Airs Sunday, 8:30 on Fox
Very deserving of its TV-14 rating, Sit Down, Shut Up is a new animated series following the happenings of misfit teachers at a local high school. Created by Mitchell Hurwitz, the mastermind behind my beloved, yet short-lived, Arrested Development, Sit Down, Shut Up features a virtual myriad of voice talent, including but not limited to Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Henry Winkler (all of Arrested and various other fame…Happy Days anyone?), and let’s face it, I’d pretty much watch these guys in anything.
Bateman, in his signature raspy yet sexy voice, voices the PE teacher who prefers to go by the name Larry L. as his true last name embarrasses him (It’s Littlejunk…say it with us...teeheeheeheehee). Arnett is perfectly cast as the bodybuilding English teacher lacking in self-awareness. Special shoutout to Will Forte, who has never wooed me on SNL, but charms as clueless Stuart Proszakian, Ass. Principal (teeheehee).
Never a fan of the animated series (still haven’t jumped on the Family Guy wagon, despite my husband’s best efforts), how could I NOT give this a try when I’ve been grieving the demise of Arrested Development for the last 3 years? Perhaps unfairly I expected the same fast-paced, quick witted, flawlessly developed plot lines that I craved and was more often than not satisfied by Arrested. Like most animated series this seems to suffer from the same inability to properly carry through with a cohesive plot for a full 30 minutes, though it did deliver some deliciously hilarious jokes and puns. Ultimately, I will watch again next week for the dirty humor, familiar voices, and hopes that the show will progress, since like most pilots, this one just wasn’t perfect.