Review: 12 oz Mouse “First 12” ; “Awaken” ; “Adrift”

Why did it take so long to get new episodes of 12 oz Mouse? Was it the budget? Was the loose-leaf paper backdrops of seasons past too much for Turner Broadcasting to cover? For whatever reason, Adult Swim finally gets us on the right track with the continuation of 12 oz Mouse season three and for those pining for the days of throwback Adult Swim programming, the kick off of the new season should be a welcome sight.

12 oz Mouse season three hearkens back to the show’s second season of kicking off an exciting arc. This go-round we are introduced to Mouse waking up in an alternate world known as Lotharganin with no memory whatsoever where he’s quickly introduced to Aria and Professor Wilx, two top scientists from the Outer Earth who worked with Shyd Industries. Both new characters have ulterior motives with Mouse, Aria (voiced by Mary Spender) wanting to help our hero get his memories back while the Professor thinks Mouse could be the key to completing his experiments.

The voice cast is littered with notables of Adult Swim’s yesteryears that have since moved on to greener pastures. I don’t want to spoil all of them, but Nick Weidenfeld’s “Peanut Cop” never gets old, George Lowe makes a re-emergence, and I won’t pretend like I didn’t chug a fist in the air when Dana Snyder’s “Buzby” showed up. Moreover, creator Matt Maillero had the presence of mind to cast Swedish metal act Amaranthe to not only be part of the cast but produce the killer theme song.

The most surprising thing about 12 oz Mouse, is that the show still holds up after all of these years. The production value has been upped closer to what we get from Squidbillies nowadays, and the plot is stronger than even some of the stuff that shows up on the streaming services. The nostalgia factor is off the charts, but there’s enough new introduced that the franchise feels fresh, emboldened with fun plot points and searingly hilarious dialogue that should keep us entertained for the next couple of weeks.