of this show, don't even think of being curious of watching it after reading this. This should not exist, but now that it does exist, it's should be forgotten (ironically coming from the guy that wrote this review). No one should've heard of this show, and it shouldn't be heard of again. I cannot talk about this shite for as long as I live, and I don't ever feel like watching this for the rest of my life.
I usually write where to find this show now that it's cancelled, but I'm not even going to bother.
And there it is, Allen Gregory--the eleventh addition to the List of 1 Season Wonders. I just wanted to shit on this horrible excuse of a show, and be done with that. Good riddance, Allen Gregory. We barely knew you.
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