The Life and Times of Tim

Excitement abounds in my household, as HBO is debuting an original animated comedy series called The Life and Times of Tim this weekend. Oh, but how that excitement has been tempered by the first promo I saw, which featured the main character (Tim, duh) with his lady pal in the video rental store (see picture). Guess what happens? The store clerk tells Tim that the porno that he rented is a million days overdue! And he does it in a REALLY LOUD VOICE, which is, like, so totally awkward! Hoo boy...a tired gag in a tired location that most HBO subscribers haven't set foot in since 2002. This doesn't bode well...

I watched more clips on the website. The show seems to have ripped off the Soup 2 Nuts (Home Movies, Dr. Katz) style wholesale. Yeesh! So it would appear that there is nothing very original about The Life and Times of Tim , but that doesn't stop it from being sorta funny. One clip, entitled "Corporate Challenge" (in which Tim's boss wants to do some "gay stuff") made me laugh. But seriously: the tropes, the timing, the pacing, the voice direction, even the crappy drawings...it all screams Soup 2 Nuts.

The show seems to have a decent pedigree, not to mention the backing of HBO. The creator, Steve Dildarian, has a background in advertising and attended SVA. There's clearly some talent behind this thing. And I'm sure it will have its moments. (I liked the arm wrestling bit on the airplane.) But I predict a pretty limp showing on HBO, followed by a quick trip into animation oblivion. Or to Adult Swim. Too bad. A missed opportunity!