The List: #29 Aqua Teen Hunger Force

#29
Number of Seasons (To Date): 5
Years Active: 2000 - Present
Network: Cartoon Network (Adult Swim)

Aqua Teen Hunger Force is a deceptive show. The premise sounds absurd and terrible, and the animation looks childish. How could a relatively badly drawn show about three anthropomorphic fast food creatures who may or may not be detectives be any good? To get an answer, one must look past what's on the surface. Or at least actually watch an episode. For the longest time, I assumed that the show was terrible, only because of the way it looks and its premise. But when I finally saw a complete episode, I was amazed at how clever it was.

Yes, the show is absurd, but that is the point. The events of the series often are comprised of non sequitors, and most of the characters seem bereft of all logic (even Frylock, the token "normal" one, has his share of stupid actions). The point of the series is to make us laugh. There is almost no sense of continuity, which allows for various characters to die and come back to life next week without any explanation (and sometimes die again later).

Aqua Teen can be something of an acquired taste. There are aspects that will certainly be unappealing for some viewers (especially those who are prone to queasiness), but if you watch it with an open mind, you will be pleasantly surprised with many of the earlier episodes (I've seen the first two seasons, and nearly every episode is hilarious, but as the years went on, the show became more and more bizarre, and I haven't paid as much attention to the later seasons).

Up next: #28...