What are the odds that one of the best kids shows on television is a mix of '80s slacker comedies with a healthy dose of Superjail? Pretty high, actually, if you’ve seen Cartoon Network’s Regular Show, which returns tonight for a sixth season with the episode, “Maxin’ and Relaxin’.”
If you haven’t seen it, here’s a rundown with suggested episodes: Regular Show follows aimless twenty-somethings Mordecai (series creator J.G. Quintel) and Rigby (William Salyers), an anthropomorphic bluejay and raccoon. The pair loves video games, hanging out, and ditching their work in a public park—each episode begins with a normal plot that could be swapped into any workplace sitcom, like avoiding setting up chairs or cooking hot dogs, and then goes full force into an absurd finale. Video game monsters appear, Death rides in on a motorcycle, and pranks become life-threatening.
1.
Mordecai and Rigby’s friendship is the core of the show, and the focus of many of its best early episodes. Take “Death Punchies,” in which a video game threatens to tear the pair apart because they can't decide who gets to be Player One. The episode is threaded with influences from the ’80s: it turns out that kickass mullets are one of the crucial things someone needs to be an expert at martial arts, and the episode will speak to anyone who wanted to learn some moves after watching The Karate Kid.
Even when Mordecai and Rigby are in sync, Regular Show appeals to the adolescent male feeling of "awesomeness," especially in episodes like “A Bunch Of Baby Ducks” (highly recommend) or the Emmy-winning (yes, Emmy-winning) “Eggscellent.” Acting on Rigby’s aggressive desire for a free mesh trucker hat with the phrase on it, Mordecai and the rest of the crew train to win an eating challenge, showcasing the Mordecai-Rigby bond, and conflict between Mordecai and park boss/gumball machine Benson (Sam Marin). Of course, there’s also a training montage set to “I Need A Hero” and a parody of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The show isn't short on nuanced development between several of the main characters.
2.
That’s indicative of the oft-hidden soft side of Regular Show. As comically jaded as Mordecai and Rigby can be, they’re also trying to figure their lives out. This plays out in Mordecai’s romantic entanglements—which give the show its closest thing to an ongoing plot—but also in episodes like “Don,” when Rigby’s more accomplished, taller, handsome brother tries to save the park. Over time, the show fleshes out its large supporting cast, from Mark Hamill’s immortal yeti Skips (“Skips’ Story”) to the childlike, good-natured Pops (“Tants”) to the eternally emotional, fun, and disgusting Muscle Man (“Trucker Hall Of Fame”).
Still, Mordecai and Rigby ground everything—a show that consistently includes battles with giant demons (or the embodiment of the worst, catchiest pop song ever written) might be the most realistic portrait of young adulthood on television. Mordecai and Rigby are directionless slackers, but over the course of the show’s six seasons, they’ve made increasing steps toward maturity in ways that are recognizable and occasionally tenuous, reminiscent of growth within real people rather than preordained televised arcs. It’s surrounded by chaos, but for the most part, Regular Show is really about a time in life when everything that could go wrong really could end the world.
3.
My own fascination with Regular Show comes from one, beautiful, all-consuming favorite episode: “Do Me A Solid.” It's not an understatement to say that this episode changed my life, though the less I describe or even try to remember the circumstances behind this, the better. It sent me deep into Regular Show fandom and led me to force far, far too many of my friends to do uncomfortable solids for me. It has everything: classic Mordecai and Rigby tensions, centered around Rigby’s desire to just be bros; Mordecai trying in vain to go on a date with Margaret; the emergence of an important supporting character in Margaret’s friend Eileen; and, of course, a surreal, cataclysmic climax. The biggest lesson of “Do Me A Solid”? Do yourself a solid and watch this show.
Eric Thurm is a contributing writer. He tweets here.
