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Ahoy-hoy friends, it's time once again for Worth a Look, where I show you the best of the best that you don't know about. The topic this time is a bit more current as it's a show currently still running on cable so it's not as unknown as my past shows, but I don't believe it gets the credit it deserves. So please, open your mind, sit down, and take a look at Frisky Dingo. 
Frisky Dingo. Okay, yes it's a weird title. The title itself is actually a joke on itself that makes little sense without explanation. Originally the show was to be titled Whiskey Tango after a superhero team made up for the show, but an existing band already held that name. To avoid lawsuits they jokingly nicknamed the show Frisky Dingo, and the name stuck. So you may wonder what does Frisky Dingo mean? It means nothing. There's a moment it's said in character, but it's a pot shot at the series that its title is so random that it means nothing. That's not the point though, because this series is so much more.
The show follows the villain Killface who's a giant, white, muscular, naked... thing who apparently has genitalia as he has a son. His goal is to destroy the world, but in a world of super villains he needs help. Marketing help. No lie, the series starts out in a meeting with marketing directors trying to create the perfect way to sell his hostile takeover of humanity. The whole awkwardness of the situation is hilarious as after murders and beatings he finally decides upon postcards to be his main method of evil. Follow along kids, it gets better.
Opposite Killface is Xander Crews who owns a massive business his murdered parents left for him. Yeah, he's a mockery of Bruce Wayne/Tony Stark as his alter ego is Awesome X, a super suit enhanced hero who has effectively finished off the last super villain in the world. Or known super villain at least since Killface is still on the loose! And if by loose you mean appearing on this world's Regis & Kelly rip-off then darnit you are right! When Scion isn't trying to turn him into a marketing whore, or his segments aren't getting cut by local Double Dutch enthusiasts, Killface is terrifying as... well Scion manages to turn his segment into one giant commercial anyway, but our lovable villain is trying.
Crews now has to face the music and give up being a superhero now that he has no one to fight. After all, it's bad for business says Stan his Vice President. Crews, however, is determined to stay in the game, and eventually decides Killface is his ticket out. If he can make out the white terror to be a credible threat, then he can keep himself from hanging up the rocket boots anytime soon.
The series takes twists and turns, and is actually quite story driven. It's not the sheer episode to episode randomness that former Adam Reed & Matt Thomas production Sealab 2021 was. Each episode runs in a fluid order, and missing one episode can throw you for a loop as the direction changes quickly. Mind you, Frisky Dingo never runs the awkward course of being serious. Everything is taken with loads of light hearted, intelligent humor. Killface himself is the whimsical lead who's never as evil as he seems. When doing an exclusive interview to showcase his new doomsday device he orders the cameraman to install Cat Party (which I assume is some fictional pop techno song) on his phone while being completely oblivious to the existence of Bluetooth.
Crews as well provides a load of humor as he's the simple idiot in charge of giant company. He's the man who believes it's President of United States and Canada. He's the lovable idiot who you can never tell if he's straight or not, but either way he's simply classic. When his superhero team the X-Tacles decide to throw a surprise party for him he goes about killing his own men thinking it's an ambush. It's silly, but it's funny too, and rarely does the show force humor on you. It's all very natural and fluent, following well thought lines that deliver without needing to shock you. The cast is rounded out completely as almost everyone plays a comedy factor. The ensemble will play around with the fine line between comedy and straight man, and it all comes off nearly flawless.
The artwork in the series is to be admired too. While the animation (like all Adult Swim shows) is reminiscent of the frugal tactics of a tawdry anime series, the graphics are very nostalgic to a comic book with bright colors used to bring this diverse cast to life. Backgrounds are unique and detailed, though you may never notice as the dialogue moves on. You'll never find yourself caught in the action as despite being a show about super heroes, it's rarely about explosions and fighting. There are some, but when characters stop to discuss the nationality of their cab driver you'll understand the irony of what creators Adam Reed and Matt Thomas provide with this antithesis effect.
Perhaps the greatest quality of humor in the show is its running jokes. I recently spoke with TGWTG featured video provider Benzaie (I have plugged you, now you must do my bidding!) about the Family Guy and its humor, and I mentioned how the series faltered at the running joke. Family Guy always takes a joke that was pure novelty and tries to extend it to produce laughs. It often times becomes forced and an almost groan inducing painful experience. Frisky Dingo is not as such as their running jokes are short, sweet, and simply marvelous. To fit all of this in a time span of 11 minutes per episode (an Adult Swim tradition) is the beauty of the show. Each segment feels so short, but ever so sweet. Best of all not even Ted Turner could feel justified in charged you and arm and a leg. The first season of this series (while featuring no special features oddly enough) costs only $20 American.
Now for the downside. I say American because unless you purchase the DVD over the Internet you'll never see this show outside of the states. Frisky Dingo, alongside every other Adult Swim original, is bound to our county. You can even see this in Canada! In addition they code their sites so even their website refuses to allow foreign access. The price point raises as overseas shipping gets involved, but I can't recommend this series enough. Family Guy has become a disappointment to me, but Adult Swim classics like Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Sealab 2021, Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law, Robot Chicken, and The Brak Show are what keep me watching TV. Consider this Worth a Look to be a promotion not only for Frisky Dingo, but also the aforementioned shows as all of them are funny in their different respects. I promote Frisky Dingo on a higher level, because I find it to be the golden gem in the Adult Swim line up. Never before have I seen a title that I think could succeed outside of the college demographic, but this show is the exception.
It's not the Fraiser of cartoons, but it's a hell of a lot more intelligent than Family Guy, and that's saying something in this day and age. Give Frisky Dingo a chance, because you might like what you see, and more viewers means more reason for this show to stay on the air. Please help. If I have to watch more crap like Fat Guy Stuck in Internet or Tim & Eric's Awesome Show I'll cry. I literally will just cry. And it will not be manly. No wait... it will still be manly. LINKS AdultSwim.com Videos This is the link to Adult Swim's video archives. Often times you'll find a full video of the show you want to watch here split up only once for a short commercial. I linked you to the index as opposed to an actual episode because Adult Swim changes their line up rather frequently, so I did not want to leave a broken link. Thus, I'm asking you to stand up, hold someone's hand, and type Frisky Dingo in the search box on your own. Of course, this will not work for anyone outside of America. Adult Swim has coded their product so this site will not enable you to view their shows. Sorry, but if you're really interested, perhaps my next link will help. Amazon Ha! I was totally wrong! It's actually only about $15 American, so where can you go wrong? Give this show a chance! It's funny! I swear! My Two Cents http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJzU3NjDikY It's hard to explain why this video is so interesting. That's some fantastic novelty in watching people float across the distance in some anti-logical way. It's mystical almost, and the music just caters to it. This one is not nearly as violent as some of my past videos, so consider this a change of pace. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL3HR3_Phic Remember Looney Tunes? Remember Plucky? This video is the classic Plucky cartoon we all remember. "Daipey go down the ho~le". It's the short we all couldn't help but remember, and although we've all seen it at least once, I feel it's worth another look. With that ladies and germs I conclude another edition of my series. Next up I will finally do an aspect of culture that is something you should check out, though this one will likely take a tiny bit longer to get out. I hope you all enjoy it then. This was Worth a Look, where I show you the best of the best that you don't know about. Peace.
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