Toony Tuesday 2016: Dan Vs.

Hey folks! I’m Andrew. Happy New Year to you all! This is Toony Tuesday, so...

Let’s talk a bit about The Hub.

Now, we remember The Hub; a television network designed for the whole family to watch and enjoy, with programming of different interests and tastes that are not for just one or two members of the family. It was pretty much a clear alternative to Disney Channel, Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network.

At the time of watching it for the first time, it (and its programming) had none of the sloppy and childish tenacity of Nickelodeon, the chronic animation of Cartoon Network,  the obnoxiously cutesy and overly strained attitudes of Disney Channel (in fact, I thought of The Hub as a more nuanced and mature [and not uber-unfunny] version of Disney Channel).

When I first heard of its creation about a month before its October 10, 2010 debut, I was excited. I was really interested in it. And it’s programming really got me exuberant. It’s game shows--especially Family Game Night, My Little Pony, Transformers Prime, The Haunting Hour, and the animated series we’re getting into today.

This series was a very bold one, especially despite the network it aired on. It’s concept was different, the content was really something else I’ve probably never seen before, the characters acted like true adults (some of them like children, pretty much of all different kinds), and has humor that the entire family can enjoy. Although it’s good that the kids shouldn’t get the humor.

And it’s all led by a man who has a big problem with...everything on Earth. And he’ll stop at nothing until he’s satisfied. He’s almost never satisfied.

It’s Dan Vs.

Oh wow, this series. This series, created by Dan Mandel and Chris Person and premiered on January 1 (this very date!), 2011, was something else for The Hub...and it was brilliant. This had almost none of the humor that you’d find on My Little Pony or Littlest Pet Shop, and the humor and character work that you could usually find on Fox (...when done right.) . It’s dark, shocking and not very colorful (in the way of bright and sweet). It's like it employs the "no hugging, no learning" manta from Seinfeld.

The concept was simple: Dan is about to start his day, continue it, or end it, but something related to him happens from a some source that he doesn’t like (and there are many). He gets angry, plans revenge and shouts the name related to said source. And while his friends try to stop him, he’s on the prowl. It would seem formulaic (and it is), but what the producers and writers took with this formula is spectacular, creating a different story, target for Dan, and outcome in each episode, while also either keeping characterization consistent or increasing it for the main and recurring characters.

And speaking of the characters, they’re a wild bunch, aren’t they? But that’s what makes them great.

-Chris, Dan's best friend and Elise's husband, is-on the surface-a sane, well-to-do, kind and smart guy. But as he continues his potentially lethal friendship with Dan, there's more to him that makes you fell sorry for him: he has vertigo, he's afraid of wide open spaces, has fears of being alone and isolation and also has a hatred of temporary employment, which he has to do anyway. And to make things worse, he's used like an object by Dan and Elise, dragging him onto their missions and gets into a lot of crap thanks to them. Sucks to be him.

-Elise, Chris wife, is sweet, smart and opinionated, but can get headstrong, violent and aggressive at times, especially toward Dan (especially later on) and can get pretty abusive with Chris too. As the series progresses, it shows she has as much vises and tics like Dan and can exhibit them just like him, showing them to be, more than a few times, one and the same.

And they hate each other. They're made for each other.

Okay what is up with them putting their arm up like that?

-And finally, Dan himself. Dan is someone you’d never want to cross paths with, even on his good side. He’s a sociopathic grump, who believes everything from his life isn’t the fault of himself, but someone or something else that anyone else would believe would be the mindset of a borderline mental asylum patient. Plus, he’s been through a lot of shit you wouldn’t believe could leave an adult so screwed. From a horrible school experience to the fact that he couldn't get help to tie his shoes until he was twelve, Dan is definitely not a nice person (as if his shirt doesn’t give it away).

-also, there's Dan kitten, Mr. Mumbles. An uber-adorable kitten Dan rescued from an animal shelter behind his Hollywood apartment, Mr. Mumbles is just like him in the exterior and behavioral department: scruffy, dirty and rough around the edges. But she has later came to warming Dan's cold, near-nonexistent heart. (And yes, Mr. Mumbles is female, but Dan still calls her that) Mr. Mumbles is a damn cute kitten and was another of my favorite parts of the series, turning Dan into (slightly) less of a...well, jerk. I just love their sweet moments together, and how saccharine (and a slice of dark) they are compared to the rest of the series.

(And it seems from the article from TV,  Dan the character is based by co-creator Dan Mandel on his more negative attitudes. I can only hope these were exaggerated, because that could say a lot about him as a person)

This series definitely works thanks to these characters and their actions. It shows they are not to be put together, but this sort-of kinship makes for shockingly and bitingly hilarious adventures.

Also, in a way, he’s really smart. When finding ways to get back at who- or whatever wronged him, he finds evidence in the strangest of places. And usually, those clues work! When Dan wants payback, he gets payback. And when he gets it it’s glorious.

And speaking of glorious, while Dan can be an insufferable ass, and Chris can be a wimpy dork, them working together to get his   due is vert cool. Also it feels great to watch Dan get vindicated for...whatever did him wrong. Even if the reasons were extreme at best, getting his closure every week felt like being at the Super Bowl. It’s another reason why this show rocks.

This series lasted three seasons until its cancellation and March 9, 2013 finale, but I wish it gotten more. It's hilarious, sharply written, very well-acted, consistently perfect with characteristics and continuity and is a perfect show to watch. There is a reason The Hub was awesome to watch in the four years it lasted as a cable television network, and Dan Vs. was it. Shame that isn't around either.

The series (at least season one) is available on DVD (seasons two and three need to be released NOW.) and is available to stream on YT (although good luck finding an episode for free with a good quality).

I miss The Hub, and I'm sure this is a perfect remnant of that. Watch this show!

Thanks for joining me for another Surprise Review, and I'll see you guys next time. Have a safe, eventful, exciting Happy New Year!

And Happy fifth anniversary to Dan Vs.