For Chris Elliott fans, the Adult Swim series is worth rejoicing over. Unlike other shows of the late-night Cartoon Network showcase, this one enjoys well-crafted scripts filled with jokes that come from decades of edgy, experimental comedy experience, and not bong hits.
Ostensibly a parody of Walker, Texas Ranger and perhaps a bit Justified, the 15-minute series is really just another comfy vehicle for Elliott's absurdist humor, as witnessed on the early years of David Letterman at his peak, and later on Fox's short-lived sitcom Get a Life, in which Elliott wrung odd laughs out of the playing a man-child to dozens of viewers. As clueless cowboy cop Chris Monsato in Eagleheart, he hasn't grown up much.
And thank God for that.
Season one finds Marshal Chris Monsanto getting used to his new partners (because his past ones typically get shot quickly), the spunky Susie (Maria Thayer, State of Play) and dim-bulb big boy Brett (Brett Gelman, A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas). The only character I could do without is their chief (Michael Gladis, Mad Men), who overplays things by half).
Monsato goes against a host of villains, including a serial killer of creepy lonely guys; a "sky crime" baron whose base is a flying dirigible, because laws don't apply in the air; a Mexican cartel smuggling cocaine by molding it into ventriloquist dummies; and, most menacingly, the most popular twin girls from his elementary school.
In one episode, Monsato's literal "death punch" leaves him regretting his actions, so he duct-tapes oven mitts over his hands and moves in with the wife and kids of his exploded victim; watch for the love scene between Monsato and the victim's elderly mother. In another, he and his team go undercover as a suburban family to hide from Albanian assassins, and end up retrofitting a local swingers' club.
Provided you’re in tune with Elliott’s sense of humor, it works wonderfully, and never overstays its welcome. —Rod Lott
